HAPPY EASTER

Happy happy Easter to all of my friends and family! I wish all of you a wonderful day; I miss you all very much! While it was certainly difficult to be away from loved ones on Easter, today was just another testament to how incredible this shipboard community is! To start things off, Desmond Tutu said a sunrise service this morning which was an amazing Easter gift in itself! Today he was not dressed in his usual knee high socks, and blue baseball cap, but rather a beautiful burgundy cloak and a large silver cross hanging around his neck. cloak His words were special and inspiring as usual, and I’d say it’s pretty amazing to hear Easter Sunday mass from the Archbishop of Cape Town! On the procession out of the service, everyone was given a red carnation to throw into the ocean as a little celebration. That was very cool, to see hundreds of red flowers being tossed into the sea! Then it was back inside for breakfast, and a regular day of class.
We have only had three days on the ship since departing from Malaysia. There was only enough time to get a couple of papers done, and prepare for the next port. I think going to Vietnam is going to be eye-opening and challenging for many people. Instead of learning about how Britain’s rule negatively affected India, or the aftermath of Apartheid in South Africa, Vietnam is a country whose recent history is closely tied with the United States. I am leaving for Cambodia April 9-11, and I know that visiting the killing fields in the city of Phnom Penh will give me a new view of the civil war that took place there, and the role of my country in that.
I love you all so much, so take, care, and I will write again when I return from my adventure in Vietnam!