i miss the ocean.


but lord knows that i am the most busy that i have EVER been: classes, internship, working at gap, planning a conference, studying for the GRE & applying for graduate school... all while trying to maintain a social life and dealing with senioritis.

lets just hope i don't get sick, that would certainly throw a monkey wrench into the jam-packed schedule i've been keeping.

i may be the busiest, but i'm happy about it.



..although i would love to be exploring the world again. i suppose its time to plan another trip? when i have the time and finances, however. i'm not through with my adventures, there will be more. that is a promise i have made to myself, and i intend to keep it.

it's boring here!

in limbo

i wish i had a job.
sort of.
i definitely need one, but why can't i get myself into gear?

i'm too distracted & i'm thinking it has more to do with my town than anything. i'm aware that my "cruise" as so many like to call it, has certainly altered my views on things; but being stuck here is the worst thing for me. its so easy to slip in to old habits, to feel like i did before i left.

i'm ready for a change of pace and i have no means for such a change.

i suppose it could be said that i'm in limbo. its been nice to have a break; but down time is no good for my brain.. i tend to fixate and obsess over the smallest details and lose sight of the big picture. maybe thats why i don't sleep anymore.

i know i sound rather whiney, i just can't seem to break it! i need a project to work on, things to do, someone to call me back for a job! i'll surely lose my mind if i don't get myself busy again.

back in the usa

well, i love home & my family & my friends.

but,

can i go back now?

what's the next port? is it almost on-ship time?


i'm having trouble adjusting. more coherent thoughts later, off to do some very southbury things: starbucks & movies. so exciting, sort of.

disembarkation

the day has come; time to leave the ship.

had just over an hour of sleep last night (er, this morning) and spent every possible second enjoying the sunshine, the salt air, the stars, the moon and the good company. played silly games, listened to the boys play guitar and snuggled in blankets under the beautiful night sky.

saw mom from the ship; the strangest feeling. tears of joy and tears of sadness, all at once.

off to soak in the last moments together; should be off the ship around 12.

goodbye, mv explorer.

last night

its our very last night on the mv explorer and there won't be any sleep tonight. we'll be in fort lauderdale around 0800 tomorrow and our sea is expected to be off around 12 or so. then its a day in florida and a flight home thursday. how time flies!

off to swap photos, watch movies and spend time with some of my best friends.

love love love

the last day of school

he who returns from the journey
is not the same as he who left
-chinese proverb


it feels like the last day of school.

the sun shines, drawing people outside to marvel at the ocean. sundresses and nice shirts are the outfit of choice; as if the small effort to dress up makes the day a little more special.

bags are stuffed to the brim, overflowing with memories from the world around. the dress from spain, the scarves from india, the embroidery from guatemala. lining the hallways, the ship seems smaller, making it not only difficult to walk but difficult to grasp the concept of the end.

a break from traditional routines, one last assembly. special meals and snacks are prepared; its as if we are having our class picnic. the decks will be crowded tonight, as everyone tries to take in just one last sunset, to relish the ocean's breeze and to breathe in the salt air.

cameras are everywhere, trying to take in every last image. pictures may be worth a thousand words, though a thousand words may never adequately describe the emotions coursing through ship, like caffeine running through the veins.

a sense of finality; this is it. a nervous energy, trepidation, anticipation. determined not to leave eachothers sides, clusters of friends move from space to space, finding it hard to acknowledge the reality of tomorrow.

108 days spent together is not many in the course of a lifetime; though for all of the experiences and time spent together, one would think we've always been here. the ease of interactions, the unspoken understanding.

our minds are full, our bags overflowing, hearts bursting; the thrill of the summer ahead & seeing those from home is nearly overshadowed by a cloud of uncertainty; when will we see each other again? how are we supposed to describe this experience to others?

when words, photos, and anecdotes fail, how will we share our stories?

last day at sea

5 may 2009

0918 (9:18a)

 

its our last day at sea; a fact that may bring tears as the day moves along. we just ate breakfast and are about to finish packing up the room; its such a strange feeling! i took my map and photos off the wall and now everything feels empty and foreign.

 

we have convocation in a little while and i'm sure there will be tears; i'm packing tissues.

 

mom is on her way to florida, as i type, and i know she's excited. i'm excited too, and i can't wait for her to see the ship! we are the third sea off the ship, which we guess will be around or before 12pm.

 

off to get dressed, pack, lug my suitcases to the temporary hold and to enjoy convocation!

 

love love love

laura

time is worth more as it slips away

4 may 2009
(technically 5 may 2009)
00:20 (12:20a)

a very late good evening from the mv explorer!

things are busy, frantic and becoming overwhelming on the ship. the reality of returning to the states is hitting home, rather hard for some people.

i had a GREAT time at the ambassador's ball, it was like prom. everyone looked beautiful!

the day was spent packing, sunning, napping, swapping photos and staying as close to one another as possible. we had a combined cultural & logistical pre-port for fort lauderdale/the usa; given by "luke" and the other deans, as portrayed by some of our awesome sas kids. it was hilarious and a great way to round out the voyage.

its super late and we've lost our final hour; we are now on east coast time!

tomorrow is convocation and packing and probably a day of tears. then its fort lauderdale! lord, how did it get so late so soon? i'm so excited to see my welcoming committee and those at home. i'm excited to share my stories with whoever is interested, though i'm sure i'll put people to sleep.

i've just completed my slide show, and its approximately 25 minutes. though pictures are worth a thousand words and will hardly do justice to the stories or experiences behind them; my hope is that my slide show helps to convey just how incredible the journey was. and of course, if you want more pictures, i've got thousands!

off to bed, or a movie with the boys? not sure. probably won't sleep much between now and florida, i'll just deal with it ;)

a little housekeeping for all of my lovely readers,
--my ship email will soon be deleted. this means, if you want to stay in touch, laurabeard87@gmail.com is the best way to reach me.
--i WILL be continuing the blog, for all of those interested in following along; i will probably re-organize, add entries and spruce things up a bit; i'm not going to stop writing, that's for

panama canal day / ambassador's ball!!

3 may 2009
0804 (8:04a)


first and foremost,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! i hope you have an awesome day, though i wish you didn't have to work so that you could watch the webcam!!


okay, now, good morning! its a sunny morning on the ship, which is what everyone was hoping for. i can see big ships out the window! mckendree got up early so i'm going to have to go find them for breakfast. i'm sure that the seventh deck will be crowded with people looking to enjoy the sun and pool. i'll be up there for a while, that's for sure.

tonight is the ambassador's ball and people are getting excited; its like our very own prom! everyone is getting all dressed up, doing their hair, painting their nails and showing off clothes from around the world. several of the boys i know will be in their suits, some of which are crazy colors like orange and neon green; should be interesting!

i'm off to find breakfast and to claim a chair on the 7th deck-- i'll wave to the webcams! haha!

appreciate the present hour?

sit and hear your own breathing and look out on the universe and be content.
-lin yutang

2 may 2009
1611 (4:11p)

back again!
since i've last wrote, i got some more information about the panama canal and our last few days on the ship!

i'm currently watching a pbs nova movie about the building of the panama canal; which is incredibly interesting. it's truly an engineering marvel, especially since it was constructed in the 1920s. for those not watching the on-ship movies, the wikipedia article is very interesting and filled with fun facts.

our tenative schedule for the panama canal (tomorrow) is as follows:

            0910-1000  Transit Miraflores Locks
            1050-1130  Transit Pedro Miguel Locks
            1245  Pass by Gamboa
            1445-1705  Transit Gatun Locks

tonight is a full list of activities: dinner, mandatory meeting about disembarkation, explorer's seminar about the panama canal, battle of the bands and then a marathon of all the episodes of road rules: semester at sea edition. i'm so excited for the marathon, to see what the old ship was like and to experience their adventure (and drama..)

tomorrow is panama canal day, cleaning, packing, ambassador's ball, fashion show and dance. i'm excited to get dressed up and to take "prom pictures" with everyone. it should be a great night.

it was rather rainy today, so i didn't miss out on a day of sunshine with all my studying and organizing. hopefully tomorrow will be sunny! i plan on taking lots of pictures, video-ing a ship tour and enjoying the experience of crossing the panama canal.

off to shower, amidst the laundry hung around our bathroom. mckendree and i made quite the mess, looking like washerwomen trying to rinse off our dusty guatemala clothes before we have to pack them up. strange how drawers are slowly being emptied, bags filled and the pictures are coming down off the wall.

then its onto selling my textbooks; there is a painfully slow line and i'm dreading sitting in it. alas, a few dollars towards my ship account (and a few less pounds to send home) are worth it.

panama canal webcam

so, when we go through the panama canal tomorrow, we will be on a live webcam! no idea what time we will actually be going through the canal, but if we find out, i'll let you all know. 

