I could not think of a more amazing way to end my time on land for Semester At Sea Spring 2009.
The Volcano climb was so hard. No. Hard will never convey what it is. I don't think I've ever attempted something so physically and mentally challenging. We fought through cramps, through closed paths, through cycloning weather patterns that went from 60 to 30 degrees in a minute, through a massive thunderstorm and nickel-sized hail at our mid-mountain camp. I was one of the few that suffered from Altitude Sickness, but I seem to be okay now.
In the end, when I crossed the summit at 13,044 feet higher than anything in all of southern Guatemala... on the 3rd highest volcano peak in Central America... RIGHT next to "El Fuego," an active volcano that erupted 3 minutes after we reached the summit ... Almost every one of us had tears in our eyes. it was the most amazing feeling, I never thought I could do it.
I will write extensively about this after I'm rested.
For now, we've all boarded the ship for the last time. The sign that sits at the gangway says "FT. LAUDERDALE" under the 'Next Port-of-Call' header, and we're all feeling it.
Talk to you later. I'm going to bed.
Greg
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Re: Safe.
Re: Safe.
David Lessans
I could not think of a more amazing way to end my time on land for Semester At Sea Spring 2009.
The Volcano climb was so hard. No. Hard will never convey what it is. I don't think I've ever attempted something so physically and mentally challenging. We fought through cramps, through closed paths, through cycloning weather patterns that went from 60 to 30 degrees in a minute, through a massive thunderstorm and nickel-sized hail at our mid-mountain camp. I was one of the few that suffered from Altitude Sickness, but I seem to be okay now.
In the end, when I crossed the summit at 13,044 feet higher than anything in all of southern Guatemala... on the 3rd highest volcano peak in Central America... RIGHT next to "El Fuego," an active volcano that erupted 3 minutes after we reached the summit ... Almost every one of us had tears in our eyes. it was the most amazing feeling, I never thought I could do it.
I will write extensively about this after I'm rested.
For now, we've all boarded the ship for the last time. The sign that sits at the gangway says "FT. LAUDERDALE" under the 'Next Port-of-Call' header, and we're all feeling it.
Talk to you later. I'm going to bed.
Greg
--
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Safe.
I could not think of a more amazing way to end my time on land for Semester At Sea Spring 2009.
The Volcano climb was so hard. No. Hard will never convey what it is. I don't think I've ever attempted something so physically and mentally challenging. We fought through cramps, through closed paths, through cycloning weather patterns that went from 60 to 30 degrees in a minute, through a massive thunderstorm and nickel-sized hail at our mid-mountain camp. I was one of the few that suffered from Altitude Sickness, but I seem to be okay now.
In the end, when I crossed the summit at 13,044 feet higher than anything in all of southern Guatemala... on the 3rd highest volcano peak in Central America... RIGHT next to "El Fuego," an active volcano that erupted 3 minutes after we reached the summit ... Almost every one of us had tears in our eyes. it was the most amazing feeling, I never thought I could do it.
I will write extensively about this after I'm rested.
For now, we've all boarded the ship for the last time. The sign that sits at the gangway says "FT. LAUDERDALE" under the 'Next Port-of-Call' header, and we're all feeling it.
Talk to you later. I'm going to bed.
Greg
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Here in Guatemala Day 1
Hey all
Today was insane... we went to this place called Iztapa lagoon nearby Puerto Quetzal (where the ship is docked).
I'll write all about it later, but it was one of the most deserted "where are we" moments that I've had in the entire voyage. We ended up on a sandbar in the middle of a river (accessible only by a little dingy boat) that faced the ocean. We were told that it was a bustling place with restaurants, but what we found was pure abandonment. The dingy driver just left us there... in the middle of nowhere... and there was nothing and nobody around. All of the shacks were empty and boarded up, and here we were, 8 americans on a black sand beach (Guatemala is known for their black volcanic sand beaches). So... we went swimming in the Pacific, met a guy from Israel named Aaron and eventually found a way to get back to the mainland from our desert island and back to the ship after a great lunch in the middle of El Pueblo Puerto Iztaba.
