UPDATE…we are OFFICIALLY sailing the seas of the Mediterranean!! (I’m a little behind… we have been now for about 2 days) They have been extremely calm thus far, (which is good, because = no rocking), and the weather has been HOT! We were still in the Atlantic when we were docked in Cadiz. We did not pass through the Straight of Gibraltar, which connects the two bodies of water, until the morning after Spain. While there, we also stopped for about six hours to re-fuel for the first time since we departed Halifax. Where we were while that occurred, we had AMAZING views! Our ship rested right in between Spain and Morocco! I had no idea the countries were that close together that one could see the other from the other! So, here we were, eating lunch with a view of Morocco on one side and Spain on the other. And we were close to both countries! They each had little coastal towns built up on them, with mountain ranges in the background. The views, the many other ships refueling around us, and the beaming rays of the sun made for quite the gas station! My favorite one thus far!
Besides for refueling, this three-day stretch back on the ship after Spain has been a little difficult. For starters, no one wanted to leave Spain! And these three days have been quite long, as we are all impatient for the next port after we had a taste of what it was like! In addition, they were jam packed with papers, quizzes, and exams. But with two major exams and papers finally out of the way… I can enjoy my time stress-free, hang out with friends, and anticipate our arrival! Which is: TOMORROW MORNING! AHH!! So in about 15 hours we will be in ITALY!! I am so excited that I get to spend 5 days in this beautiful country! Our first port is Citeveccia, the gateway to Rome, followed by Naples.
Our plan is to disembark the ship as early as possible, probably around 9:30 a.m., and then get the first available train into Rome. I have my little travel guide and pocket phrase book with me, so we should be good to explore! Yesterday, nine of us booked a hostel for the first night in Rome. Well, we booked a four-person room. We are hoping that our hostel will be as nice as the one we had in Sevilla, Spain, and that we will be able to sneak the remaining five people in. It cuts our prices in half, and worst comes to worse, we figure we can just buy another room in the same hostel or somewhere near by. Heck, it’s an adventure! But yes, I don’t think I got a chance to describe our hostel in Sevilla. It is a small chain in Spain, and if they had it in Italy, we would definitely be staying there! We really didn’t have one complaint. We got a free welcome drink, free Internet, a free flamenco show, and maps, advise, etc. The staff was super friendly, and always willing to help. The best part by far though was the room! Kate, Rachael, Anthony and I had our own four-person room, with a kitchen, washer, and super nice bathroom! There was even a bidet. Besides for there being bunk beds, it resembled a hotel, but for only 20 euros. In addition, we had three windows…and these were no ordinary windows. They had green shudders that closed, locked, and went down to the floor. They were a little shorter than my height. When open, there was a little extension of the floor and a small black railing, so that we could stick most of our bodies and heads out of and watch the people in the streets! Our room was located on the third floor, and there were shops below us. I felt just like a local Spaniard, and loved the sun shining through the open shudders. I hope that description did the hostel justice and everyone reading can kind of imagine what I am talking about. Anyways, I hope that we luck out with a similar one in Rome…
After the first night in Rome, we plan on winging it. Maybe a train to Florence, then down to Naples to meet the boat? You have to love that type of traveling… it’s the best. And, of course, my diet will consist of Pizza, Pizza, Gelato, Pizza, Pizza… and maybe some pasta. CANNOT WAIT!!
And I also forgot to mention that a bird pooped on my while walking around Cadiz on the last day. And did I notice? Nope. Not until way later anyways, and it was all down the back of my white shirt and on my leg. Gross. But I guess it’s a sign of good luck… so I’ll take it!
Until next time,
xoxo
Erika
Capri, Italy
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
In the Mediterranean!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
1st Port: Cadiz, SPAIN!!
Quick Timeline:
Wed., June 24th: Cadiz, Spain (Exploring the city, night out)
Thur., June 25th: Seville, Spain (train to Seville, huge Castle of Spain, Flamenco show, night out clubbing)
Fri., June 26th: Seville, Spain (Seville Cathedral, Bull Ring tour, train back to Cadiz late, birthday dinner, TURN 21!!)
Sat., June 27th: Cadiz, Spain (Shopping, Beach)
The morning of June 24th… and we see LAND! Yes, LAND! We were all quite excited after having spent eight days crossing the Atlantic. To capture the moment, a bunch of us awoke around 6 am to get a good spot on the deck. It was breathtaking… a beautiful sunrise… land… and not just any land… SPAIN! Even though we were all exhausted from being so excited we couldn’t sleep, I am so grateful we were able to witness such a moment together. I took lots of pictures and videotaped a few minutes of our pulling into port! After docking around 7:30 a.m., we had to wait on the ship until it was cleared through customs. So after getting things organized and enjoying breakfast outside on the deck, we were able to disembark around 9:30.
So here we were…CADIZ!! I was set to explore…I had my camera and my money belt. It was crazy. I wanted to take pictures of everything! There were definitely lots of Kodak moments! Later in the day a bunch of us bought some postcards and then stopped in a small café to write them while sipping a glass of Sangria. It was my first glass in Spain… and it was delicious! It had apples and oranges in it, and was even sprinkled with cinnamon. I sent out a postcard on the first day to my family… and hope it arrives soon! I wish I could describe Spain… I’ll do my best but you have to see it!
Cadiz was a charming old European city, with narrow stone streets lined with a bunch of approx. three story high houses, shops, etc. The people here were extremely nice, and seemed to really enjoy the company of their family and friends. The top of the new cathedral can be seen, and is extremely picturesque. The beach looks like a beach out of the movie Mamma Mia!, with small fishing boats littering the shore waiting to be utilized. There were stray cats roaming the city, which I thought was a little odd. The gardens near the beach were fun. They were gorgeous with caves and waterfalls, flowers and trees.
After a night of partying and salsa dancing with my favorite people, we all had to be awake the next morning and be ready in Tymitz Square for 10 am to catch our 11:10 train to Seville. So after about four hours of sleep, I awoke (desperately wanting coffee) to try and pack my book bag for the trip. (I’m so glad I bought it, it was perfect!) Everything was going well until I realized that I couldn’t find my SAS ID card. We need that in order to get off the ship, which I had to do to catch the train! It was super frustrating because I had about 20 minutes to find it, and I knew it was in my room, because you need it to get back on the ship and to then open the room door. So Kate and I frantically tore apart my room looking for this card, which costs $25.00 to replace. Ugh I was soo upset I couldn’t find it. It was just horrible timing! And did I find it? NO. Racing against the clock, I had to finally give in and order a new ID card. I was probably overdramatic, but tears were streaming down my face as I signed the receipt charging 25.00 to my shipboard account. I just kept thinking of what else I needed that money for, and how I knew I would eventually find my other card! But… it had to be done. I was determined to not let it interfere my day, or the trip… and it didn’t! Seville was AMAZING, and I quickly forgot about the whole thing. And including that charge, I only spent about $200.00 on Spain, not to bad I think, considering travel expenses (hostel, train, food), and the current exchange rate between the Euro and the dollar.
But yea… SEVILLE. My definition = AMAZING. I wish words did it justice! Ugh I get so frustrated with my writing sometimes because I just want everyone reading this to have the opportunity to know exactly what I am talking about, but I fear my words and descriptions do NOTHING for how it really is! I want to somehow capture the city and relay to my family and friends in someway, but I don’t know if that is possible! I of course will try my best…
In Seville, we stayed at a hostel called Oasis. It took us a few hours to find, but it was incredible. We totally lucked out, and Anthony and I got randomly placed in Kate and Rachael’s room. It was just the four of us.
I got to see a Flamenco show! I was sooo happy! The seven of us went with a group from our hostel (Oasis organized it)… and we went first for tapas, followed by free flamenco at this cute, very local bar. I ordered an almond chicken tapa… it was okay. The tapa and flamenco tour was the start of 21st birthday celebration. We all started with a free drink supplied by Oasis, a yummy peach liquor and vodka shot, followed by vino blanco at dinner and some sangria at flamenco. At the show, Becca and Kate also bought me this awesome shot (so tasty!), which was covered with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I took it like a champ. After flamenco, we took some great group shots of us standing in front of the Seville Cathedral on our walk back to the hostel… where the birthday festivities continued. We partied and played some cards in the room until it was time to go out! We went to a dance club named Club Catedral to celebrate my 21st birthday! We ventured out around 3 a.m…. I am proud of myself !(All in all I probably got about 15 hours of sleep in Spain) It was happening! I danced with a Spanish boy, jammed to American tunes, and lounged around on gigantic white plush couches or beds. It was exciting to say I turned 21 in Spain…but the legal age is 18 here, soooo it wasn’t as major an impact. AND I do miss my family and friends from home and it would have been nice to turn of age in the states surrounded by them as well! The second day in Seville we went inside and climbed the bell tower (34 floors!) of the Caterdral de Seville. It was MASSIVE. It is the world’s third largest church (#1 Gothic Church) … and Christopher Columbus’s remains rest in this cathedral. The views from the top of the bell tower were welllll worth the hike to the top! From that view where we spotted a bull ring… another destination of ours. We paid four euros and took a tour of the Bull Fighting ring. It was an extremely cultural experience. I learned so much and was able to get a great glimpse of a large aspect of their history and life. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and we were able to take great pictures here as well! The actual shows take place on the weekends (Sunday night was there next show)… so there was no way we could see it. It would have been quite the experience though!
