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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
September 17, 2005
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| August 25, 2005 |
In Pictures – Photo Tour IX of Life Onboard |
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“In El Salvador, I was hit with the blunt end of a gun. When I became conscious someone came over to me and said, ‘We will not shoot you gringo’. The point was it didn’t really matter. I was living my dream. If I was to die living my dream it is the best time to die.” In a series of lectures titled “I Lived My Dreams”, adventurer, lecturer and world traveler, Mr. George Meegan, inspired onboard participants to make a change and live their dreams. His dream? Mr. Meegan holds the most world records (8) of any European person, including the Longest Unbroken March of All Time, which he earned on his epic walk from Tierra Del Fuego in South America to Barrow, Alaska. His journey spanned 19,019 miles in 2,425 days from 1977 to 1983. Once a British merchant seaman, Mr. Meegan decided to take the longest walk in human history, without special equipment, money or support. In fact, his journey across the Americas by foot has yet to be duplicated, not even by vehicle or aircraft. As he made his journey, Mr. Meegan encountered many challenges, hardships and met a wide array of peoples. He soon became a champion of indigenous peoples worldwide, and continues to bring to attention the protection of their culture. |
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As the 49th Voyage journeyed around the world, Peace Boat passed through many time zones. There were many days when clocks had to be turned forward one hour in correspondence with the time zones. The hours were collected back, thus culminating in a day that only lasted for one hour! Due to this extraordinary situation, a celebration was organized for August 25th—the day that lasted for only one hour. With a mock-up schedule planned, participants gathered in the main hall to live a whole day within an one hour framework. Ingeniously, the tempo was sped up (ie. chipmunk-sounding music), resulting in very speedy events such as Okinawa Eisa dance class, GET English lessons, Global University presentation on Article 9, Taebo kickboxing class (see photo), and a Port Orientation for a mysterious destination. After one hour’s time, it became August 26th. It’s all still a mystery… |
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After endless rehearsals and meetings, the GET projects were finally presented on August 24th. The aim of the GET projects was to further promote communication in English or Spanish between onboard participants and GET teachers. Four interactive and creativity-based projects were formed with this in mind. The journal team showed their slideshow of photos accompanied by poems and stories written in English. The media/video team filmed and edited a music video; and the Spanish team performed a play based the storyline of a popular Spanish song. The performance team presented their original play, complete with a coherent script in English, dancing and musical numbers, props and sound-effects. “What impressed me the most was the quality of each team and their motivation, especially since all the people were using a language that wasn’t their native tongue,” noted GET teacher Maryann Bylander, who helped guide the journal team. |
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Throughout the 49th Voyage, you would find a group of participants on the top deck practicing the Nanchu Soran dance. This dynamic dance from Hokkaido in the north of Japan draws on traditional rhythms and the movements of fishermen. In 1983, a highschool teacher developed Nanchu Soran as a way to channel the aggression of his failing students into a something more motivational and positive. Soon Nanchu Soran’s popularity spread across Japan, culminating in a yearly competition among highschools. Nanchu Soran is a lively, intense dance is a great example of people building peace through the arts. Ken Takahashi, a university student from Hokkaido, began teaching the dance onboard to participants both young and old. “I’m touched that everyone enjoys this as much as me,” he said. “I’m amazed what great friends we’ve become by sharing in practices everyday.” His energy and enthusiasm for Nanchu Soran is infectious, and the team has performed at various ports, including the People Building Peace Concert in New York. |
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