experience is the teacher of all things - julius caesar

14 april 2009
1425 (2:25p)

today is a no class day on the seas, and i'm sure that many people hoped to use the opportunity to sleep in after a whirlwind four days of classes, papers and the global studies exam. sleeping in was not an option for those who wanted a spot in the voyage photo, which was taken at 0800 this morning.

i had trouble falling asleep last night and stayed up far too late watching a movie. all the naps/time changes have interfered with my natural clock. (that, and our closed porthole). today i am not going to let myself nap and hopefully i can start to get myself back onto a normal schedule.

last night was the students of service auction. students, faculty, staff and life-long learners all donated items that ranged from silly to extravagant. from an "i climbed the great wall t-shirt" to a weekend for up to 8 on an island off seattle, there were cool and clever prizes. there was a silent auction, a raffle and a live auction. i did not participate in any of the auctions but plan to donate to the cause through a donation. all of the money raised goes towards scholarships, donations to sas-visited charities and for equipment on the ship. the live auction was the most fun, and it was a great show. blowing the horn in fort lauderdale, raising the flag in fort lauderdale, piano lessons, a seat at the captains table, a bedtime story from the conduct officer, private viewings of the office or lost, dinner & a broadway show in nyc, a weekend in springfield, IL and a signed map of our voyage were just some of the big-ticket items. some of those went for over $400! four boxes of girl scout cookies went for $50!

we also took photos today by university, where unh had a respectable showing of 6/10. i couldn't find my unh communication sciences & disorders shirt, so a stoke hall shirt had to do. we were looking into the sun, so i hope my eyes aren't closed! the photographer only took one photo, so lets hope its a decent one.

i am very excited because we are going on a bridge tour today! at 1500 (3p), rennika, kelsey, mckendree and i will be checking out where the captain drives the ship! i'm bringing my camera, so i'll be able to show everyone! :) it will be neat to see the ocean from his perspective, because, as passengers, we don't have very good views from the fore of the ship.

as rebecca mentioned, via email, there are only 552 hours left on the voyage! how did it get so late so soon? where has the time gone? i'm excited to get home but it will be challenging to leave this trip. such a whirlwind adventure, i'm going to have to begin planning my next one soon! grad school? should be an adventure..

off to change before my bridge tour! sweet dreams, east coast! xo