Spanish FOOD… um…. not really my thing. I tried, I really did. I spent two euros on this potato and egg tortilla thing while we were all sitting by the water of this beautiful picturesque river. I like eggs, and I like potatoes, so I thought what the heck! Well… it was gross, and had about two bites. But I tasted it! I tried some Chocolate con Churro’s for breakfast on Friday. They were good, but excessively greasy, and the chocolate could have been a little thicker. And they are huge on what are called Tapas, which are like tiny meals or appetizers that are available all over the place (even Burger King) when it isn’t their meal times, especially Siesta (lunch time).
Not liking Spanish food, I was walking around pretty hungry one day after I couldn’t find anything I liked for lunch. I was starving… and then I saw it… a STARBUCKS. My eyes lit up with excitement and I was in the door. The barrista was super nice, and her name was Erika too. I got my caramel light frapaccino, and I swear I gulped that thing down faster than fast. It was delicious. And, within the timeframe that I finished it, we passed another three Starbucks attempting to find our hostel. They were seriously all over the place, like every few blocks such as in NYC. I also saw Hagain Daiz, McDonalds & Burger King. (I got a BBQ chicken burger at McDonald’s for 1 euro… so good!) And they had a Magnum mcflurry I really wanted to try because Magnam bars were in Australia and Suzannah loved them, but maybe next time. Yup… I’m that girl, who goes abroad and hits up the American chains.
But, on the topic of Spanish food…Nino’s Ristorante was my absolute favorite restaurant in Spain! We went there twice, and it is where we all ate for my birthday dinner. And I was really surprised when the waiters brought me a lemon & almond (I think) type cake for my birthday. They all sang Happy Birthday to me in Spanish… (I hope it was that! I don’t know Spanish!) The candle that came with the dessert was HUGE, and it was scrumptious! And did I stop there? No! We got some more ice cream (in Spanish - helado)! I ate SO much ice cream in Spain I can’t imagine what Italy is going to be like!
The whole time thing in Spain is absolutely ridiculous!! I don’t know when the sleep! Clubs do not even open until 2 a.m. at the earliest…and most open at like 3, staying open until 5, 6 or 7 am! Even their meal times are screwy…breakfast is usually eaten between 7:30 and ten, followed by a big lunch during the hours of 2-4, with dinner between 9-11 at night. I know that when I was waiting around for that dinner… I was definitely hungry. And I think maybe we screwed ourselves over waking up for the sunrise the day we docked because we were in for a LONG day…22 hours of hard-core walking, dancing, and just having fun…followed by 4-5 hours of sleep and repeated! And when we would walk the streets between 12 and 1 going to bars, little kids would be in the streets playing with their parents! I would be passed out in bed if I were that age by like 8! I wonder what the hours of their school days are…
It is also kind of weird being surrounded by people who speak a different language. Not many locals I ran into spoke English, so it was difficult to communicate. I have been saying lots of Hola, Gracia, and Adios though (It’s all I know!)… although I always get confused and want to say Aloha.
For my last day in Spain, I spent most of the time at the beach …and definitely got some color! It is funny because I felt like I got NO color walking around the first three days. But when I laid out for a few hours, I fried. But oh it was SO nice and relaxing, and I was able to go swimming in the ocean! The water was pretty warm… but not very clear. I saw a big crab floating around in the ocean. Being in the water made everyone super excited for Croatia, our 3rd stop, where the water is supposed to be this crystal clear blue. Perfect for snorkeling! Before the beach, I went shopping from 10-12. I couldn’t really find anything, but I really liked a lot of their stores. Kate and Becca are quite the shoppers though! They love it, and always fall behind when we are all walking as a group…The guys yell at them!
When the time came to re-embark the ship, it was quite sad. My on-ship time was 5:00, an hour earlier than everyone else b/c of my work study (another story entirely)… but I was enjoying Spain and the beach sooo much I didn’t want to go! ANDD, our departure time, originally 8pm, got delayed until 11 pm. But… we have Italy to look forward to! YAY! Only three class days in between… but sadly two midterms and two papers. Plus, we have to plan for Rome and catch up on sleep! So it will definitely be a busy next couple of days…
P.S. – This blog on Spain is the tip of the ice burg! I still have SOO much to write! I want to elaborate more on Seville and Cadiz, and add some great quotes from some great people… so more will follow!
Until then… Much love,
Erika
Wed., June 24th: Cadiz, Spain (Exploring the city, night out)
Thur., June 25th: Seville, Spain (train to Seville, huge Castle of Spain, Flamenco show, night out clubbing)
Fri., June 26th: Seville, Spain (Seville Cathedral, Bull Ring tour, train back to Cadiz late, birthday dinner, TURN 21!!)
Sat., June 27th: Cadiz, Spain (Shopping, Beach)
The morning of June 24th… and we see LAND! Yes, LAND! We were all quite excited after having spent eight days crossing the Atlantic. To capture the moment, a bunch of us awoke around 6 am to get a good spot on the deck. It was breathtaking… a beautiful sunrise… land… and not just any land… SPAIN! Even though we were all exhausted from being so excited we couldn’t sleep, I am so grateful we were able to witness such a moment together. I took lots of pictures and videotaped a few minutes of our pulling into port! After docking around 7:30 a.m., we had to wait on the ship until it was cleared through customs. So after getting things organized and enjoying breakfast outside on the deck, we were able to disembark around 9:30.
So here we were…CADIZ!! I was set to explore…I had my camera and my money belt. It was crazy. I wanted to take pictures of everything! There were definitely lots of Kodak moments! Later in the day a bunch of us bought some postcards and then stopped in a small café to write them while sipping a glass of Sangria. It was my first glass in Spain… and it was delicious! It had apples and oranges in it, and was even sprinkled with cinnamon. I sent out a postcard on the first day to my family… and hope it arrives soon! I wish I could describe Spain… I’ll do my best but you have to see it!
Cadiz was a charming old European city, with narrow stone streets lined with a bunch of approx. three story high houses, shops, etc. The people here were extremely nice, and seemed to really enjoy the company of their family and friends. The top of the new cathedral can be seen, and is extremely picturesque. The beach looks like a beach out of the movie Mamma Mia!, with small fishing boats littering the shore waiting to be utilized. There were stray cats roaming the city, which I thought was a little odd. The gardens near the beach were fun. They were gorgeous with caves and waterfalls, flowers and trees.
After a night of partying and salsa dancing with my favorite people, we all had to be awake the next morning and be ready in Tymitz Square for 10 am to catch our 11:10 train to Seville. So after about four hours of sleep, I awoke (desperately wanting coffee) to try and pack my book bag for the trip. (I’m so glad I bought it, it was perfect!) Everything was going well until I realized that I couldn’t find my SAS ID card. We need that in order to get off the ship, which I had to do to catch the train! It was super frustrating because I had about 20 minutes to find it, and I knew it was in my room, because you need it to get back on the ship and to then open the room door. So Kate and I frantically tore apart my room looking for this card, which costs $25.00 to replace. Ugh I was soo upset I couldn’t find it. It was just horrible timing! And did I find it? NO. Racing against the clock, I had to finally give in and order a new ID card. I was probably overdramatic, but tears were streaming down my face as I signed the receipt charging 25.00 to my shipboard account. I just kept thinking of what else I needed that money for, and how I knew I would eventually find my other card! But… it had to be done. I was determined to not let it interfere my day, or the trip… and it didn’t! Seville was AMAZING, and I quickly forgot about the whole thing. And including that charge, I only spent about $200.00 on Spain, not to bad I think, considering travel expenses (hostel, train, food), and the current exchange rate between the Euro and the dollar.
But yea… SEVILLE. My definition = AMAZING. I wish words did it justice! Ugh I get so frustrated with my writing sometimes because I just want everyone reading this to have the opportunity to know exactly what I am talking about, but I fear my words and descriptions do NOTHING for how it really is! I want to somehow capture the city and relay to my family and friends in someway, but I don’t know if that is possible! I of course will try my best…
In Seville, we stayed at a hostel called Oasis. It took us a few hours to find, but it was incredible. We totally lucked out, and Anthony and I got randomly placed in Kate and Rachael’s room. It was just the four of us.
I got to see a Flamenco show! I was sooo happy! The seven of us went with a group from our hostel (Oasis organized it)… and we went first for tapas, followed by free flamenco at this cute, very local bar. I ordered an almond chicken tapa… it was okay. The tapa and flamenco tour was the start of 21st birthday celebration. We all started with a free drink supplied by Oasis, a yummy peach liquor and vodka shot, followed by vino blanco at dinner and some sangria at flamenco. At the show, Becca and Kate also bought me this awesome shot (so tasty!), which was covered with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I took it like a champ. After flamenco, we took some great group shots of us standing in front of the Seville Cathedral on our walk back to the hostel… where the birthday festivities continued. We partied and played some cards in the room until it was time to go out! We went to a dance club named Club Catedral to celebrate my 21st birthday! We ventured out around 3 a.m…. I am proud of myself !(All in all I probably got about 15 hours of sleep in Spain) It was happening! I danced with a Spanish boy, jammed to American tunes, and lounged around on gigantic white plush couches or beds. It was exciting to say I turned 21 in Spain…but the legal age is 18 here, soooo it wasn’t as major an impact. AND I do miss my family and friends from home and it would have been nice to turn of age in the states surrounded by them as well! The second day in Seville we went inside and climbed the bell tower (34 floors!) of the Caterdral de Seville. It was MASSIVE. It is the world’s third largest church (#1 Gothic Church) … and Christopher Columbus’s remains rest in this cathedral. The views from the top of the bell tower were welllll worth the hike to the top! From that view where we spotted a bull ring… another destination of ours. We paid four euros and took a tour of the Bull Fighting ring. It was an extremely cultural experience. I learned so much and was able to get a great glimpse of a large aspect of their history and life. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and we were able to take great pictures here as well! The actual shows take place on the weekends (Sunday night was there next show)… so there was no way we could see it. It would have been quite the experience though!