Spanish is great. Every time I get in a spanish-speaking country I just go crazy. I can communicate pretty well, I've found, and actually had a really long conversation in only Spanish with a police officer today. When the conversation ended with 'hasta,' I was like beaming at how great it is to talk in a foreign language.
The ship has a curfew of 2300. I'm back earlyish, it's 2131, but everyone should be coming back soon.
OK So tomorrow...
Tomorrow, I leave for the Acatanengo Volcano Climb. Here's the description:
"ITINERARY:
Day 1: In the morning, transfer to the foothills of the towering, twin-peaked Acatenango Volcano. Then begin a
six-hour strenuous but rewarding hike through fields and Pacific cloud forest. Spectacular views over neighboring
volcanoes, the Antigua Valley and even Lake Atitlan will accompany the hike. The tree line stops at 10,500 feet, a
clear sign that we are close to the peak. Reach the summit after lunch, and from our 13,044-foot perch, catch
amazing views over nearby, smoking Fuego Volcano. Make camp near the summit and enjoy a hot meal before
retiring for the night in a tent. (L, D; tent)
Day 2: A pre-dawn wake-up call is provided for those who wish to hike back to the peak for a summit sunrise.
Your reward includes magnificent views over eleven other volcanoes in the distance, Lake Atitlan to the west, and
the Pacific Ocean to the south. Return to the campsite, have breakfast and then head down the mountain. Once in
Antigua, enjoy a late lunch and then some free time before returning to the ship. (B, L) "
A few people with experience have said this is a "real" climb... not like table mountain (which was hard as shit already...). You have to worry about things like altitude sickness and all that. It should be an insane experience. Also, it's an active volcano. Past SASers, and the field office have told me that its common to roast marshmallows over the free-flowing magma that runs in different places. I will be able to share with you what actually happens once I'm back safe (IF i'm back safe, ha).
The Israeli who I met on the beach today had just come back from the same volcano, and told me to expect "a different world up there."
So. Without further adieu... wish me luck, and I'll talk to you in 2 days!
Best,
Greg.
ARRIVED in Guatemala
Day 100. It's Day OneHundred.
Rewind.
We're at Day One Hundred!?
UNBELIEVABLE. If you would have asked me before the voyage, or when I boarded the ship in Nassau if we would ever get to Day 100, I never would have believed you. And yet, we're here.
Coinciding with Day 100, tomorrow we arrive at our LAST port-of-call: Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We're all so excited for this last port, and we have spent the entire week both rounding out our academics and prepping for Guat. Tonight, we had our last logistical pre-port with Luke, Les and Reg, and it was a really bittersweet time. We've looked forward to pre-ports before arrival in each location, and we remember them quite well... some of the best moments from the voyage have happened with all of us around the union for pre-port. I can't believe the last one is finally behind us!
In other news, I met with Marjorie, one of the lifelong learners to do a end-of-the-voyage interview. She had interviewed me before the voyage to get a feel of what I was expecting, and now talked to me about what had hpapened over the past few months. One of the craziest things that I realized was the word association drill she did with me. Before leaving (via skype between Baltimore and her in Colorado), she had read off each of the ports of call and asked me to describe them in 5 words. Before we left on the voyage, I could barely get through 1 or 2 words for each country. When she asked about mauritius, the only word I could come up with was "island."
Now, after the voyage, she repeated the exercise, and I found words freely flowing out of my mouth for each of the countries we have stopped in. They really are "real" places, now. We talked a lot about her experiences, and her time with re-entry at the end of her 3 voyages. It was a great conversation.
I also took my Biomedical Ethics final today and turned in my final portfolio of writing for my Media Studies class. Also... brace yourself... I got an A in Global Studies class!! I was way way overjoyed, and extremely surprised. It was quite a nice surprise.
Really, though, it's a weird feeling knowing that tomorrow we'll be on our last approach to a port-of-call. Guatemala promises to be a very different experience than any of our other countries, and our only port called on in the Americas. I'm very excited, and am gonna hit the sack so I can wake up early tomorrow, see us come in, and welcome the American Diplomats on board for our last Diplomatic Briefing.
