2009

where did the year go! so much has changed, and i will forever remember 2008 as a year in which i decided to apply for and plan the biggest adventure of my life. as the year is coming to a close, i am so unbelievably ready for 2009 and my trip around the world.

i think that 2009 will be a year of growth for me.
i am stepping out of my box, and challenging myself.


so over 2008, bring on 2009 please!

nineteen days until the bahamas!

there's more than a lot, than a little left to do

i received a confirmation for my two of my four trips. the ones i did not get were the result of the itinerary change, so i will not be going to the pyramids or pompeii, but i knew that.

i am definitely going on the cadiz city orientation in spain & the rotarian homestay in india. yay! the descriptions of the trips are:

1300-1630, wednesday 28 january. CADIZ ORIENTATION.
begin with a panoramic tour of the city while your guide emphasizes important monuments and places of historic interest. view the cadiz congress palace, foremerly a tobacco factory that was built in 1741 in the mudejar style and the santo domingo church with its marble facade. the old royal prison is one of the most interesting andalusian neoclassical buildings, construction began in 1794 and was finished in 1836. also pass the san sebastian and santa catalina castles, whose walls formerly protected the city. drive by el parque del genoves, a botanical garden with exotic trees, fanciful hedges, monuments and fountains. view the alameda apodaca, a baroque hall beginning at the baluarte de la candelaria and ending at the san carlos wall. end the panoramic driving portion at the plaza de espana, very close to the port. from here, begin your walking tour with a walk to the plaza de la mina, originally an old vegetable patch of the san francisco convent. visit the fine arts museum. continue along calle ancho ( wide street ), where some 19th century palaces can be seen. visit the catedral, which was designed in the baroque style but was diluted with neoclassical elements during its 116 years of construction. the cadiz born composer, manuel de falla is buried in the crypt. continue to san juan de dios square. view the town hall, the building that perhaps best reflects the style and appearance of the city, before boarding the buses and returning to the ship.

11oo friday 6 march - 1100 sunday 8 march. ROTARIAN HOMESTAY.
this homestay, hosted by a rotarian chapter in chennai, has been rated very highly by past SAS participants. it is your chance to spend two nights in an indian home and to exchange views on various topics or aspects of culture. during the time with your host family, you will visit the temples of mallapuram and participate in other activities. to meet your host families, you will travel by coach to the hotel taj connemara, each pair of participants (two males or two females) will be met at the hotel by their host family and accompanied back to the ship after their homestay. be prepared with a modest gift for your host family. the price of this trip includes a donation to the madras rotary club's scholarship fund.

anyone have any ideas as to a modest gift for a host family? let me know! anyways, because of the itinerary change, i now have a nice big credit to choose more trips with. we pick january 6-12, so more waiting for that. we also have a large selection of day trips we can choose from, so i can find activities in the countries where i dont know what i'm doing yet!

i got my malaria prescription filled the other day, for a grand total of about $270 for 35 pills. ($7.20/pill) YIKES. thank goodness mom had some sort of coverage for those. the other half of my prescription will be filled after the new year, so that i can have 15 more pills. no malaria for me, thank you, i'll pay whatever i need to prevent it.

i think that is all i have for today, off to shovel out the car & leave the house for a little while.
28 days to nassau, 30 until embarkation!

it's beginning to look a lot like..

christmas!

i'm working on my christmas spirit, i'll find it somewhere, i swear. maybe a little christmas music will help. we're snowed in and trying to decorate. we've gotten about 4 inches of snow in the past 3 hours.. oh boy. and more snow on the forecast for sunday. i have lots of organizing to do in my disaster of a room, so i'll take any distraction i can get. made a great present for dad for christmas, more about it when he actually gets it.

29 days until the bahamas where it is 80 degrees today, 31 days until embarkation!

(almost) the end of the semester

i am writing this from the library at home, where i am supposed to be studying for neurology. i guess that isnt going to happen today..

i moved out of the apartment at school on saturday, which is bittersweet. i am so so very excited about my upcoming adventure, but i am going to miss 305b. it is crazy to think that i will not be living there anymore and that i will not be back until late august! that is a long time from now! i became close with all of my roommates this year, and they have helped me through my good days and my bad days. i'll miss them very much-- we are joking that i'm just going on a big long sleepover and i just so happen to be taking my room with me. i'll see them all tomorrow when i go back for my final, but after that i'm not sure when i'll see all of them again. boo.

as a result of my moving out the apartment, i now have a room at home full of boxes and containers and a big ol' mess. i'm hesitant to truly unpack everything, as i am going to have to begin packing relatively soon. i have gotten great tips from other blogs, the semester at sea facebook group and my friends & family on little tricks and creative ideas for packing my life into two suitcases.. i am thinking there will be a lot of packing, unpacking, re-folding, etc. going on before my departure day.