Spanish FOOD… um…. not really my thing. I tried, I really did. I spent two euros on this potato and egg tortilla thing while we were all sitting by the water of this beautiful picturesque river. I like eggs, and I like potatoes, so I thought what the heck! Well… it was gross, and had about two bites. But I tasted it! I tried some Chocolate con Churro’s for breakfast on Friday. They were good, but excessively greasy, and the chocolate could have been a little thicker. And they are huge on what are called Tapas, which are like tiny meals or appetizers that are available all over the place (even Burger King) when it isn’t their meal times, especially Siesta (lunch time).
Not liking Spanish food, I was walking around pretty hungry one day after I couldn’t find anything I liked for lunch. I was starving… and then I saw it… a STARBUCKS. My eyes lit up with excitement and I was in the door. The barrista was super nice, and her name was Erika too. I got my caramel light frapaccino, and I swear I gulped that thing down faster than fast. It was delicious. And, within the timeframe that I finished it, we passed another three Starbucks attempting to find our hostel. They were seriously all over the place, like every few blocks such as in NYC. I also saw Hagain Daiz, McDonalds & Burger King. (I got a BBQ chicken burger at McDonald’s for 1 euro… so good!) And they had a Magnum mcflurry I really wanted to try because Magnam bars were in Australia and Suzannah loved them, but maybe next time. Yup… I’m that girl, who goes abroad and hits up the American chains.
But, on the topic of Spanish food…Nino’s Ristorante was my absolute favorite restaurant in Spain! We went there twice, and it is where we all ate for my birthday dinner. And I was really surprised when the waiters brought me a lemon & almond (I think) type cake for my birthday. They all sang Happy Birthday to me in Spanish… (I hope it was that! I don’t know Spanish!) The candle that came with the dessert was HUGE, and it was scrumptious! And did I stop there? No! We got some more ice cream (in Spanish - helado)! I ate SO much ice cream in Spain I can’t imagine what Italy is going to be like!
The whole time thing in Spain is absolutely ridiculous!! I don’t know when the sleep! Clubs do not even open until 2 a.m. at the earliest…and most open at like 3, staying open until 5, 6 or 7 am! Even their meal times are screwy…breakfast is usually eaten between 7:30 and ten, followed by a big lunch during the hours of 2-4, with dinner between 9-11 at night. I know that when I was waiting around for that dinner… I was definitely hungry. And I think maybe we screwed ourselves over waking up for the sunrise the day we docked because we were in for a LONG day…22 hours of hard-core walking, dancing, and just having fun…followed by 4-5 hours of sleep and repeated! And when we would walk the streets between 12 and 1 going to bars, little kids would be in the streets playing with their parents! I would be passed out in bed if I were that age by like 8! I wonder what the hours of their school days are…
It is also kind of weird being surrounded by people who speak a different language. Not many locals I ran into spoke English, so it was difficult to communicate. I have been saying lots of Hola, Gracia, and Adios though (It’s all I know!)… although I always get confused and want to say Aloha.
For my last day in Spain, I spent most of the time at the beach …and definitely got some color! It is funny because I felt like I got NO color walking around the first three days. But when I laid out for a few hours, I fried. But oh it was SO nice and relaxing, and I was able to go swimming in the ocean! The water was pretty warm… but not very clear. I saw a big crab floating around in the ocean. Being in the water made everyone super excited for Croatia, our 3rd stop, where the water is supposed to be this crystal clear blue. Perfect for snorkeling! Before the beach, I went shopping from 10-12. I couldn’t really find anything, but I really liked a lot of their stores. Kate and Becca are quite the shoppers though! They love it, and always fall behind when we are all walking as a group…The guys yell at them!
When the time came to re-embark the ship, it was quite sad. My on-ship time was 5:00, an hour earlier than everyone else b/c of my work study (another story entirely)… but I was enjoying Spain and the beach sooo much I didn’t want to go! ANDD, our departure time, originally 8pm, got delayed until 11 pm. But… we have Italy to look forward to! YAY! Only three class days in between… but sadly two midterms and two papers. Plus, we have to plan for Rome and catch up on sleep! So it will definitely be a busy next couple of days…
P.S. – This blog on Spain is the tip of the ice burg! I still have SOO much to write! I want to elaborate more on Seville and Cadiz, and add some great quotes from some great people… so more will follow!
Until then… Much love,
Erika
More Days at Sea! (Before Spain)
SOOO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I wrote this before our first port of Spain, but never got posted it! But, I didn’t want these memories to just fade away so here it is:
Blog time! Yay! I want to keep writing and keep everyone from home informed, but sometimes I feel like don’t have that much new to say…the day’s are quite repetitive thus far (we are on day 7…although they are lots of fun too!)…But for the most part classes take up a big chunk of the time. On a typical class day, I wake up, go to global studies, go to global music, eat lunch, shower, catch up on some reading or take a quick nap, go to business, politics, and culture of the EU, eat dinner, and then either do some homework or hang with friends until around 7:45 of 8 when I either have to go to work, or go to one of the information sessions going on in the union every night. Then I either partake in some games, movies, pub night or some special event. The only nights I HATE are those where I am working pub nights… I am like secluded in a little corner of the ship on Deck 7 in the freezing cold for over two hours…no RA is a fan of it. But, what can I do? Anthony and everyone try to come visit me for a little while, and they took some pretty funny pictures the other night. It was almost eleven, and I was frozen, so I guess I looked pretty miserable haha. I’m sure Ant wrote about in his blog. But tonight is some more information about Spain, so I really want to attend… although I have to work at 7:45. Hopefully my job will involve me staying in the Union so I can take part in the session as well!
Today for lunch they had ICE CREAM, and FRENCH FRIES! Everyone was super excited. Yea, french fries are just another form of potatoes, which we have at every meal, but it this was the first time we had this treat. They don’t post menus or anything, so one never knows what is for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is by far the best, with yogurt, cereal and fruit (the eggs are another story…Yuck), but I’ve only made it 3 times. Today Shannon and I even slept through global studies! We were just so exhausted…we stayed up pretty late watching some of Legally Blonde the Musical, first with Bo and then with Anthony. And tonight on the ship-wide movie channel they are airing Australia! I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to watch it though…
The dinner has not been very appealing to me in the past two days. They’ve had like lamb casserole or mushroom something or others and pastas with things I definitely do not like. But… they have these cubes of cheese, which are really good, and some fairly decent mashed potatoes. So, I’ve been eating that and then later breaking into my stash that I brought. I’m trying desperately to make my balance bars and other things last…but they are just so good! I cannot wait to get to Spain and Italy and everywhere for some real food! Possibly even a Starbucks?!
Our first paper for global studies is due the day before we arrive in Italy, which is class day number 9. It needs to be only 2-pages in length, and is based on the much of our readings. I’m trying not to stress about it… but I can’t wait to for that paper to be written! I also have a midterm that day as well as a global music test… should be fun. But of course I will be in a good mood because I will be waking up the following morning to ITALY!
It is really awesome when we get to see some other ships in the distance. It is reassuring knowing that there is existence out there…and other people making this journey across the Atlantic! We cannot tell if they are cruise ships or cargo ships, but when we took our bridge tour, they have this device that tells them exactly what ships in our radius are carrying. I forgot to mention earlier that when I took the bridge tour, there was one ship showing up on their big blue radar screen, which was also quite visible from out on the decks. I tried to take a picture of it, but my zoom wouldn’t reach that far. But still it is pretty cool!
I got an e-mail today from my mother… I LOVE opening my e-mail and finding that I have a letter from home! It was so good hearing about what is going on with my family. I miss them lots! And for anyone else who wishes to e-mail me, please do at elmorrissette@semesteratsea.net! It is a free account so I can easily keep in contact with you. Yay!
So now there’s a HUGE group of us going to Seville for the night of the 25th! I am so excited! Before I left for SAS, it was just Anthony, me, and this girl Sarah. Now, my roommate Kate is coming with us, Becca, Racheal, and Anthony and his roommates, along with some others. (I’m not sure if I mentioned that in an earlier blog…sorry if I’m repeating myself) And Thursday is supposed to be Seville’s most happening night! And then we will meet back up with Shannon the night of my birthday and all celebrate my birthday!
And a bunch of us read some jokes that were stuck to a person’s door on post-its. Some of them were pretty funny… we laughed pretty hard at this one: “So a grasshopper walked into a bar. The bartender said, “Hey, there’s a drink named after you.” The grasshopper replied, “Oh really, there’s a drink named Kevin?!” haha – I guess it seemed funnier then … but we laughed. And I guess I’ll end with that…
I cannot wait to post my stories about Cadiz, Spain. We have one more time change tonight, where we lose another hour, and then we are officially in the same time zone as Spain!!
Love,
Erika
Blog time! Yay! I want to keep writing and keep everyone from home informed, but sometimes I feel like don’t have that much new to say…the day’s are quite repetitive thus far (we are on day 7…although they are lots of fun too!)…But for the most part classes take up a big chunk of the time. On a typical class day, I wake up, go to global studies, go to global music, eat lunch, shower, catch up on some reading or take a quick nap, go to business, politics, and culture of the EU, eat dinner, and then either do some homework or hang with friends until around 7:45 of 8 when I either have to go to work, or go to one of the information sessions going on in the union every night. Then I either partake in some games, movies, pub night or some special event. The only nights I HATE are those where I am working pub nights… I am like secluded in a little corner of the ship on Deck 7 in the freezing cold for over two hours…no RA is a fan of it. But, what can I do? Anthony and everyone try to come visit me for a little while, and they took some pretty funny pictures the other night. It was almost eleven, and I was frozen, so I guess I looked pretty miserable haha. I’m sure Ant wrote about in his blog. But tonight is some more information about Spain, so I really want to attend… although I have to work at 7:45. Hopefully my job will involve me staying in the Union so I can take part in the session as well!