Alrighty... good night from off the coast of "The Guat"
Greg
Monday, April 27, 2009
Day 99. Part 2. Current Events Affecting the Ship
Hey guys
In the past hours and days, many current events have had an indirect or direct on the ship.
*Guatemala Crime- Guatemala, our final port of call (we arrive on Tuesday), has had a surge of recent violence, especially towards tourists (great). ISE has let us know, repeatedly, about all of these threats and how to counter them. The ship has mandated a 2300 hours curfew while in port, whether on the ship or in town, and has advised against traveling anywhere after sunset. I am not worrying too much about it, but we'll definitely be alert.
*Swine Flu- If you're following the news, you'll know about a break-out of Swine Flu that is slowly becoming a health problem. It's epicenter is in Mexico, but cases have spread to the US, New Zealand, UK and Israel. Given its immediate proximity to Guatemala, this is a real concern to all of us. We were briefed this evening on it. Ironically, Greg Weaver, one of the UVA medical students who had joined the voyage from India to Japan had given a lecture about the very possibility of a influenza pandemic.
*Italian Cruise Ship escapes Pirates in the Gulf of Aden- For those of you who have followed the voyage from the beginning, you'll know we changed our itinerary to avoid the Gulf of Aden back in December, 2008. A cruise ship flagged in Italy just out-ran pirates who attempted to board and fired "hundreds" of rounds in the air at passengers on the deck. Everybody's safe. Good thing we avoided the area. They left Cape Town and sailed east to the Suez to go back to Italy... eerily similar to our route.
*ANC wins South Africa Election- Back in Feb., when we were in Cape Town, I had countless discussions with people about the "big election coming up" in April. The ANC has come out on top, and critics are calling the peaceful election "a great step for SA's democracy"
-
So yeah. Hopefully things will be safe and healthy in our last port of call! I'm getting back to studying for my biomedical ethics final, which is at 0800 tomorrow morning.
PS. We jumped an hour last night and are now EST -2 hours.
Talk tomorrow.
Greg
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Day 99. The account of a Sunset.
I's 1906 here (7:06 pm) and I'm sitting on deck 7 aft looking out at the sky. So many people are out on the 4 external decks looking out back at the ocean, because the sun is just a few degrees from setting. Since we've been heading almost due east this entire voyage, the Sun has always set directly behind us, literally retreating into our wake.
Tonight is cloudless, a perfectly round fireball changing from yellow to red, to a deep purplish hue now, it is truly awesome in the most literal sense of the word- we are all in awe.
More people have come to join now, everybody is leaning on the rail with their elbows and just letting the wind hit them in the face. Even though people are chatting, most people aren't talking much. This is one of those quiet moments that inspire reflection and introspection. As I said in Namibia, there are times in our lives that we wonder whether what we are seeing is real or is just thought up in our minds. This is one of those moments.
It's just a centimeter off of the horizon, now, and half of it has run into a really thin cloud. It looks like the sun is cut in half across the middle.
People keep turning around with their cameras on video mode, recording everybody's reaction to this.
It's hit the horizon now, sitting on the edge of the water. People are hugging, couples have their arms around each other.
This is really insane. It's just sitting on the horizon, as if somebody hit the pause button. The perfectly round ball is about a a third way descended, and has changed all sorts of glowing colors, like an ember in the base of a fire, maybe.
Halfway down now. Silence on the decks. The only sound around me is my fingers hitting the keys. Not one person, including myself, is looking anywhere but directly out... west at the last remnants of the sun.
Only about a third remains, and it's barely pink. This is the moment where everybody looks, trying to see when the last little bit of sun disappears.
....
... Almost .... a barely perceptible little peek.
And... ..... done. 1914. Everybody's clapping. Everywhere, faces have turned back around, looking back towards the ship and resuming their activities. The sun is down, and the sky is now following. It'll turn a few different shades before going dark within the hour.
A minute past sunset, and the amount of people on the decks has been reduced by half. Everybody has things to do, finals to study for, papers to write and conversations to be had. When we're on a ship sailing around the world though, it's amazing to have moments like this that remind us just how amazing this time really is.
