6/30/2009
It seems like both yesterday and ages ago that I was in Spain. In actuality it was three days ago. Now, I am going to bed, and when I wake up, I will be able to see Italy! If I were sane, I would probably be in Italy, but I have decided to wake up and watch the sun rise over each new country, which means that come 5:40am I will be out on the front deck of the ship watching the sun rise over Italy! I am so excited, as I have a lot planned for the five days I will spend in Italy. At 9:30 I am leaving for Rome, spending one night there, and then flying out around 4pm the next day for Venice! After 2 days in Venice, I will fly back to meet the ship in Naples, and attempt to squeeze a trek up Mt. Vesuvius and a trip to Pompeii in before I have to be back on the ship. It will be a busy five days, and then only one day to recuperate before Croatia. I can’t believe how quickly it is all going by.
Today I had my first exam, which went relatively well… I think. Then a lot of outside time relaxing, and packing before the pre-port meeting which told us the crucial information of where the ship will be and advice for travel. Last night before bed I did sink laundry for the first time ever, and it seems to have worked out pretty well. A few of my pairs of socks are not quite dry yet, possibly from the lack of ventilation – there is no fan in the bathroom, no way to prop doors open (even if we were aloud to), and opening the window is definitely out of the question. Luckily, they are not something I need for my trip, so I should come back to nice, clean, dry socks!
Tonight I met up with the girl I am rooming with in Venice, Kelly, and figured out how we will meet up. She is going to Rome at a different time than me, and didn’t know where she was planning on staying yet, so I invited her to stay with Athena, Amanda and me for the night in the Hotel Romae. After making those arrangements, I went to night snack, which has recently become the most popular place to be at 10pm when the ship is at sea. Basically the cafeteria crew put out left over sandwiches, wraps and deserts from the past day or two, and the line becomes so intense that people start waiting 10 minutes before the food is actually out. It is funny really, since none of it is that phenomenal, but occasionally there is a chance for brownies! It is also a fun place to people watch, and we checked out pictionary from the purser’s desk and played a quick game. That leaves me where I am right now, trying to make myself tired, since it will be an early morning!
I probably won’t get a chance to post anything new until after Italy, but expect a lot when that happens. I hope you all have a happy fourth of July, I know mine will be, but it will probably lack the classic fireworks.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
When in Rome...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wait! I have to take tests!?
6/29/2009
Yesterday, the morning after leaving Spain I woke up to sunshine, lots of other ships and of all things land! It was strange to be back at sea, but still be in sight of land, and also to have so much other water traffic surrounding us. At breakfast (which is the best meal of the day) on the back deck both Europe and Africa were visible in the distance, but hard to distinguish between. One distinct difference I noticed at breakfast, other than the fact that there were signs of life outside of our ship, was all of the bugs. Since boarding, I had not noticed a single bug, but at breakfast they were prevalent. Nothing big, just little fruit fly type insects, mainly noticeable because of their prolonged absence while crossing the ocean.
We were moving very slowly, and shortly after breakfast we stopped all together. We were in the Gibraltar Straight, and it was time for refueling, or bunkering as it is called on the ship. The morning was interrupted with an announcement that the side decks were closed, and no smoking or naked lights were allowed until the bunkering process was finished. After global studies, I returned to my room to begin studying, and looked out the window which usually greets me with gentle shades of blue at a bright red, slightly rusty glow! The ship that was refueling us was immediately outside my window (or porthole), and the large rubber buoy with tires attached to stop the ships from colliding was rolling up and down right outside the wall and making a very loud, quite grating squeaking and squelching noise. After realizing that studying in my room was not going to be productive, I made my way out on to the deck – no less distracting, but much more enjoyable – to try to study. The entire ship is in study mode right now, as we are all required to take Global Studies, and we have our midterm test tomorrow (Tuesday, the last day before Italy) as well as a midterm paper due. Ugh. Something about doing homework when it is so sunny and gorgeous outside just seems wrong! Especially when I just got back on the ship from four amazing days in Spain, and have five adventure packed days in Italy in the immediate future. A four day weekend in a foreign country is a great way to make school the last thing on my mind. This midterm is reminding me that school is what I signed up for though.