Today for lunch they had ICE CREAM, and FRENCH FRIES! Everyone was super excited. Yea, french fries are just another form of potatoes, which we have at every meal, but it this was the first time we had this treat. They don’t post menus or anything, so one never knows what is for lunch or dinner. Breakfast is by far the best, with yogurt, cereal and fruit (the eggs are another story…Yuck), but I’ve only made it 3 times. Today Shannon and I even slept through global studies! We were just so exhausted…we stayed up pretty late watching some of Legally Blonde the Musical, first with Bo and then with Anthony. And tonight on the ship-wide movie channel they are airing Australia! I’m not sure if I’ll get a chance to watch it though…
The dinner has not been very appealing to me in the past two days. They’ve had like lamb casserole or mushroom something or others and pastas with things I definitely do not like. But… they have these cubes of cheese, which are really good, and some fairly decent mashed potatoes. So, I’ve been eating that and then later breaking into my stash that I brought. I’m trying desperately to make my balance bars and other things last…but they are just so good! I cannot wait to get to Spain and Italy and everywhere for some real food! Possibly even a Starbucks?!
Our first paper for global studies is due the day before we arrive in Italy, which is class day number 9. It needs to be only 2-pages in length, and is based on the much of our readings. I’m trying not to stress about it… but I can’t wait to for that paper to be written! I also have a midterm that day as well as a global music test… should be fun. But of course I will be in a good mood because I will be waking up the following morning to ITALY!
It is really awesome when we get to see some other ships in the distance. It is reassuring knowing that there is existence out there…and other people making this journey across the Atlantic! We cannot tell if they are cruise ships or cargo ships, but when we took our bridge tour, they have this device that tells them exactly what ships in our radius are carrying. I forgot to mention earlier that when I took the bridge tour, there was one ship showing up on their big blue radar screen, which was also quite visible from out on the decks. I tried to take a picture of it, but my zoom wouldn’t reach that far. But still it is pretty cool!
I got an e-mail today from my mother… I LOVE opening my e-mail and finding that I have a letter from home! It was so good hearing about what is going on with my family. I miss them lots! And for anyone else who wishes to e-mail me, please do at elmorrissette@semesteratsea.net! It is a free account so I can easily keep in contact with you. Yay!
So now there’s a HUGE group of us going to Seville for the night of the 25th! I am so excited! Before I left for SAS, it was just Anthony, me, and this girl Sarah. Now, my roommate Kate is coming with us, Becca, Racheal, and Anthony and his roommates, along with some others. (I’m not sure if I mentioned that in an earlier blog…sorry if I’m repeating myself) And Thursday is supposed to be Seville’s most happening night! And then we will meet back up with Shannon the night of my birthday and all celebrate my birthday!
And a bunch of us read some jokes that were stuck to a person’s door on post-its. Some of them were pretty funny… we laughed pretty hard at this one: “So a grasshopper walked into a bar. The bartender said, “Hey, there’s a drink named after you.” The grasshopper replied, “Oh really, there’s a drink named Kevin?!” haha – I guess it seemed funnier then … but we laughed. And I guess I’ll end with that…
I cannot wait to post my stories about Cadiz, Spain. We have one more time change tonight, where we lose another hour, and then we are officially in the same time zone as Spain!!
Love,
Erika
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Entering European Territory...
We are officially sailing in European waters! And only 3 more days until Cadiz! Words cannot express how excited I am… and then Italy, and Croatia…!! But, I am trying to live in the moment and just soak up everyday… which by the way are flying. These 23 hour days really take a toll… but tonight the clocks do not change. Yay…hopefully we can all catch up a little.
I still cannot believe that I am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Waking up and being completely surrounded by water is a surreal feeling. I love looking out my cabin window! And I had no idea that we were to be passing islands! Last night, we sailed right through two small islands. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the weather was incredible. Everyone was out on the decks taking countless pictures! They were the cutest little islands, and they were only about 1 – 2 miles away from us on either side of the ship. We could see small towns near sea level on them speckled with little houses, and at night their lights glistened in the distance. I couldn’t imagine anyone being there…I am definitely going to find out the names of them (& they do have names!) and then Google them when I get home! I want to see if people actually live there! If they do… I imagine they must be extremely rich, and somehow fly there or something. I can’t fathom living in such a remote part of the world… halfway between the United States and Europe in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! And I always wondered where the birds flying around stopped to rest… now I know! You learn something everyday I tell you.
I got to go on a tour of the Bridge! It was really something to see everything. I have never been on a ship this size (We cannot call it a “boat”… people get very upset!), so seeing all of their equipment was really educational. The only other bridge I have seen in my day was the one in San Diego when my family and I went on a small two-hour boat cruise, and that one was much, much smaller. The sign-ups for the Bridge tours of our ship, the MV Explorer, started a few days ago, and Anthony so generously signed Kevin, Bo, Shannon, Kate and I up for one. Good thing, because they are already filled up for the remainder of the voyage! I can definitely say that we were lucky because our tour took place on the clearest day at sea yet. The sun was shining, and we were just cruising along at about 17 miles an hour on this beautiful day (the 20th). The tour lasted about 20 minutes, and we all got to sit in the Captain’s chair! It was very comfortable…and don’t worry, I took plenty of pictures! We posed for a variety of them… and I liked looking out of the giant binoculars. But… the best part by far was when a school of dolphins began jumping out of the ocean right in front of our eyes! There were so many of them! The crew said they see them a lot I guess, as they are very social animals and kind of like to play with the ship. I was not able to get very good pictures of them, although I tried… but Anthony was able to get a great little video on his camera! But hopefully we will see them again on our journey… and maybe other animals too! I guess a group of students saw a large sea turtle from one of the decks the other day...so who knows! And seeing the ocean 24/7 you get thinking about it… it is cool (yet kind of creepy!) thinking what lies beneath it… it is a world of its own! The ocean is just so vast and mysterious… it is incredible! After the bridge tour, Kate, Kevin, Anthony and I went up to the deck above the Bridge and all swapped cameras and clicked away! We fooled around, took some funny pictures, and just had a good time…
My global music class has been my hardest thus far… I have realized how very little I know about music! There is so much terminology and things to know… I do not know how Annie does it! I had difficulty grasping the concept of pitch, but Anthony helped me out…what a good friend. After today though, we will move away from learning music theory and vocabulary and begin exploring the wide world of music out there… we will I guess try to become little ethnomusicologists in training. And I definitely want to see a Flamenco show in Spain! It should be a lot of fun… and then I can reflect on the soundscape I observed. Writing about that Spanish musical experience will constitute one of my three papers needed… Only 19 class days left…
Tonight there is a dance on the ship, advertised as the Rock the “Boat” Dance. Anthony and Shannon were both on the committee that helped plan it… so hopefully it will be a good time!
And I got into the four trips that I signed up for the other day…but Anthony and Kevin didn’t make it into the hike in Turkey. I am hoping other students will be selling theirs so they can go as well…
Until next time…Lots of love,
-Erika
I still cannot believe that I am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Waking up and being completely surrounded by water is a surreal feeling. I love looking out my cabin window! And I had no idea that we were to be passing islands! Last night, we sailed right through two small islands. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the weather was incredible. Everyone was out on the decks taking countless pictures! They were the cutest little islands, and they were only about 1 – 2 miles away from us on either side of the ship. We could see small towns near sea level on them speckled with little houses, and at night their lights glistened in the distance. I couldn’t imagine anyone being there…I am definitely going to find out the names of them (& they do have names!) and then Google them when I get home! I want to see if people actually live there! If they do… I imagine they must be extremely rich, and somehow fly there or something. I can’t fathom living in such a remote part of the world… halfway between the United States and Europe in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! And I always wondered where the birds flying around stopped to rest… now I know! You learn something everyday I tell you.
I got to go on a tour of the Bridge! It was really something to see everything. I have never been on a ship this size (We cannot call it a “boat”… people get very upset!), so seeing all of their equipment was really educational. The only other bridge I have seen in my day was the one in San Diego when my family and I went on a small two-hour boat cruise, and that one was much, much smaller. The sign-ups for the Bridge tours of our ship, the MV Explorer, started a few days ago, and Anthony so generously signed Kevin, Bo, Shannon, Kate and I up for one. Good thing, because they are already filled up for the remainder of the voyage! I can definitely say that we were lucky because our tour took place on the clearest day at sea yet. The sun was shining, and we were just cruising along at about 17 miles an hour on this beautiful day (the 20th). The tour lasted about 20 minutes, and we all got to sit in the Captain’s chair! It was very comfortable…and don’t worry, I took plenty of pictures! We posed for a variety of them… and I liked looking out of the giant binoculars. But… the best part by far was when a school of dolphins began jumping out of the ocean right in front of our eyes! There were so many of them! The crew said they see them a lot I guess, as they are very social animals and kind of like to play with the ship. I was not able to get very good pictures of them, although I tried… but Anthony was able to get a great little video on his camera! But hopefully we will see them again on our journey… and maybe other animals too! I guess a group of students saw a large sea turtle from one of the decks the other day...so who knows! And seeing the ocean 24/7 you get thinking about it… it is cool (yet kind of creepy!) thinking what lies beneath it… it is a world of its own! The ocean is just so vast and mysterious… it is incredible! After the bridge tour, Kate, Kevin, Anthony and I went up to the deck above the Bridge and all swapped cameras and clicked away! We fooled around, took some funny pictures, and just had a good time…
My global music class has been my hardest thus far… I have realized how very little I know about music! There is so much terminology and things to know… I do not know how Annie does it! I had difficulty grasping the concept of pitch, but Anthony helped me out…what a good friend. After today though, we will move away from learning music theory and vocabulary and begin exploring the wide world of music out there… we will I guess try to become little ethnomusicologists in training. And I definitely want to see a Flamenco show in Spain! It should be a lot of fun… and then I can reflect on the soundscape I observed. Writing about that Spanish musical experience will constitute one of my three papers needed… Only 19 class days left…
Tonight there is a dance on the ship, advertised as the Rock the “Boat” Dance. Anthony and Shannon were both on the committee that helped plan it… so hopefully it will be a good time!
