arriving in Manaus

We’re just at this moment docking in Manaus: or so I gather by the ship’s becoming still and by the dozens of little boats and big ships passing by us, some waving, others evidently on their way to daily business in the context of which a big ship like ours is either irrelevant or unsurprising.  There’s a quite majestic white bridge in view from my office window, here on the port (left) side, but it’s actually the starboard (right) side that’s pulling up to the dock, so I don’t yet have a view of the city.

 

There’s less for me to say about the ship community as a whole when we get to ports, for all we disperse—if you want to get a sense of where many of us are headed, look at http://www.ise.virginia.edu/field/s12/BRAZIL%20S12%20FINAL.pdf

Last night we had the mandatory pre-port logistical briefing—safety tips from deans and the doc, mostly; logistical information on trips from the field office; good spirits; lots of excited anticipation.  Brazil Day yesterday was splendid—a great session in the morning with the State Dept. delegation, another (on careers) in the afternoon, a wonderful music and dance session at 5 led by our music prof., Julie Strand, and featuring a number of students, including two on board who are from Brazil, and who sang a lovely bossa nova number together.  Also, I noticed as I went by, lots of kids hanging out by the ship’s pool.  And meanwhile the Amazon continued to pass by, amazing at every moment; I’m glad we’ll pass that same way again in a few days on our way to Ghana.

 

(Brazilian television will meet the ship, by the way, to interview the State Dept. folks and the Brazilian students.)

 

A great line, by the way, from John Matel, one of the visiting diplomats, about US efforts to get another nation committed to more energetic peacekeeping efforts: “Now they’re involved, but they’re not committed.  That may not seem like an important distinction to you.  But when you have bacon and eggs in the morning, the pig is committted; the chicken is involved.  We want them to be committed.”  (He says he didn’t make that up, but he’s where I got it, so I’m citing him for it.  Google gives many references to it but doesn’t say who made it up.)

 

This was a part of the voyage I couldn’t really imagine during all the months of preparation.  And now that I am here, I still can’t.