 

below is the information i found in the public folder :)

------- 

 

When we go through the Panama Canal there will be a webcam at the Gatun Locks and the Miraflores Locks from the Panama Canal website: www.pancanal.com

 

This way your friends and families at home can watch the ship sail through! The Canal Website has a new High Resolution Webcam at the Miraflores locks for a very clear image of the ship!

 

The links are:

 

Miraflores Locks:

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=Miraflores

 

High Resolution Webcam at the Miraflores Locks:

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=MirafloresHi

 

Gatun Locks:

 

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=Gatun

 

 

 

 

 

b day exams

2 may 2009
0823 (8:23a)

good morning :)

we had a time change last night, so we are only ONE hour behind the east coast; how strange is that!? we're getting closer!

yesterday was a productive day for me, though i got a late start. we got up for breakfast around 8 and then i went back to bed. i was overtired and feeling a little under the weather. after waking up to the noon announcements, i got up and headed outside to read for nutrition and to enjoy the sunshine. the sun was very hot but it was veryyy windy, so it was easy to stay cool. at one point, having just put my notes away, the crew began washing windows, which caused all the run off water to mist over the pool deck. one would have thought it was raining! we were all pretty wet, but it cooled us down!

after a quick shower, the organizing began. i made a royal mess of the room, thank goodness mckendree didnt mind! i went through all of my clothes (to donate, keep/wash) and did my best to pack. yes, pack! i have one entire suitcase filled with clothes and books/mementos. it's really heavy! thank goodness mom is bringing some suitcases to florida! i went through all of my purchases and did my best to compile a list of spending. i'm sure i forgot a few things, but the list is thorough, which will help when i have to fill out my customs form tomorrow. i'm surely going to have to pay for some of it; i bought my camera in south africa which bumped my total up significantly. we'll see!

after packing (and sweating trying to close the zippers), i went through my toiletries, books, papers, etc. and did my best to purge the things i don't need. i'll be able to sell a couple of my books back later today, and i plan to put that money towards my overall ship account.

i'm up nice and early, to a grey sky. plans for today include studying for nutrition and taking pictures around the ship :) tonight is a mandatory meeting regarding disembarkation, family feud game night and possibly an explorers seminar on the panama canal, where we'll be tomorrow?!! crazy.

off to eat breakfast, study and be productive. see you all soon!

en route to fort lauderdale

1 may 2009
0816 (8:16a)

hi all!

i made it back onto the ship (for the LAST time?!) yesterday evening from our LAST port, guatemala. bring on the USA! as excited as i am to be back in the states, the reality of leaving is hitting fast & everyone is beginning to feel it. we received an email detailing the luggage, customs and immigration information for the day we disembark, a mere 6 days from now.

we have to declare all purchases and we've been told that our bags are not going to be handled delicately; so to pack accordingly. hopefully, if all goes smoothly, the first off the ship will be around 1030, and the last around 1400 (2:00p). once we get off the ship, there is no getting back on. no matter what. the ship won't be "ours" anymore.

with thoughts of packing, lists to make and still one more final to work on (nutrition), i'm off to get my day started.

see you all soon :)

buenos dias ;)

28 april 2009
0728 (7:28a)
puerto quetzal, guatemala


the familiar rattling and shaking of pulling into port woke me up rather early this morning. it's bittersweet because i know that the next time the ship rattles, it will be time to get off in florida. yikes!

we're now in our last port! reality is setting in; only one week left! (from tomorrow)

the port is industrial, as evident by the giant shipping containers out my window. there isnt much in the area, but we'll check it out. plans for today: a visit to a coffee farm! i got one of the last tickets yesterday and i'm excited. seems as though everyone is going!

off to get dressed and grab breakfast before our diplomatic briefing!

a day finals!

27 april 2009

0750 (7:50a)

 

good morning! its final exam day for our "a" day classes, meaning i have finals for my 'languages of the world' and 'english as a global language' classes. shouldn't be too difficult, they are essays and we've discussed the topics thoroughly in class.

 

last night's sunset was amazing, i need to make a point to catch as many as possible from here on out. they are worth every second! i think everyone has begun 'scheduling' the sunset into their day, as the decks were filled last night.

 

pre-port was an insightful look into guatemala, things to do and where to stay; all presented by one of our own students who has back-packed in the area. i'm excited to go. looks like antigua and monterrico are on the game plan, and i hope i can make it to both! there is also a coffee farm visit, which sounds awesome to this coffee shop girl.

 

off to write essays, more later!

 

 

live life fully while you're here

“live life fully while you're here. experience everything. take care of yourself and your friends. have fun, be crazy, be weird. go out and screw up! you're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”
-anthony robbins


26 april 2009
1227 (12:27p)

again, busy days on the ship!

we are now just 2 hours behind the east coast standard time, where we will stay until we leave guatemala. it's so strange to be so close, its made emailing much easier!

our global studies exam was yesterday, i don't think it was too bad. we also filled out semester evaluations, which included what ports we like the most, how difficult it is to study, the crew, etc. my evaluation was positive; semester at sea is a well-oiled and very put together program. my only issue was the lack of study space! there is just no where to escape and find absolute quiet.

last night we stayed up far too late, trading stories and talking about life with our favorite guy friends. we realized that we only have about 8 nights left on the ship, not including guatemala. that's enough to get everyone a little emotional. we plan to sleep on the deck, stay up late and just enjoy our last bit of time on the mv explorer as we can. it's only our home for another 10 more days and then a whole new batch of kids will take our spots! its rather depressing.

today is a study day, or a sleep day for many. i don't have too much test-prep to do, so i took advantage of a little sleeping. i'm off to print up some papers and then enjoy a little sun before reviewing one more time. i have essay-tests tomorrow, so i need to review my facts!

tonight's plan is to watch the sunset, as it is finally getting warm again! we had a dreary few days after hawaii, which no one expected. it has something to do with the currents of the pacific that all converge in the area, cooling the water. i'll be bringing my camera and hoping for the best. i generally have it when the clouds are too thick and never seem to have it when the sunsets ar spectacular. tonight, i'm going to stalk the sunset; hope its a good one!

we have cultural pre-port tonight, in preparation for guatemala tuesday. it's our last pre-port! we joke about having a pre-port for fort lauderdale; maybe i'll suggest it. i suspect that attendance will be high, especially with all of this talk about guatemala's safety.

hopefully people start getting out of bed and poor joel and jesse can clean. it's nearing 1230 and the poor guys have been sitting around waiting to clean rooms! maybe mckendree and i will pass on the room cleaning and simply ask for a couple towels. then they won't have to wait outside our door any longer.

word has it, in the form of emails, that connecticut has been quite warm lately; some summer temps to warm everyone up? enjoy it!

 i'm going to run upstairs, grab a little lunch and enjoy the 6th deck. as hard as it has been to study and accomplish work, boy am i going to miss the distractions!

those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. -- anonymous

24 april 2009
2157 (9:57p)

quick update from the pacific!

the ship has been a blur of review sessions, our last days of class and overall studying. i've been writing up papers and reviewing notes for our upcoming finals. tomorrow is our global studies final, which was moved to the afternoon, so that we can have the whole day to review.

as a result of tests and papers, there hasn't been much going on. we lose another hour tonight, so we will be 3 hours behind the east coast; with one more to lose before guatemala.

speaking of guatemala, we got an extensive outline in our dean's memo about what we can and cannot do in guatemala; apparently things have been rough there lately. below is verbatim from the memo:

Based on the current security assessment from ISE and its partners, the following precautions are required for Guatemala:

    * A mandatory curfew is in effect for all voyagers throughout the country.  Please be back in your hotel or on the ship by 2300.
    * ISE strongly discourages any independent travel to Guatemala City.
    * Avoid public buses in Guatemala city.
    * ISE strongly discourages travel to the airport unless traveling with an SAS trip or SAS sponsored transportation.
    * Avoid independent travel to Tikal and remote areas of Tikal.
    * Use only reputable tour operators and reputable transportation providers.
    * Because of frequent highway robbery and hijackings independent travel should avoid any road at night, rural roads, and remote areas.
    * Hikers have been a frequent target by criminals.  Volcano hikes should be planned as a group and with reputable guides.
    * Independent Travel Forms should be filled out.
    * Review the  U.S. State Department Country Information sheet in the Health and Safety case in Tymitz Square.
    * Attend the preport and diplomatic briefings for more information.

i have no plans yet, but apparently i will not be heading to guatemala city or tikal and i won't be riding on airplanes or buses! i'm sure we'll get much more information about this at our pre-port.

i'm off to review and head to bed, it's getting late!

less than two weeks left of my amazing adventure, whats next?!


