Goodbye Barcelona

The past 4 days have completely flown by and as I write this, our ship is an hour away from leaving Spain. Today Amanda and I went to a café for breakfast and then walked around the Gothic Quarters of Barcelona. We went shopping for a couple of hours and just enjoyed the atmosphere of Spain one last time. I love the culture here so much. Everything seems so calm and laid back. After a long day of walking around, Kelly, Abby, Amanda and I took the metro to the beach. The water was freezing!! My favorite line of the day is when Kelly said, “Uh guys… Is this a nude beach??” It was NOT a nude beach, but we will just say that bathing suits are 100% optional in Spain. We could only stay at the beach for 20 minutes before we had to get back on the ship around 4 pm. Amanda and I got to our cabins and I just fell right asleep. We did not get back to the ship last night until around 3 am and we were up and out again this morning by 10. I cannot wait to sleep tonight!!!

The story of the hour is that someone is missing from the ship. We were supposed to be on the ship by 6 pm and he is no where to be found. All 700 students are here except him. His name is Alex… so hopefully he gets here before we leave at 8 because the ship will leave without him if he’s not. (They announced that to us in our preport meeting.)

One day of sailing awaits us tomorrow as we make our way to Italy. We’ll be arriving there on Saturday at 8:00 AM. I am kind of disappointed because all of the girls that I have been hanging out with are all doing an independent 5 day trip throughout Italy. I really wanted to go, but I have SAS trips for every day that we are in port. I am going to be able to see everything that they are seeing, I just will not see it with them. I guess I will just need to make new friends! For tonight, Amanda and I are having a movie night in our room and then we are going to write some essays that are due next week. I am still having an amazing time and I am so excited to see what Italy has in store for me!

Yesterday and Today in 1000 words...

How do I even begin to attempt to portray the past two days in Barcelona? I feel like I’ve been here for such a long time because I am getting such a good feel of the city now. Yesterday, Amanda and I went out with a different group of friends to find somewhere to eat breakfast. We slept in until 1030 and missed breakfast on the ship by a good 2 hours. Oops. After wandering the streets for a while we finally found a place to eat some sandwiches. Our plan for the morning was to make it to La Sagrada Familia one more time because we wanted to see the inside of it. We had 8 people in our group (seven girls and one guy)… needless to say, the girls all wanted to shop and spend their time in the stores while we made absolutely no progress towards the church. Around 1430 we realized that we had only gone about 1 mile from the ship and we had about 7 more to walk before we would get to the church. So we started our journey swearing that we would not stop for anything. Did you know that if you buy a pair of shoes and wear them for the first time on an 8 mile walk you will most likely get blisters?? Needless to say… I stopped the group one last time to run into a store to buy some new shoes because I did not want to walk a roundtrip walk of 16 miles with a blister. We finally made it inside La Sagrada Familia. It was astounding. The detail in the inside was incredibly thoughtful and designed so intelligently. Arches towered towards the sky and stained glass painted the walls allowing just enough light inside the building. Spiraling staircases allowed guests (who paid an extra 3 Euros) to go up to the balcony of the church and just sit in amazement. Since Amanda and I had already been to the church before, we decided to head home early. We got back to the ship and took an amazing 2 hour nap before heading out again. That night we went out to La Rambla again and just walked around observing everyone. For dinner, we decided on an Italian restaurant in a main square outside of the city. Spain’s entire time schedule is so much different than ours in America. When you get to a restaurant, you order a drink and it comes about 10 minutes later. Appetizers are brought out about 30 minutes after you’ve been seated and the main meal comes about an hour to 75 minutes after you’ve arrived. It takes a lot of effort to sit back, relax and just enjoy being in the moment instead of rushing to chow down on food. A man sat down at the table next to ours and by the end of the night we had struck up a conversation together. He was from Holland and on a business trip to Barcelona. He told us story after story about his wife and his 3 boys back at home. We sat and talked with him about the government, soccer (futbol), football (futbol Americano) and so much more. After Amanda and I finished an entire pizza by ourselves… we ordered an espresso for dessert. The three of us just enjoyed each others company for the next hour or so and we ended up not leaving the restaurant until around 015. We said our goodbyes and then Amanda and I walked back to the ship for the night. It was such a pleasant night. I cannot begin to describe how much I love just sitting and talking with people at street cafes and restaurants.