Greg
Day 98. Global Ends!
I was awoken this morning very abruptly by none other than Captain Jeremy.
He alerted us as soon as he was done talking, we would have a mandatory all-passenger muster station drill. We're fairly used to these by now, and the whole routine is down- grab your lifejacket, put on warm clothes, and go to your muster station (mine is A1). We're required to do a drill once a month so this was our 3rd or 4th time shuffling up there, and the urgency has definitely disapeared. Instead of freaking out when the ship's general alarm sounded, I moseyed out of bed, brushed my teeth (I figured my morning breath would be the biggest health hazard of the ship), and then ran upstairs to the outside deck.
Ahhh, mornings aboard the Explorer.
The rest of the day was spent cramming for our global studies final, which happened at 1600. It was tough. I was annoyed at a lot of the questions, but I'm not getting too worked up about it. After the test, we had a great sunset-filled dinner and just hung out all night laughing, playing scrabble and talking. The ship also showed 3 new episodes of 'The Office' as well. It was nice to do anything besides study. Tomorrow is a "study day" and I plan on sleeping in and relaxing. I have a short multiple-choice test the following day, so I'll review some of that, and we'll be in Guatemala before we know it!
Thanks for all your emails, as always.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Greg
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Day 97. Finals, Finals, Finals
Hey... didn't get a chance to write yesterday, was busy studying for finals.
Just as an FYI, we added an hour last night and are now on California time!!! EST-3. It's really, really weird, considering 2 weeks ago we were scooting around the East China Sea.
I'll write more when we get through our global test today at 1600.
Greg
Friday, April 24, 2009
Day 96. Inside 2 weeks.
I remember, sitting in the comfort of my apartment in College Park, MD, reading the blogs of students on the Semester at Sea Fall 2008 voyage.
There were a few that I kept up with, and read with anticipation and excitement day after day, in preparation for my own voyage.
One entry jumped out at me, and I've never forgotten it. The student wrote "I can't believe in 2 weeks this whole thing will be over."
I sat, pondered, tried to imagine what this girl was going through- how she could be on the end of something so massive that I hadn't even begun. And now, it's my turn... 13 wonderful days left aboard this voyage of a lifetime. Still, as sappy and melodramatic as it sounds, I've already come to one conclusion about SAS. That girl, the one who wrote the blog, her voyage on the ship was ending, but the massive voyage that is life after this experience hadn't even begun. So, instead of living each of the next 13 days in mourning of what's over, I'm attempting to stay in the moment: I've been going outside much more often, catching sunrises and sunsets with increasing frequency, and spending as much time as possible simply watching the water go by- because I can.
In the mean time, I'm crankin out papers like I'm getting paid to do it. I knocked out 2 more FDPs today, and finished 1/2 of my final Biomedical Ethics paper tonight. I'll finish that bad boy up tomorrow by the afternoon, and then crawl in a hole and study for my global exam on Saturday morning. It's so hard to do work on this ship!
In other news, Jodi and Holly Tompson (Jodi's a business professor and Holly's his wife) took me and 5 other people out to "fancy dinner" downstairs in the special dining room tonight. I have been tutoring their 8th grade son, Ben, in algebra, throughout the voyage... and this was their thank you. They also have 2 other younger kids who are so much fun to mess around with. I'll miss them all a lot. We enjoyed 5 courses, champagne and 2 bottles of wine amongst the 7 of us, and it was really lovely. Global studies also ended this morning, with a review session to follow tomorrow.
Off to bed so I can attempt to right my haywire sleeping habits. Losing an hour every other night has certainly taken its toll on me.
Good night everyone,
Greg
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Day 95. Workin towards the end of academics
Like I said like 3 months ago, it's very easy to forget that we're at school here. Still, aboard a floating university, the faculty always like to remind us, and we're in the heat of the work right now.