(happy birthday, just one more time, to andrew! miss you!)

birthday wishes!

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY, ANDREW!!

i love and miss you much, i hope you have a fantastic day!!
lets celebrate with something you can only do when you're 18..
like, buying lottery cards!! hehe.. yay!!

xoxox
sister

it is always sunrise somewhere

"this grand show is eternal. it is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor ever rising. eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls." -john muir

22 april 2009
2200 (10:00p)

as we wrap up classes on the mv explorer, books and laptops are everywhere. it seems as though every corner of the ship has turned into a study center as everyone prepares for the upcoming exams. i have been one of those students, preferring the quiet 5th deck dining hall over the noisy 6th floor; i just need to be able to focus, with as little distraction as possible.

after global studies i worked on some papers and ate lunch with rennika before dashing upstairs for my unh course registration. i have signed up for some interesting courses and i'm excited to see how they turn out. i used the reminder of my 2 hour time period to search for jobs in the area; from nannying to secretarial work at yale, i looked and applied for almost everything. while i would love to spend my days making coffee and serving bagels, i fear those days are over in favor of more relative job experience.

i ate dinner with my on-ship family tonight and i've determined that i will really miss them! the whole bunch, gary, kathy, maddie and harry are a great time and i enjoy hearing about their adventures. maddie and harry have to go back to school after the voyage is over, and they are not looking forward to it! their summer plans include a trip to see family in colorado, lots of baseball for harry and new baby goats for maddie. she raises them for her 4h club. they sound like so much fun! mom.. can i have a baby goat?!

i just spent the last few hours reviewing for our upcoming, cumulative, global studies final which is on saturday. it's never to early to start studying!

nothing else too exciting to report; i'm off to edit my papers and print them for class tomorrow. i cant wait to be done with all the work so that i can enjoy the last few weeks on the ship!

we lose another hour tonight, therefore are four hours behind the east coast. we're creeping up on the east coast!

happy earth day!!

go confidently in the direction of your dreams

live the life you've imagined. as you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. - henry david thoreau

---

19-20 april 2009
honolulu, hawaii

sunday 19 april 2009

"living in america" abruptly poured from the ship-wide speakers at 0600, rousing everyone from their beds. the explorer arrived at aloha pier, promptly at 0600 and the immigration officials boarded, preparing to process the entire ship in about an hour.

we'd received carefully worded reminders all day on monday, after all the announcements luke mentioned that we should go to bed early. our suspicions of an early wake-up time were confirmed at the pre-port and everyone flinched. waking up 750 students at 0600!? the only way they could ensure our wake-up was to threaten dock time for those who slept in past their sea's immigration time.

i woke up early, a staggering 0545 to ensure that i would be awake. i was able to call home and talked to mom, andrew & rebecca. it was nearing 1200p for them, so it was a great time to chat. it was so strange to be back on a cell phone! i've had an international cell for the duration of the trip, but have a limited, pre-paid balance. to talk with abandon and not worry about the bill (verizon to verizon!), was wonderful!

the aegean sea was called around 0645 or so, and we hurried up to the faculty staff lounge, still in pajamas. the process was simple: get our passports, line up, show an immigration official our passport's photo page and then hand in our passports. as a result, the process went quickly. all of the american passport holders were processed by 715 and the foreign passport holders were finished shortly thereafter.

from our immigration screening we hustled down to breakfast, and were the first few in line. we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. cell phones were EVERYWHERE. people were on the phone, texting and playing with their phones at every table, in every corner, etc. it was crazy to see! i will admit that i like having my cell phone and that when i'm home, it is always on me. its a legitimate addiction! this trip has certainly helped to break the addiction, its freeing to not use a phone all the time & it forces everyone to get to know others. my hope is that my electronic addiction will be diminished when i get home. i will still have my phone, computer, ipod, etc. but i can live without them & don't need to use them all the time!

after breakfast we headed back to the ship to get ready for the day. bathing suits and dresses were the uniform, and we packed our purses with cameras, sunscreen and towels. we were ready for our day in the sun!

as i mentioned, we had a surprise planned for rennika. around 830 or so, her name was called over the loudspeaker, causing mckendree and i to hang up our phone calls, grab our cameras and sprint down the halls. unfortunately, we made it out of our room before rennika and she saw us running down the hall, which surely confused her! when we reached the gangway, ren was flustered and was asking what was going on. she was told she had visitors and she was able to walk out to see them. she ran off and immediately began screaming and crying as she saw her sister, mackenzie and roommate, derek. she was so surprised! it was so much fun to watch!

a few more phone calls and the aegean sea was called to leave the ship. ren packed up some of her things to send home with mackenzie and we were off. our destination was the weekend "swap meet" at the aloha stadium. we piled into a minivan and easily communicated with our cab driver.

the 20-25 minute ride, through honolulu (pronounced "hoe-no-lu-lu, as opposed to my version "han-o-lu-lu") cost about $30; more than we've paid for cabs in ages! after many cab rides costing less than $5, we all had sticker shock!

the swap meet was just like any market, and we could easily find souveniers from china, japan and india, as well as the typical hawaiian fare of leis, grass skirts & coconuts/pineapples. i had a good time walking through the stalls and spent the majority of my time on the phone, catching up with friends. i didn't need to buy much, but found some great souvenir t-shirts and dried fruits, which are allowed on the ship since they are factory sealed.

after enjoying the sun and getting some cold drinks, we decided to head back to the waikiki beach area and to mackenzie & derek's hotel room. we took a shuttle bus and got advice from our driver about potentially sleeping on the beach.

mac & derek were staying at the marriott on the 15th floor, so we took advantage of their views, clean bathrooms and stored some of our purchases there. after changing into our bathing suits, we ventured out to the gorgeous beaches, across the street from the hotel.

we had some subway sandwiches on the beach, our first true sandwiches in a long time. every country had their own interpretation of sandwiches, some better than others and a 6" turkey on honey oat bread was exactly what i needed!

a few pit-stops at the surfer shops and a couple of new bathing suits later (the other girls got them, not me!) and we were finally ready to settle down on the beach!

we set up camp and then enjoyed the beach. it was gorgeous and sunny and the perfect temperature. no complaints! i did venture out into the waves, finding the water to be rather shallow, even a ways out. we've had plenty of sun on the ship, but no beach time since mauritius.

i suppose there isnt too much to say about the beach, other than it was similar to the bahamas or what one would find along the florida coastline. in contrast to the mauritian beaches, which were filled with european tourists and were much less crowded, hawaii's waikiki beach was much more commercial and overcrowded. still enjoyable, though!

eventually we packed up and planned to head back to the ship to change/shower and prepare overnight bags to stay at the hotel with mac & derek. several changes in plans and we decided not to head back to the ship and to get ready for dinner in the hotel room.

i was hardly prepared for a night out or an overnight, but made do. mac was generous and shared tank tops, shampoo, makeup and anything else she had with us girls, all equally unprepared.

after some basketball ( i think, whatever the nuggets play..) and relaxing, we ventured out to find a mexican restaurant. the first stop could not accommodate a 10 person table, so we kept looking, foregoing the larger "senor frogs" or "jimmy buffet's margaritaville" and hoping for something smaller. we eventually found "cha cha cha" and waited for a table.

the restaurant had large portions and great guacamole, though was rather dysfunctional. not having any beef, veggie fillings or shrimp. they also kept running out of chips! i had an awesome fajita-style chicken & pepper quesadilla, which was absolutely delicious.

dinner was a great time, and several other semester at sea kids met up with us. its crazy to have cell phones, we can all contact each other and meet up! as opposed to the "meet us at 630, hope to see you then" sort of deal.

we headed out to a bar afterward, duke's, where semester at sea invaded. ren and kelsey ran into older kids from their school, linfield college, who just so happened to be in hawaii for the weekend. (who does that!?). i didn't have my license on me and my international student identification card didn't seem to work in the states, so i was a sober-sailor. see what i mean about being prepared?! oh well, it was fun but i was reminded why we'd done our best to avoid the sas-infiltrated bars in other countries.

we spent the night in mac & derek's room, doing our best to fit 3 people per bed. i need a little more room, so i moved to the floor in the middle of the night, using the extra pillows and coverlets to stay warm.