Finally, right when I had to go inside for my afternoon class, we started moving again. The water is so much smoother now that we are in the Mediterranean that I can’t even tell we are in motion unless I am outside and watching the water go by (or if I am laying in my bed as I am now because the engine is right below my cabin and my entire bed shakes when we are moving, something that is much less noticeable when the whole ship is rocking and rolling too). I enjoy the rumble of the engine because it is a good source of white noise while I try to fall asleep. The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly.
After class, I had a family dinner with my adopted family, which consists of a professor, Andrea and her husband Steve and their biological son (who also happens to be a student) Ryan. They adopted about ten other students, so we make a very large family, and we get to eat at the captains table in the main dining hall. It is the table right next to the back windows that is always reserved in case the captain shows up. We talked about what everyone did in Spain, and what everyone’s plans were for Italy, and then after we were all done eating it was time to celebrate birthdays! Andrea and Steve both had birthdays that were close, as did Josh, one of their “adopted” children. They had pre-ordered a massive ice cream cake, and when it arrived we sang happy birthday, and then got to enjoy the cake. It was chocolate ice cream, and white frosting and probably the best thing I have eaten on the ship! We are planning on doing family dinners between each port, and at our first meeting we all wrote down our birthdays so we could celebrate! For those of us, like me, who don’t have summer birthdays, we wrote down half birthdays, or quarter birthdays, or just dates that we liked. There are also two graduations to celebrate at the end of the voyage, so it sounds like the cake will be a regular occurrence. I guess when you have a big family celebrations come up a lot more frequently!
Today has been a busy day so far, mainly filled with homework and studying, but fortunately I take advantage of my location and opt to do homework out on the deck in the sun as much as possible. I am going to miss this option when I get back to school. It is very refreshing to be able to look up from homework and see nothing but calm blue water. It is also nice to have a constant gentle breeze and warm sun. The land that was so close yesterday has disappeared, and so it was back to the feeling of being on the open ocean, but without the waves. Around 9:30pm, when I was watching the sunset create a beautiful blend of orange yellows and reds as it sunk below the clouds in the distance, we were finally within visibility of land, but on the far horizon, not close. But I am getting ahead of myself. This afternoons monotony of homework and studying was broken up by the bridge tour I had at 1500 hours!
While we are at sea, it is possible to sign up for bridge tours, and mine finally arrived. We met in Tymitz square (one of the main meeting locations where administrative desks are) and waited for our escort to show up. He was late, but it was worth it. The tours can hold up to 15 individuals, but half our group didn’t show, so there were only 6-7 girls. We got lead through one of the many “CREW ONLY” doors, and then through another and we were in the bridge. Not what I expected at all! I was picturing a central steering wheel similar to those in pirate movies, but instead it was a long panel of electronics and computers, and a tiny little plastic wheel in the middle which looks more like it belongs on a video game than steering a ship! Our presenter was from Croatia, and had a very thick accent, and the escort that came to get us was from the Philippines. We got an introduction to what all of the electronics did, and about halfway through I looked out the front window and saw dolphins! Immediately I cried it out, and all of us looked up and stared, awestruck while our guide just kind of looked bemused by how enthralled we all were. We stopped for pictures and video as they went past, leaping in the air and gliding through the water. I think this one group contained more dolphins than I saw total crossing the ocean. After that distraction ended, we went back to learning about the ship. Then we got an opportunity to take pictures in the captain’s chair and around the bridge, and then we were kicked out so they could get back to navigating. That was pretty much the highlight of my day. After that I just finished my midterm paper, studied more, watched the beautiful sunset, and now I am going to bed so that I can wake up and be refreshed and rejuvenated for my midterm.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Hasta luego Espana! (or however you spell that)
6/27/2009