Today, I went on a Semester at Sea field program trip to Tarragona and Montblanc. These are two Roman cities along the coast of Spain. Our bus left this morning at 900 and we headed out! Our tour guide took us to a rock quarry first to show us where the Romans got their materials to build these cities. It was so deep and so incredible to know that these people were able to literally harvest rocks out of the ground to use for buildings. When we got to the city a few miles later, you could see the same exact coloring in the buildings as you could see in the quarry. The correlation was amazing and something I had never thought of before. We took a tour of the city and then got 20 minutes of free time. I was so happy because I found a frozen yogurt store! I felt at home all over again and I enjoyed every minute of that treat! We then got back on the bus and traveled another hour to the next city: Montblanc.

This city was built 2300 years ago also by the Romans. The architecture was incredible. They did not use any cement or anything to hold their buildings together! When we got there, it was time for lunch at a local shop. We all sat down and got a salad, then chicken, then pulpo (octopus) and shrimp, next was a flan and then an espresso. The food, minus the octopus and shrimp, was really good! We then took the bus all the way back to the ship. One of my favorite things to do now that I am in this hot humid sticky weather is to shower! I am so glad that we have access to the ship while we are in port. Amanda and my friends are out right now, but they usually come back around 2000 to take a nap and then head back out for the night. I figured I would write you all a mini-book to read while I wait for them to come home.

We leave Barcelona tomorrow. I do not think I will be able to share any pictures with you until I get home. The internet here is so unreliable. I will be in Italy in two days! Tomorrow is going to consist of sleep, sleep and more sleep followed by a class and then more sleep. I am sad to be leaving Spain, but I have a feeling Italy is going to be fantastic… You are in my thoughts and prayers! Love you!!

Adventures in Barcelona-Day 1

This morning I woke up to find myself berthed at a port in BARCELONA!!!!!!!!!! My roommate and I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes and ran outside. The view from the 8th deck of our ship is amazing. Barcelona is built on a slight hill so you can see the entire city in one panoramic view from the top of the ship. We scarfed down some breakfast and sunscreened up for our first great adventures.

 

First of all, I am going to warn you that this blog is going to be extremely detailed because so many of you have been telling me that you are living through me on this trip... so here goes.

 

Our ship is berthed at Port A in Barcelona, Spain. In order to disembark the ship we have to go down through an airport like building and walk across a 1.2 mile bridge. (GREAT way to burn off the breakfast you just ate AND to gaurantee that you will get sweaty before you even get into town.) It is a wonderful 75 degrees here today and the sun is shinning brightly. Before we disembarked, a US Embassy representative got on the ship to discuss the dangers of the city and certain areas that we should avoid. EVERYONE has been warning us about pick pocketing. Thanks to my friend Nikky... I have an awesome purse that sits over my shoulder, has a pouch, a zipper and a lock on it. I only took the essential things that I would need for the day and left with the mindset that I might not return with the things I brought.

 

Anyways... after the mile walk to get off of the port area, my four friends and I made our way to La Rambla Calle. It is the main street in town where there are tons of shops and street performers. It was incredible because you could actually see who the pick pocketers were! They eyed you up and down and as soon as you made eye contact with them they would cover their face with a newspaper or turn the other direction. Soon after finding this incredibly long street, my friends and I went to a house designed by Gaudi himself! It is such an interesting design. You should look it up... it's called Casa Batllo. It is simply amazing and unique. We didn't go inside, but it was still cool from the outside. Next, we made our way up to the Ciudat Central (center of the city) where we watched the current protesters who are camped out in the roundabout in the plaza. They are protesting the government's actions in Spain. There is a 21% unemployment rate and the people are demanding change. Funny enough... there are birds all over this plaza. It was like a Mary Poppins movie. The birds covered the ground to such an extent that you couldn't walk. My friends and I found out that my roommate Amanda has a fear of birds... and soon enough someone scared the birds and they all took off flying at once. I have it on video. It is amazing. haha.

 

Soon after this, we decided to go to La Sagrada Familia. Look this building up as well. It is breathtaking! This is a cathedral that Gaudi was working on before he died. His death resulted in an incompletion of the project and just recently the government has decided to continue building it. The view is simply astounding. It is 12 euros to get inside... I might be going back soon because I really want to look at the architecture inside.