20 april 2009
monday

we didn't have much of a game-plan for day 2 in hawaii, though i did want to attempt to go to pearl harbor if possible. we woke up around 8 and went to breakfast down the street at a cheeseburger restaurant. i'm not sure why a cheeseburger restaurant would have breakfast, but it was tasty.

after some eggs and toast, we ventured out into waikiki, looking for a forever 21. we'd seen people with bags from our most favorite store, so we knew it was nearby. i'm not sure where the obsession with the store comes from, but i'm sure the cheap prices have a lot to do with it!

we walked down the main street for quite a ways, looking for the mall. we popped into a few stores and were told to take the bus to the mall. we waited for the #8 and were soon on our way to ala moana mall.

a big, airy outdoor mall greeted us and we made a bee-line for forever 21, looking for shoes & dresses for the ambassador's ball. derek was ever-patient with the five of us girls as we tried on clothes and picked through the racks. once we were all satisfied, we made our way back out of the mall and back to waikiki for the beach.

upon arriving at the beach, we met up with all of our closest sas friends. everyone had a great time playing in the water, laying out (with sunscreen!) and snacking. it was so much fun to hang out together and to just enjoy everyone's company.

one of the best things about hawaii: abc stores. the convenience store was on every block and carried a little bit of everything, from sunscreen, to snacks, to clothes, gifts, etc. a one-stop-shop for all the things you didn't know you needed. and on top of all the items they carried, they accepted japanese yen! 

i decided to leave the beach a little early so as to get back to the ship and find some internet. mandi and lindsey ventured back with me and we waited for a bus. no one is in a rush, and neither are the buses. it took nearly 1h to get from the beach to the ship, a walk that would have been about 40 minutes. oh well, we got to sit down?

i then wandered around the aloha towers, where the ship was docked. most of the shops were painfully tourist-oriented and my quest for tights was unsuccessful. i did get some pineapple & coconut ice cream and ran into the other girls as i got in line to board the ship. it was nice to spend some time alone, just wandering and enjoying the relaxed attitude of hawaii.

back on the ship, mckendree and i showered and organized. we'd had so much sunshine, we were getting sleepy. a quick trip upstairs to investigate dinner (mac & cheese!) and we were soon back in bed, ready to lose and hour and to begin our last week of classes.

--

overall, hawaii was a great time spent with great friends. short and sweet, and exactly what the ship needed to break up the stretch along the mighty pacific. since we've been back on the ship, the seas have been considerably rocky and it's been overcast. i suppose it's a good thing, though, as everyone needs to get work done! i'd love to go back to hawaii in the future and i'd love to explore the other islands, especially the less-populated ones. anyone up for a trip?

and next up, our last port of call,  guatemala

if you're not driving, then what does the captain do?

21 april 2009
2345 )11:45p

first day back on the ship after hawaii and it was a quiet day. likely a combination of choppy seas and the loss of an hour last night, the ship was sleepy. i had class 0800-12 and subsequently napped, intending to be productive and to get on top of the papers due in the next few days. i did get through a few of the write ups and plan to spend time working on them tomorrow. i will also be registering for my fall 2009 courses at unh and looking for a summer position during my free 2-hour "registration daze" time slot. here's hoping i find some summer employment, or leads anyways.

a few exciting things on the ship today: we have fresh fruits and they now make quesadillas at the snack bar! quesadillas have been a hot topic for nearly the entire voyage after les mccabe mentioned the idea during a pre-port. we'd been told they wouldn't happen, but as of today (and after hawaii's re-stocking of food) they now make quesadillas. i'm sure they are tasty but i'm trying to avoid the snack bar for the sake of my ship-account.

this evening's explorer's seminar was a special called "dirty jobs with the mv explorer crew," sponsored by the student environmental club. the captain, jeremy kingston, and 3 of his officers sat on a panel and answered audience questions. below are some of the questions & answers that were the most entertaining or informative, enjoy!

how much water is used every day?
220-240 tons of water per day (at sea)
120-140 tons of water per day (in port)

how many potatoes are eaten on the ship?
500g/person/day @ sea
400lb/day/108 days
those figures do not take into account the frozen potatoes, which include items like french fries.

how many rolls do we go through on the ship?
the rolls are baked on board, as are all of the breads, croissants and other bakery items.
700-800 rolls per meal, for both lunch and dinner. (~172,800 rolls in a voyage)
extra room for flour

rumor has it there is a jail, a morgue and a padded room for crazy people. is that true?
a jail-- no
a morgue-- yes
a padded room-- no

how much gasoline does the ship use?
the ship can hold 1190 tons of fuel, and will use about 300 to get from hawaii to guatemala (over 3,500 miles)
the fuel economy is about 6.5-9 miles per ton of fuel, depending on factors such as speed, weather, etc.

what would we do if we encountered pirates?
in the words of captain jeremy, "have you ever seen monty python & the holy grail? we'd 'run away, run away!'"
our ship's best defense is our speed, of up to 30 knots
other methods: avoiding known-pirate areas, re-routing itineraries and the use of high pressure water-hoses

how do they choose the countries?
"some times i think they just use a dartboard," captain
the ports of call vary based on theme and what each country offers

if captain jeremy is here [in the union], who's driving?!
jeremy does not drive, he's the general manager but he gets to park the ship in port.
3 officers work in the bridge at all times, 4 hour shifts and rely on lookouts to keep the ship safe.

which port was the most difficult to park in?
casablanca, morocco
it was not so much the parking, but the entering and exiting of the port, through the breakwaters.

how much rolling can the ship tolerate?
the ship is able to roll about 67degrees, though he [captain jeremy] is comfortable with about 5 degrees.

how much did the ship roll in casablanca?
"i don't know because i hanging on and steering, not able to glance at the computer."
he guessed, based on the horizon that the rolling was about 30-40 degrees

if he's not driving, then what does the captain do?
"as little as possible"
overseas the function of the ship, inspections, future planning (working on budget), mostly administrative work and most importantly, he parks the ship.

can you [captain jeremy] marry people?
"i do not marry people because my wife won't let me"

in the event of a medical emergency, what happens? can surgery be performed on-ship?
the ship does have the facilities for an emergency surgery, though it comes down to a matter of whether the on-ship medical team has the ability or training to perform the surgery. the medical facilities are meant to keep a student stable until the ship reaches land. a person could be medi-vac'd from the ship if close enough to shore.
in 2005, a student came down with appendicitis in the middle of the atlantic. they increased the ship's speed to full, and rushed the student to a proper hospital for an appendectomy. the trip should have taken 4 days but they made it in 3.

what is the best part of the job?
"the six months off the ship"
"parking"
-captain jeremy

wait, there's no more cell service?

20 april 2009
2330 (1130p)

aloha!

sad to say, but we're leaving hawaii!

i had a great 36 hours in honolulu, with great food, beautiful weather and awesome beaches. i'm ridiculously tired, having attempted to squish 3 girls in a tiny bed and then ultimately ending up on the floor and having spent the day sunning & shopping.

we get school credit for this!?

anyways, we lose an hour of sleep tonight so we are now -5 hours & as my title suggests, we will soon eb out of range for verizon. unfortunately due to lack of charger & too much talking, i wasn't able to call everyone as planned. so i left a few voicemails (hopefully not waking anyone) and sent a few text messages. more on how wierd it was to be using a phone in a later post.

off to bed, classes in the morning. there are only FOUR class days left. then its STUDY time and FINALS. yikes. wish me luck!

19 april 2009
0735 (7:35a)

good morning from HAWAII!!

we certainly had an early wake-up call this morning, a rousing "living in america" along with luke's voice gently reminding us that it was time to wake up. at 0610! so early! a very quick trip through customs (all of 1 minute..) and we just finished breakfast.

i have cell service, so if you are a verizon-user, feel free to call or text! it's so strange to be using my real phone! and to talk to everyone! there is a 6 hour time difference from the east coast, so just be aware. i'll do my best not to call and wake anyone up!

off to explore! (and to surprise rennika!)

"the way some people think...

