and so begins the week at sea.....

last night i met my extended family for the first time and i had a great time. students sign up to have a surrogate family on the ship and i was placed with the family of our dean of students. gary, kathy, maddy &harry are so sweet and come from oregon. the kids are in 8th and 5th grade and are adjusting to rooming together - i guess people back home had been placing bets on how long they'd last. the whole family is very sweet and i'm looking forward to more dinners. there are 3 other sas girls in my family so it was nice to meet even more people. funny how i don't even recall seeing them on the ship before, i guess the ship isnt as small as it tends to feel. gary said he'd look into our porthole situation and that he was interested in changing the music on the tv.

the music on the position report has been all early 90's pop -- so many backstreet boys songs! (currently 'larger than life') i like to have the tv on for some background noise while working on homework and things but we could use a little variety. the same could be said for the movies they have been playing -- islam documentaries on 2-3 of the channels for the past week. i can only watch them so many times! i wish they would have at least one channel with fun movies on, like comedies, so that we could all get together and watch.

on a lighter note, my porthole is now open! yay! i have missed the ambient light! i also did a bunch of laundry in the sink so that i can fit all my pants and sweats into my laundry bag. i washed all my tank tops, socks and undies, which will save a bunch of space. i'm looking forward to clean jeans!

we have officially entered the tropics today by crossing the 30th parallel. sad to say its not quite warm enough for bathing suits but its nice to get some sunshine. i was up on the 7th deck reading and it was so relaxing. as the days go by its getting warmer and everyone is getting restless-- we want to be outside! i'm going to give homework a shot, i have a 100 question quiz in nutrition tomorrow! yikes! its easy to forget that this counts as school.

neptune day is fast approaching, i think it is monday. if thats the case, however, we'll need to slow down! we are currently traveling at 23-25 knots, which is the fastest we've done so far. the seas are calmer than before and i believe it is because we are hugging the coast line and were in the lee of the canary islands last night. i wish i'd had my camera, there was such a cool sunset through the clouds over the canaries. i'll just have to remember the mental picture or scope out the picture files on the public folder. neptune day is a silly day where we get covered in oatmeal - 'fish guts' - and have to kiss the sea-captain's ring or something. i'm not sure but it will be fun! this is also the day when people shave their heads. i only know of a few girls who are shaving their heads so i doubt we will break the previous voyage's record. i would love to shave my head but i would only like it for a day and then i'd miss my hair. at least i'd save on shampoo &conditioner, right? faster showers? save water?  ... please don't worry, i'm not planning on taking part... i don't think.

i have heard that we are not going straight to namibia, but that we are stopping in dakar. i used wikipedia to read up on dakar and i think that we may be refueling there, probably tomorrow but i'm not sure. dakar is the capital of senegal and is the western-most city in all of africa. due to its location it is a common stopping point for trans-atlantic travel and trade. the most famous person from dakar, to my generation anyways, is the singer akon.

i recieved confirmation about my safari in namibia and i'm so excited! i am really going on a safari! we are going to be picked up on walvis bay by the tour company to begin our 4 hour trek to etosha national park. we'll be camping (ah! yes, real camping) and going on game drives. i requested to ride with cassie and andrea so that i'm not all alone on my bus! there are 126 kids going so it is sure to be chaotic getting off the ship and away from port. because we are traveling far into namibia we have to take our malaria medications. i will start mine on the 12th and will take it through south africa, i believe. lets hope i have enough! i will also bring my deet, so hopefully i can avoid all the mosquitos!

i think this is all the updates i've got at the moment so i'm off to nap quickly before dinner -- naps have become a way of life! all everyone does is figure out when they can nap! even when we don't change time zones! i think the lack of sleep in ports may have something to do with that.


ps. andrew --- i just want you to know that a girl in class this morning had a snuggie. that blanket with sleeves! so funny. i thought of you instantly!