Journals from the week ending March 21, 1997
Cultural Differences
Caroline Jephcott, 3/3/97, aboard ship...When I first arrived in Male, I immediately noticed the differences between their culture and mine. Some of these differences included the women's role in society, the way the people dressed, and the food that they ate. These differences were so apparent, that I found it hard at first to accept some societal differences such as not allowing women to show their legs. After a few days in the Maldives, we started our homestay visits. I realized after spending the day with my homestay hostess, that although our cultures have many differences, they also have many similarities. When our homestays friends were all together, they acted much as I would with my friends. They teased each other, made jokes, and watched television. At night we went to a disco, and danced to 80's tunes. We all became good friends in such a short time and I was sad to say goodbye. I found that no matter what your upbringing is, people everywhere are basically the same.
Night Fishing
Meredith Shake, 3/6/97, aboard ship...The night of the full moon was a very enjoyable one. We went night fishing. Two boats picked us up at 8:30 PM and we were on our way. We dropped anchor outside a reef and then they handed us our fishing poles which really were empty water bottles with fishing line wrapped around it and a weight with a hook on the end of the line.
After baiting our hooks, we took our positions. I ended up at the stern, starboard side. This turned out to be the most unlucky spot onboard. Alex and Mr. Schneider made a bet on which of them would catch the bigger fish. Mr. Schneider won. Ms. Smith caught the first fish and ended up catching two more. Everyone caught at least two fish, except for me and Doc.
The two of us glumly watched as fish after fish were hauled in- all of them by everyone else. We sat with our still lines, hoping for a bite. Finally, Doc got one, a pretty nice barracuda. Unfortunately, even though I never gave up, and even tried other luckier spots, I returned to the ship fish-less. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.