Day 8. Almost...

We are getting close, and the shipboard community is evident of that fact. We hit some waves today, there is a storm ahead, and everybody is getting a little land-hungry. Today in Global Studies, we learned of the rocky history of Spain. I was so angry. Having taken 7 years of Spanish, I figured I had a pretty good handle on Spanish history and culture. I knew nothing. I was ashamed at myself, and truthfully, angry that I never learned it.

For instance, Spain was ruled by a facist dictator all the way until 1975! After Franco, that dictator, finally died in ’75, the country was able to spit out a democratic constitution in only 3 years. As our lecturer put it, those few years were on constant teetering, whether Spain would grow into a new democratic society or revert to the oppression they had dealt with throughout the past century. At one point, with the entire Spanish government assembled in parliament, socialist thugs broke through the entrance and took the members hostage, claiming a coup d’etat. As David Gies put it, for everyone in Spain, this was it. The King Juan Carlos would surely endorse the attackers (he had supported them in the past) Things would return to the socialist hell again. In a surprise move, the King appeared on TV and said that the country would not give in, democracy would ensue.

It did. Spain is now a thriving society and continually surprising its citizens and tourists alike. They are still deep rooted in Spanish culture and custom, friendly, outgoing, and welcoming… of course, the beauty of this trip is this is what I’ve learned. What they actually are, I’ll learn first hand in just… well, 24 hours!

My friends and I booked a hostel in Madrid tonight. We got a 10-person room right off the main drag in a hostel that was rated the number one place for hostels in the country! All for only 20 euro a night. Fan-tastic.

Cultural Pre-Port

Before every port, the shipboard community comes together for 3 meetings. The first was tonight at 2000, called cultural pre-port. The purpose is to prepare us for cultures and customs that we will see off the ship. We discussed music, transportation and the likes, and also the way that Spaniards see the United States these days. Tomorrow, the 2nd of those meetings occurs, called Logistical Pre-port. This covers the- you got it, logistics of the stop. Where the ship is located. Health and safety, hospitals, on-duty numbers and the like. Finally, upon arrival, our last meeting occurs. This is the Diplomatic Briefing. At each country, a member of the US Diplomatic team (embassies, state department, etc.) meets us at the dock, boards the ship and gives up-to-the-minute information about individual places in the country.

ISE does a great job in preparing us, and I feel great about the whole thing.

Wednesday morning, I’ll be up at 4:00 AM. Why? Because I will be standing on the bow (forward) of the ship looking out at the horizon in front of the ship. I’m determined to see the first lights or glimpse of Spain appear where there has been nothing for 8 days. It’s going to be a great moment.

The ship loses one more hour tonight, and when I awake, I will be on the same time zone as those in Spain. BOO YA. We are now EST + 6 Hours. Wow.

Talk Tomorrow.

Greg.