 

One of the more interesting notes of my day... When my friends (Randy, Amanda, Kelly and I) were attempting to figure out the metro for the first time, we were kindly helped by a homeless man. He came up to us at the screen as we all stared in confusion. He was so helpful. He spoke English and he was the friendliest person I have met in a long time. I don't know how to describe it, but there is something about traveling in foreign countries that puts you in new situations where you are forced to just go with the flow of things. Don't get me wrong... I am extremely cautious and always have my guard up, but there are times when you truly need the help of others (Even if he is a homeless man) and you just have to accept it. He told us that we were in the wrong station and he walked us to the new station we were supposed to be in. He warned us about pick pocketers and he just started talking about his day and how he hopes that we enjoy our stay. While hesitant, I was so glad he helped us. He will be one of those random people that stick out to me in my memories of this trip.

 

After getting back to the ship that evening around 5:30, I had to quickly get ready to head out again to go to a Flamenco show at 5:45. I was kind of looking forward to the show, but for the most part I was not expecting very much. We got to the show and sat down to a four course dinner and consecutive show. I barely remembered to eat because I was so mesmerized and enthralled by these Flamenco dancers. I video taped so many of their dances because I simply loved the show. I know this sounds crazy, but it made me tear up because I enjoyed it so much. (by the way... The second course they served us was Paella. **Reed... look it up and see why I didn't like it... haha)

 

After the show, Randy, Kelly and I went out to explore the city again. We found a cafe outside of town and decided to sit down for some drinks. I finally got to have my cafe con baileys that I have been missing for an entire year. I was so happy! Funny story: this lady was walking by the cafe with a mini white dog. Kelly commented on the cuteness of the dog and went over to it. I was the only one in the group who could speak Spanish so I served as the translator for the group. The dog's name ended up to be Randy. Randy (the person) found this hilarious and began to have me explain to this couple that his name is Randy too. Soon enough another group sitting at the same cafe became involved in our laughing conversation. We spent the next 3 hours sitting and talking with these Spainards about their life and their hometown and the futbol teams and just life in general. It was the coolest thing! I did a lot of translating, but these men spoke decent English as well. Their names were Carlos, Diego and Luis. We all took a group picture at the end of the night and then headed home. I learned so much about Spain and the culture just by sitting and talking with these people than I have ever learned in a classroom.

 

We headed back to the ship and crossed the mile long bridge once again and finally got back to our temporary home for the remainder of the voyage. I am so glad that I have this opportunity. When I stepped off of the ship today I just couldn't stop smiling. Suddenly all of the sea sickness and loneliness and second guessing myself vanished. I had an awesome day and I can't wait for another one tomorrow. It is now 222 in the morning here... so I need to get some sleep. Thanks for reading this mini-book/blog entry! I will keep you posted on exciting happenings throughout my trip. I have 2 more nights and 3 days left here, then it's one day of sailing until we arrive in Italy for the next 6 days. I can't wait!

The Coast of Spain and Slumber Parties

First of all, allow me to attempt to explain the beauty of the night sky interupted by the glimmering shore lights on the coast of Spain. It is simply beautiful! Last night almost the entire student population crowded onto the decks of the ship to watch as we sailed along the coast. I can't believe that we are here and that within 23 hours I will be in Barcelona.

 

On a side note... what better way to celebrate the fact that we are now in Europe than with a sleepover!!?? Last night my roommate Amanda and I pushed our two twin beds together and brought in another mattress and bed from another cabin. Together, her and I along with 3 other girls all had a sleepover! We painted nails and watched movies and just had a blast. It was so much (very needed) fun after such a long journey across the seas. I am still so incredibly happy that I have the roommate I have. Almost all of the other girls that I have met are jealous of Amanda and me. There are so many people making illogical decisions aboard this ship. It simply amazes me.

 

We have one last day of classes today and then we don't have class again until July 6th! I'm quite happy about that. Maybe now I will feel like my summer has begun.

 

Things that I miss about home: My bed! My ceiling fan, my family, thoroughly cooked eggs, a washing machine, my car, easily accessible forms of communication, my job, my boyfriend, my friends, being in tune with what is going on in the world and solid ground.

 

I hope that I will get to hear from you soon!

LAND!