We have 2 more days of classes, and then our looming Global Studies final exam. After that, we have our A-day final exams before our last port-of-call, Guatemala. After 3 days there, we have B exams, and then its our smooth sailing all the way north to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
Today, I spent my time writing FDPs for classes and starting to study for global. I napped, watched some scrubs, and hung out with friends like we always tend to do on our days at sea. The water has calmed out after a rough departure from Hawaii, and we've got nothin' but 3,000 miles ahead of us before arriving in "the Guat."
Yesterday, the entire ship was privvied to a great evening function, called "Dirty Jobs: the Cast and Crew of the MV Explorer." The four top-ranking officers (Capt. Jeremy, the Staff Captain, Hotel director and Chief Engineer) sat at a long table and answered our questions about everything from recycling aboard the ship to pirate defenses. I took a bunch of notes so I could type up some of the most interesting answers, and here they are below!
Q: Tell us about water usage
A: The ship produces up to 500 TONS of water a day through de-salination techniques. Average ship consumption is 120 tons of water per day while we're at sea. It's slightly less while in port (many people sleep off of the ship)
Q: How many potatoes does the ship use (We eat a lot of starch)
A: The ship plans on 500 g of potatoes per person, per day at sea. That averages to almost 400 POUNDS of potatoes consumed daily
Q: Does the ship recycle?
A: There is no recycling on board; but glass is crushed, cans are compacted, separated, and then delivered to reclycling centers in each port-of-call
Q: How much does it cost to traverse the Panama Canal?
A: For our ship, it's approximately $114,000 to cross the canal
Q: What about fuel usage?
A: The ship can hold 1,190 TONS of fuel in its tank. It takes approximately 700 tons to go from Hawaii to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala (about 3,300 miles). The ship gets about 8.5 to 9 miles per ton on average.
Q: What's the most fuel-efficient speed?
A: Stopped. No, but seriously, about 14 knots, when 1/4 engines are running at 85%
Q: How is electricity generated?
A: The ship has 4 major generators. 2 are used while at sea, and all 4 are used while entering and leaving the harbors (because the ship takes a lot of power to get into such tight berthing places)
Q: Tell us about Pirates!
A: We utilize the 'Monty Python defense mechanism' : "Run away! Run away!" <laughs>. Seriously though, we can travel up to 30 knots, and anything over 17 knots is pretty much impossible to board the ship. We also have a newly acquired magnetic acoustic device that can produce a... quite uncomfortable intense beam of sound at anybody trying to board the ship. We also utilize old-fashioned methods such as high-pressure fire hoses and water jets to prevent anybody trying to overtake us.
Q: How many man-overboards have you had in your four years as captain of the MV Explorer? What's the craziest thing students have done in your tenure?
A: None. And you all pretty much 'shape up' when you see me coming, so I don't see too much craziness
Q: What are the stabilizers, how do they work, what do they do?
A: They are 4 meter long aerofoils that extend in the water on each side of the ship. They are equipped with a gyrosphere that can tell how the ship is pitching and rolling. If the ship rolls to the starboard side, the starboard fin would angle up, and the port side would angle down- returning the ship to normal position.
Q: Captain, if you're here, who's driving the ship?
A: I don't actually "drive" much. I get to "Park" the ship when she comes into harbor, but other than that, 3 first officers rotate on 4 hour shifts to drive the ship from port to port.
Q: What about your function as "the law?" Since we're in international waters, do you have the final say in everything?
A: I technically represent the flag-nation of the ship, the Bahamas. If a major crime was committed, though, I would alert US Authorities. Other than that, SAS would deal with minor discipline issues.
Q: Can you marry people while at sea?
A: My wife doesn't let me.
Q: How far can the ship roll safely (my question)
A: Amazingly, the Explorer can roll all the way to 67 Degrees in either direction and return safely. Any more than that, we would face a possible capsizing.
Q(Follow up): How far did we roll when we hit the massive wave at the harbor in Casablanca?
A: I'm not sure, because I was clutching anything i could find in the bridge. However, based on the horizon line, I would estimate nearly a 40 degree roll. It was pretty bad.
... Alright, that about does it! It was very interesting, and I walked away saying "I want to be the captain of a ship!"