I met up with Athena, Amanda, Amy and Jon at 10:30, and we went out, computers in tow to enjoy our last day in Spain. We found chocolate churos for breakfast, and they were delicious. Then we found a grocery store so they could get a few snacks for the ship. After that, we found the Plaza de Mina, where there is free wireless internet, and that is where I am sitting now writing this. Unfortunatley, the signal is not strong enough for my computer to pick up on (although no one else had any problems) so I decided to catch up on my blog instead. Amanda and Athena just got back from trying to take a picture in a nearby square, and apparently a pigeon pooped on Amanda’s arm. Gross! I can’t believe that it is my last day in Spain, and I am just finally beginning to feel comfortable finding my way around and communicating my needs, but this has just made me infinitely more excited for what is to come! A few things I have learned about Spain is that everyone smokes, and they smoke everywhere. Indoors, outdoors, two feet away from you in line, I feel like it is a rare occurence to get a breath that is not hinted with the aroma of smoke. Also, the locals are not as friendly as I expected, especially at restaurants, but in some ways I don’t blame them because of the behavior I have seen from some of the other SASers. They also don’t seem to believe in garbage cans here. All of the streets and squares are riddled with trash, even though there are garbage cans everywhere. The beach in Cadiz is just as bad! Everything from plastic bags to food wrappers… so much garbage. It is floating in the water and all over the ground! I don’t understand how in such a beautiful place there can be so much garbage, and people don’t seem to care! They also don’t seem to care whether or not they wear clothes (more specifically tops) on the beach, which was a new experience for me. I have never before felt overdressed in a bathing suite and sundress, but we got several looks that implied “who are these people wearing so much clothing?” It was definitely a different experience, and one that I am kind of glad has not made its way to the states. The driving is also crazy. The allies are all very narrow, with extremely narrow sidewalks, and the cars just go barreling along. So many mopeds too! Last night in line for gelato, the cars going by literally rubbed up against the peope in the back of the line. I don’t understand how anyone knows which direction the streets go, because they are all only wide enough for one car. And people drive fast! I saw one moped flying along late at night with nothing but a small toot of its horn before blasting through each intersection. It seems like a very hazardous practice. Now the plan is to go explore some of the shops before heading back to the ship by 1800 hours to avoid dock time. It is going to be a busy few days, and then Italy! I don’t know what I expected out of this trip, but so far I have had the most amazing time ever, even just sitting in the square on my computer and people watching is so enjoyable, and it has been such an eye opening experience. Despite things such as being turned away from the one restaurant, I have loved my time here, learned so much, and am somewhat reluctant to leave. The one thing helping me come to terms with it is all that awaits me! This truly is going to be the most amazing summer ever!
After re boarding the ship, I sat out on the deck and did some much overdue homework while waiting for dinner. I was on the back deck, and staring out over the city and the last minute arrivals. Then, at 8pm, when the ship was supposed to leave, we had small group meetings with the original alphabetically assigned groups from the orientation on the ship. These were aimed at reflecting on experiences, and discussing how they matched up with or did not meet expectations. It was fun to hear a little bit about what some of the other people on the ship did with their time in Spain. The ship's disembarkation was delayed by three hours until 11pm because one of the SAS sponsored trips to Barcelona had a delayed flight. While waiting to be back on the open seas, I exchanged pictures with my travel buddies. It was fun to see everyone's pictures, and nice to get the ones that I didn't have. Now, I am laying in bed about to go to sleep and slightly reluctant to face class in the morning, but I have a feeling that the fact that Italy is only three days away will keep me going. It is strange to be on a moving ship again, after a few days on land, I adjusted to being stationary, and now lying in me bed I can tell that I am in motion, although the ship is not rocking much. I can't ait to see what the other countries hold, and am excited for many more adventures, but for now it is time to settle back into my class routine for three days.