i am having trouble staying focused, as i keep thinking of things to do.. my mind is always going, which i suppose i can be thankful for because i am not freaking out yet. i just need a notepad by me at all times.

i am trying to put off the major cleaning and organizing until after i complete my finals and am done with the semester. it tough, though, i feel bad for bec who has to deal with the gigantic mess and sharing her room again. when i get all of my work done i plan on making a big list to hang on my wall, so i can see what i need to accomplish.

i ordered a total of 5 books for my classes on the ship, and 4 have arrived thus far. i decided to get my books through amazon instead of the university of virginia bookstore because i was able to save myself a significant amount of money. the only downside is that i have to carry the books with me to the ship in january. with a 50 pound limit on my bags, i think i may have to put them in my carry-on to save space in my suitcases. maybe i'll read them on the plane? haha, i doubt it. i did have to order 1 book through UVA, as it is not a real text book, rather something specific to our itinerary that discusses each port. that book will be waiting on my bed when i get to the ship! i spent a long time looking through the UVA bookstore's website, contemplating all of the packages they offer for students-- a school supply backpack, a travel bag, t-shirt/sweatshirt/hat combos. i decided against them because they are so pricey! i am thinking i'll buy a semester at sea nalgene when i get to the ship, or maybe i'll order one and have it waiting in my room.. its so tempting because i just want to have things that say semester at sea!

i think that i am most excited for this trip because i will be getting to know myself. i am pushing myself to step out of the box, to try new things and to be on my own. when i applied for the trip back in late march, i never knew that i would actually be where i am today. it has been a long journey to get to this point and i have already changed. i am hopeful that this semester will be life changing. my eyes will be opened to the world around and i am so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity. so many people are cheering me on, offering advice and words of encouragement. i am taking a trip around the world! only 1% of the world's population can say that they have circumnavigated the globe. this trip very well could change the course of my life. new doors will be opened, others closed. i will come home a different person. still laura, although different. and that is exactly what i need. i need to know myself, and this is one hell of a way to learn. i will make new friends and see how much i have taken for granted in my life at home. my hope is to come away with a newfound appreciation for the life i have been afforded thus far.

in reading semester at sea blogs, i have been able to live vicariously through students currently on the ship. the fall 2008 trip has just returned home, and i am curious to read what they post. one student who has kept up with her entries, posted a speech she wrote for the convocation on the ship.. parts of the speech are specific to their journey, but there are a few parts that have been inspirational to me as i prepare for my own trip--

"Although each and every one of us had a unique experience on Semester at Sea, we all have a lot in common. We’ve all circumnavigated the globe, survived a countless number of time changes, experienced life at sea, gained a greater appreciation for the world and all its inhabitants, realized that we have privileges and advantages that many people only dream of, and that we need to stop taking the littlest things in life for granted because we are not guaranteed another day here on Earth..."

"Whether you came on Semester at Sea to live life to the fullest, to escape a broken heart back home, to travel the world, or to simply prove to yourself that you can survive being away from home for three and a half months, you will now be going home a different person than you were that very first day.."

amanda's blog has been the most helpful in my preparation for this trip, she certainly has a way with words. if anyone wants to read more of what she says, check out her blog -- http://sastravels.blogspot.com/ --

i'm going to give studying a try for a little while longer..

32 days until nassau, 34 until the ship leaves!

updated itinerary

Destination	Arrive Depart	Day	Date	Time
Nassau, Bahamas	Depart	Monday	19 January	1700
Cadiz, Spain	Arrive Depart	Wednesday Saturday	28 January 31 January	0800 2000
Casablanca, Morocco	Arrive Depart	Monday Thursday	02 February 05 February	0800 2000
Walvis Bay, Namibia	Arrive Depart	Saturday Monday	14 February 16 February	0800 2000
Cape Town, South Africa	Arrive Depart	Wednesday Sunday	18 February 22 February	0800 2000
Port Louis, Mauritius	Arrive Depart	Friday Friday	27 February 27 February	0800 2200
Chennai, India	Arrive Depart	Thursday Monday	05 March 09 March	0800 2000
Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand	Arrive Depart	Sunday Thursday	15 March 19 March	0800 2000
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam	Arrive Depart	Sunday Friday	22 March 27 March	0800 0600
Hong Kong/Shanghai, China	Arrive Depart	Sunday Friday	29 March 03 April	0800 2000
Kobe/Yokohama, Japan	Arrive Depart	Monday Friday	06 April 10 April	0800 2100
	(Cross International dateline, add one day)
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA	Arrive Depart	Sunday Monday	19 April 20 April	0600 2000
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala (Antigua, Guatemala City)	Arrive Depart	Tuesday Thursday	28 April 30 April	1100 2000
	(Transit Panama Canal - Sunday, 03 May)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA	Arrive	Wednesday	06 May	0800

change of plans--

yesterday i registered for my IFP's! (international field program). i conservatively chose just four trips, as i know i can select more trips once on the ship. all the requests are put into a lottery and we will find out which ones we get in about two weeks.

my trips are:
-cadiz (spain) city orientation. it's a day trip around the city and it will count as my field requirement for two of my classes. plus, its our first port, so i would like to get a little intro into the city before venturing out on my own.