To clarify on the Morocco incident, the harbor is very shallow, and rough waves went straight to the surface into a major groundswell that rolled the ship. I asked the captain afterwards if he was worried at that point. He laughed and said no, and that it would take a lot to worry him.
... Okay. Time to go to sleep. Shout out to Elyssa's mom, who apparently reads my blog!
Good night from the Pacific,
Greg
FYI: we move an hour, and are now at EST -4 !
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A Guest Writer on GLessansAtSea !
Hey everyone.
My good friend Hannah on the voyage had an insane experience in Japan, and I want to share it with you. When she told me the story in its entirety, I had to fight back tears. You know when everything seems horrible, and like your life is just going to end... and then all of a sudden, things just seem to "line up". All of a sudden, the most horrible situation may turn out to be a wonderful one.
This is Hannah's story of losing her US Passport in Tokyo Japan, 24 hours before the ship sailed to Hawaii (No passport = no sailing = game over, go home.)
Enjoy it! Her blog is http://hpontheship.blogspot.com in case you'd like to keep up with her travels or get some more insight on the trip!
--Greg
*Her blog entry, copied in part, appears below*
"The next morning we woke up, got ready to meet Chris for Adrienne’s tattoo appointment, and I realized my purse was missing. FML. Game over. Life over. City of misfortune. I searched the room through and through. I checked everyone else’s bags, I wandered the streets, I went back to the club but it was closed and wouldn’t open again until 3pm. My purse was nowhere to be found. Everything was gone.
Now I know that losing those possessions was incredibly stupid and irresponsible and I felt horrible. I wanted to dig a deep, deep hole and crawl into it and never come out. I felt ashamed that this kind of idiocy could have happened to me. Who leaves their purse with ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS and OTHER PEOPLE’S belongings in a club. WHO? I do. Sooooo sooo sooo stupid.
We met up with Chris and told him the situation. He immediately brought us to a police cube, which they have on nearly every street and we reported the loss/theft. I could barely talk. I couldn’t eat. I felt terrible that this was putting a huge, black rain cloud over everyone’s second-to-last day in Japan. I didn’t want anyone to miss out on their plans because of my foolishness. Kendra had planned to meet up with Mary, so I told her to go. Adrienne wanted to get a tattoo, Jill was going to go to the Pokemon store, and we both had tickets to go to a Japanese baseball game and I didn’t want her to miss it.
Kendra went off at noon to meet Mary, Jill met up with Win to tell him she couldn’t come to the Pokemon store, and then Adrienne, Chris, Jill and I went to eat since it was noon and we hadn’t eaten.
I didn’t eat. I just sat, wanting to wake up from the nightmare I was in. I decided that I would go back to the club at 3 to make sure my bag wasn’t there. I hoped and prayed and wished it would be there. Everyone kept telling me that if you lose something in Japan, people will turn it in to the closest police station. They told me no one steals. City of lies.
After everyone ate, Chris took Adrienne to get her tattoo. Jill and I came with and waited while the tattooist embellished the design and colored it in and drew it on Adrienne’s shoulder. We watched him start the process and then Chris, Jill, and I went back to the train station so Jill could catch a train to get back to the ship in Yokohama and meet up with the people going to the baseball game. Jill was really hesitant about leaving me, since I literally had nothing. No passport, no credit card, no debit card, no cash, no phone, not even the green information sheet we are given by SAS for each port that has important phone numbers and addresses on it. Chris let me use his phone to call Mary, though, and I planned to meet Kendra and Mary in another district of Tokyo, so I wouldn’t be totally alone.
So we went to the train station and got a guard to open our locker since the key was in my purse. That cost extra. Then we got our huuuuge backpacks out and Jill hugged me goodbye. She gave me about 4000 Yen since I had no money. She was so good to me. Such a good friend. She really didn’t want to leave me, either, but I didn’t want her to miss out on Tokyo because of me. Adrienne had also been incredibly nice and understanding. I don’t know why they were being so nice, because I didn’t feel like I deserved anyone’s sympathy.
