Day 520 - At Sea

Jaco & I both had a little lie-in this morning. Jaco didn’t have clinic until 1000 & of course, I, too, had to work. On my tan. 

Jaco & I had a little visit over the lunch hour & he went back to do some office work & I headed up on deck. I was intent on finishing my book today. I had 50 some pages left & I did 15-minute rotations as I laid in the hot sun. I managed to finish it up in 1 hour & 15 minutes. Wow. I’m a little pink now. I’m not sure how swell the wetsuit will fit tomorrow!

As for the book, I finally finished Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s The Caged Virgin. It’s a compelling read about women, Islam & how women are treated within the religion. It is fascinating, to say the least. I am amazed at how the women are suppressed – no opportunity to educate themselves & advance & CHOOSE their future. Of course, I’m sure there are ‘westernized’ Muslim women who have taken advantage of the opportunities available to them, however, the vast majority of women in Muslim countries do NOT have these opportunities. Topics like genital mutilation, rape, incest, abuse, illiteracy, honour killings, etc., etc., were discussed. It is an atrocity. So many of these women have arranged marriages, are subjected to abuse because they brought ‘dishonour’ to the family name & the Koran deems it appropriate to the men of the family to restore honour to the family name in whatever method they see fit – abuse. It is disgusting. Any religion that says it’s okay to harm another human being, regardless of their beliefs or religion has plenty of problems. I did not know what genital mutilation was until I read this book. I am 31 years old. How many others out there are unaware of this? Sick. The book is a mere 177 pages. Educate yourself. Please.

Jaco & I watched a few BBC Life episodes in HD. They were incredible! The details & the cinematography are absolutely astounding! We both became tired & as I have a dive tomorrow, I’m off to join Jaco for some well-deserved slumber…

Lekker slaap,

xxxxMaria

 Just READ IT!!!

 I love the blues in the wake

Making the most of every day!