Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sunrise on Africa

Arriving in Egypt held a special meaning for a number of African-American students sailing with Semester at Sea’s Summer ’09 voyage. For them, it was the first time they were traveling to Africa. To celebrate the moment, about 15 African-American students slept out under the stars to awake for a sunrise over Egypt. In the morning, they were joined by more of their classmates to watch the sunrise as the MV Explorer sailed into the port city of Alexandria.

For several students, the event market their first time sleeping out under the stars at night. “Oh my gosh, the stars looked like they were right there in front of ship, not so far up in the sky,” said Triana Francois, who is from New York City and attends the Fashion Institute of Technology.

For Shanae Strachan, this was her first-ever sunrise and one, she said, she is not likely to forget. “It was really wonderful to see,” said Shanae, who attends Monroe College (NY). “Alexandria may not be the prettiest port, but it’s the gateway to Egypt and, for us, to Africa. It was a very powerful moment for all of us to step foot on to this continent.”

The trip to the Great Pyramids was even more momentous for the two students. “Going to the pyramids and the temples seeing the drawings and the dark brown color of the people on the drawings from thousands of years ago made me feel really good,” said Triana. “We were in Africa and it was great.”

Click on the short video below to see the students' sunrise experience.

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