-pompeii. my last day in italy will be spent touring the ruins, also for credit in my classes. i remember reading a book in 2nd grade about pompeii and its crazy to think i'll get to see it now.

-cairo extended trip. my most expensive adventure, but the one i am looking forward to most. its a 3 day, 2 night trip to cairo wiht tours of the pyramids. this will be amazing! sunrises & sunsets over the pyramids, what could be better?!

-rotarian homestay (india). i'll be staying with an indian family for a night, learning about their culture and getting to know them. hopefully this will be a wonderful experience, many SAS kids have listed this as a great experience for those who are not traveling to the taj majal.



so after i paid for the trips, i got an email from semester at sea.

they changed our itinerary.

because of piracy concerns in the gulf of aden, our trip has been re-routed to bypass that area.
so now, we will be 'rounding the horn' -- our new itinerary goes from spain to morrocco, namibia, south africa and mauritius before resuming our original trip in india.

semester at sea is still monitoring the situations in india and thailand, and we could be re-routed again if the risk assessment companies deem them to be too unsafe.

its all for our protection, i understand that. but now we're skipping italy, turkey and egypt!
i'm so sad that i took so much time painstakingly reviewing IFPs, and now i get a credit to pick again in january. and i was so excited to see italy! however, i know i'll be able to go back to europe. i don't know when that will be, but its possible to do again.

honestly, i'm excited for morrocco. i loveeee the movie casablanca and i've heard that the real place is beautiful. south africa will be a wonderful experience and i will be able to see table mountain and robben island. not sure what i'll be doing in namibia (this will only be the second time semester at sea has visited namibia), or mauritius. i'll need to do some research to see what is there.

i'm going to call health services shortly to see if i'll need any more immunizations, as i think south africa/namibia require the yellow fever vaccine. luckily we do not need any new visas, which would have been a serious stress.


i have lots more to do now! off to get going----
38 days until the bahamas
40 days until embarkation!

i have a place to stay in the bahamasss! yayyy!

such a relief to know i will have a place to stay. i met a girl through facebook and we've been messaging for over a month now. she's from colorado and she seems really nice. she booked a 3 person room for us and a friend of hers from school. i'm nervous because this is quite the leap of faith to stay with two random girls in a random hotel in the bahamas, but i'm confident that we will make the best of the situation. and now i'll get to know more girls before i get on the ship!

i really really need to put my requests in for the field trips i want to do, but i am making myself wait until tonight. i am going to be conservative in the trips i choose, as i know i will make friends and be able to register for more trips once i get on the ship.

everything is starting to come together, so very quickly.

40 days until the bahamas &
42 days until i set off around the world!

ramblings

- i got my prescription for my typhoid vaccination, as well as my anti-malarial, anti-seasickness and anti-foodborne illness prescriptions yesterday. so now, with all those meds, plus some high quality bug spray, i should make it home without any incurable diseases. good thing!

-i'll be heading to student legal services tomorrow to arrange for power of attorney for mom and dad. this way they can sign things for me when i'm at sea.

-i ordered my text books today! a grand total of 6 books, coming out to about $300. its a lot of money, but 5 will be shipped home and 1 will be waiting in my cabin when i make it to the bahamas. i was able to save some cash by staying away from the university of virginia's bookstore and by getting them used off amazon. hopefully they are all in decent condition.

- i am officially doneeeee with classes for the semester in one week from today. and then i'll be home for a few days, back up here for finals and then home until i leave on my great big adventure.

-this weekends to-do list includes figuring out my darn fieldtrips. i have GOT to decide by tuesday. but i dont want to pick! with the help of some friends i have selected a few, but i still am too scared to fill out the application on the website! i dont want to get locked in and then change my mind.

- i found an international phone program that wont break the bank! i'm getting myself more information, but i think its going to be exactly what i was looking for. more on that when i figure it all out.

off to dinner.

i need as many distractions from life these days as i can find.

is it january yet?

45 days, 22 hours.

a note from the dean--

the following is an email i recieved from the dean of my semester at sea, in regards to the recent pirates, bombings in india and the instability of the thailand government----

December 2, 2008

Dear Members of the Spring 2009 Voyage Community:

As president of the Institute for Shipboard Education and as a past executive dean, I have sailed on seven Semester at Sea voyages. I look forward to sharing my next voyage with you, the 98^th in Semester at Sea history, and to witnessing your many personal and academic achievements. The spring 2009 community, selected for its impressive scholarship and commitment to global education, is sure to make a lasting impact. However, please know that there is no higher achievement for Semester at Sea than the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. This has always been true, but the recent bombings in India, political unrest in Thailand, and attacks in the Gulf of Aden require a thorough review of the effect of these events on our current itinerary. Let me take a moment to explain Semester at Sea’s comprehensive data collection and analysis approach to safety.