Tarifa
6/26/2009
Woke up before the sun and in my groggy state of sleepiness pulled on a bathing suit and a sundress, threw sunscreen and snacks in my bag, and Athena and I headed out to the hallway to meet Jon and Amanda for our 6:45am bus to Tarifa! The bus station is right outside the port gates, but the side one closes from 11pm to 7am, so we had to go to the far one. We were a tiny late, trying to organize in the morning, and having one of our group (Spencer) not show up, and had to walk at a very brisk pace to get to the bus station in time. When we showed up, there was no one in the ticket office, and we were a little worried we had missed our only chance. Then, someone showed up. By this time, we had figured out that the best approach was to right down where we wanted to go, and what time, and give that to the ticket agent. After all of us purchased our tickets, we hoped on the bus and headed to Tarifa. When we arrived, we found a very cute little town (that was still sleeping because it was 8:30am). Tarifa is the southernmost point in Spain, and well known for windsurfing. We walked down the main street, and then turned and headed toward the beach! The sun was already shining, but it wasn’t too warm. And across the straight, Africa was visible! There are ferries that go from Tarifa, Spain to Tangeir, Morocco and it only takes 35 minutes. We didn’t really look into this though, since we will all be in Morocco in August! After taking lots of photos on the beach, and dipping our toes in the water – which was not nearly as warm as the water in Cadiz – we walked down the beach, and then cut up onto the main street again. We just walked through all of the little shops, many of which were playing American music, and a lot that I could have mistaken for shops in Hood River or somewhere similar, and ended up at a cute little restaurant for lunch. I had a quesadilla vegetal, which was really good. After a little more shop wondering, we started looking for the windsurfing. We had been told that the streets were lined with shops that rent windsurfing gear, but apparently kite boarding has taken over and all that was present was kite school. The people in Tarifa were a lot friendlier than other people that we have experienced, saying “hola” and treating us nicely. In Cadiz, and even Sevilla, most of the locals seem none to happy to have outsiders, especially Americans, invading their space, and it doesn’t help that we arrived in numbers in both places (800 college age kids unloading and taking over a city doesn’t help one to be inconspicuous). I think we were the only SASers to chose Tarifa as our destination, and it was so relaxing to find a less populated area where we didn’t have to worry about other SAS kids being disrespectful. After a while, we found a map in one of the stores that told us the windsurfing beaches were much further down than we expected, and so we hit the beach and started walking. It took us a little over an hour to get to the first beach that had kite boarders on it, and we had to wade through a stream that was about knee deep to get there. Once we arrived, we set up camp, and it was time to go swimming in view of two continents. The water was much colder than my previous swim in Spain, but it was worth it, because it was amazing. The wind had also picked up by the time we made it to the beach, and so after getting out and laying on the beach it was very quick to dry. We had about an hour on the beach of watching kite boarders, napping, doing reading, and writing in journals (mainly napping for me ;) ). Then, with about two hours until our return bus, we gathered up our stuff and started the walk back to the city. When we got to the small stream we had crossed, we realized the tide had come up quite a bit, and the water was now deeper. We sent Jon in first to scout out the shallowest path, and then followed – so much for being completely dry, I was up to my waist in water crossing it. The walk back to the city when much quicker, and we arrived at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. We were happy we had purchased our return tickets when we arrived though, because the ticket office was closed. We had time to go get some water, and then waited for the bus to arrive. When it finally did, most of the people waiting flocked to the door, completely blocking it and jostling for position. This baffled me, as the bus was still full of passengers that had to unload before anyone got on. No one seemed to care, and no one moved away to clear a path, so they had to shove there way through. I slept most of the bus ride back, and stared out my window for the rest of it. When we got back, we made our way back to the ship, and dispersed to shower, then we met back up to go out and find dinner, as we missed dinner on the ship by a few hours. When we were going through the lobby, we ran into Amy, and invited her to join us. We found Gotinga again (it was good food and inexpensive), but all of the outdoor seating was full, so we decided to try out a place at the other end of the square. This is where we all got a taste of true Spanish inhospitality! We sat down, and the waiter quickly came over to see it he could get us any drinks. Three people ordered water, and one a beer (I brought my own water with me, so I ordered nothing). The drinks arrived promptly, but there were only two waters, and then the waiter left without bringing us menus or anything (even though we had requested menus when we first sat down). A table of four Spanish locals showed up about 10 minutes after us, were brought a menu, and table cloth, and drinks very quickly. We finally got our waiters attention again, and asked for a menu at which point he told us that the kitchen was closed and they were no longer serving food (Amanda knows some Spanish, and so she has been dubbed group translator). Since some of us had drinks, we had to wait around to finish them, and in the process of that and getting our bill, we watched as the table that was seated after us had bread brought out to them, followed by full meals for everyone. I guess when we were told the kitchen was closed, it wasn’t a general statement, but that more specifically the kitchen was closed for only us. We left and found somewhere else to eat, and our waiter there was so friendly and helpful, and even spoke some English. I had had a snack on the boat to save money, and so I was just along for the socialization. A few more SASers found us, and sat down to chat for a while, then Amy and Amanda got gelato, and we headed back to the boat. It was a long walk back, because we got turned around and ended up hitting the main street at the far end of town, and rather than returning to the labyrinth of narrow streets, we made it back to the ship by following the main street around the shoreline. We made a meeting time in the lobby for the next morning, and then dispersed to go to bed.
