Bon Voyage

The past 24 hours pretty much the only thing I've been thinking is....what did I sign up for? And what is everyone at home doing right now while I'm in the middle of the ocean looking at nothing but ocean for as far as I can see. I'm excited for classes to start so that I can get into a routine.

 

I boarded the MV Explorer at 11AM on Saturday and waited in a huge long line outside the docks. It was great that Chris was able to stay with me in line for so long. It was hard to say goodbye as expected but I can’t wait to meet him in San Diego on the other end of the voyage. After going through security they took our bags and passports. Our bags were delivered to our rooms.

 

After boarding the ship we went to lunch. The food is good but certainly doesn’t live up to Miami’s standards. I ate lunch with some girls from Hawaii and Texas. Then we walked around the ship to look at all the amazing facilities. After that I went to my room. Of course my ID card used to unlock my room didn’t work, so Crispen (He’s Chinese), our cabin steward, unlocked it for me. The door opened into a room that looked like a double. It has a big window. But then I realized both double beds were taken. Crispen opened another door which opened into a room that has two more beds. I took the one that is up against the wall so I can lean against it. You can hear the engine so much but I think I’ll get used to it…..it’s almost like a really loud fan noise. I unpacked everything and had room to spare. I also put up my pictures on the wall and of course Lady BG and Bongo are chillen on my bed.

 

After that we had our lifeboat drill which took forever! But it was nice to hear they have food and water and all sorts of goodies in the lifeboats if ever they were needed. (Let’s hope not)

After that it was almost time for dinner. I sat with two really nice girls…one goes to University of Miami which is kinda funny. They were really interested in seeing my quad room so I showed them that. The one girl Holly, from U of Miami has a single….which looks kinda nice haha.

 

My roommates seem somewhat quiet and reserved. One goes to UVA and is Chinese….another is American and goes to Penn State. The girl that lives in my little area with me is like Ethiopian and goes to Minnesota. I probably shouldn’t say this on a study abroad trip like this but….why do I always get put with like non-Americans?... Oh well.

 

Finally it was time for the ship to depart around 8:30 PM. By that time it was dark but everyone gathered on the deck to wave goodbye to Nassau…it was really cool. We then had an orientation meeting where we met all the special people on the ship like the administrators and deans and the captain. The Captain, Captain Jeremy, is British and it’s pretty awesome to hear him speak. He’s been a captain of SAS for about six years but has all sorts of awesome credentials that make us feel like we’re in REALLY good hands.

 

Lots of people are feeling sea sick but I took one Dramamine yesterday (Jan 12^th) and felt fine. I didn’t take anything this morning and feel fine (knock on wood!) We had another 3 hour orientation session today followed by lunch, a break, and more meetings this afternoon. We already lost an hour with the time zone changes, plus the rocking ship, and so much activity is making everyone super tired.

 

I’m sure there will be more to come in the next few days but for now I’m just trying to learn everything and try to meet new people. It’s like freshman year all over again.

 

Miss and love you all….