The Institute for Shipboard Education works closely with senior security experts at the U.S. State Department and other independent risk assessment experts to carefully design and evaluate Semester at Sea itineraries on an on-going basis. Contingency plans are always in place to execute alternative itinerary strategies should any concern arise with regard to piracy or international security. Very often, political unrest and other security threats are isolated to one specific area of a country. We are careful to avoid those areas and we can cancel field trips or change itineraries at any time. All the countries on our program are also common destinations for other study abroad programs as well as U.S. tourists and business travelers. As part of our Health and Safety Awareness program, the evening before arrival in a specific country, all students are required to attend a pre-port briefing about country-specific health and safety concerns. Frequently, Semester at Sea arranges for local U.S. Embassy officials to board the ship the day of arrival to provide additional safety briefings.

Semester at Sea’s floating campus, the MV Explorer, is the fastest passenger ship of its kind. This speed gives us greater flexibility to avoid areas of concern and to change itineraries, which decreases the impact on our schedule. Unlike a land-based campus, we have the great advantage of mobility. In the event of sudden security concerns, we can simply cancel our visit to a given country. When nearing the Gulf of Aden we enforce a 24-hour security watch and maintain constant contact with international maritime agencies that monitor vessel traffic. In addition, we deploy anti-piracy protocols to deter potential intruders and we are instituting additional security measures. The physical characteristics of our vessel and the heavily patrolled and monitored route we plan to follow this spring, which is also traveled by hundreds of other ships daily, reinforces our preparations for a safe passage. Having said that, we continue to evaluate world conditions daily and we have several options available if we determine that it is necessary to change our course. We are currently in discussions with the U.S. State Department, maritime security experts, as well other private risk assessment firms to help us make informed decisions. If anything should change, we will immediately notify you.

To keep you informed of our comprehensive health and safety practices, we publish a dedicated section on the Semester at Sea website: www.semesteratsea.org/our-ship/overview/health-safety.php. I urge you to familiarize yourself with these practices and to contact our office with questions at info@semesteratsea.org. We will continue to seek out the most effective safety measures available in our efforts to keep our floating campus and the Semester at Sea voyage community safe.

Next month we will embark together on the 98^th voyage of Semester at Sea. I am confident that this will be a rewarding and memorable experience for each of us and I am honored to be sharing this wonderful opportunity with you. Thank you for your support in making this a safe and academically successful voyage.

Sincerely,

Les McCabe
President, Institute for Shipboard Education
Spring 2009 Executive Dean

47 days to go..

thanksgiving is over, but..

i am thankful for my friends and my family.
without them, i don't know where i'd be.

the sentiment sounds so simple, overstated.
but in times when nothing seems to go right,
i am reminded of how incredibly important it is to be grateful.

and no words seem to be enough these days to express my gratitude to all who have cared for me.

i am blessed, though there have been days where i don't feel that way.
i am going on my adventure of a lifetime and i am so fortunate to have such a supportive group of people cheering me on as i struggle to get everything done.

i have much to do, but today i am simply thankful.

50 days to go.

55 days to go.

yikes.

course approvals

good news --
yesterday i finallyyyy received my course approvals. i had submitted my forms in early october and they were just in my mailbox yesterday. i am very lucky, in that the course i am already registered for was approved. i'm sure it would have been a mess if i'd had to change classes. so, i will be able to take 'nutrition around the world' and complete my unh general education requirements. this means that all my classes senior year will be major/minor related, yay!

i have a LOT of work to do, as far as my trips go. i get so caught up in the details! i wish i could do everything. my big booklet should be here today, so i can really dive in and decide what i'm doing.

friday is the mandatory unh abroad 'orientation' for students who are going to non-english speaking countries. should be interesting. 3 hours of lectures, most likely.

all of the little things i signed up for this semester are piling up quickly, so i should head out and tackle things now, while i have a few hours.

61 days, 7 hours. oh my.

