Some ruminating: Another sea day and I realise that I have alot of time on my hands to think and read. I am so very fortunate to be here, especially to spend these few days with Jeannie whom I have known since 1957. I have often wished I had a sibling and perhaps that's what I feel about Jean: someone I never have to explain my feelings thoughts and ideas to because she is there ahead of me! We laugh because we realise we are both thinking the same thing at the same moment. Lovely! The other side of this coin is that I shall feel bereft when she leaves....
Steve Reeves's latest funny comment: He is an Economist and asked his class yesterday this question: What are the advantages of a weak Dong? (Vietnam coin) I will leave you to imagine the student response! Will he ever be allowed to live it down?
In a lecture on women's lives worldwide was happy to see that on the list of the best countries for a woman to live Canada ranks third...well before the United States. Britain isn't even on that chart! Makes you wonder??!
Jeannie is now reading The Help which I enjoyed so much earlier in the trip. We both wonder how, with their own history of slavery and racism, Americans can be quite so judgemental of South Africa? The difference is only in numbers really....the whites being such a minority in South Africa. There has now been an ANC government for 14 years and improvements are coming...albeit slowly. Illegal immigrants are pouring in looking for prosperity, which they cannot find in their own countries, crowding the townships. A huge problem. In Ghana, a stable African country, the infrastructure is very weak (crumbling perhaps) and it is rife with corruption. In Zimbabwe a corrupt government has destroyed the economy so that the Zimbabwean people are suffering terribly; the land is not being farmed and again the infrastructure is weak and getting weaker. Leaders don't want to give up power and the people suffer....there is huge discrepancy in wealth in many African countries. I fear for them all.
We have arrived in Mauritius but we're so early (3 pm arrival) that we are not allowed ashore today. Customs have been and we can leave the ship from 6 am (some hope!) tomorrow morning. Spending the day with Jeannie's friends, Charles and Gillie who are spending their 40th wedding anniversary where they spent their honeymoon 40 years ago...amazing! The hotel I gather is v. luxurious, Le Paradis, and we are to be their guests!
Just had a long interesting conversation with Jeremy Kingston, our Captain, at the bar. Turns out his father was in the Indian army, like Jeannie's, he has spent time in East Africa like both of us, has sailed on British India and P&O ships like both of us. Lovely chat following a talk given by him in the Union at our logistical/cultural pre-port (at which George spoke brilliantly and amusingly on Creoles!) telling the students, in no uncertain terms, that if they come aboard drunk tomorrow they will be breathalised and that if they are extremely drunk they will be taken out of the programme and sent home. It unfortunately needed to be said. Apparently the reason we are only staying one day in Mauritius is because of the appalling behaviour of students on previous voyages. How embarrassing for Semester at Sea and for their country and ultimately what a complete waste of time and opportunity for themselves.
It takes a Brit to use the tone of voice which both silences and scares these young people...and us! Some students talk all the way through Global Studies and make it difficult for others to hear the lectures...amazingly disrespectful and thoughtless. They are so great individually, how does this happen?
Off to bed so that we can have an early breakfast (7.30 am) and our taxi is picking us up at 9 am. It takes an hour and 10 minutes to reach Le Paradis they say (45 km)depending on the traffic. Mauritius looks so beautiful from our balcony: strange peaks reaching up into the sky and the twinkling lights of Port Louis....looking forward to seeing it by daylight.
Sorry for sounding off.....it's the Baillie's Irish Cream on ice that Mandy just made me! Off to bed....Bon Soir!
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