And I got into the four trips that I signed up for the other day…but Anthony and Kevin didn’t make it into the hike in Turkey. I am hoping other students will be selling theirs so they can go as well…
Until next time…Lots of love,
-Erika
Friday, June 19, 2009
Crossing the Atlantic...
It’s that time again… time for another update! I really enjoy blogging so far, although it is hard to find times to do it. It’s always “should I work on my blog… or try and NAP?! Well, lately sleep has been winning, but I do want to document everything about this exciting experience that I know I have to make some changes! So, I will just try to write as fast I can… so there will probably be lots of typos! Sorry! And… I am getting a little frustrated that Anthony seems to be writing these AMAZING blogs in like no time, and he writes them a few times a day! He is on top of things! I’m tempted to just copy and paste things from his and post them on mine… but I’m not sure how much he’d like that haha. Plus I like his writing so much better… I asked him to try to coach me today on blog writing… so we’ll see if I paid attention…
But oh man, we have been losing an hour everyday! These 23-hour days with constant ROCKING has been a little rough on everyone, but no worries… we will all have 25-hour days on the way home! I also got to lie down and take a little bit of a nap today after lunch… It felt oh so good. The rocking sometimes definitely helps me a little… or I’m just that tired. But anyways, we have a curtain that we can pull down over or window that I recently found out about so it makes our cabin super dark at anytime of the day! Now I’m not so jealous of those inside cabiners!
This morning Anthony and I woke up at 7:30 am to attempt to sign up for a fourth class. I really wanted to get into acting, but it was closed out. So I waited around and was all ready to sign up for this global education class, but the registrar talked me out of it. Basically, SAS discourages everyone from taking 12 credits because it is just so much work, and they don’t want the extra course to take away from port time, or the whole experience… so oh well… only three classes for me! So… what does this mean? My naps during my afternoon break will just have to continue. YAY!
Tonight and tomorrow I have to work perimeter control up on deck #7 from 9 until 11:15. I am in charge of making sure NO alcohol walks away! Not so excited about that, especially since today is raining, but I am fortunate for the work-study and is a small price to pay for what it provided me!
Anthony sent me all of his blogs last night via e-mail so I could read them and not take up my Internet time. And I thought he said this perfectly and that it applied to me as well, so I am just going to “borrow” it… hope you don’t mind Ant!
”And my business class about the European Union is perhaps my favorite. The professor is witty and interesting and the course is about the different life styles of the Europeans and the creation and foundation of this new governing system called the European Union. (I say new but it has been in the works for decades). He gave us a Wall Street article today which talked about how Europeans are allowed 35 sick days, and on average workers took 11.5 sick days throughout the year. Americans only take about 4.5. What!? That’s some crazy stuff. Maybe we should move to Europe?” … A definite possibility if only my family and friends were with me!
So a little SAS secret that we are finding out… behind the pictures that are hung in every cabin, past voyagers leave tips and give advice for those that are currently sailing. The pictures are pretty huge, and sometimes hard to get down, and SAS is trying to stop kids from doing it as some pictures break trying to get them off of the wall. We can’t get the picture in my direct room off… which is sad, but we were able to read Kate and Candace’s. I just read the back of Anthony’s, in room 4043… and it was extremely sad. We found out that his room was occupied in the of fall 2008 by the student who was tragically killed by a drunk driver while exploring China 70 days into the voyage. His roommate left us this information, and left us good advice. But reading it just put everyone in the room into a very gloomy and sad mood… It is so tragic, unfair, and unfortunate… and I just worry, worry, and worry. I pray for safe travels for all on this voyage and future ones as well.
Common things left by other SAS’s include:
The food sucks, don’t eat potato’s every meal or you will gain a ton! (So far… all I have ate is pasta, potatoes, and bread, because that’s all they have! … NOT going to be good!) I should have listened to my mother and packed more balance bars! But… they do sell them on the ship surprisingly! And… guess what? … they are only $2.50 EACH! I for sure will be stocking up on those… just kidding.
Many students also said to try and work out everyday or you will regret it… yea, I guess I am going to regret it. I pretty much get zero physical activity and I can’t imagine trying to run with the ship rocking as it is! Hopefully walking around the ports will be plenty… & I’ll just go full force when I get home.
I met another girl, Becca, who is really nice. She, along with Kevin and Bo, just booked a night at the Oasis in Seville, Spain on the 25th when Anthony, Sarah, and I go there as well. So it should be a good time!
Today was also the last day to sign up for the rest of the field programs, a.k.a. SAS trips. I signed up for four more… 2 in Greece and 2 in Turkey. A group of us signed up for the same ones, we just have all get into them! In Greece, I signed up for a Sights of Athens and the Acropolis tour, as well as a day in Delphi. The Delphi trip has a 40-person max, and I know a lot of people wanted to do that… so I’m not sure if it will work out. In Turkey, I signed up for a trip that goes to the largest and most famous island of the Prince’s Isles, Buyukada. It includes a horse-driven coach ride around the island, and time to explore. It is on the Asian side of Turkey… so I can say I have been to Asia! Lastly, we all signed up for a hike. I’m a little nervous about hiking, but hopefully all will go well, and it should be a good time with everyone going. It is through Ballikaya, again on the Asia side, and it is considered the practice area for Turkish mountaineers. It is a plateau area deeply cut by a stream, which has produced deep canyons and waterfalls. The entire area is also covered by forests, orchards and vineyards. I’ll let you all know if I get into them!
Tonight an inter-port lecturer is speaking in the Union at 8 about some aspects of Spanish life. I think tonight they discuss a little bit of their food… so I am so there. You know me!
Countdown: 5 days until our 1st port of Cadiz & 1 week until my 21st birthday!!
Until next time, lots of love!
-Erika
But oh man, we have been losing an hour everyday! These 23-hour days with constant ROCKING has been a little rough on everyone, but no worries… we will all have 25-hour days on the way home! I also got to lie down and take a little bit of a nap today after lunch… It felt oh so good. The rocking sometimes definitely helps me a little… or I’m just that tired. But anyways, we have a curtain that we can pull down over or window that I recently found out about so it makes our cabin super dark at anytime of the day! Now I’m not so jealous of those inside cabiners!
This morning Anthony and I woke up at 7:30 am to attempt to sign up for a fourth class. I really wanted to get into acting, but it was closed out. So I waited around and was all ready to sign up for this global education class, but the registrar talked me out of it. Basically, SAS discourages everyone from taking 12 credits because it is just so much work, and they don’t want the extra course to take away from port time, or the whole experience… so oh well… only three classes for me! So… what does this mean? My naps during my afternoon break will just have to continue. YAY!
Tonight and tomorrow I have to work perimeter control up on deck #7 from 9 until 11:15. I am in charge of making sure NO alcohol walks away! Not so excited about that, especially since today is raining, but I am fortunate for the work-study and is a small price to pay for what it provided me!
Anthony sent me all of his blogs last night via e-mail so I could read them and not take up my Internet time. And I thought he said this perfectly and that it applied to me as well, so I am just going to “borrow” it… hope you don’t mind Ant!
”And my business class about the European Union is perhaps my favorite. The professor is witty and interesting and the course is about the different life styles of the Europeans and the creation and foundation of this new governing system called the European Union. (I say new but it has been in the works for decades). He gave us a Wall Street article today which talked about how Europeans are allowed 35 sick days, and on average workers took 11.5 sick days throughout the year. Americans only take about 4.5. What!? That’s some crazy stuff. Maybe we should move to Europe?” … A definite possibility if only my family and friends were with me!
So a little SAS secret that we are finding out… behind the pictures that are hung in every cabin, past voyagers leave tips and give advice for those that are currently sailing. The pictures are pretty huge, and sometimes hard to get down, and SAS is trying to stop kids from doing it as some pictures break trying to get them off of the wall. We can’t get the picture in my direct room off… which is sad, but we were able to read Kate and Candace’s. I just read the back of Anthony’s, in room 4043… and it was extremely sad. We found out that his room was occupied in the of fall 2008 by the student who was tragically killed by a drunk driver while exploring China 70 days into the voyage. His roommate left us this information, and left us good advice. But reading it just put everyone in the room into a very gloomy and sad mood… It is so tragic, unfair, and unfortunate… and I just worry, worry, and worry. I pray for safe travels for all on this voyage and future ones as well.
Common things left by other SAS’s include:
The food sucks, don’t eat potato’s every meal or you will gain a ton! (So far… all I have ate is pasta, potatoes, and bread, because that’s all they have! … NOT going to be good!) I should have listened to my mother and packed more balance bars! But… they do sell them on the ship surprisingly! And… guess what? … they are only $2.50 EACH! I for sure will be stocking up on those… just kidding.