FDP's, IFP's, Indy's, etc.

fdp's -- faculty directed practicas. field trips designed and organized by professors according to their interests and the goals of their classes. we are required to take approximately 2-3 FDP's per class, and to journal about them.

ifp's -- international field programs. these are the trips organized by SAS from beginning to end. there are day trips, tours, and long excursions as well. these can range from $20-1600, and include meals, airfare, admissions, 5-star hotels, etc. i will be doing a few of these, but my budget is not made for those high-end trips.

indy's -- these are independant trips planned by students, for students. there are several indys in the works on the facebook group, including a roundtrip to the taj majal and a sleepover on the great wall of china. i will be traveling independantly, so i look forward to meeting all these people who i have been exchanging messages with online.


all of the fieldtrips for this spring have been posted.
that means, i have a lot of decisions to make.

i'm hesitant to start deciding what to do because the idea of endless opportunities is much more exciting.

i am starting to put together rough ideas of what i would like to do in each country so that i can begin deciding which SAS trips to do, versus independant group trips, etc.

i know already that i will be heading to rome when we dock in italy to meet up with my wonderful friend amanda who is going to be studying in florence next semester. when i start to think about the two of us in rome, i get so excited! i can't wait. and i know that a familiar face from home will be exactly what i need after my first few weeks on the ship.

i'm off to google, about.com, and research things to do!
then classes, i suppose. :)

---63 days to go---

countdown

67 days + 8 hours..

i've got SO much to do!

a whirlwind of a weekend

what a hectic, crazy, emotional, fun, and exhausting weekend.
brandon's junior ring weekend (jrw) @ pc-- two nights of party clothes, dancing, and friends;
and poppa's 90th birthday celebration at home, with family from across the country.

i am so grateful that everyone was so accomodating to me (and to brandon). my family was understanding and i got to see aunts & uncles & cousins, albeit breifly. i wished i could have been in two places at once. jrw was a great time, and i'm so glad we made the last bus!

SAS update
-- all of my forms have been sent and are accounted for! YAY, no more paperwork!

-- the field trips have been posted on the semester at sea website. i have NO IDEA how i am supposed to pick my trips. there are so many amazing offers. i just have to choose wisely in the first round of selection so i don't blow my budget before i make it to the ship.

-- i'm looking at hotels in the bahamas. and i need to book a room as soon as possible, as they will only become more expensive the longer i wait. i suppose i'm only hesitating because i would rather not stay by myself, though i don't know anyone who would be able to share with me. i posted on the facebook group asking if anyone was interested in sharing a room and i'm not sure if anyone has responded.. i should check.

-- on a sad note, a student died on semester at sea's fall voyage. kurt leswing was hit and killed by a drunk driver in hong kong. i still have shivers down my spine everytime i think about the horrible accident. i am sure the ship community is struggling right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and all who knew him.

-- i go for more shots on wednesday! technically, its a shot and then a round of typhoid medicine for a week.

-- hopefully my lovely sister collected names & emails for me at poppa's party so i can get my email list all set up and crossed off my gigantic list.



off to clean up, unpack & head to class.

70 days and they will be flying by. i couldn't sleep when i realized-- that 2 months! where has the semester gone! i can hardly believe that i am getting so close to this trip, which has been in the works for about 7 months now!

YAY OBAMA!!

hopefully there will be some sort of coverage of his inaugaration while we are on the ship in january, because that's something i wouldn't want to miss.



t-minus 75 days.

vaccines & more

i got my tetanus-diptheria-pertussis immunization today,
and i'll be getting my typhoid pills & polio vaccine next week.

i also mailed the veryyy last of my forms to SAS!
it's such a relief!
hopefully that's the end of the running back and forth around campus from office to office.

this weekend is my poppa's 90th birthday party and brandon's ring weekend.
i'm so excited to see some of my cousins and to be back at pc again.

then it'll be back to reality as the semester is going by so quickly.
thanksgiving will be here so soon, and then the semester will be nearly over.

this weekend, i'll be getting all my family's addresses to add to my contact sheets
so that i can send emails and postcards accordingly.

off to get some work done..

76 days + 21 hours..

is japanse mickey different than american mickey?

i want to go to tokyo disney!

i got the idea from a friend who's sister is in taiwan on a fullbright scholarship. she's going to tokyo disney for their winter break! i've been looking online and the tickets are about 5,800 yen. (~60 USD) and its not to far from where the boat will be when we dock in yokohama.

there is also a hong kong disneyland, which is accessible by train. and according to the currency exchange website, it would be cheaper. about 350 hong kong dollars (~45 USD).

i'm looking into it, and hopefully other people will want to join me!