Just a quick update... I am currently able to see both Europe and Africa right now! The fog is horrible but nonetheless we are sailing between the two continents on our way to Gibraltar to bunker. I am so glad that we are almost there! It is the coolest thing because on the port side of the ship we see Spain and on the starboard side of the ship we see Morocco. No words can describe this feeling! (Unfortunately it is so humid out right now that every time I try to take a picture, the lens of my camera fogs up...) You'll just have to trust that the view is incredible!

One Eye on the Horizon

Today is the day that we are supposed to see Europe and the tip of Africa!! Everyone is so excited! We will be passing through the straight of Gibraltrar and bunkering there for a few hours before heading up to Barcelona. We will arrive in Barcelona in 2 days. There's not too much time to be distracted because we have a major test today for one of the classes that everyone is required to take. I'm nervous because I was sick all day yesterday so I haven't studied. I have all morning until 1335 to get a feel for the material though. The waves are much better today. It looks like winter outside though. It is cloudy and cold and the water is still pretty rough. We can tell we're a lot closer to land because we have been passing multiple carrier ships and cargo ships. It is quite encouraging. I have to send a shout out to the best roommate in the world who helped me so much yesterday while I was doubled over with sea-sickness. She turned in an assignment for me and did her best to nurse me back to health. It was exactly what I needed. Thanks Manda!!! Other than that... I'm so excited to eee land, to bunker, and to finally be in Spain. I have no idea what I was thinking when I signed up for this trip... sailing across the Atlantic. Twice. Yep I'm insane. But... it has made me rethink the distance of God's love for us... One scripture says he's removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west... let me tell you. IT'S VERY FAR. haha. Love you all and I can't wait to hear from you soon!!

Woah... everybody hold on.

I have literally heard 10 or more people say, "Woah! Everybody hold on!" today as we have been crossing through some of the most difficult waters we've experienced so far. My sea sickness was back this morning. The ocean is filled with white caps on every wave. People are rolling off of their chairs, falling down stairs, tripping as the floor seems to roll up beneath you as you're walking down a hall... I've never seen anything like this before. I got super sick in class because I could see the horizon going up and down through the window. Right now I'm sitting in my room on my bed and I am literally holding on to the wall to keep my balance... and I'm SITTING. It's absolutely insane. We are making a pit stop at Gibraltar to fuel up tomorrow! After we get there we will no longer be out in the middle of no where and we'll be able to see land surrounding us again. My personal theory about why the water is so crazy is because we are approaching the mouth of the Mediterranean and the various currents from the Atlantic and the Med are crashing together. I could be very wrong... but it sounds smart! All of my books just slid off of my table. I need to go pick them up and attempt to get some reading done before class. Wish me luck and take a moment to appreciate the solid ground you are standing or sitting on right now...

The Amazing (Slippery) Race

Tonight our ship had an amazing race style competition. Our team consisted of 8 people and we all were running around all 8 decks figuring out different clues.  There were 480 students competing in the race. All things were going well until it started storming. The ship was rocking like crazy and all 480 of us were slipping all over the place. So we were doing well until we stopped doing well and ended up coming in 10th. It was a lot of fun and of course... we celebrated our loss with ice cream cones on the deck under the midnight stars. I've been feeling really homesick recently! I miss driving and being able to just get in my car and go to a movie. I miss my bed. I miss my family! But enough dwelling on the things that I can't change... tomorrow I am heading to class (just like every other day...) but I'm going to entertain myself by attempting to run on the treadmill with my roommate. We've decided that we are going to successfully balance on one even if the waves are crazy. We might just go back to the elypticals after a few anticipated moments of falling flat on our faces. :)

 

Random fact: Every night at dinner we have some sort of pasta and some type of potatoes. We are kind of getting sick of it. It is now the running joke on the ship...

 

I am putting on a show for the ship towards the end of the voyage. It is a class project between me and 6 other really fun people in my group. I am actually excited about it!

 

But I actually need to stop updating you because... THERE IS A HUGE STORM ROLLING OVER THE SHIP!!!!!! I must go outside and be in the rain and watch the thunder and lightning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!! Love you guys!! Have an awesome day!

Location Not Found

Hello everyone! Well our ship experienced its first storm last night. The waves were pretty rough but for the most part we were able to sleep through them. The skies are pretty dark today though and I get a very erie feeling knowing that I am stuck in the middle of the ocean no matter what kind of weather comes my way. My computer has a weather detector on it and today the icon says "location not found". I laughed when I read that because it is so true. At this point who knows where we truly are... it feels the same as yesterday and looks the same as the day before that. Nothing but water. EVERYWHERE.