Sevilla
6/25/2009
This morning after sleeping a little later than expected, I woke up and hoped on a train to Sevilla with Athena and Jon. It was kind of refreshing to be dealing with only a small group, a lot easier to appease everyone. After somehow communicating the need for a roundtrip ticket from Cadiz to Sevilla, we waited only 5 minutes for our train to arrive. The whole time we were on the train, I could not stop staring out the window in awe! It is crazy to think that I am in Spain, and a lot of the train ride there was through the country side (a view that is interchangeable with most areas that are unpopulated). The few differences were the buildings, which are gorgeous here, the endless fields of sunflowers, which were gorgeous, and the occasional river we passed that had boats everywhere. They were all along the beach on dry land, as well as all across the water, and all were empty, making me wonder how the owners get to their empty boat in the middle of the river. The entire train ride, we were unsure of which stop we wanted, and were unable to understand any of the announcements. We also sat in the seats assigned on our tickets, which meant that Jon was separated from Athena and I by several cars. By some miracle, we ended up all getting off at the right stop, and proceeding up to figure out the time for our return trip. We got maps of the city, which didn’t show where the train station was, and spent a while just wondering the streets somewhat lost but still having fun. I got earings for Erin for 2 Euro at a streetside vendor, and we stopped at a café for what appeared to be chocolate covered pastries. After more wondering and trying to locate ourselves on the map we had, we finally found a garden and a flamenco place across the street from each other that were both on our map, and oriented ourselves to go find the cathedral. As we got closer, it got much prettier. We walked through a garden, and ended up in winding ally ways with small shops and quaint buildings. Upon leaving the garden, the tower of the cathedral became visible, and we used that as our navigational beacon. When we finally arrived in the square, my breath was literally taken away by the massive beauty of it. The cathedral is 900 years old, and I have never felt so small indoors before. It was impossible to capture the magnitude of it on film, and all of my pictures do it no justice. After spending a long time trying to photograph the outside (from the bottom to the top would not all fit in one frame), we started approaching the door. As we were taking a few last minute pictures outside, Jessica and Katlyn, our neighbors on the ship showed up with some other friends. We all decided to go inside, and it was only 2 Euros for students. The first room was full of artwork, and then into the Cathedral where Christopher Columbus is buried. It was enormous. There was construction going on to renovate because some of the gargantuan pillars holding up the ceiling had cracks running across them, and it was impossible to describe just how amazing it was. Huge organs that spread floor to ceiling, everything so ornate, amazing stained glass windows…. So amazing. The we climbed the tower. Spiraled hill going up to the top, with windows interspersed and panoramic views. After what seemed like forever climbing, we made it to the top of the bell tower and could see the whole city and more. So many pictures and then a bell chimed when we were up there, so loud. After a large amount of time up there taking it all in and trying to convince myself it was real, we headed down and wandered back through some of the ally ways and little shops. Got ice cream and chips with guacamole, then eventually wound our way back to the train station to hop on the train home. Beautiful sunset from the train, and back to the ship after a long day to refresh and then go out in Cadiz and find food (they eat late here). I had a crepe with some type of melon, and it came with ice cream in it, delicious. We did a little better communicating. It was at an adorable outdoor café called Gotinga. Back to the ship and packing up for Tarifa, and then passing out in bed.
Cadiz
6/24/09
Cadiz is amazing. Woke up early to watch the sunrise and see our ship pull into the port. The sunrise over Spain was gorgeous. Such vibrant shades of orange red and yellow silhouetting the town of Cadiz. It helped that it was the first land in a while. It was also the first sunrise I remember enjoying in quite some time! The old buildings lining the sky line only added to the beauty! Once it was light out, I watched as we pulled into port. There were probably around 100 people, students, professors, lifelong learners on the front deck enjoying the sunrise. As we pulled into port, the buildings became visible in much more detail, and a huge cruise ship pulled in behind us. After crossing the ocean, I was feeling pretty impressed by our ship, and very content with its size, but next to this beast of a ship named the Grand Princess, we were dwarfed. We practically could have been one of the lifeboats on it. Other than the size, a glaring difference appeared when passengers started unloading. Our ship is full of college aged students, and this ship was like a retirement community on water!