78 days + 5 hours. YIKES!

today & this weekend's to do list

-get my remaining immunizations (on monday..)
-send in the last of my SAS forms (on monday, after the shots.)
-figure out why i got an email saying i haven't paid. i'll be calling financial aid and home and SAS and back again. i thought i had sent everything! i have a feeling they are waiting on a single piece of paper. i'm not sure which one. and that is annoying.
-FIND A PLACE TO STAY IN THE BAHAMAS. i have to stop procrastinating on this one.
-save money. where the heck is it all going?!
-hand in housing forms. the release & petition to return. (monday..)


and there is lots more than that to take care of.

like, what to do in each country! i dont even know where to begin.

side note

visas are pretty stickers. haha!

can't wait to add more stamps, etc. into my passport!
at least it's interesting now, and not full of blank pages!

more about the silly classes. and my OCD..

after all the hoopla, i re-registered and got all the same classes!
for real, this time. haha.

i made some packets for my mom & dad, myself & my emergency contact today.
in it, are:
-copy of my passport
-copies of my visas (china, india)
-copy of my UNH ID
-copy of my ISIC (international student identification card)
-copy of my license
-itinerary (as of now, its always changing)
-copy of my health card (front & back) & doctor's contact information
-copy of my SAS medical form
-consulate information for each country
i read i should do this on journeywoman's blog. she's a single woman who travels and compiles tips for female travelers, especially those who go solo. turns out, she went on semester at sea! this past spring. and so of course, i read her whole SAS blog and then have been reading through her tips sections. she has women send in tips for each country, so i've also found some good advice on what to pack for the more conservative countries like egypt. but anyways, she suggests to have all the information from each country so that in case of an emergency you have numbers to call and/or a place to go. travel.state.gov has great bios of each country along with embassy and consular services. i'm SURE that SAS will prepare us and give us this information, but i like to do these sorts of things myself.

to be added to my packets are:
-flight information -- home
-hotel information
-mailing address (for each port)
-contact information from SAS
-SAS email information
-important UNH numbers/contact people
-credit card & banking information

i basically want to have AS much information in these folders so that mom & dad know whats going on, so that my emergency contacts know where i am/who to call if something were to (god forbid) happen and so that i have lots of information on hand! my obsessive-compulsive tendencies are coming in handy..


off to spend the day with mom---

87 days + 6 hours + 9 minutes until embarkation.. yikes!

VISAS

i forgot to mention..

word on the street (aka my sister told me..) that my passport and visas have arrived safely at home! YAY. unfortunately, the silly things over-drafted my account but i think all has been resolved. so now i can get myself to into china and india.

AND, the best part, my passport is home safe and sound and i won't be worrying in early january whether it would be home in time.




88 days + 10 hours to go.

classes. take two.

so, even if we recieved confirmation emails, everyone is RE-registering friday. at 11.

lets hope the site does not crash, and that the classes i wanted are still available!!


silly computers.

nearly two hours later..

I GOT INTO MY CLASSES! yay!

after about 45 minutes of refreshing the page & getting nothing, i called SAS who told me that they turned off registration until they could get the site back up. i suppose over 350 students (at least..) trying to register at the same time was a little too much for the system. i was about to give up and head to the library when i saw a girl's post on the SAS facebook group saying she got her classes. so i tried once more and i got them! AH, i'm so relieved!

now lets hope and pray that i get approved for my nutrition class and that i won't have to change classes! i emailed the center for international education (CIE) here at UNH and they said to check my mailbox. so hopefully i get approval soon.

however, as of this moment, i'll be having classes as follows:

A days:
english as a global language 0800-0915
global studies 0920-1035
languages of the world 1045-1200

B days:
global studies 0920-1035
nutrition around the world 1455-1610

classes meet everyday at sea. so in the 10 days between turkey and india, there are 10 days of classes. even on saturdays and sundays! makes sense though, as we need to cram a semester of credit in there!

i do have the option of adding one more course and/or a one credit seminar. not sure if i will yet, i have time though, because i can't add anything else until sailing.


off to the library, FINALLY. haha.

89 days + 5 hours til sailing!

registering for classes

today is the day when registration opens for spring 09..

too bad the website crashed and only a handful of people successfully registered!

i am not one of those people. i'm sitting here refreshing the page and hoping the registration button pops up sometime soon so i can get on with my day!


if and when i get to register, i'm hoping to get:
-nutrition around the world
-languages of the world
-english as a global language
-global studies

my back-ups are:
-US foreign policy
-world religions


cross your fingers for me! seriously, or else my computer may be out the window.

vaccinations

i got my first of two hepatitis A vaccinations yesterday.

ouch.

it feels like i got punched in the arm! ugh.

and i got a flu shot.

now all i need (from health services up here..) are:
1. tetanus booster
2. typhoid
3. polio
4. anti-malarial meds

wish me luck & hope that i don't go broke paying for them!

ta-ta-for-now!

