Longest stretch of the voyage

We just had a short respite from ship life yesterday – a day in Hawaii. It was so wonderful to be back to America. When we walked off the ship, it smelled like America. The conversion rate was 1 to 1. The people spoke English. Taxis cost an arm and a leg. The tap water was potable. There was a J. Crew! There was intense customs security. Cell phones worked without roaming. Oh so good to be back.

 

Since we had one day, I had to do something spectacular. That "something" was skydiving! It was incredible! We went 14,000 feet high and had a 60-second 120-mph free fall. I am so glad that I did it, although I was questioning the decision as we were flying up in a tiny plane that fit the 12 of us. As we were getting around the clouds, I was surprised to hear that we were only halfway up. But as Dani said, the higher we got, the more comfortable we were. Then, it seemed less like we were skydiving into water and more like skydiving into clouds. The free fall lasted until the clouds and then he pulled the parachute. When we were below the clouds, I was able to take in the beautiful views of the north shore of Oahu. So incredible…

 

Now on our ten-day voyage to Costa Rica… A lot of people are dreading this time, especially because of work and exams, but I am planning on enjoying it. I brainstormed some of the things that I appreciate about the ship:

·       The crew. The dining hall staff brings us drinks and clears our tables and cleans up spills from the rocking ship. Our steward makes our bed, cleans our bathroom, and says "good morning" everyday. He is incredible. There is never a day off. He has a wife and a seven-year-old daughter at home in Jamaica. By working on this ship, he supports his family. The only goal of every port is to call home.

·       Sunsets. It doesn't get better than sitting on the sixth deck, eating dinner, and watching the sun go down over one of the many oceans.

·       Being unaware of the negative news in world. It is quite nice to be in our little bubble. I guess there is a pre-port meeting for Miami (there is one for every port) where they enlighten us about what has occurred in the U.S. while we were gone.

·       No TV. I have really weaned myself off of TV while in college and even more now. Although, some people stocked up in Vietnam with full seasons of tons of TV shows.

·       No concept of time. We have completely lost track of the days. There is only on-ship time and off-ship time.

·       Being rocked to sleep. Just like a baby.

·       Sleeping whenever I want and feeling no guilt. Well, I do feel some guilt, but I have definitely let loose on this trip. To stock up for the next two years.

·       Magnetic walls. Quite a useful quality.

·       Always having a home, no matter where we are. It's called the M.V. Explorer!

·       No cell phones. We are back to the dark ages.

·       A porthole. Looking out of my cabin in the morning and seeing water, water, and more water.

·       Playing Scrabble. I never liked the game, but it has become a favorite pastime late at night.

 

Things I appreciate after living on the ship:

·       Peanut butter. It has been rationed for the past couple weeks because they were running out. As a result, in our Students of Service auction, a container of peanut butter went for $20. The raising of the U.S. flag in Miami went for $1000. As you can probably tell, a lot of money was raised in this auction.

·       Free and unlimited and fast Internet.

·       24 hour days. We have lost so many hours of sleep from traveling around the world. Yet, we did gain an entire day on April 15^th.

·       Cooking in my own kitchen.

·       Running on a treadmill that doesn't rock back and forth. Or maybe even running outside!

·       Having more than one pillow, although I am getting used to the simple one-pillow lifestyle.

·       Unlimited supply of water.

·       Cool weather. I have had a lot of warm weather, and I have realized that I like four seasons. I cannot deal with having hot weather year round. Luckily, we were able to experience cool weather in China and Japan – so refreshing!

·       Having a place to hide. On the ship, there are 700 students in a confined space. I have a roommate. It is rare to have time alone.

 

As we come to the end of the voyage, I am realizing how much I will miss Semester at Sea. It has been one of the best decisions of my life (a special thanks to Petra and Kate). I already have a different perspective on the world. The countries that we visited are much more relevant to me. When I read the news, I am instantly interested in many more countries. We are also now aware of all the horrible things that occur in the world. Right now, a lot of us are confronting the issue of what we can do to help. It is hard to figure out something sustainable to do rather than throwing money at an issue. Anyways, I have a while to contemplate these issues.

 

As the trip is nearing the end, I'd love some ideas for my last blog postings. If there are any questions that you want to ask, leave a comment. I love hearing from everyone back at home!