After an unusually smooth breakfast (we were all accustomed to rocking back and forth), it was time to go! I can’t even describe the surreal feeling of walking down the gangway onto land for the first time since Halifax! Real, solid land, and I was standing in Europe for the first time in my life. For the first two days I was swaying slightly from the lack of movement, but I got used to it quickly. The morning was spent exploring the city, and taking more pictures than were probably necessary. The streets, if you want to call them that, are comprised of a labyrinth of narrow allies that occasionally open into squares with restaurants, fountains, and benches. In winding through them, we saw a couple walking what I at first thought was a very fat dog, but upon taking a second look, realized it was a pig! They were walking it down the street on a leash as if it were completely normal. Very strange. Some of the girls in the group I was with got hungry, so we stopped in a gorgeous little park and they got Spanish tortillas, which are comprised of potato, egg, and maybe cheese as well. I tried some and they were a little bland but pretty good. After that, we meandered our way back to the ship to change, and then it was on to the beach. I was in a group of three girls and two guys, and we finally found the beach and walked down to it and were immediately greeted with the realization that it was a topless beach! Not what we were expecting at all. Babies and grannies alike were lacking swimsuit tops, and all of us kind of stuttered our shock as we tried to comprehend what we were seeing. After the initial shock, we found a less crowded area of the beach, and set our stuff down. Besides the fact that there were several half naked women, a plethora of thongs, and many men in speedos, there was also a lot of garbage. Much more than I would have expected. Maybe they need to begin doing SOLV beach clean ups in Spain. There were food wrappers, plastic bags, and an assortment of other discarded items littering the sand and moving up and down in the swelling waves. Other than that the beach was gorgeous though. Bright turquoise water that was warm enough to be comfortable, but still cool enough to be refreshing in the hot Mediterranean sun, and the backdrop of all the old buildings of Cadiz, along with a castle reaching out into the ocean. Being as it was my first beach experience in Spain, the only option was to go swimming (don’t worry, I found a chunk of water that lacked floating garbage). After getting enough swimming, floating, and bobbing in the waves in, I retreated to the beach to dry off in the sun, and we all sat, chatted and dripped dry. I saw a little green lizard on the wall separating the beach from the street, my first Spanish lizard, and then after we were dry enough to put on clothes, we left the beach and started our quest to find the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is gorgeous. It is very old, and very large, and we purchased tickets to climb to the top of the tower. The brick spiral path wound uphill around the inside of the tower for a really long ways. Apparently they didn’t think stairs were necessary. Every few spirals, a window looked out over the city, and as we got higher, the view became more and more impressive. Upon reaching the top, it was absolutely breathtaking! A panoramic of the city of Cadiz, all of its amazing architecture, and the sea. We took so many pictures, and then our Global Studies professor and his partner showed up. We enlisted them to take a group photo for us, and after absorbing all of the beauty, decided to make our way down. Next, we saw a 3,000 year old well/dwelling to the best of my understanding. It was ancient, and somewhat falling apart, but there were signs depicting what each area once looked like, and huge post made of clay and dirt.
More wondering the city followed, there are several cute stores, and SAS kids and old people (from the other cruise ship) where everywhere. We went back to the to have dinner and change into warmer clothes for the evening, and then went back out into the city. We found a square where the Spain vs. USA soccer game was playing on an outdoor TV and a large group was clustered in tables and chairs watching. It was really fun to just pull up a chair and watch, and it was just Amanda, Athena and me at that point, so we weren’t too conspicuous. The crowd was really into the soccer game, and it was really funny watching the little kids in the front throwing their arms in the air or clutching their head when something bad would happen, and cheering and screaming when something good happened. At half time, I made my way back to the Cathedral to meet my friend Allie from Gonzaga. She just happened to be in Cadiz at the same time as me, so we met up and got to chat for a little while. She was with her sister, and they were going to the beach, so after we talked for a while, I went back to the soccer game. We got hungry again after the game, and decided to find somewhere to eat. We found a really cute little place called Gotinga, where they had an English translation of the menu, which was infinitely helpful. After we finished our food and sat chatting for a while, we decided it was time to pay and head back to the ship, we were all exhausted after such a long day. The only problem with this plan was communicating our need for the check. Our waiter didn’t speak English, and none of us knew the word for check in Spanish. At first there was a misunderstanding because he though we wanted to order more, or hadn’t ordered yet, and they were done taking orders for the night, and then finally, after some gesturing and trying to explain we were finished eating, he realized what we wanted. He was very friendly and helpful the whole time, trying really hard to understand which was really nice. After paying, it was back to the ship, set up a meeting time for the morning, and then a quick shower and passing out in bed. Long day and another one ahead!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Almost in Spain
Monday, June 22, 2009
Land!