90 days to go!

weekend update :)

i am home this weekend for len's engagement party and to get lots of things done. i am working on my packets of information (one for me, mom & dad, and for my emergency contacts.) with copies of all my information, itinerary, consulate information, etc.

i talked to a lot of family this weekend about my trip, everyone has been so incredibly supportive. and everyone has great suggestions for what to bring and how to stay organized, which i absolutely appreciate. 2 bags for 100 days is going to feel limiting come packing time, for sure.

i have successfully sent in my visa applications! hopefully they take the money out soon, though, because i don't want to overdraft!

most of my SAS forms are completed and have been marked "recieved" on myVoyage page (an online account through SAS for updates, paperwork, class registration, etc.

i am going to get a physical tomorrow as well as my hepatitis A vaccination! i hate needles but i'm going to have to get used to them quickly. i have lots of shots to get.

every last UNH study abroad form is officially completed! the only thing left to do is provide them with the updated itinerary (it changes here and there.. docking times, etc.) and my contact information, which has not yet been made available.

hopefully i'll recieve word from the registrar that my courses have been approved. i just need them to say that i can take a science and have it count as my general education requirement for sciences. i gave them several options, so hopefully one will count!

regardless of whether i get a science approval in the next week or so, i can register for classes starting wednesday! its so crazy. the reality of this trip is coming at me at lightening speed. if i do need to change a course, the registration is open until december 22, so i'll have a little wiggle room.

if all goes well, i'll be taking global studies (required to all students), languages policy & reform, english as a global language, and nutrition around the world (for my gen-ed requirement). i can potentially add one more course, but i have not decided yet whether i want to or not. i am so excited to take these courses, all of them are of interest to me, so it is nice to have complete freedom in choosing classes without having to worry about which requirement to fulfill.

i've got to go, but i would like to add a little thank-you on here to all the family & friends that sent me great cards for my birthday! they are all over my bulletin board at school! xo

time for coffee. and shopping!
til next time, laura


92 days to go!

100 days!

yesterday was my twenty first birthday and 100 days until SAS S09!

so much to do,
so little time!

my great friends, roommates and boyfriend all got me things that i'll be able to take with me on my adventure. they are all so thoughtful & i'll miss them so very much!

i'm still going.

we were notified about the financial aid packages from the institute of shipboard education(ISE) on thursday via email.

i got nothing. and so did a lot of people. in the email, ISE & SAS said that the number of applications for financial aid increased over 80% from the fall 2008 voyage to the spring 2009.

as expected, i was heartbroken and very worried. i was so scared that i was not going to be able to go, even though i'm already financially invested in the trip (plane tickets, visas, etc.). i called dad crying and he said we'd figure it out. i've been so nervous all weekend for the phone call that would let me know if i was going or not.

as of now, i'm $3,700 short.

i talked to mom and dad; and i know that they have been over and over it all weekend, trying to figure out how to make it happen. we've decided they'll spot me and i'll pay them back once i get home and working. the last thing i want to do is put them out financially. i know that this trip is a once in a lifetime deal, that it will be an experience i'll never forget. but i also don't want them to struggle because i'm taking this trip. i am so grateful for all they do for me, and i will never truly be able to pay them back for the gift of my college degree and all of the opportunities they have provided for me.

i'm stressed, now, about how i will make it all work. i know that i'll be working very hard next summer to pay them back and somehow get a car.

it will be worth it.

i remind myself that there are students who have been planning their semesters for longer than i have and who were counting on the financial aid to make it happen. and i know that many of those students are now not going. so in perspective, i'm one of the lucky ones. i can only imagine their heartbreak, as i would be devastated if my parents had said it was no longer possible.

i'm excited to go, overwhelmed that i am 100% and absolutely going, and stressed with all the things on my to-do list.

until next time..
--l


105 days until the ship departs from nassau.

computer-less

my computer got thirsty.
and now it's in the land of computers being fixed, and i'm not sure when it'll be back!

can't complain too much, i have 5 lovely roommates who all got a's in sharing in kindergarten, there are bunches of computers in the library, and i will eventually get mine back.

and, even better, its covered under the warrantee. so its not going to cost me anything! yay!

this is wonderfully random,
but you never know how much you take things for granted until they are gone!
...so glad a computer was the root of this realization.

haha.

off to class.

i booked my flight!

as of about 5:30, i booked my flight to the bahamas!!

i'll be leaving january 17, from laguardia and i have a direct flight to nassau!

this is so crazy! everything is moving from dream-land to reality. a whole summer's worth of stress, spreadsheets and talking about the trip is quickly turning into action. i have an appointment at our health services to talk about my immunizations on monday, and hopefully by then i'll be brave enough to send in my visa applications too.

i am so grateful to all of my family and friends for their support. i never would have been able to apply if it weren't for everyone cheering me on the whole way.

i am so lucky to be where i am and to be afforded this opportunity. i know how much of a financial strain it is for my family and in this economy, and am so grateful that my parents have been willing to work it out. --thank you, from the bottom of my heart, mom & dad <3 --

this trip will truly be a once in a lifetime experience.

stay tuned :)

skype & keeping in touch

if any of my readers (also known as mom, dad and some aunts & uncles), have SKYPE, let it be known that i have a skype account now. search my name, you should find me. i'm on it occassionally here at school, my silly roommate likes to skype from the other side of the room, hehe.