...is that you need something different in your life to make it special. but isnt it already special? every day holds something new. it might be as little as a sparkle in the pavement or it might be something as large as winning 172 million dollars. it could be as insignificant as a ladybug or as priceless as a golden sun, falling below the horizon. whatever it is, embrace it and remember it because it might just be these little things that make life worthwhile."
-enola reverof (south pacific)


18 april 2009
1043 (10:43a)

good morning from the mv explorer!

though the temperatures have increased, the clouds are back. i suppose the sun will shine later, but i am glad to have some cloud cover; i need to focus on school work today. i have a nutrition quiz this afternoon and then plan to work on upcoming papers.

its hard to believe we'll be in hawaii in the morning! i've never been, so i'm excited. i'm sure that i will want to go back! two days does not seem like enough time to experience all that the islands have to offer. global studies touched on the fact that while hawaii is the 50th state, there is a unique culture to hawaii; separate from that of the mainland.


2315 (11:15p)

off to bed for this girl, but a few quick thoughts before i head to bed.

when i think of hawaii, i am brought back to a book that we used to read before bed, when i was about 5 or so. a gift from family friends who'd visited the islands and had sent us a big package filled with hula skirts, coconut tops and a book entitled, "the legend of the laughing gecko." i had to do some creative research to find the title of the book, i emailed mom and dad and asked them to google the book for me. i have a vivid picture of the cover in my head and remember the basic story line. it was always my favorite bedtime book, because there were lots of words and it would make my story last longer; so i could stay up later, of course!

global studies focused on the hawaiian islands and then we got supplemental information in our combined logistical & cultural pre-port. we got a "green sheet" as we generally do in ports, with useful information about transportation, taxis and important phone numbers. the exchange rate is even listed; 1 usd to 1 usd! boy, will that make shopping easier!

we have to begin the immigration process early tomorrow, 0600! we will have to line up and show the officials our passport photos. the first seas will be called at 0600 and if we are late (ie they have to call us by name over the loudspeaker) we'll get dock time! that's serious!

there is not much of a game plan for tomorrow or for hawaii in general. my friend rennika is going to get quite the surprise-- her twin sister will be meeting us tomorrow! she has absolutely NO idea and we are so excited for her! (and a bit jealous!). so after the dust has settled, we'll come up with a plan. i would LOVE to rent bicycles; we'll see if i can get someone to join in!

off to bed, for i must be up very early.

at least i'll be able to see the sunrise!
(and i'll be able to call home, yay for having cellular service!)

"we're going around the world"

18 april 2009
2215 (10:15p)

this is the lyrics to the opening act from the explorer's got talent show a few nights back. the lyrics were written by dale hoff, the coordinator for the children's school on the ship-- he's in charge of making sure the younger kids keep up with their school requirements.

it's to the tune of the gillian's island theme :)


-----

We’re Going Around the World
By Dale Hoff S’09

Now sit right back while I tell a tale, a tale of a fateful trip
Of se-ven hundred passengers upon this mighty ship
They set out to sail the world one day, to see the sights unseen
Of course they had to read some books and study for the dean… and study for the dean

The Academic Dean was scholarly Reg, from Virginia he did come,
His plan was clear on the very first day, we’d learn about mi-gra-tion.
The Executive Dean was Les McCabe, a friendly, likable gent
His philosophy was very easily said….Assume - Positive – Intent….Assume – Positive - Intent

The skipper’s name was Jeremy, a master of the seas,
He’d sailed the world ten thousand times and he rode the waves with ease.
His crewa was a mighty sailing team, they’d traveled many a mile
They served us food, they made our beds, and they did it with a smile…they did it with  smile.

The students came to Nassau town, with all their books and gear,
They said good bye to mom and dad with many a wave and tears.
The seas were calm on the very first days….they thought they were doing fine
But the sky turned black… the winds kicked up…it was only a matter of time…it was only a matter of time

The ship first pitched and then it rocked…and the students wondered why,
As stomachs began to churn they thought “oh my god, we’re going to die!”
The waves began to crash on deck, and the mighty ship was tossed,
If not for courage of the mighty crew the Explorer would be lost…the Explorer would be lost

The crew they did their very best… to fight the raging storm
As the students dreamt of calmer times…like back home in their dorms.
The ship rolled left with a mighty lurch, and then rolled to the right.
The skipper said   “stay with me mates …let’s put up a bloody fight….let’s put up a bloody fight!                                                               

Dishes were flying and tables were tossed, … spoons and all the forks,
Calm Luke said from his office door….”it time for your noon report”
The clinic was filled with many a guests, who from their beds were hurled
But Doctor Ann said, “take a few aspirin….cuz we’re going around the world…we’re going around the world”

Then the sun rose up and the seas did calm, and it looked like a beautiful day
But 8 o’clock came … the drums did sound, King Neptune was having his say!!!
the fish guts flew …the rings were kissed…the hair began to fall
The Royal Barbers said…”look what we made… 89 ping pong balls… 89 ping pong balls.

This fateful tale goes on my friends… the voyage must prevail
Cuz this mighty ship will never stop till it gets to Ft. Lauderdale.
Mates will you please join with me and toast to its flag unfurled
The Semester @ Sea Explorer ship….is going around the world! 
The Semester @ Sea Explorer ship ….is going around the world!!!

china, day four

china
day four - olympic venues & great wall
1 april 2009

with a plan to go to the cafe before checkout, shannon and i got up early. in a great coincidence, my phone rang and i was surprised to hear voices from home on the other end. mom, dad, andrew, bec, kizzy, mrs. donnelly.. it was so good to hear everyone's voices; even if i was half asleep and didn't say much!

a great way to start my morning, shannon and i then headed to grab a quick hotel breakfast. located in a separate building, it felt as though we were walking to the dining hall at school. the weather even reminded me of new hampshire and i was glad that shannon could relate!

some fabulous oatmeal and a croissant in my backpack, shannon and i dashed to the cafe for some coffee and one last check of the emails. unfortunately the computers had not been set up, but i was just happy to have some coffee.

after gathering our big group in the hotel lobby, we eventually made it out of the hotel. vincent deserves a medal for his patience. while he was happy to have a young group, i'm sure his older groups are punctual!

we began our day with a surprise visit to the OLYMPIC VENUES(!!!). i wish i had a recording of the bus as the water cube and bird's nest came into view. no one had realized that we'd see them! word was that the olympic venues were listed in our itineraries but most swear that they never noticed. i suppose sleeping on the great wall overshadowed that detail.

everyone was so excited, and most certainly awake as we got off the bus and headed towards the olympic park. the water cube was first in sight, and we were all taking pictures like crazy. the entire area around the arena was new; from the roads, to the apartments, to the 6-star hotel. we made our way around the water cube and the bird's nest came into view. it was so much fun! we were all running around like 5 year olds, reliving the weeks in august when everyone was glued to their televisions. i was positively giddy!

soon, a photo shoot began. jumping pictures, several group photos, solo pictures and some of the scenery. we had so much fun, and provided entertainment for locals, as well. we could see them taking photos of us, it was a strange phenomenon.

even more peculiar were the groups of women or other tourists that would come up and ask to have their pictures taken with us. who knows what they will do with photos of american college students, put them in their scrapbooks?

it was remarked that the olympic venues created much more excitement than the more historical venues of tienanmen square or the forbidden city. in thinking about that, i rationalized that while the historical sights were impressive and rich in history, the olympic venues resonated more due to the fact that we had experienced the 2008 olympics. back in august, as i watched the olympic coverage, i never thought i'd be standing in front of those buildings. i suppose that modern china is also a reflection of the current mindset of the country, one that is desperately trying to modernize, to build and to gain status in the international community.

reluctantly, we followed vincent back to the bus. a few more paparazzi moments as we walked through the parking lot and we were heading to the ming tombs. as is now tradition, everyone fell asleep instantly.

the ming tombs were the final resting place of 13 emperors, all buried around this area, 50km north of beijing. the tomb we visited was the only excavated tomb, named Ding Ling. the emperor buried there was wanli and he lived in fear of his people. as a result, the entire complex is buried underground and was not discovered until 1956. we wandered through the pathways and worked our way up the hillside. eventually we made it to the entrance of the tombs; a rather plain set of stairs, descending into the tomb. we worked our way down the stairs, descending deep into the ground. once inside, the tomb was simple. red caskets (replicas) of the emperor and his empresses where the main event. there were rmb's everywhere that people offer to the emperor as good luck.

we did not spend much time in the tomb, there was not much to see. as usual, vincent did his best to keep our merry band of troublemakers together and attempted to provide us with a brief history of the tombs and the dynasties of china. the best part of the tombs was the view from the hilltop as we exited the tomb. after climbing lots of stairs back up to the surface, the panoramic views made the trudging worth it.