 

For those of you who know me really well (which is probably most of you...) You will appreciate this story:

My roommate and I were in bed last night about ready to fall asleep when I thought I heard her crying. I asked her if she was ok and she said, "yeah I'm fine!" It was quiet for a few more moments and then she said, "I get really homesick everytime I start to fall asleep," I started thinking about it and those were my thoughts exactly. Something about not having a hug from someone for almost a week is really strange... and I miss it! Just as I was thinking that she said, "Would you mind if we started hugging each other at least once a day?? I just miss hugging people and being hugged..." I almost started crying and I said, "Of course!!" So we got up and hugged each other and felt sooo much better and then went to sleep. For those of you who know me... you should be able to recognize that this girl is an answer to my prayers!! She and I are becoming such great friends. I love it. 

 

I slept through breakfast this morning. The ship's time changes every day. So at the beginning of this voyage we were at Eastern Time and since then we have lost an hour a day. So today it feels like we are waking up at 4 AM just to get breakfast. I decided to skip it and just sleep in. My first class is at 1045 thankfully so I have the option of doing that.

 

We are doing an "Amazing Race" on the ship tonight. The team that wins gets to deboard the ship first in Barcelona. I'm pretty excited! It will be something fun and finally different to do. Well I think that is the full update from over here. I hope you are all doing well!

It just hit me.

Throughout this trip I have been dissappointed in myself for not having a 100% enthusiasm about the trip. Of course I have loved the voyage so far... but there have been parts of me that feel let down and other parts of me that have labeled me as simply insane. I just got back from one of my classes and found this email in my inbox. It just hit me. I am on my way to the most amazing places in the world and I am brilliantly excited. Feel free to take a look at the email I received--

 

Your itinerary for Rome:

 

0830              Depart ship. 1½-hour drive to Rome
1000              Arrive at Colle Oppio coach Park. (Meet local guide at Ostiense)  & drive  to the Colosseum.
1015              Visit the Colosseum and free time for photos
1200              Lunch served at a local restaurant  (1½ hours)

1330              Drive to "Fra Albenzio"  & walk to  Vatican Museums
1400              Begin guided tour of Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel
1530              Leave Vatican Museums and walk to St Peter's Square
1630              Guided visit of Saint Peter's Basilica. See Michelangelo's "Pieta'" and Bernini pulpit.
1630/1715   Leisure time on own after guide speech to take pictures and free time before meeting guide

                        and begin walk to  via della Conciliazione

1730              Walk to via della Conciliazione
1745              Return to Civitavecchia. Guide departs in Rome

1915              Arrive at the ship

Now do you all see why I am so excited?????

This is going to be amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge Day

Well after today I think and hope that the worst is behind us. The mid atlantic ridge is the source of hundreds of underwater volcanoes and it is also the intersection of fault lines (if my mind is right...). The waves today have been brutal. Drawers are opening up, cups are sliding off of tables, I think about 20 people have dropped their plates of food today while trying to recover their balance. In general the waters are violent!! I hand washed a few of my clothes in our sink yesterday in order to save money and I was pretty proud of myself! My roommate and I missed our alarm this morning which means that we both slept through breakfast and she slept through her first class. oops. On Friday the 24th we are stopping at Funchal to fuel up the ship. We are also having another lifeboat drill. Those are interesting to say the least. Classes are going very well. I am loving the diverse group of students who are on the ship. I am no longer using the sea-sickness patch because of some weird side affects it was giving me. I lost most of my vision yesterday and my eyes are still extremely dialated. The medic on board said that this is because I must have touched the patch and then touched my eyes. It is supposed to wear off in 2-3 days. Meanwhile I have a ton of reading I need to do which is extremely difficult to do when everything is blurry. Oh well. I am just glad to know that it is nothing permanent or too serious. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me! I love opening my email in the mornings to see who I get to hear from that day. It should be a good rest of the day. I can't wait to be out of these rough waters. Oh and for those of you in California... I am now 6 hours ahead of you. We lose an hour every other night. I hope you are all enjoying your Tuesday!

A-rockin' and A-rollin'

Good morning everyone!

