April 13, 2009

The last day we spent in Samana was filled with all sorts of emotions. We started the day at six in the morning in order to finish our chores and prepare lunches for a hike to a fresh waterfall. When we arrived at the dock around eight, we were surprised to find some other people from Tall Ship that was anchored nearby. We headed uphill in a truck and stopped near a tourist stand where we sampled fresh fruit and local coffee. Then we headed toward the trail to start our hike to the waterfall.

The hike was very surprising because we expected the trail to be rocky and the lengths to be about forty minutes, but the guide took us on a very short (about 10 minutes) and leisurely walk. It was very relaxing to take a swim in some fresh water for a change. Many of us rinsed our hair and hung out on the rocks above the falls.

After that, we had a surprise stop to a nearby beach where we collected some beautiful pink seashells and tried to even out our embarrassing tan lines. We then returned to the ship where we hung out and did chores for a couple of hours before eating an early dinner before we headed back to land to sit in during an English class at the local school.

Around seven that night we met up with Jennifer, a member of the Peace Corps, who drove us to the English class she was teaching later in the evening. We squeezed into a small van and drove to a small church where the class was being held. Although many of us were tired, we all ended up having a very good time. Some of the students introduced themselves in English and Celina told them about Tall Ships program in Spanish. We then split into groups and practiced our Spanish skills, while the students worked on their English. Conversations were awkward at times, but we all managed to have good conversations. We ended the class by playing bingo and limbo and drank some soda. Overall, everyone ended up having a great time and talked the whole car ride back to the dock.

Once we boarded the ship, many of us ended up having a “slumber party” on deck after running into some very big roaches in the Main Salon. Although some people were terrified to go back into their bunks, we all enjoyed hanging out on deck while looking at the bright moon. Emotions changed when many of us learned that two of the girls would be leaving the group and flying back to San Francisco the following morning because of a safety violation. Many of us spent the night awake and restless, giving out some of the last goodbyes and best wishes to our friends. Although many people had negative thoughts in their heads, we all managed to get a bit of nice sleep on deck before saying our final goodbyes in the morning.

Julia Brooks