Many students also said to try and work out everyday or you will regret it… yea, I guess I am going to regret it. I pretty much get zero physical activity and I can’t imagine trying to run with the ship rocking as it is! Hopefully walking around the ports will be plenty… & I’ll just go full force when I get home.
I met another girl, Becca, who is really nice. She, along with Kevin and Bo, just booked a night at the Oasis in Seville, Spain on the 25th when Anthony, Sarah, and I go there as well. So it should be a good time!
Today was also the last day to sign up for the rest of the field programs, a.k.a. SAS trips. I signed up for four more… 2 in Greece and 2 in Turkey. A group of us signed up for the same ones, we just have all get into them! In Greece, I signed up for a Sights of Athens and the Acropolis tour, as well as a day in Delphi. The Delphi trip has a 40-person max, and I know a lot of people wanted to do that… so I’m not sure if it will work out. In Turkey, I signed up for a trip that goes to the largest and most famous island of the Prince’s Isles, Buyukada. It includes a horse-driven coach ride around the island, and time to explore. It is on the Asian side of Turkey… so I can say I have been to Asia! Lastly, we all signed up for a hike. I’m a little nervous about hiking, but hopefully all will go well, and it should be a good time with everyone going. It is through Ballikaya, again on the Asia side, and it is considered the practice area for Turkish mountaineers. It is a plateau area deeply cut by a stream, which has produced deep canyons and waterfalls. The entire area is also covered by forests, orchards and vineyards. I’ll let you all know if I get into them!
Tonight an inter-port lecturer is speaking in the Union at 8 about some aspects of Spanish life. I think tonight they discuss a little bit of their food… so I am so there. You know me!
Countdown: 5 days until our 1st port of Cadiz & 1 week until my 21st birthday!!
Until next time, lots of love!
-Erika
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Last Day in Halifax & Embarkation!!
Halifax, NS: Day 2
For dinner the night before I boarded the ship, we were adventurous…just kidding. Instead, we went someplace familiar… Alexander Keith’s! I think it is funny that out of all the places in Halifax, we went to the same place for lunch and dinner. It was very good though, and everyone was content with there meals. I got a blueberry salad (I will miss Panera!) and both of my parents ordered soup. Of course, we enjoyed some more freshly brewed ale during our meal, and then continued back at our hotel, where we spent time in the restaurant bar. It was very nice sitting and chatting with my parents, while watching pedestrians (there were some interesting ones!) from full-length windows. My parents treated me to two long island ice teas, which were scrumptious! After that, it was time for bed… for I had a busy next day ahead!
Today we woke up around 7:30 a.m., for I had to be down at the pier between the hours of 9 and 11 to go through customs and board the MV Explorer! I was super excited, but quite tired as my mother snored a good part of the night. Nonetheless, I was up and ready to go, and on our way down to the ship, we stopped and had breakfast at a place by the name of Smitty’s. I ordered eggs, pancakes and bacon, and everything was delicious! We left there around 9:30, and arrived at the loading station around 9:45. I was stressing because I didn’t want to be late, even though I had plenty of time…but worrying is what I do best.
After our work-study meeting and lunch, we were able to get off the ship for the afternoon. We we’re told it would be around 3:30, but in reality I was done at about 12:30. So, to kill time I began unpacking my clothes and settling into my cabin. My cabin, a quad, is number 3148, with two people in each room. I had another work-study student staying in my cabin, so we were able to get to know each other and pick our rooms before our other two roommates boarded the ship. We felt kind of bad, and it was a hard decision, but we chose the room with the ocean-view. The other room, connected through a door, does not have a window. I was tempted to pick that room for it could be pitch black at anytime, and everyone knows how much light bothers me when I am trying to sleep! Our room, though, is also the VERY LAST room on the 3rd deck in the back of the boat, right next to the engine. I have to walk down a long hallway every time I want to basically go anywhere on the ship. And since it is located in the back of the ship, it is quite noisy and we tend to feel a lot of the rocking.
The first roommate I met is named Shannon from Colorado. She seems extremely nice and funny! We have gotten along very well thus far. She signed up for many SAS trips, and we have one in common, the Capri and Anacapri excursion in Italy. On the voyage, she will be working in the store. After chitchatting and unpacking, I got off of the boat to wait for my parents, who were meeting me at the pier at 3:30. When they arrived, we ventured out to Peggy’s Cove.
Peggy’s Cove is about an hour’s drive outside of Halifax. I had never heard about it before. I guess my parent’s learned about it from some people they talked with while visiting the Citadel (an old fort) earlier in the day. I am glad my parents were able to check that out because I know how much my dad likes those historical type things! Peggy’s Cove was beautiful. It was very small, but they had a gorgeous old lighthouse surrounded by huge rocks that you could walk out on (at your own risk), overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They also had a small café and gift-shop, where my mother indulged in some seafood chowder. After that, we stopped at a mall for some food. I got a subway sub and a Dairy Queen sundae….a good meal before lots of dining hall food!
At 7:00 I re-boarded the ship to help get ready for the Parent’s reception that was to begin at 8 p.m. on-board. I was super EXCITED for my parents to see my new home for the next 67 days! They ended up really enjoying it, and SAS put out a really nice spread! They had fresh fruit platters, vegetables, mini-sandwiches, wine, etc. To top it off, however, they had these amazing sculptures made out of chocolate (although I heard they were fake!) of some of the various sites we would be seeing on our journey. Included for example was a giant Parthenon and the Sphinx. During the reception, my parents received a tour and I was able to show them my room. After that, we mingled with some faculty for about an hour or so. Every faculty seemed amazingly nice! We met the Oceanography, English and Spanish teachers…as well as my business professor. To finish off the night, there was a meeting for the parents in the Union. We only caught the tale-end of it, but basically the gist was how amazing the program is, and how fortunate we should be for being able to be apart of it! Thank you mom and dad! And one of the speakers said this to the parents (I thought it was pretty funny!): “Tomorrow, when you have to say good-bye to your child and ship pulls away, you will be all tears while your son or daughter will be all smiles. However, when everyone meets again in Norfolk, Virginia, you will be all smiles while your child will be in tears.” However, saying good-bye to my parents as the reception came to a close around 10 pm was not an easy thing to do. There were lots of hugs, and I will miss them oh so dearly! I will be more than thrilled on August 23rd when I can be reunited with them! I will be smiling for that!
Embarkation!
I am in utter disbelief! I cannot believe that Semester at Sea’s 99th voyage is underway… and I am a part of it! Everyone I’ve met on the ship thus far seems to be in accordance that it doesn’t feel real. The ship, the people…just everything is amazing! I am very fortunate to be a part of such a prestige and life-changing experience. I intend to live it up, and enjoy every moment of it (although the boat is quite rocky now!). Today I met my two other roommates for the first time and they also seem great. Kate is from Chicago and Candace is from NJ. Kate and I have many trips together, including the Morocco camel trek and Capri & Anacapri. I cannot wait for all of the trips!! In addition to my roommates, everyone on the ship is eager to get to know one another.
Anthony’s room is 4043, which is a deck above, on the other side, and much closer to the front of the ship than mine. He has two roommates, Bo and Kevin, whom he did not know before. However, funny story: they all met at the airport on the way to Halifax, then shared a hostel together, and then all went out on the night of the 15th! It was a surprise when they found out on the 16th that they were all sharing a cabin! They all get a long great so far, and they seem like such nice guys! Kate, Shannon, and I have been hanging out with Anthony and his roommates often, and for the most part have been going to meals together.
We sailed away from Halifax, Nova Scotia yesterday right on time, at 5 p.m. It was a great feeling, and we had great weather. The sun was shining, and I’d guess in the 60’s. All of the students piled out on to the decks for embarkation. I stood outside with Anthony, his roommates, and two of mine. There were bagpipe players in addition to some parents and friends waving good-bye to us as we pulled away. And I had never seen a tug boat before, so that was interesting watching them help us leave. Everyone was taking tons of pictures while I stood with my movie camera, ready to capture the beginning of our voyage on film. However, right when I went to record, I realized that there was no tape in, so I spent a good ten minutes fumbling with the package trying to get it open. Oh well. I did manage to get some footage of Halifax though. I will definitely film the departure from other ports!
The day after embarkation, we had a full day consisting of various orientations. But first, at 9:00, we all met with our assigned small groups to discuss the community reading, Amartya Sen’s Identity and Violence. After that, we went through other basic things, like safety, ship rules, and the introduction of faculty and staff. I actually decked out of some of the afternoon orientations and went back to try and sleep in my cabin. Everyone has been pretty exhausted, and it is hard to find time to catch up on some Z’s.
Also, the weather got pretty rough today. The ship was really rocking, and it was raining. We also must have hit some good waves because when we were in the Union it felt like the ship rocked front to back instead back and forth and everything rattled… it was kind of scary for the some 500 + people in there at the time. Many people on the ship have been feeling seasick. One crewmember, for example, who has worked on the ship for 11 years, has been very sick (& he has never been seasick before!) Fortunately, I have been fine. I took a bromine about an hour before we left Halifax, and another one 24 hours later.
After all of the orientation sessions, we had dinner, walked around and met some new people. Then we rented a game from the Purser’s desk, Taboo, and found a group of other students to play with. It was a good time. The weather was getting a little worse, however, and I had found it very difficult to get to sleep that night. The ship’s clock also advanced one hour the night of the 17th, and will do so tonight as well (the 18th).