a few more trips to the happy house and we were again on our way, all hungry for lunch. vincent promised a delicious lunch after one more stop.

the next stop was really neat. the spirit way/sacred way, a 7km path leading up to the tombs, was lined with concrete animals and guards. we began closest to the tombs and worked backwards, from the guards to the animals. it was great fun and the statues were gigantic! guards, camels, elephants, lions, and horses. there was a plaque next to one of the elephants with a photo of mao in front of the same elephant. vincent re-enacted the photo for us, using his yellow flag as mao's cane. it was precious. we had a great time posing with the statues and attempting to sit on the back of the camel. it was much harder than it looked! they were slippery! the weather was warming up and it was a lovely stroll back to the bus. i was nearly the last to get back to the bus; i walk slowly and stop to take too many pictures!

and off to lunch we went! a fancy restaurant, we repeated the system we'd created during our first meal together: becca pointed to photos of food and vincent did the talking. we had an incredible and lingering lunch in our own private room. the dishes were much more upscale at this restaurant, but we enjoyed ourselves just as much as we had in the hutong the day before. a final trip to the happy house before our 2 hour drive to the great wall and we were on the road again.

as usual, everyone fell asleep quickly, relishing the opportunity to nap.

a quiet and restful 2 hours passed in the blink of an eye and i woke up to the setting sun shining in my eyes. we had reached our destination: the great wall. bundling up against the chill, we grabbed our cameras and hiked up to watch the sun set over the vast hills.

a brief stop at the happy house, i decided to wait upon seeing the facilities.., and we took on the wall. after ascending the hill, multiple staircases and uneven steps, i made it to the wall. 

and yet another photo shoot began. solo shots, group pictures, and thank you signs were occurring all over the wall. it was chilly but we were all warm from having climbed. i took some incredible photographs and i am itching to get them printed and blown up. the sunset was perfect; better than anything i could imagine! we lingered on the wall for about an hour, thoroughly chilling ourselves and not wanting to leave. reluctantly, we made our way back down to the bus and had dinner.

in a restaurant of sorts, with a disco-ball and fake flowers on the ceiling, we huddled to stay warm and enjoyed a more informal meal. another small group of semester at sea girls were in the restaurant with us, though they were not very friendly. a few more chinese favorites: cornmeal pancakes, green beans in soy sauce, as well as a new dish made of scrambled eggs and tomatoes. no idea what it was or what it was called but it was sweet and so yummy with rice. it would have been delicious for breakfast!

after dinner we had to change and pack our bags for the overnight on the wall. layers were the key; 2 pair socks, leggings, gym pants, baggy sweatpants, tank-top, t-shirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt, jacket, panda hat, gloves. it was like a makeshift snowsuit! in our backpacks were the items we'd need the next day: cameras, sunglasses, and extra batteries. i also brought my wall-e fleece blanket, even though i knew i'd be carrying it the next day.

all bundled up like school-kids going to play in the snow, we disembarked from our cozy and warm purple bus and hiked to "our" tower. in the opposite direction of our sunset spot, nearly the entire hike was stairs. twisting and turning, little steps and big steps; lots of stairs. panting and overheating, we eventually got to the tower where our sleeping bags and mats were located. we then trudged to the next tower and began to set up camp. our tower, which had no ceiling, was simple and provided no shelter from the elements; though i suppose the walls broke the wind.

i took a few long-exposure pictures of the town but most of the evening will just be mental pictures. good friends, silly jokes and an overall sense that we were the luckiest kids on the planet.

opting for a slumber-party set-up, we arranged ourselves in a circle with our heads facing the center. then began the task of getting into the sleeping bags and arranging ourselves. we were offered 2 sleeping bags and i opted to stuff one inside the other, making a thicker wall. at the advice of mckendree, who has far more camp experience than i do, i removed my jacket and big sweatpants, so as not to sweat in my cocoon. i used them for my pillow. i decided to sleep with my cameras in my sleeping bag with me, hoping that my body heat would prevent them from cold-damage. expensive cameras are not made for 25-30 (f) degree weather!

as everyone settled into their respective sleeping bags, we got a "delivery" of juice boxes and beer. exhausted and ready for bed, most opted for the apple juice boxes. more photographs were taken and we attempted to tell stories and entertain ourselves. it was not long before the chatter lulled and everyone fell asleep. on the great wall of china, looking up at the brilliant stars. i wish i could have taken a photo but a mental photo will have to do.

i slept as best i could, shivering beneath my double sleeping bags and wall-e blanket. only my face stuck out and it was freezing! i tend to get claustrophobic, so being tightly zipped into a mummy-style sleeping back only increased my discomfort. overall, though, i could not complain. i was warm enough and was tired enough to sleep; even if it was only 930p!

as we drifted into sleep vincent promised to wake us up around 6 so that we could pack up camp, eat breakfast and head out on our 6 mile hike .

"when i grow up"

17 april 2009

1951 (7:51p)

 

this is the spoken word peice that i heard last night during the "explorer's got talent" show. it's by sekou the misfit & entitled, "when i grow up." there is a youtube video for those who are interested, check it out :)

 

---

 

Ask me now. 

Ask me now, mommy. 

Am I too late? 

Ask me now, what I wanna do. 

Ask me now, what I wanna do when I grow up. 

Am I too late? 

Cuz I think I finally figured it out. 

I don’t wanna do for a living. 

I wanna be for a living.

 I wanna be life.  I wanna make things grow and move and breathe and reproduce and respond, I wanna make things respond and react and rejoice and relax and relate and release and receive and reform as soon as I recite. 

When I grow up, I don’t wanna be like those other kids, mommy, that wanna be ballers and doctors and astronauts, I wanna be passion and heat and energy when I grow up. 

I don’t wanna be the fireman, mommy, I wanna be, the fire. 

I wanna be the explosion behind the soul’s big bang theory that leaves in its place desire. 

I wanna be that burning within that gives life to the word aspire. 

Let me, warm the cold souls of the despairing and heartless, let me, light the paths of those wandering in darkness, let me, fill the most primitive with wonder, and provide children with their first definition of “HOT”, and when the artists of the world have become so infatuated with ice that the whole world freezes over, let me be the poet that melts the icecaps, drowns the planets, and starts things over again two mc’s at a time like noah. 

When I grow up, I don’t wanna be the astronaut mommy, I wanna be the space that he explores. 

I don’t wanna be the doctor, mommy, I wanna be the cure. 

 I wanna be the prescription for a better life, the way through which the sick and the shut-in can find hope, health, happiness, and healing; I wanna be the pill of which they take two, and the call that is placed the next morning, I wanna be the white blood cells that strengthen the immune system, the clot that stops the bleeding, the antidote that counters the poison, I wanna speak antibiotic poetry that defeats your life’s viruses but ONLY if you take my words in three times a day until the entire bottle is gone. 

I wanna be the shot that you are scared to receive but makes you feel so much better when I am inside you, I wanna be the therapy that you hate going to but you know you cannot be better without. 

I wanna be the perspective of the world through the eyes of a child, an autistic child who is diagnosed with a sickness when in fact she merely sees the world with a clarity that the rest of us can only dream of having. 

When I grow up, I don’t wanna be the preacher, mommy, I wanna be the word. 

I don’t wanna be an artist, mommy, I wanna be the art.  not the painter, let me be the canvas. 

Not the choreographer, let me be the dances, not the poet, let me be the stanzas, I don’t wanna be the singer mommy, I want to, be the sound!

The song you sing the way you sing it when you think ain’t nobody else around.

When I grow up I don’t wanna be the lawyer mommy, I wanna be the justice. 

I don’t wanna the philosopher daddy, I wanna be the philosophy that the brilliant minds try to follow or the brilliance in that mind, or rather let me be the elusive concepts that they cant quite figure out like hope, purpose, faith, and time, I wanna be, time! 

So that the world will go to sleep every day feeling like they never have enough of me, and will panic when they feel me slipping away and so that when I am up, people will stress out, when they feel that they are running out of me, let me be time so that I will never again feel this depression I feel now for being abandoned by it, let me be time so that I will never miss myself, so that I will never be before myself, never be, out of myself, never be too late never be too early so that for once in this life of unfulfilled dreams that have left my cheeks streaked with saltwater erosion and my mouth perpetually coated with the bitter aftertaste of disappointment, for once I can be right on me. 