Jill left, and Chris helped me catch the right train to meet up with Kendra and Mary. I found them in the train station in Asakusa. I told them my plan to go back to the club and if all else fails to go the US Embassy to get a new passport. The embassy seemed like a last resort because I was still holding on to the idea that I would find my purse in the club. It is the city of magic, anyway.
They told me they planned to see the Thunder Gate and some other sights. I didn’t want to impede on Kendra’s time with her friend nor her one chance to see these things in Tokyo and I told them this. But I also told them that I had nothing. I didn’t know the language, the area, I had no way of contacting anyone, I had very little money. So Kendra wrote down some phone numbers and the address of the embassy from her green sheet on a piece of paper for me, and I went off in Tokyo, on my own. Completely alone, apart from my 30-pound backpack. I was scared out of my mind.
I got on a train back to Shibuya and went in search of Vuenos. I stopped in a hotel and asked for directions, but the concierge didn’t speak good English and didn’t really know where the club was. A guy behind me was talking in English so I asked him if he knew the club Vuenos. He did and he wrote out directions for me. City of miracles. After about 45 minutes of traveling on my own in Tokyo, wandering the streets, making wrong turns, staring wide-eyed at the Japanese characters on the train maps, taking wrong trains, I found the club. I knocked on the door, asking to go in and look for my purse. No one spoke English. I gestured and spoke slowly. They sent me up to the office above the club and the same thing happened. Finally they let me in and the Japanese man I had been talking to told me I wouldn’t find it. A band was tuning up on stage, as I hunted for my purse.
It was gone. Everything was gone. I had soooo hoped it would turn up, that no one took it, that it was just left in a corner behind a speaker. But no, it was gone. With disappointment, I told the man working at the club, “Arigoto (thank you)” and began to leave. Then I asked him if I could use the club’s phone. He got confused and wrote down the club phone number. I tried to explain and I realized that I really had no one to call anyways, so I just left.
I wandered back to the train station so I could go to Akasaka, a district in Tokyo where the US Embassy is located. I asked security what train to take. They told me to take two subways. So I went off in search of the subway station. Along the way I saw a few SASers. I asked a Megan, a friend from South Africa, if I could have her green sheet. She gave it to me and asked what happened. I told her and her group and they sympathized. I ran into another SASer and asked where the subway station was. She pointed me in the right direction and asked if I was okay. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t cry because I had to get to the embassy so I said no but kept walking.
I found the subway and got my tickets. Finally I made it to Akasaka. I’d say it was about 6:30 or 7 by this time, but I don’t have a watch. It was getting dark out though. I began wandering along the streets looking for the address. Of course the addresses aren’t plainly displayed on windows of buildings or anything so my prospects of finding this place were looking dim.
I began to look for someone who could help me and I saw a black man and woman walking along towards me, who looked like they were speaking English. I walked up to them and asked if they spoke English. The man told me yes. I asked if he knew where the US Embassy was and he gave me directions to the embassy. I thanked him, and then he said, “You know it’s closed, though.” That was it. I started crying. I must have looked so foolish: standing on the street, disheveled hair, pale-faced, carrying a backpack almost as big as me, wearing the same outfit from the night before, crying in front of strangers.
This man immediately asked what was wrong and, in between sobs, I told him that I was student studying abroad and had lost my passport and needed a new one by tomorrow in order to continue on with my program. He whipped out his phone and called the officer on duty at the embassy. How did he have that number in his phone, you may ask? Because he worked at the embassy! Aaron Baloney (great name), Chief of the Military Liaison Group, my hero. CITY OF MIRACLES.
I composed myself, and Aaron gave me the phone and I talked to the duty officer. She instructed me to come back as soon as the embassy opened the next day (8:30am) and bring either my birth certificate or driver’s license and the copies of my passport that I had. She also informed me that it might take 3 to 5 days to get a new passport so I should discuss my options with SAS. I had no options. If I didn’t get a passport by the next day, I wouldn’t be able to sail with the ship to Hawaii. I would miss 9 days of school on the ship, which is like the most school we ever have in a row. I would have to pay for a pretty damn expensive ticket to Hawaii. I had to get a new passport by the next day.
