A Reallllllly BIG boat

I’m on a boat…I mean ship



Chances are for every one person you hear saying “boat” to describe the MV Explorer at least 3 were already corrected for saying it. The MV Explorer is not a boat and most people are quick to correct you should you make that mistake. We’ve all become quite good at correcting each other when we screw up. However, according to Chris, one of the guys here, “a ship is just a really big boat.”

This blog is a little delayed because there has been so much going on. Put 700 students on a ship together and there’s always something to do. So many people are going in blind to Spain which is helpful in a way because it really puts me at ease seeing as I have no solid plans there at the moment either. I am planning on going to Sevilla and Mijas with new friend, Jillian. We’re also going to go to mass in one of the cathedrals because it seems like it will be an amazing experience. Many religions are prevalent in Spain so we are looking forward to checking out the architecture in each of those places. We may also check out a bullfight which would be cool too. On top of working out Spain, I have also been working in the field office which is a lot of fun. The field office is where all the field trips are run through. It can be quite hectic at times but it gives you an insight into just how the field office manages to plan so many trips. Plus, I get a little bit of an edge when it comes to advice on indy trips vs. SAS trips and I can sometimes get into trips even before they’re opened to the general group. I also have my four classes as well. I am taking Global Studies (a requirement for all students), Emerging Markets, International Business, and World Religions. All of the classes seem like they will be interesting. It is going to be really amazing as we travel country to country and have out course work coincide with the countries we will be visiting.

What else…my roommate and I managed to be among the first people to catch a cold on the voyage which is soooo awesome. It may be better this way though because at least we won’t be sick when we’re in ports especially later on. Almost everyone has recovered from seasickness. It was nice to finally see one of my friends Kori’s face with some color because we was pretty much the same color as a white t-shirt, with no exaggeration. So now that she’s recovered and I’m sick we both have oodles of energy and hand out all the time. It’s nice that Jillian and Kori and I have each other b/c we always have someone to eat/hang out/study with yet we’re always open and tend to hang out with lots of people including the lifelong learners.

I saw some dolphins yesterday, that was pretty cool, people have also seen a bunch of whales too. I also saw birds today which was pretty excited and we passed a few boats which is always excited because it means we’re not all alone. There have also been some pretty amazing sunsets. Yesterday we watched the sun sink into the ocean and we also saw the flash of blue just as it disappeared. Everyone on the back deck of the ship stopped eating and just sat and watched it because it was absolutely breathtaking. Tomorrow, or today seeing as it’s 0039hours our time, we’ll be passing the Azores island between 0800 and 0900am. It’ll be nice to see land for the first time in four days but also a little depressing as we won’t be able to get off the ship for another four days after we see them.

Rockin' and a rollllllin'

Rockin’ and rollin’ is pretty much the only thing the ship has done the entire time we’ve been on. There have been some really good moments, and some really, really, really not fun moments. As you can tell, I am clearly not completely coherent. This is due in part to the fact that I am completely sleep deprived and the fact the medication they give us to prevent/treat seasickness does a wonderful job at making you very, very tired. It has been quite the adjustment for all of us. Some have been able to adjust as if there are no problems at all. Others, like me, have had some issues adjusting. Right now I’m on “the patch” which the infirmary has for those that are having real problems adjusting. It’s frustrating because I didn’t feel sea sick on the last cruise I went on but I guess the combination of a small ship and hurricane swells will do the trick. Even those that aren’t getting seasick are still dealing with the being tired and getting their sea legs. The captain has the boat headed on a course that will lead us north of one hurricane and south of another which would allow us to avoid the brunt of it.

While I have had some miserable moments, I’ve also had some awesome moments as well. I’ve met so many and have really begun to make some strong connections with people. It’s interesting how many of us have no solid plans for Spain but it’s also a good thing because it allows me to find others with my interests who want to do the things I do.