So, as I am writing this, it is about 7:15 p.m. on the 18th of June, which was the first day of classes. I had global studies with the rest of the shipboard community from 9:20 – 10:35, followed by global music from 10:45 – 12:00. After those, I had a nice 4-hour break. From 4:15 – 5:00 I was in Business, Politics & Culture of the European Culture. Thus far, that class has been my favorite. Anthony and I share every class together, and its nice… it’s bringing back memories from high school! The weather today has been so much better! It is finally sunny outside, and overall smoother sailing, although still rocky (I think it will always be rocky since it is a fairly small ship).
And pub nights begin tonight, from 7 – 9 pm out on deck 7, and I imagine there will be a fairly large crowd since it is pretty nice out. I know I plan on being there to meet some great new people… But I guess that’s enough for now! I love everyone!! <3
xoxo
-Erika
For dinner the night before I boarded the ship, we were adventurous…just kidding. Instead, we went someplace familiar… Alexander Keith’s! I think it is funny that out of all the places in Halifax, we went to the same place for lunch and dinner. It was very good though, and everyone was content with there meals. I got a blueberry salad (I will miss Panera!) and both of my parents ordered soup. Of course, we enjoyed some more freshly brewed ale during our meal, and then continued back at our hotel, where we spent time in the restaurant bar. It was very nice sitting and chatting with my parents, while watching pedestrians (there were some interesting ones!) from full-length windows. My parents treated me to two long island ice teas, which were scrumptious! After that, it was time for bed… for I had a busy next day ahead!
Today we woke up around 7:30 a.m., for I had to be down at the pier between the hours of 9 and 11 to go through customs and board the MV Explorer! I was super excited, but quite tired as my mother snored a good part of the night. Nonetheless, I was up and ready to go, and on our way down to the ship, we stopped and had breakfast at a place by the name of Smitty’s. I ordered eggs, pancakes and bacon, and everything was delicious! We left there around 9:30, and arrived at the loading station around 9:45. I was stressing because I didn’t want to be late, even though I had plenty of time…but worrying is what I do best.
After our work-study meeting and lunch, we were able to get off the ship for the afternoon. We we’re told it would be around 3:30, but in reality I was done at about 12:30. So, to kill time I began unpacking my clothes and settling into my cabin. My cabin, a quad, is number 3148, with two people in each room. I had another work-study student staying in my cabin, so we were able to get to know each other and pick our rooms before our other two roommates boarded the ship. We felt kind of bad, and it was a hard decision, but we chose the room with the ocean-view. The other room, connected through a door, does not have a window. I was tempted to pick that room for it could be pitch black at anytime, and everyone knows how much light bothers me when I am trying to sleep! Our room, though, is also the VERY LAST room on the 3rd deck in the back of the boat, right next to the engine. I have to walk down a long hallway every time I want to basically go anywhere on the ship. And since it is located in the back of the ship, it is quite noisy and we tend to feel a lot of the rocking.
The first roommate I met is named Shannon from Colorado. She seems extremely nice and funny! We have gotten along very well thus far. She signed up for many SAS trips, and we have one in common, the Capri and Anacapri excursion in Italy. On the voyage, she will be working in the store. After chitchatting and unpacking, I got off of the boat to wait for my parents, who were meeting me at the pier at 3:30. When they arrived, we ventured out to Peggy’s Cove.
Peggy’s Cove is about an hour’s drive outside of Halifax. I had never heard about it before. I guess my parent’s learned about it from some people they talked with while visiting the Citadel (an old fort) earlier in the day. I am glad my parents were able to check that out because I know how much my dad likes those historical type things! Peggy’s Cove was beautiful. It was very small, but they had a gorgeous old lighthouse surrounded by huge rocks that you could walk out on (at your own risk), overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They also had a small café and gift-shop, where my mother indulged in some seafood chowder. After that, we stopped at a mall for some food. I got a subway sub and a Dairy Queen sundae….a good meal before lots of dining hall food!
At 7:00 I re-boarded the ship to help get ready for the Parent’s reception that was to begin at 8 p.m. on-board. I was super EXCITED for my parents to see my new home for the next 67 days! They ended up really enjoying it, and SAS put out a really nice spread! They had fresh fruit platters, vegetables, mini-sandwiches, wine, etc. To top it off, however, they had these amazing sculptures made out of chocolate (although I heard they were fake!) of some of the various sites we would be seeing on our journey. Included for example was a giant Parthenon and the Sphinx. During the reception, my parents received a tour and I was able to show them my room. After that, we mingled with some faculty for about an hour or so. Every faculty seemed amazingly nice! We met the Oceanography, English and Spanish teachers…as well as my business professor. To finish off the night, there was a meeting for the parents in the Union. We only caught the tale-end of it, but basically the gist was how amazing the program is, and how fortunate we should be for being able to be apart of it! Thank you mom and dad! And one of the speakers said this to the parents (I thought it was pretty funny!): “Tomorrow, when you have to say good-bye to your child and ship pulls away, you will be all tears while your son or daughter will be all smiles. However, when everyone meets again in Norfolk, Virginia, you will be all smiles while your child will be in tears.” However, saying good-bye to my parents as the reception came to a close around 10 pm was not an easy thing to do. There were lots of hugs, and I will miss them oh so dearly! I will be more than thrilled on August 23rd when I can be reunited with them! I will be smiling for that!
Embarkation!
I am in utter disbelief! I cannot believe that Semester at Sea’s 99th voyage is underway… and I am a part of it! Everyone I’ve met on the ship thus far seems to be in accordance that it doesn’t feel real. The ship, the people…just everything is amazing! I am very fortunate to be a part of such a prestige and life-changing experience. I intend to live it up, and enjoy every moment of it (although the boat is quite rocky now!). Today I met my two other roommates for the first time and they also seem great. Kate is from Chicago and Candace is from NJ. Kate and I have many trips together, including the Morocco camel trek and Capri & Anacapri. I cannot wait for all of the trips!! In addition to my roommates, everyone on the ship is eager to get to know one another.
Anthony’s room is 4043, which is a deck above, on the other side, and much closer to the front of the ship than mine. He has two roommates, Bo and Kevin, whom he did not know before. However, funny story: they all met at the airport on the way to Halifax, then shared a hostel together, and then all went out on the night of the 15th! It was a surprise when they found out on the 16th that they were all sharing a cabin! They all get a long great so far, and they seem like such nice guys! Kate, Shannon, and I have been hanging out with Anthony and his roommates often, and for the most part have been going to meals together.
We sailed away from Halifax, Nova Scotia yesterday right on time, at 5 p.m. It was a great feeling, and we had great weather. The sun was shining, and I’d guess in the 60’s. All of the students piled out on to the decks for embarkation. I stood outside with Anthony, his roommates, and two of mine. There were bagpipe players in addition to some parents and friends waving good-bye to us as we pulled away. And I had never seen a tug boat before, so that was interesting watching them help us leave. Everyone was taking tons of pictures while I stood with my movie camera, ready to capture the beginning of our voyage on film. However, right when I went to record, I realized that there was no tape in, so I spent a good ten minutes fumbling with the package trying to get it open. Oh well. I did manage to get some footage of Halifax though. I will definitely film the departure from other ports!
The day after embarkation, we had a full day consisting of various orientations. But first, at 9:00, we all met with our assigned small groups to discuss the community reading, Amartya Sen’s Identity and Violence. After that, we went through other basic things, like safety, ship rules, and the introduction of faculty and staff. I actually decked out of some of the afternoon orientations and went back to try and sleep in my cabin. Everyone has been pretty exhausted, and it is hard to find time to catch up on some Z’s.
Also, the weather got pretty rough today. The ship was really rocking, and it was raining. We also must have hit some good waves because when we were in the Union it felt like the ship rocked front to back instead back and forth and everything rattled… it was kind of scary for the some 500 + people in there at the time. Many people on the ship have been feeling seasick. One crewmember, for example, who has worked on the ship for 11 years, has been very sick (& he has never been seasick before!) Fortunately, I have been fine. I took a bromine about an hour before we left Halifax, and another one 24 hours later.
After all of the orientation sessions, we had dinner, walked around and met some new people. Then we rented a game from the Purser’s desk, Taboo, and found a group of other students to play with. It was a good time. The weather was getting a little worse, however, and I had found it very difficult to get to sleep that night. The ship’s clock also advanced one hour the night of the 17th, and will do so tonight as well (the 18th).
So, as I am writing this, it is about 7:15 p.m. on the 18th of June, which was the first day of classes. I had global studies with the rest of the shipboard community from 9:20 – 10:35, followed by global music from 10:45 – 12:00. After those, I had a nice 4-hour break. From 4:15 – 5:00 I was in Business, Politics & Culture of the European Culture. Thus far, that class has been my favorite. Anthony and I share every class together, and its nice… it’s bringing back memories from high school! The weather today has been so much better! It is finally sunny outside, and overall smoother sailing, although still rocky (I think it will always be rocky since it is a fairly small ship).
And pub nights begin tonight, from 7 – 9 pm out on deck 7, and I imagine there will be a fairly large crowd since it is pretty nice out. I know I plan on being there to meet some great new people… But I guess that’s enough for now! I love everyone!! <3
xoxo
-Erika
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Halifax, Nova Scotia!
It’s official! The opportunity of a lifetime has begun, as I left my hometown of Albany, NY yesterday morning with my parents. We were planning to leave around 7 am, but made it out around 7:45… not bad considering our track record. It was quite a long drive…. It took a little over 15 hours to reach our hotel. However, the weather was nice and I was able to watch some movies and get some reading down for our global class. I watched Mamma Mia and Legally Blonde the musical… two of my fav’s! We went up through Maine (which is like all woods) and crossed the border around 5 pm. The officer was not very friendly, and drilled us with questions. He just didn’t understand whyyy I had to come to Canada to board a ship associated with a US university. But, he finally let us in! Yay! And since we left the states, I can no longer use my cell phone. It is difficult! I want so badly to call or text my friends, or even use it to meet up with fellow SAS’s in Halifax. But, I have to depend on my free Internet in the hotels for now. And at least there is free e-mail on the ship… which I board in about 17 hours from now! 17 HOURS!!!!! SOOOO EXCITED!
