Itinerary Update!

Well well well I already have an update for my many dedicated readers!

Our itinerary just changed BIG TIME. Basically, Semester at Sea has decided that the Gulf of Aden is not safe due to piracy issues. Apparently there was an attempted attack on a passenger ship recently in addition to several better known episodes including a take-over of an oil tanker. Anyway so we're not going there. We're going elsewhere.

Instead of visiting Italy, Turkey, and Egypt we'll be traveling down the west coast of Africa and around the horn on our way to Asia. This means that after Spain, we'll head to Casablanca, Morocco (I've already been here but I'm excited to go back as it was one of my favorite trips ever); Walvis Bay, Namibia (I don't know very much about Namibia but it sounds pretty exciting to me!); Cape Town, South Africa (I was in Johannesburg once over night and I've wanted, since, to go back and really experience South Africa, especially as beautiful a place as Cape Town); and Port Louis, Mauritius (I'm the MOST excited about this! Google Earth Mauritius NOW).

Seriously, did you know that Mauritius is about to be the first country to have nation-wide wireless internet access (granted Mauritius is a teeny island East of Madagascar)? The national languages are English and French and the people are really diverse, most being of Indian descent. I literally had never heard of Mauritius... and it just seems incredible. The skyline of Port Louis just looks extremely urban, the beaches are STUNNING and inland there are tea farms.. I can't wait!

While this change means I probably won't get to see my friend Juan in Italy, as planned, I may see him in Spain and I'll definitely see my friend Amy (one of the people I currently live with) in Cape Town.

Basically, I'm really really glad I won't be kidnapped by any pirates (or at least I can say that that possibility has been lessened) AND I am PUMPED to be spending more time in Africa.

In other news, Robbie and I just went out to dinner and it was really nice. We realized we're only going to be together for slightly under two weeks before we're separated for five months! So we're making sure we have a really fun under-two-weeks. We literally haven't been apart for more than three weeks at a time since we MET. Even over summer breaks. But we're both really excited for our adventures. Robbie's going to Edinburgh which I think will be the perfect place for him. Except he's never lived anywhere that got cold enough for snow... so that'll be fun to hear about! He's making a blog too, by the way. I asked him if he thought he'd make one and he said probably not but then I pretty much challenged him to a funniness-off: Whoever has a funnier blog wins. That got him! Once I know what his blog site is I'll post it here. Also, I know my blog hasn't been funny yet but juuuuuuuust yooooooooooooou wait. Once I'm actually travelling I'll have plenty of material FOR sure.

In other news, I made a packing list... I was in a class where other people were giving presentations and I had already given mine so I was pretty much done until the final anyway. I figure if I couldn't remember a clothing item the other day when I was making the list then I don't care about it enough to pack it, right? Right.

We're getting close, y'all.
Martha