 

Today our ship is almost halfway across the Atlantic. We will be crossing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge today which means that we will be getting some pretty big waves. The waves are already a lot bigger than yesterday. It is the funniest thing when a bunch of people are walking down the halls. A wave will come and all of the people will just slam against a wall. We have finally given up trying to walk in a straight line. I had a ton of reading to do last night. I had over 120 pages that I needed to read just for today. The highlight of my day yesterday was taking my books onto the deck and laying out while I read while also watching the sun sink below the horizon.

 

For those of you who might be wondering...Our ship is 591 ft long and 83 ft wide with a 21 ft draft (the part that goes under the water). Four engines give this vessel 53,000 horsepower and the ship weighs 24,000 tons. We typically travel at 21 knots but the ship can go as fast as 33 knots. Right now we are currently at 33 degrees north and 54 degrees west. (There is also a link on www.semesteratsea.org that can be used to follow our ship....)

 

Every other day that we are at sea we change the clocks so that when we get to Spain we are already set to their time. Right now... if I'm thinking correctly I am 5 hours ahead of California time. We change the clocks again tonight so the I'll be 6 hours ahead of you. Today is the first day I am going to try not using a sea-sick patch or medicine. They make me so sleepy!! I need to stay awake in class because midterms are on Friday!!

 

Fun facts I have learned so far... DON'T under any circumstance think that you can put pants on while standing up on a ship. It DOES NOT work... There is a good reason why there are bars or handrails on every wall in the ship. If you're in bed sleeping and you hear someone come in... don't automatically assume that it is your roommate... it could very well be housekeeping and you both could very easily get frightened by the unexpected visit of the other. haha... (sorry Rey!) Lastly... never close your eyes while you're in the shower because you will definitely lose your balance and crash into the wall during the first wave.

First Day of Classes =)

After an exhausting day yesterday with a 12 hour orientation, it is finally time for me to start my classes. My first class is World Theater, then I have Global Studies and lastly I have Race, Class and Gender. Last night the students broke into groups and discussed a book that we had to read. Our group met on the outside deck and watched the sunset as we were discussing the information. It was the neatest thing that I have done for a class in a really long time.

 

The ship is still very rocky. As I am typing this I feel like a pendulum swinging back and forth. The good news is that I'm no longer sick! Almost all of the students are walking zombies because we are all taking sea-sick medicine that makes you sleepy. It is funny to watch people try to stay awake during class. I am very ready to get to Spain... but we still have 7 more days on the ocean.

 

The stars are beautiful out here. It is so pitch black that you can see them for miles. It reminds me how amazing God is!! I have so much homework to do already so I apologize if my updates aren't as frequent as the past.

Finding my Sea Legs... Yeah Right.

Well for all of you who were constantly wondering if I would be getting sick on board... the answer is yes. I skipped out on a meeting last night in order to go to bed because my roommate and I were both about to lose it. We fell asleep and I slept wonderfully hoping that this morning I would be able to stand straight without feeling like I need to keep a 4 foot radius from those around me. My wish didn't come true. I just woke up to take a shower before our 12 hour group info meeting and seminar today... I am now back in bed taking really deep breaths trying to calm my stomach. Oh and there is no hot water. It is awful. My room is just swaying up and down and up and down and side to side and side to side... bleh. I don't like this. Only 9 more days until we get to land! Please pray for me!

On Board!

After an exhausting day of waiting in lines and sweating up a storm DURING a storm... I am finally ON BOARD! I got on almost last today because of my last name... thanks mom... but nonetheless I am finally in my home for the next two months. I have literally almost found myself in tears a few times since I've been on the ship just because I am soooo happy. My roommate is awesome!!! It is such an answered prayer. Her name is Amanda and she is from Colorado. The room is extremely tiny and so is our bathroom! I'm in room 3091... but it probably took me a good 45 minutes just to find my room. The layout of the ship is soooo incredibly confusing. Everyone is walking around completely lost. I am feeling slightly queezy... so I put on my sea sick patch.. we'll see what that does. Apparently you can't put it on and then touch your eyes because it will dialate your eyes for 12 hours. So... in 25 minutes we have out first life boat drill. My email is all set up now for anyone who wants to email me... it's layoung@semesteratsea.net. I have access to it from my room so I'll be checking it often! I can't wait to start sailing! I am going to unpack my stuff and hang my magnets on my magnetic walls and start this crazy adventure. Oh and my hallmates are extremely awesome. I actually am right next door to one of the girls that I stayed with in my hotel room. We were pretty excited about that. I can't wait to see you all soon! I hope that you are all doing well! Love always!