At around 11 pm last night, or midnight Halifax time since we didn’t realize there was a time difference, we arrived at our hotel. We had gotten lost for about 45 min. in Halifax before we eventually made it to our hotel… where we stayed at the Future Inn. It was a very nice place situated right next to my favorite place, Starbucks! I of course had to get one last caramel frapaccino this morning before I leave the states. I will definitely miss them!
As I am writing this, I am sitting in our second hotel room, at the Atlantica. I am very impressed with it, as are my parents. It is almost 5 pm, and the day was mostly cloudy, and a little colder than I would have liked. I guess it could be worse…. It’s funny how I always considered Albany, NY to be pretty far North, and cold. However, coming here, Albany is most definitely south (by 15 hrs!) and I appreciate our warmer weather! I do not know how they do it… having only two fairly decent months of the year.
Today,
we decided to explore a little bit of downtown Halifax. For lunch we went to Alexander Keith’s famous brewery. I got a beer and BBQ chicken, which was really good. And even though my birthday isn’t until June 26th, I basically considered yesterday my 21st right when I crossed the border! I am now legally able to drink wherever I go! Yay! But don’t worry, I still plan on celebrating hardcore on the 26th… IN SPAIN!! I cannot wait, their nightlife is supposed to be AMAZING, and I’ll be able to turn of age with my best friend, whom is supposed to arrive in Halifax tomorrow night.
After lunch, we ventured over to the Nova Scotia Casino. It was nice, but somewhat small. I actually think Turning Stone by Syracuse is larger. I had a good time though, as I played the roulette table for about 15 minutes with only $5.00! At one time, I was up $17.00. I of course lost it all again though. My mother lost her five on the nickel slot machines much faster though…
After the casino, we went to a small ice cream shop on the harbor walk titled Cows. Supposedly, it is ranked the World’s Best Ice Cream. So, one cannot visit Halifax and not try any! Hence, I ordered their Oreo flavor on their homemade waffle cones. YUM. I definitely fear that I will spend most of my travel money for this trip on food…
After ice cream, we walked around all the little shops by the water. Overall, I thought it was incredibly quiet! I couldn’t believe that there was like no one around! Oh well… I guess June isn’t their busiest time. Nonetheless, I am glad I was able to come to Halifax a little earlier and share it with my two favorite people, my loving parents. I wish they could come with me on SAS! I was actually just trying to convince them to be lifelong learners on the ship… but no luck. We’ll all enjoy a cruise one day together though, I hope. But I guess that’s enough until my current travels begin……on TUESDAY!!
At around 11 pm last night, or midnight Halifax time since we didn’t realize there was a time difference, we arrived at our hotel. We had gotten lost for about 45 min. in Halifax before we eventually made it to our hotel… where we stayed at the Future Inn. It was a very nice place situated right next to my favorite place, Starbucks! I of course had to get one last caramel frapaccino this morning before I leave the states. I will definitely miss them!
As I am writing this, I am sitting in our second hotel room, at the Atlantica. I am very impressed with it, as are my parents. It is almost 5 pm, and the day was mostly cloudy, and a little colder than I would have liked. I guess it could be worse…. It’s funny how I always considered Albany, NY to be pretty far North, and cold. However, coming here, Albany is most definitely south (by 15 hrs!) and I appreciate our warmer weather! I do not know how they do it… having only two fairly decent months of the year.
Today,
we decided to explore a little bit of downtown Halifax. For lunch we went to Alexander Keith’s famous brewery. I got a beer and BBQ chicken, which was really good. And even though my birthday isn’t until June 26th, I basically considered yesterday my 21st right when I crossed the border! I am now legally able to drink wherever I go! Yay! But don’t worry, I still plan on celebrating hardcore on the 26th… IN SPAIN!! I cannot wait, their nightlife is supposed to be AMAZING, and I’ll be able to turn of age with my best friend, whom is supposed to arrive in Halifax tomorrow night.After lunch, we ventured over to the Nova Scotia Casino. It was nice, but somewhat small. I actually think Turning Stone by Syracuse is larger. I had a good time though, as I played the roulette table for about 15 minutes with only $5.00! At one time, I was up $17.00. I of course lost it all again though. My mother lost her five on the nickel slot machines much faster though…
After the casino, we went to a small ice cream shop on the harbor walk titled Cows. Supposedly, it is ranked the World’s Best Ice Cream. So, one cannot visit Halifax and not try any! Hence, I ordered their Oreo flavor on their homemade waffle cones. YUM. I definitely fear that I will spend most of my travel money for this trip on food…
After ice cream, we walked around all the little shops by the water. Overall, I thought it was incredibly quiet! I couldn’t believe that there was like no one around! Oh well… I guess June isn’t their busiest time. Nonetheless, I am glad I was able to come to Halifax a little earlier and share it with my two favorite people, my loving parents. I wish they could come with me on SAS! I was actually just trying to convince them to be lifelong learners on the ship… but no luck. We’ll all enjoy a cruise one day together though, I hope. But I guess that’s enough until my current travels begin……on TUESDAY!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Packing!!
Okay... wow... right now it is Thursday night, the 11th of June, and we are leaving SATURDAY MORNING!! I cannot believe I have just one day left in Colonie. These four weeks I had off in between school and SAS have FLEW.
So, in a little over 30 hours, my dad, my mom, and I will begin the drive to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
We just booked our hotels a few a days ago. We will be staying right outside the city, nearer to the airport on the night of of the 13th, and then at a different hotel downtown on the 14th. I am really happy to have some time with my parents to explore Halifax before my departure. It is like a little vacation... plus Halifax looks amazing! Checking the weather, however, it looks like it will only be in the 60's. I'm a little sad that the weather has not been what I had hoped it would be while home... I did not get some good days poolside with the family before I left. I for sure will miss my family and friends from home. But soon, I will be in the Mediterranean... hopefully enjoying AMAZING weather!!
So, what have I been doing? Well... of course I have been trying to PACK. Boy, do I hate packing. There is so much to do, and I never know what to bring. I for sure over packed, and I for sure will wish I had something while abroad that I did not pack. Today, I spent the day shopping with my sister, and bought some new shirts, but still have no idea what shoes to bring, or dress for the Ambassad
or's ball or Captain's dinner. I also cannot find the cord to my camera...but I have to be done packing by tomorrow night so hopefully everything will come together!
And as you can see from the comment from my last post, my best friend Anthony Souza IS GOING with me on SAS!!! I love him dearly and am soo fortunate to have him sharing this once-in-a-lifetime experience with me!! We are both EXTREMELY excited, and have been attempting to plan excursions in the various countries we will be visiting. He also created a blog, which can be viewed at http://imbythesea.blogspot.com/.
The facebook group now has over 500 members, and I don't know what I do without this group! I am constantly checking it... either seeing the new trip ideas people are posting, reading questions and answers posted my alumni, or simply sharing in the excitement with fellow summer 09 SAS's!! Everyone seems super nice... & I cannot wait to meet all of the 700+ students! I also participated last Thursday in my first ever phone conference with the other RA's and student life work study students, and only got more pumped for SAS!! I just can't believe that it is happening, and that it is right around the corner!!
Well, I guess that's enough for now...
I will probably be on the ship next time I post... Talk to you then!
-Erika
So, in a little over 30 hours, my dad, my mom, and I will begin the drive to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
We just booked our hotels a few a days ago. We will be staying right outside the city, nearer to the airport on the night of of the 13th, and then at a different hotel downtown on the 14th. I am really happy to have some time with my parents to explore Halifax before my departure. It is like a little vacation... plus Halifax looks amazing! Checking the weather, however, it looks like it will only be in the 60's. I'm a little sad that the weather has not been what I had hoped it would be while home... I did not get some good days poolside with the family before I left. I for sure will miss my family and friends from home. But soon, I will be in the Mediterranean... hopefully enjoying AMAZING weather!!
So, what have I been doing? Well... of course I have been trying to PACK. Boy, do I hate packing. There is so much to do, and I never know what to bring. I for sure over packed, and I for sure will wish I had something while abroad that I did not pack. Today, I spent the day shopping with my sister, and bought some new shirts, but still have no idea what shoes to bring, or dress for the Ambassad
or's ball or Captain's dinner. I also cannot find the cord to my camera...but I have to be done packing by tomorrow night so hopefully everything will come together!And as you can see from the comment from my last post, my best friend Anthony Souza IS GOING with me on SAS!!! I love him dearly and am soo fortunate to have him sharing this once-in-a-lifetime experience with me!! We are both EXTREMELY excited, and have been attempting to plan excursions in the various countries we will be visiting. He also created a blog, which can be viewed at http://imbythesea.blogspot.com/.
The facebook group now has over 500 members, and I don't know what I do without this group! I am constantly checking it... either seeing the new trip ideas people are posting, reading questions and answers posted my alumni, or simply sharing in the excitement with fellow summer 09 SAS's!! Everyone seems super nice... & I cannot wait to meet all of the 700+ students! I also participated last Thursday in my first ever phone conference with the other RA's and student life work study students, and only got more pumped for SAS!! I just can't believe that it is happening, and that it is right around the corner!!
Well, I guess that's enough for now...
I will probably be on the ship next time I post... Talk to you then!
-Erika
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