6/22/2009
I am now 9 hours ahead! It is crazy that I will wake up and be in class Tuesday before Monday even ends on the West Coast! Unfortunately, the huge time change has been messing with my sleep schedule quite a bit. I am generally not tired at all during the night, but in the morning and until early afternoon, I am completely exhausted. I have been trying to avoid napping to push myself into my new schedule, so far no real luck, but I am having fun still! It is very strange going to class every day though, I think yesterday marked the first Sunday that I have ever attended class. As much as I am enjoying the open seas, I am ready to get to Spain to have a break from class. Currently, we are only 29 hours away from docking at Cadiz, and I am so excited. I got my first taste of Europe yesterday when we passed our first land since leaving Halifax! I have never seen so many people so excited about a little island before. I was out on the deck with friends watching it slowly approach from a distance, and as we got closer, there were dolphins surrounding the boat, and I even saw a whale from a distance! We saw some small houses on the islands in little villages, and even a tower on top of one. They kind of reminded me of the LOST islands. Very remote. I will try to write a longer post tomorrow, I got partially through this and then got distracted talking to my roommate. As it is now nearly 4am and I am still awake, I think I should probably try to get some sleep before morning… maybe I will adjust by the end of this trip…
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Dolphins!
6/18/2009
I saw my first dolphins today and it was amazing! I woke up to much brighter skies, and after breakfast with some friends and Global Studies, our required class, the clouds started to break. It was the first day of classes, and it sounds like I am really going to enjoy the two that I am in, one focuses on stress and stress management (like going on a summer cruise around the Mediterranean is a stressful thing ;) ), and the other is on cross-cultural psychology, which should fit in really well with visiting multiple countries. It is an odd experience going to class on a boat, and it is really strange having 720 other people in one of my classes. Global studies, being required, has all of the students, as well as the other faculty and staff attending, so it is packed, and the whole room rocks back and forth with the ship. It is different than anything I think I will ever experience again. The seas have calmed quite a bit today, which is very nice, and I think that seeing the sun gave everyone a renewed enthusiasm for the trip. I made sure to eat all my meals outside, and am going to miss having the option of getting food and going to sit on the back deck and stare at endless ocean when we reach land, but more exciting things will come then to distract me. It was while I was sitting at dinner on the back deck that I saw my first dolphin. It flew out of the water and arched gracefully through the air before submerging again with only a small splash. I completely forgot the sentence I was in the middle of and yelled out "DOLPHINS!!!!" They were a ways behind the ship to the left of our wake (which isn't really a wake at all but more of a path of churned up water) and there were probably four or five of them. After getting to see a few more jumps, the vanished into the distance. Unfortunately they were too far away to capture by photo, but I am hoping that the nice weather will stick around, and it will bring more dolphins with it.
