A NOTE FROM AFLOAT

Hello Family and Friends!

Hope all is going well on land! Out here in the open sea, life has been QUITE an extravaganza and the REAL adventures have not even started yet. Nicole and I are roommates in a quaint little room and we are but two days in and have already lost 5 hours of sleep and 4 hours yet to lose. It is interesting, the way they do things on this large vessel. When we left Halifax, our time difference from the homeland (west coast) was 4 hours later, and as we move to the foreign area commonly known as Europe, instead of making one BIG change of five hours when we arrive, similar to what you would do traveling by plane, we are instead making a gradual change. We lose one hour almost every night on our way to Barcelona, so basically its like daylight savings time…like 5 times. Needless to say, we’re pooped.

Now for the good stuff: Before we were allowed to board the MV Explorer, we were subjected to an elaborate security check, during which I was screened with one of those sensor things, given a pat down, had my shampoo sniffed, liquids examined, and my bags opened for all to see, just in case I had decided to bring my stash of knives and heavy-duty artillery + ammunition. (kidding Mabes) I’m assuming its because I’m “ethnic.” Finally, we boarded, and by 5pm that day, we were on our way atop the big ‘ol blue. So far, our days have been filled with many meetings, seminars, in-services, and symposiums, (those may or may not be four words that mean the same thing). Yesterday, (Wednesday) we were in these meetings from about 9-12 and then again from 1:30-4:30 and then again from 8-10. Boo. So far, I have Semester at Sea to thank for giving me the timeless desire to never be a grown-up, or at least one of those grown ups that go to those things all the time. Although, they have been relatively educational, being sure to tell us 8 times to not stand on the railing because the boat is moving and you might fall off. Thank you, Captain, that was on my list of activities under “must-dos”, I think I’ll scratch that and stick to the yoga club on the pool deck, hopefully it’s a little less risky. Along with that, we have learned not to put our fingers where doors may amputate them upon closing. Apparently, on a previous voyage, someone was smart enough to have achieved this and the door took his finger off…oops. Along with these valuable tid-bits of knowledge, we were informed that starting a fire is NOT a good idea and if we do, we will get kicked off the boat. Oh wait, that’s another thing, this is a SHIP not a boat, we are on a VOYAGE not a trip, don’t try to smuggle a person from one of the countries on board, (yes it happens), and don’t get too drunk and decide that you want to “touch” the Atlantic Ocean.

On the bright side, classes started today and there were no more meetings. [applause] Classes seemed very interesting, teachers are entertaining, and challenging but not too demanding. One of my teachers is from the city of Orange and lives approx 5 blocks from my house by Chapman and teaches at Cal State Long Beach. Talk about a small world.

Alright well, that’s quite a bit so I think I’ll save some wit for the next posting. Missing everyone at home, hope all is fine and dandy and don’t forget to email me if you want to be “pen-pals!” alexa117@mail.chapman.edu

Laura

Ps pics to come!