as i mentioned, the internet is going to be a challenge while at sea, therefore i won't be on skype when i'm on the ship. its going to be something i'll use if i can find myself an internet cafe somewhere. i will most likely be making an account so i can call home or cell phones with it, as international phones don't have options for a semester at sea itinerary.

keeping in touch
when i see my family this semester, it will be my mission to get addresses and emails so that i can try and send at least one postcard to each household. i'm planning on creating a spreadsheet with all this lovely information in it and keeping it on my flash drive (great idea, darcey..) so i can make sure people get postcards from cool places. i know it'll be a long list, but i want to do it. this goes for friends, too. everyone has been so supportive of my trip, and the least i can do is get a postcard in the mail.

as for emails, i plan on sending out group emails (most likely similar to the blog entries..) to those who are interested, though they wont be as personalized. i know everyone will simply want to know that i haven't been kidnapped, fallen ill or any in other sort of trouble.

hopefully, when i get home from this long journey, i can print out all the emails/blogs/etc that have accumulated and have a pretty good record of all that i have done. i know that as time goes by, the details of the trip might melt together, so i hope that having a hard copy of all my
writings (along with the MILLIONS of pictures i plan on taking), will keep me from forgetting.

this was a sufficiently random collection of thoughts for one post,
but don't hold it against me, i was in the library for far too long today.

...until next time :)

a side note
is it poor form if i spend a significant amount of free time making lists of things to get for SAS, googling places to go in each country, reading old SAS blogs (and current ones, for that matter) and generally finding myself preoccupied with all that needs to be done?!
.. i guess you can't blame me. i'm excited! and a little scared, too!

cute comic -- baby blues!

here's a cute comic that has popped up on almost all the SAS blogs i've been stalking. so cute!

things to do

in the next few weeks, i have a lot to do in preparation for this crazy semester ahead of me.

some items on my to-do list include:
-applying for my visas to china and india
-contacting my health services to talk about and get immunizations
-get a physical
-send in all the forms for SAS
-attend a registration session at unh to determine which credits will transfer, etc.
-attend a mandatory orientation to go abroad
-get a credit card
-figure out what to do in each port (SAS offers excursions in each port that are "all-inclusive," meaning they do all the leg work and make reservations, etc. i definitely want to do a few of these trips, but i also want to plan some independent trips with other students who want to see different things.)
-register for classes! there is a 12 credit minimum, which works out to 4 classes with some optional seminars. everyone is required to take a global studies course that discusses each port, it's history and prepares students for what they will see. there are some other really interesting courses, i am really hoping to get into a course entitled "history & political geography of the oceans." i am excited to take classes that are outside of the realm of comm-dis, it'll be fun.
-make a packing list, and then.. pack!


oh, and while i'm at it i'll be working on my full course load up here, giving tours, doing community service projects and trying not to get too ahead of myself. :)

countdown until semester at sea!

i found this in the SAS facebook group, a countdown until the ship departs nassau!

i've got more than a lot than a little left to do!

the ship

this will be my home-away-from-home while i'm at sea! the mv explorer.

some fun facts about the ship:
-- it was built in 2002
-- it's one of the safest and fastest ships of it's kind
-- there are 9 classrooms, computer lab, library, & student union
-- there is also a campus store, clinic, a wellness center with a spa & hair salon, 2 dining halls, a gym, a netted outside basketball court, and a pool!
-- there is wireless internet (though, veryyy pricey) but email and select educational websites are free for students.

i will be in a super-economy double. this means i'll be closer to the bottom and/or the engine room. it's a small space to fit in, but so much of our time will be spent outside of the room, that i'm not too worried yet. plus, we will have a cabin steward who will make our beds and bring us clean towels everyday! (or at least every-other..)

itinerary

here is the list of places i will go!
they are all subject to change, according to world conditions at the time.

* this past summer's voyage was re-routed from turkey to egypt on account of terrorist attacks that killed several people. if a situation should arise, the captain and academic dean run around and figure out another place to go.

• Nassau, Bahamas
• Cadiz, Spain
• Naples, Italy
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Alexandria (Cairo), Egypt
• Chennai, India
• Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand
• Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
• Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
  (Antigua, Guatemala City)
• Transiting of Panama Canal
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida

i'm going abroad!

Semester At Spring 2009!

this here blog is going to be my main form of communication while i'm on the MV explorer, circumnavigating the globe! i can email post from my sas email and save internet minutes!

the boat leaves january 19 from the bahamas and sets off on a 108 day cruise around the world.

as for now, i'm still @ school and i've got quite the semester ahead of me.

i sent in my SAS financial aid form and now i simply have to wait to get my results, sometime in october. hopefully i get something!

i'll post some pictures of the ship and my itinerary a little later, so stay tuned and comment please!