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From: Steven Lowy <steven.lowy.s12@semesteratsea.org>Subject: Celebrating my 21st birthdayDate: February 10, 2012 3:24:54 PM GMT-01:00First off sorry for taking so long to update about Brazil, our internet on the boat is pretty reliable but our email really only works when it feels like it. At least mine does it took me 4 days to get the Brazil email to send. So now that it sent, my birthday was on the 8th. Nothing like celebrating your 21st birthday in the middle of the Atlantic ocean but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. It takes 9 days to get from Manaus in the Amazon to Tema, Ghana in Africa. The 8th was our day off and was also the day we passed over the equator in the ocean. It was marked as procedural protocol day on our calendars but we all knew it was Neptune's Day. We were woken up at 8 by a bunch of the crew dressed as Roman warriors and our dean painted green and apparently Neptune. Everyone met out on the deck to complete the ritual that you must do in order for King Neptune to deem you worthy to cross the equator. Since it was my birthday, just about the entire boat sang happy birthday to me and I went first. First they pour liquid fish guts on you which smells but wasn't that bad, then you jump strait into the pool get out, kiss a fish, kiss the rings on Mr. and Mrs. Neptune and then get knighted. Then comes the optional head shaving which I of course did. Never shaved my head before and won't ever do it again but it'll grow back in 3 weeks so whatever. I think about 7 girls shaved their heads and that I think is a big deal. After that we can an awesome taco lunch and chocolate cake. The rest of my day consisted of napping, reading scheduling a massage for the following day and getting ready for dinner at 6:45. About 20 of my new friends joined me for special occasion dining. It's $30 a person and thats a deal considering what we got. A 5 course meal that had appetizers, shrimp cocktail, greek salad, broccoli soup, then salmon, prime big or tenderloin for the entree and finally cheesecake or creme brulee. The creme brulee was incredible by far the best i've ever had and everything else was great too. Everyone had ordered me a mint chocolate vanilla ice cream cake too and that was so awesome. Also the dinner came with champagne. Sorry to make everyone jealous but hey it was my 21st. It was a great birthday but I do wish I could've shared it with all of my friends in Boulder too.Today is the 10th and we'll be in Ghana on the 13th, i'm doing a 4 day 3 night home stay in a village. It was done through facebook sponsored by kids from previous voyages who said it was by far the most significant trip they had during the entire trip. That gets me pretty excited.Next update we'll be on our way to South Africa!Hope you are all doing great.-Steven
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