When I grow up, I wanna be the antithesis of without,

the contradiction of silence,

the inverse of absence,

the reverse of regression,

the paradox to mortality,

the antilogy to emptiness the illumination of shadows,

the antonym of void,

the opposite of darkness,

I wanna be the opposite of darkness,

let me be the opposite of darkness,

so that when the greatest poet in existence recites the first line of the greatest poem ever written,

let there be light,

I can begin.

explorer's got talent & a visit from captain jeremy

16 & 17 april 2009
(written 17 april 2009, posted 1745)

i haven't forgotten about everyone! it's been a busy few days. of course, that's all relative. but i'll catch you all up!

for starters, we are currently 7 hours BEHIND the east coast, and we will lose another hour tonight. as exciting as it is to work our way back to "home time", it means that we are getting closer and closer to the end of the voyage. i think everyone, myself included, are struggling to understand just what going home will mean. i am thrilled at the idea of seeing dear family and friends, but i will be leaving the dear friends i made on this fantastic voyage. it will be bittersweet, but more on that later.

i don't believe that i discussed my trip to the bridge; where they drive the ship. dad will surely kill me for that statement, as i am incorrect in my terminology. but with a steering wheel and lots of buttons, it's sort of like driving! there were about 15 of us on the tour, everyone eager to check out the view. we entered and were given a speech by the 1st officer, or maybe he was the 2nd. either way, this man knew the ship like the back of his hand. there were lots of buttons and lights, i felt like i was in the movie elf, when buddy presses all the buttons on the elevator because they light up: i wanted to push them all! facts about the ship included that we have 4 engines, how the stabilizing systems work, the global positioning screens and that the ship is on auto-pilot nearly 95% of the time. no blow-up otto from airplane, but a staff that keeps a lookout and a few who monitor the screens, day in and day out. we are the fastest ship of our kind, with the ability to travel up to 29 knots/hour with all four engines running.

the first few days back at sea, after japan, we experienced a storm that led to considerable rocking. the crew asked us how we felt about the storm, and many were surprised; asking "what storm?" i suppose a combination of sleeping in, studying for global studies and focusing on school kept people in their cabins and unaware of the weather. apparently it was pretty rough. a few photos in the captains chair and a peek through the lookout's binoculars and our tour was complete. it was fun to be in the bridge and to hear about the inner-workings of the ship. i'm not sure if there is a galley(kitchen) tour, but i'd love to check that out!

our dreaded global studies exam grades were posted in timitz square, and the grades were much better than the first exam. when discussing grades in class, professor schoenherr said that the faculty was pleased with the results. the majority received b's, the highest grade being a 95. i got an 82, which i was very pleased about; i was just 3 points from an A (according to the scale). i suppose i can't complain, i still did well! our next test will be our cumulative final, on april 25th.

classes are winding down and papers are all due by the last days of class, the 23rd and 24th. hard to believe the semester is almost over! only 22 class meetings per class, that's less than half of a semester at unh.

last night was "explorer's got talent," a more formal version of the open mic nights. there were auditions because too many people wanted to perform! the evening opened with a spectacular song by the "sober sailor singers." sober sailor is a term coined by luke, our academic dean, at the beginning of the voyage, essentially asking students to be responsible with each other and to designate someone to be sober each night. his rationale was that we were not to be driving, so designated driver was not appropriate. hence sober sailor.

the sober sailor singers, faculty, staff and lifelong learners, created a semester at sea version of the gilligan's island theme. sporting blue and white, and homemade sailor caps, the song was fantastic. dedicated to christopher, the 4 year old who sailed with us through thailand and often sang at open mic; the singers promised that they would put a video up on youtube for him to see from home.

there were countless performances and the show neared 3 hours. the emcee was a crowd favorite, jonathan, who provided his stand-up as well as introductions.

he joked about facebook: how we won't be able to find anyone because no one knows each other's names. he suggested a sas-book, with features like "what sea were you in," and "what was your room number." his jokes were perfect and his final set was about how he'll miss the ship. especially the noon announcements and the searching of his bags every time he wants to get into the house. i suppose that the jokes don't translate into the blog world, but i have a video that will do the routine justice.

the ship's acapella group sang natasha bedingfeild's "unwritten" and did an amazing job, i am always in awe of such talent! my ship-brother harry performed the al yankovich "white and nerdy," a follow-up to his karaoke performance of "amish paradise." a kid named ben did an acoustic set of popular rap songs, it was so much fun, everyone was singing along. there were a few dance numbers (including a hula dance) and original compositions. from opera to the chinese yo-yo(absolutely INCREDIBLE, wait for the video), there was a little taste of everything.

rounding out the evening was a follow-up to the song, "no land," reworked to ask, how we're supposed to live on land after the voyage. i look forward to getting the lyrics!

i have never been exposed to the art of spoken word before this voyage, and last night there was a great speech by grace and david. the piece, be the light, was awe inspiring. grace has created her own major in the art of public speaking and she is incredible. she certainly is going to do big things; she is quite possibly the sweetest girl on the ship. the performance was awe-inspiring, and received a standing ovation. i look forward to finding the text, something i cannot do through wikipedia.

there was also an original song, by a girl from connecticut, that closed the evening, nearly bringing the audience to tears.

it was a great evening, offering a true sense of the talent and diversity on the ship. i'm sure that some people will be famous one day; and i'll be able to say "i knew them when.."

today (17 april), classes as usual. except for a special treat in my first class, "english as a global language." the captain of the ship, jeremy, came and lectured! in his whites, jeremy spoke about the use of english in maritime communications and the need for a common language. he is a truly funny man, and we were so lucky to have him in class! professor thomas was so tickled that the captain came, he was still talking about it in our second class of the day.

i am now doing my best to study and prepare my papers due before the end of the semester. my game-plan is to finish as much work as i can prior to hawaii, so as to focus on exams and finals before guatemala. the end will be here before we know it! only 5 more days of class!

tonight is our cultural pre-port for hawaii. luke, the voice on the intercom, promises that it will be a cultural pre-port like none other, put together by the students. should be interesting! i'm curious, will we have a logistical pre-port? all the things to look out for when in hawaii? we joke we want a pre-port for fort lauderdale, to hear what foreign tourists hear when they visit the united states.

china, day three

i'm slowly completing missing blogs -- here is day three of china!

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day three - beijing city tour
31 march 2009

as promised, our wake up call came promptly at 730, rousing me out of a deep sleep. bundled up in nearly all of my layers, shannon and i headed to breakfast, which was provided by the hotel.

chinese breakfasts are traditionally dumplings and rice, which is not quite my style. luckily there was oatmeal and fruit, along with some strong coffee. after assembling our group, amongst the other 150 sas kids milling about, we eventually made it out of the hotel, onto our purple bus and through the congested morning streets.

some students needed to use an atm so that they could pay for thier trips, so the bus pulled off to the side of a busy street. in waiting for the other kids to return, those of us left on the bus fell asleep. typical.

soon we were on our way to see the sights of beijing: tienanmen square, the forbidden city, the hutongs and the summer palace.

tienanmen square was a large open area with large governmental buildings on all four sides. clearly a tourist spot, there were large groups of chinese people following their guides, all wearing matching hats or jackets. guides were distinguished by the flags they carried, vincent's was yellow. we coined ourselves 'team vincent,' much to his dismay. i'm sure he got a kick out of us, but the flag was so helpful! that and his bright purple jacket and spiky hair.

out in the square, we were quite chilly and the street vendors took advantage of our lack of preparation. i was bundled up quite warmly, though i lacked a hat. many of the kids in our group purchased 'fargo' hats with red stars on them and they looked positively ridiculous. communist hats are not quite my style so i opted for the best option i could find: a panda hat.

positively ridiculous and most certainly the best 3 usd i've ever spent, my panda hat is absurd. it looks as if a panda is eating my head. but its warm! and i can't wait to wear it sledding. i'm not sure if i'll sport it on my way to class, but i have my halloween costume!

tienanmen square has a long history in beijing, not all negative, as many westerners believe. the people's republic of china was first announced by mao zedong in the square and festivals are often held in the area. protests are also common in the square, especially amongst students. vincent gave us a quick overview of the square but failed to mention the massacre that occurred in 1989. one of the girls inquired about the topic and we received little acknowledgment of the topic.

it was a widely discussed topic about how a google search of tienanmen square resulted in the photo of tanks and dead students in the states while the same search in china lead only to photos of the square itself. not wanting to push the topic, out of common sense and the advice of semester at sea, we dropped the subject. it would have been unwise to begin such a discussion, though i would have loved to hear what vincent thought of the true incident those days.

