Log 19

On the third fifth day in Vietnam, I went to a mangrove forest with my coastal environmental ecology class. We learned about how Agent Orange effected the forest and the restoration efforts.We went to an area of the Biosphere Reserve that had monkeys and crocodiles. The monkeys we very charismatic. Some of the students in my class made the alpha mad and got chased by bared teeth, but hey, think before you act. There was this one monkey though that had an obsession with my boot. He put his hand on it, and then tried to eat my boot. No damaged was made to the boot. By the way, he tried this three times. The crocodiles were cool too, but slightly less entertaining than the monkeys. They don’t really move much.

We had the opportunity to plant to mangrove tree saplings to help the cause. It was around this time that I got stuck in a mud pit and needed help to get out. Think of it as a really thick version of quick sand. Don’t fret, my friend got in on video.

Yesterday, we had a talent show. I got a few videos and pictures, but my phone was at one percent so I had to pick and choose. We have a lot of singers on this ship. Some made original songs and others sang covers. The kids did something. The professors and staff did something as well. It was really cool to see what everyone could bring to the stage.

After the talent show, I went back to my room, and started reading. I noticed I had a four book series on my phone and when I was in port, I downloaded them to my phone. The issue is, I am over half way done with the first book, and we just left Vietnam. I have a feeling I am going to finish all four books before I get to South Africa.

Today, we had a muster drill. This is a mandatory drill that exercises what to do if something happens to the ship. We have to do these monthly. So when we hear six short and one long beeps we are to report to our rooms, put on long sleeves, hats, long pants, and closed toed shoes. Then grab the life jackets that are stored in our cabins and strap those on. Then we proceed to our muster locations. Here, they call each cabin on their list, and we have to indicated that we are there. The thing is, it is supposed to be a silent and serious activity. So while I am there waiting patiently and quietly, everyone around me is talking. I got very frustrated.

Today was also game day for me and my friends. There was no class today so we got a bunch of games together and just played.