Tonight was also the first pub night on the ship. This means that students are able to get a drink ticket, and have up to three beers or wine coolers over a two hour period, and let me just say that the students on the ship came out in force. There were people that dressed up for it as opposed to donning the athletic gear and sweatshirts that are common place. The staff were also out in number, enforcing the rules: no drinking too quickly, no drinking games, no leaving the designated area with a drink, no giving your drink to someone else, and many more. Did I mention that they charge $3.50 for each can of beer? Crazy. Anyway, we are losing another hour tonight and so I need to start my reading for class tomorrow before I try to get some sleep. Its going to feel like another early morning as I am now 6 hrs ahead of the west coast. I am hoping for more clear skies tomorrow so that I can finally see what the stars are like in the middle of the ocean and maybe get some sun - don't worry mom, I'll wear sunscreen ;)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
I Love College
6/17/2009
So it is our second day at sea, the first full day of sailing, and the ship has been rocking and rolling all day long. I woke up this morning to gray skies and strong winds, and the front decks are closed because of such. Today was an inside day, which has made cabin fever set in fairly quickly for some, although fortunately I am not experiencing any sea sickness and have been able to laugh at the waves, many are walking around the ship a slight shade of green, and they have provided barf bags on all of the garbage cans. They are getting heavy use. My last night in Halifax was a blast, I met up with a huge group of SAS kids at a night club that opened only for us, and we had a great time meeting and mingling before we set off. Hauling my luggage down to the pier on Tuesday morning to check in to the ship was an interesting experience to say the least, but I made it in one piece, and joined the long procession waiting to pass through security. Luckily, Tuesday was a gorgeous sunny day, and after getting on the ship and going through a maze of check-in stations, I got to see my cabin for the first time! It is very... cozy. There is a lot more storage for all of my stuff, which is nice, and I have a porthole, which makes me so happy! I am on the second deck, which is right above the engine, so my bed vibrates and there is a constant rumble from that, but I don't mind at all. From the porthole you can see the waves up close and personal, and it is really fun to watch, because there are some big ones. They crash together and froth and send spray shooting into the air! I have found myself mesmerized by it almost every time I have entered my room. Day one on the ship held a lot of time exploring and lunch and dinner out on the back deck in the sun. I watched with a group of new friends as what once was the shoreline of Halifax disappeared, and we said our farewell to land for the next 8 days. The next land I see will be Spain, and I could not be more excited! I still don't know that it has fully hit me that I am actually doing this, but every now and then I have a moment of clarity in which I realize that I am experiencing something that many never will, and I am thrilled! I am getting further east than I have ever been in my life by the second, and am hoping for nice weather soon so I can see what the stars in the middle of the ocean look like. I guess I have the return voyage if that fails ;) Classes start tomorrow, and even though I have only been on the ship for two days, it feels like much longer. Possibly because of how much gets squeezed in, and how surreal the experience is.
I am finally starting to find my way around the ship better, and only get lost looking for my room 30% of the time. A lot of the second deck is crew only areas, and I cant tell aft from stern when I am in the middle of it, which is why I get so turned around. I scoped out where all my classes will be today, so I should be able to find them all, and my navigational skills get a little more reliable each day. I went the the gym on the ship for the first time today, and it proved to be an interesting experience with all of the rocking of the ship. I used the elliptical and luckily never fell off, but had to hold on tight to do so at times. I am excited to get settled into class life and closer to Europe, and will try to update soon on how classes are and if the weather clears. I am having the time of my life though! Loving every minute and I can't quite seem to wipe smile off my face. Its time for me to go to bed though, as it has been a jam packed few days, and we are losing another hour tonight.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Halifax!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Finally
Friday, June 5, 2009
Preparing for the Journey
I started off today at a travel clinic getting my last vaccination and a prescription for malaria medication. Then, I ordered a backpack which, if all goes well, should arrive on Wednesday, just in time for me to decide what is going in it and load it up for my voyage. I am getting slightly anxious for the trip to come as well, I know it will be the most amazing thing I have done up until now in my life, but I also know that there is no way for me to anticipate everything it will hold for me... There is only one thing I can be certain of at this point, and it is that I will remember these next few months for the rest of my life!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
My summer Itinerary!
Destination | Arrive Depart | Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Depart | Tuesday | 16 June | 1700 |
| Cadiz, Spain | Arrive Depart | Wednesday Saturday | 24 June 27 June | 0800 2000 |
| Civitavecchia / Naples, Italy | Arrive Depart | Wednesday Sunday | 01 July 05 July | 0800 2000 |
| Dubrovnik, Croatia | Arrive Depart | Tuesday Friday | 07 July 10 July | 0800 2000 |
| Piraeus (Athens), Greece | Arrive Depart | Monday Thursday | 13 July 16 July | 0800 2000 |
| Istanbul, Turkey | Arrive Depart | Saturday Wednesday | 18 July 22 July | 0800 2000 |
| Varna, Bulgaria | Arrive Depart | Friday Monday | 24 July 27 July | 0800 2000 |
| Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt | Arrive Depart | Thursday Monday | 30 July 03 August | 0800 2000 |
| Casablanca, Morocco | Arrive Depart | Sunday Wednesday | 09 August 12 August | 0800 2000 |
| Norfolk, VA, USA | Arrive | Saturday | 22 August | 0800 |