Goodbye Nassau

At last it is time to say goodbye to Nassau… the girls and I were talking about our general disappointment with the town in general. Do not get me wrong… I had a blast here, but I was expecting much more than what we actually got. Amy and McKenna have already left the room and are boarding the boat as we speak. Katie is sharing a cab with some other girls who board the ship at 10 today and I am going to try to get a cab with some other SAS people as they leave for the ship this afternoon. I am so excited to finally see my home for the next two months. I literally cannot wait to get all of my stuff out of my suitcase. It is so annoying to have to dig through everything just to find deodorant or a hair brush.

 

Last night the girls and I went to Senor Frogs. It was loud and obnoxious and fun for the first 20 minutes or so. After that it was just loud and obnoxious. There were a ton of other students from SAS there and we kind of met each other, but it was rather difficult because there were just too many of us. The good news is that from the bar, you could see the ship and since it was night time, the lights were all lit up and it was beautiful! I have heard from other students who have already been on the ship due to work study that the inside is incredible.

 

Today consists of life boat drills and settling into our rooms. Our first homework assignment is also due today… (something the girls and I stayed up doing last night…) Oh and did you know that if you swim in the Atlantic in the middle of the night there are sea lice out? Did you know that sea lice leach onto your body and bite you? Yeah it sucks (no pun intended).

 

All in all I am very ready to leave Nassau. It has been fun, but I have a feeling better adventures are waiting for me elsewhere.

 

I am not sure how the internet will be working on the ship, so do not panic if I am not posting anything. (That goes for you too Mom!) I promise to update you all as soon as possible!!

 

Much love!

The Bahamas

I am safe and sound in the Bahamas. Life here has been completely unexpected to say the least. The city is so random and diverse. It is not as beautiful and resort-like as I pictured it, but the beaches are breathtakingly beautiful. The girls that I am staying with in my room are so sweet. We have been traveling around the city and bobbing in the waters together all afternoon. Today we took a bus downtown and saw our ship! It was kind of hard to see because there was a giant carnival ship that kind of stole the view... I'll see if I can load a picture of it soon. It's not as big as I hoped. Oh well it is obviously going to be big enough! The weather here is horid. It is 90 degrees outside with an 80% humidity. It has made me wonder why people choose to live here and not just vacation here. I despise the fact that I shower and walk outside to immediately become sticky again. There are tons of people here from SAS and we are all slowly meeting each other. It's going to be a while before I remember all 700 of their names. I am sort of ready to get on the ship. We have gone all over this tiny island and have seen the highlights... or so we think. That's why tomorrow we are taking a boat to Atlantis. We're not too sure what to expect there but it should be fun!

Something random that I am struggling with... there is not enough water here! Water at the hotel costs money and water at restaurants costs money and we just don't have enough money! We found a bank today that had a complimentary filtered water bottle and we all filled up our water bottles. Itsounds crazy, but it is really taking a toll on all of us that we are surrounded by water yet can't drink it. Last night we got some ice from the ice machine and melted it in order to drink it.

Random adventures we have had so far: We got scared by a pretend pirate while our heads were in a noose... We found a jellyfish in the ocean that ended up to be a napkin.... We have gotten lost in our hotel... We can't seem to get the sand out of our hair... oh and we spilled a pot of coffee in our hotel room this morning! It should continue to be an interesting trip. I can't wait to be on the ship!!

Miss you and love you all!!!!!!!

Final Goodbyes

  My flight leaves tomorrow morning! I can’t believe that time has gone by so quickly. Semester at Sea will be such an amazing opportunity for me and I am so excited to see where my journey is going to take me. So many people have been telling me that they wish that they would have taken advantage of studying abroad opportunities when they were in college. Years in college are so valuable and are so vital to becoming an independent person. Opportunities like this truly do come once in a life time. Understanding this has made me so extremely happy to be able to participate in this adventure.

 

So for now it’s checking, double checking and triple checking my packing list. Running last minute errands to pick up last minute things… and saying goodbye to the people that I love. Then it’s an early flight tomorrow morning with a 13 hour travel day in front of me before I arrive in Nassau. I will be meeting up with 3 other girls to share a hotel with them and then my adventure begins. Please pray for safety during my travels! I will update my blog when I arrive in Nassau! <3 you all!!