after clicking away at photos of the square, and of the people, we obediently followed vincent's yellow flag over to the far side of the square, to the gate of the forbidden city. mao's photo was everywhere, and there were scores of people lining up for pictures with his likeness. apparently mao's casket is also in tienanmen square, where his body is on display, in a crystal case. there was quite the line of people waiting to pay their respects.

our band of merry communist and panda hat wearing kids headed through the underground tunnel, a common phenomenon to avoid crossing the congested streets, and we entered the forbidden city.

there were so many large buildings, open spaces, other tourists and semester at sea kids throughout the forbidden city. we passed through several gates, which we had to cross over with our right foot first. we spent a good part of our morning wandering through the forbidden city, which seems to never end. we were always going through the large gates, which opened up to yet another square. vincent did his best to keep us moving; he kept promising us that a starbucks would be at the other side. throughout the forbidden city were groups of school children dressed in warm-up outfits. similar to the ones we wore when we were little, i think we called them swishy suits or something. it was a mutual exclamation that team vincent needed matching warm-ups!

as we were making our way to the final section of the city; it began to flurry! the snow made everyone excited, though i'm sure the locals thought we were crazy!

one of our last stops was a cabinet with the chinese symbols of happiness on them. supposedly, two of the symbols next to each other mean extra happiness; it is even used in weddings. so after touching the double happiness symbols, we exited the city and came upon the love tree. the tree is supposed to be lucky for couples and has been re-made over the years, which is a phenonmenon in china. sometimes, when things look historical, they may be replicas of the original. a few more photos and we walked back in the direction of our hotel.

lunch was in a traditional hutong. hutongs are the neighborhoods, found throughout the country. they are known for their narrow alleys and common bathrooms; a favorite place to live for those seeking community. vincent told us that he will not live in a hutong at this age, because if he has a girl over, everyone would know about it by morning. his parents, on the other hand, live in a hutong because they enjoy living so close to their friends and being able to gossip.

we ate lunch in a family's home, and had my new favorite chinese dish: garlic shoots with chicken. i know mom will want to try them! similar in style to the chicken and broccoli at home, the garlic shoots were so tasty! ah, i wish i could have some now! after receiving little key chains and good luck knots, we went on a rickshaw tour of the hutong.

teresa and i sat together, bundled in all of our layers and covered in a blanket. the bicycle rickshaws traveled in a pack, speeding through the winding neighborhood. it was a wonderful way to see the area and to take some photos. we passed locals who waved and smiled warmly, even on such a cold day.

following lunch, with vincent again (falsely) promising starbucks, we ventured to the summer palace. boy would it be great to have a summer palace! settled next to a large lake, the whole area was picturesque. i wanted to ride around in the paddle boats, but vincent said they don't allow it on such chilly days. a few group photos, trips to the happy house and general nonsense, we walked through the whole outside, admiring the kites as we walked by.

desperate for some heat and shopping, vincent had our bus driver take us to the pearl market, a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. the bus then left and we were to find our way back to the hotel on our own. luckily, we were all given cards with the hotels name, in chinese, as well as a map as to the location.

once we were set free into the market, things became hectic. stalls every, filled with knock-off bags, shoes, jeans, jackets, electronics and jewelry. as with many markets, the salespeople were vicious. calling out, "miss, miss, come look! you need ___?"

the experience was overwhelming but having gone in with a mission: converse sneakers and a duffel bag, it was easier to navigate.

prices were absolutely negotiable, and i must say that i am not good at it! i just don't like to fight over a matter of 2 dollars! teresa and i quickly picked up converses for about $12 usd, a great price for fake sneakers that would generally cost about $45 usd. the other girls went off in search of jeans and i did not let myself. tempting as it is to get knock-off seven/citizens for humanity jeans for $15 usd, i have too many pairs as it is! and i pay $12.50 at forever 21 for the same style, so i wouldn't be doing better to get jeans in china.

i wandered over to the bag area, and i knew i'd be in trouble. so many to choose from! the trouble with the vendors is that if you look or touch anything, you will likely end up buying it. the prices are not listed, as the vendors throw out ridiculous prices only after you've looked at or tried on the item. from there, if you decided to pass on the jacket or bag, the vendors would not leave you alone. becca, one of the girls on the trip, was chased nearly all around the market after deciding against a purse. they are so infuriating, many students said they just bought the item to get the salespeople to leave them alone. i try to have patience, knowing that this is how they make a living, but i do not tolerate people grabbing my arms and trying to drag me into their stall or trying to sell me more shoes/bags/etc after making my purchase. if i'd wanted a bag and a wallet, i'd have picked both out together!

despite the frustration and anxiety of shopping, i did manage to get a deal on a duffle and small bag. i will need the bag to carry things home!

a little while later, i reunited with my core crew-- mckendree, teresa, kelsey and mandi. we left the mall area and attempted to get a cab back to the hotel. being that there were 5 of us, it was going to be a challenge to fit in one taxi or to find two and split the group. insisting on the meter, taxi after taxi claimed that it would be cheaper to just pay 70 rmb ($10 usd) for the five minute drive. vincent had told us that the taxi should be no more than 25 rmb, so we knew that 70 was too much. claims that it was rush hour, that a meter would end up costing more, etc. were frustrating and we attempted to find our location on our chinese map, to see if walking was an option.

luckily, vincent found us! he had been moseying around outside the mall, playing with magic tricks. he was so cute! he helped us to catch the local bus back to the forbidden city, from which we could walk back to the hotel. he was incredibly helpful, even offering us the 1rmb that it cost to ride the bus. when our bus arrived, he informed the attendant where we needed to get off and asked her to please let us know when we were at our stop. the bus filled and we made our way towards the hotel. a bunch of 5 american girls on the local bus; i'm sure they didn't know what to make of us, especially with the communist hats mandi and mckendree were sporting.

we made it to our stop and trudged back to the hotel, resolving to find pizza for dinner. a slight mix-up with our room keys, which had been de-activated, and we were all soon able to change and head back out.

shannon happened to return around the same time and our group of six traipsed down the street, hoping to find pizza. the hotel desk had no idea what we were asking for, so we simply headed in the direction of the restaurants we'd seen the night before. luckily, we didn't go too far. at the end of the street was a little cafe, with a coffee bar, american menu and.. free internet! exactly what we needed!

a few pizzas, french fries and email checks made everyone so happy! the simple things: the taste of home and unrestricted email/facebook.

my most favorite part of the evening were the cats! and the kitten! a total of four, they all made me miss jack at home! i inquired whether they had rabies and was assured they were health. as the evening wrapped up, i put the kitten in my bag and wanted to take him home so badly! i didn't bring him back with me, but i was able to get a few pictures.

after our long day, everyone was ready to head back to the hotel. we had to check out in the morning, so i knew i needed to get myself organized for the great wall! we watched zorro on the television and i tried to call home, getting the answering machine. with my alarms set, i was soon fast asleep.

the past is a ghost, the future a dream;

all we ever have is now.
-bill cosby 

15 april 2009
2142 (9:42p)

another day on the pacific ocean has come and gone.

classes as usual; english as a global language, global studies and languages of the world. the lecture in global studies consisted of a world update: north korea & their nuclear weapons program, the rescue of the maersk alabama captain, an update on the political unrest in thailand and phil spector's guilty verdict. being the news-obsessed girl that i am, i had heard of all these stories via cnn.com and nytimes.com. the remainder of the class period was a lecture by a lifelong learner, alex kyserlink. he has worked in the financial business for over 30 years and discussed the world bank. the presentation was very interesting and he offered advice to those of us concerned with the slumping economy.

following classes, lunch and a movie (sex & the city) with mckendree. i'm going to miss lazy days at sea!

with the semester winding down, its time to start thinking about the end of the semester. we will have an ambassador's ball; essentially prom on the ship. dates are not required, but dressing up is. all the girls on the ship are getting excited, i know i like any chance to put on party clothes! in order to sign up for tables,  we had to wait in a big, long and slow-moving line. i'm signed up for the 1730 sitting along with the usual suspects: kelsey, ren, mckendree, caitlin & teresa. it should be a great time.. now we have to pick out something to wear!

i am now in bed, in preparation for losing another hour of sleep. there are two good movies on tonight: high school musical and south pacific. it's hard to choose! we are close to midway, so i think i'll watch south pacific. i can watch hsm anytime at home :)

tomorrow is classes, as usual. the sun is shining and its beginning to get warm out. the plan is to get some long-awaited rays tomorrow after global studies. i can't wait - we haven't had warm weather since vietnam, a whole three weeks!