The Voyage Begins

Welcome All,

My start to blogging is a new, yet thrilling start to the summer. Making my own website has been a very empowering process and called for some creativity. I look forward to writing the details of my travels including social and cultural aspects of the people and environments. This blog is meant to inform my family and friends on what my day-to-day activities are, but also to reassure them I am enjoying and learning about new cultures.

The two largest parts of my summer consist of traveling to the Dominican Republic and Cape Town, South Africa. These are both academic programs through Indiana University (partnered with CIEE). For the purpose of this blog we will divide my summer into halves. Part 1 = Dominican Republic, while Part 2 = South Africa. 

Part 1: Dominican Republic

I went to the Dominican Republic for 10 days on a Underwater Science Field School. For the project as a whole, we surveyed the Guadeloupe Underwater Living Museum, site maintenance, and made certification dives. Personally, I surveyed and photographed bio-life on a mid 16th century anchor and 7 replica, rod iron, smooth bore cannons. I also worked on tying rope from each auger screw to auger screw on the site, so there was a line on the bottom of the ocean that represented the wake zone above. Along with these tasks, I completed many dives including a night dive and deep dive.

Part 2: Cape Town, South Africa

I am currently packed and ready to go to Africa, which is surprising because usually I wait until the last minute to pack. Previously, on a 8 week trip to France, I waited until 6 hours before my flight to pack. How smart? This time I am ready 48 hours early, woohoo! I will be going to Cape Town to work on a Community Development and Social Justice program along with personal research. I will be spending half of my time taking classes and the other half volunteering/donating my time to gain an understanding of cultural values and norms.

My goal of this whole summer is to use my gained knowledge in human rights and humanitarianism to further my understanding and experience in the international field. This is really important because it will mold my future studies, beliefs, and standing as an aspiring law student.

**Please leave me feedback or any questions you want me to answer along the way in the comments section below!

Until Next Time,

Jordan C.