Sweet Home USA

After packing all of our clothes, souvenirs and books from the past 3.5 months, we took our suitcases to the fourth deck where the crew piled our luggage onto huge platforms where they would be taken off by crane when we reached San Diego. The excitement in the air was ridiculous and people were staying up late every night to hang out, say goodbye, and squeeze every ounce out of the last few days. We counted down the meals...last lunch, last dinner, and last breakfast.

Sunday April 24th at 5:45 AM I woke up, grabbed some warm clothes, and headed upstairs to meet my friends on the seventh deck bow to watch the sunrise. This is a tradition on SAS to watch the sunrise the morning we reach the U.S. But when I got to the staircase leading to the seventh deck, Kerry and Hannah greeted me saying that it was cold, windy, rainy and cloudy. There would be no visible sunrise. I was disappointed but the day could only get better from there. We ate breakfast that morning, all of us a little quiet, not knowing what to do with ourselves or what to say. The mood was definitely bittersweet. By 7 AM we realized that we had phone service which meant we were fairly close to land....but this time it was OUR land. AMERICA. Such a bizarre feeling to think once we get off the ship, we're not getting back on anytime soon. As we got closer to the city, we could see Mexico's mountains in the distance and San Diego's skyline peeking through the clouds. We got closer and closer and I began texting with Chris, trying to figure out where to look for him. As we began to pull into our berth, we finally spotted each other after I began waving my red Miami hat in the air. What an amazing feeling it was to see all those parents out there eagerly waiting to reunite with their children. I couldn't wait to give a huge hug to Chris and I felt so thankful to have him meet me there. I can't imagine what it would have been like to get off without someone to greet you, but many kids did.

So by the time we pulled into the berth at 8AM on the dot, we had three hours to kill until disembarking would happen. So we went to the piano lounge and conked out on the couches for a few hours. After that we hung out on the decks and looked out at the San Diego skyline. Disembarkation started at 10:30 or so. They disembark by sea (hallway). We were the sixth group to disembark. I was so anxious to get off the ship but didn't want to get off either! When my sea was finally called, I rushed to my room, grabbed my backpack and headed off the ship. I swiped my ID card and handed it to the crew member. We were then spit out into this warehouse where we had to find our luggage. Porters were there to help us but I was so ready to see Chris and didn't want to wait in line. So I juggled all of my bags by myself (quite a feat I must admit) and headed to the gate. I could see Chris standing behind the gate with camera in hand. As soon as I crossed into the gates I let go of my luggage and gave him a huge hug. Best welcome back hug ever! We then moved out of the way of everyone and waited for my friends to come out so Chris could meet them. Brittany was the only one that came out soon so we left for the hotel which was conveniently right across the street with an awesome view of the ship that I pretty much stared at the whole night. Chris met my friends later that day when we were eating lunch and happened to run into each other so that worked out well!

Being in San Diego felt like another port at first. I felt as though I'd be getting on the ship in a few days. It's so weird not being there and I really do miss it. I think I'll be homesick for the M.V. Explorer once in a while. It was my home for a quarter of a year and I'm gonna miss it. Hopefully some day I'll be back to see her again.

I'm sure I will have more thoughts to post after this one but I wanted to make sure I had some sort of conclusion before it escaped me completely. I can't really imagine not writing in this blog once a week. It's been an amazing time being able to write down my adventures and thoughts and know that others are reading what I have to say. I hope it made it easy for everyone to keep up with me and know where in the world I was....literally. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has come across my blog, followed me, read my posts, commented, contributed to my savings, and shared my adventures with others.

In the words of Mark Twain: "Explore. Dream. Discover." You'll be amazed at what the world has to offer no matter if you travel 5 minutes outside your town or on the other side of the world. Take some time for yourself and get out there!