After I got all the information I hung up, and thanked Aaron profusely for letting me use his phone. His mom, Judy, gave me a big hug and said, “It’s okay, honey. I’m a mom.” I needed that hug more than she will ever know. Aaron asked if I had a place to stay for the night and I told him I was going to go back to the ship in Yokohama. He asked if I had money to get back to the ship and I told him I had about 2000 Yen. He, then gave me 3000 Yen and directed me towards the right train to take. I started crying again because I was so moved by his compassion. His mom put her arm around me and said that she had been having a crappy day until she met me and I brightened up her day. Oh you’re having a crappy day?
I thanked them for their help and they made me promise I would call once I got back to the ship safely.
Back to the subway. At this point I changed out my dress and tights from the night before and put on sweatpants. Earlier I didn’t feel like I had time to change or eat or drink or do anything. I also had a tiny box of Frosted Flakes that I jacked from the ship’s breakfast a few days before. In new clothes and with some food in my stomach I got on the subway back to Shinjuku. Once in Shinjuku Station I tried finding a train to Yokohama. A woman came over and asked if I needed help. I told her I needed to go to the Nihon-Odori station in Yokohama and she helped me buy a ticket for the right train. City of miracles. So many strangers helped me in Tokyo. Thank God.
I got on the train. I had to stand for a while until the car emptied out a bit. When I finally got a seat, I was exhausted. I had been hauling my huge backpack around all day and it had been a pretty draining day without the extra weight. Everyone else on the train was exhausted too. The Japanese really know how to sleep standing up while holding on to the overhead bar on a train. I’ve never seen anything like it. Every single person is asleep.
My stop was one of the last ones and it had been about an hour ride, but it could have been quicker if there had been less stops. I got off the train and saw some SASers. I asked if I could follow them back to the ship since I didn’t know where the ship was docked, because the last time I had seen the ship was in Kobe. They agreed and we made our way back. When getting back onto the ship everyone swiped their ship ID cards and when it came to me I told security I lost my card. She asked for my passport and I told her I lost that too. I explained that I had lost my bag that contained most of my belongings. She seemed frustrated and began asking me all of these questions like my room number, my ID number, what classes I took on the ship. Once she was satisfied that I am indeed a student on Semester at Sea she told me to go immediately to the front desk and alert them of my passport. I did so.
Honey, the lady at the front desk, made me a new ship ID and called the dean on duty. The advice from the dean on duty was to go to the embassy as soon as possible the next day and get a new passport. He said it could be done pretty quickly, and another student had lost her passport earlier and she already had a new passport. That gave me some hope.
I got back to my room and put down my bag. Kendra was there. She asked how everything went and told me that if I couldn’t get a new passport she would ask her aunt and uncle in Hawaii if I could stay with them until the ship got there. I couldn’t really handle that idea and at that point, all I wanted to do was call home. All I wanted was to talk to my mom. I tried to buy a phone card but Japan has its own network for phones and Internet so phone cards wouldn’t work and the Internet on the ship was turned off. I didn’t know what to do. I really couldn’t keep it together much longer.
I went over to Caroline’s room and told her what happened and asked her if her phone was working. It was and she let me borrow it. She let me use it the whole night, even after she went out. I have such good, caring friends. I am so lucky.
I went outside on the front of the ship and tried calling my mom. She didn’t answer because it was pretty early back home. Finally she called back and I broke down. I was scared, tired, devastated, and in need of some motherly love. She gave it to me. She was so supportive, so levelheaded. She was my mom and that’s what I needed then. Thanks Mom. I love you very very very very very very much.
Once I got a hold of myself, I called my parent’s college friend Mark Schumacher, who I planned to meet up with the next day and told him of the situation. He told me we could meet up a bit later after I sorted everything out at the embassy, so I said I’d call him the next day. Then I called Aaron Baloney and left a message on his answering machine thanking him for everything and letting him know that I got back to the ship alright.
It was weird having a phone again. I talked to my mom several times that night as she did more and more research on getting a new passport made. I finally went to bed around 1.
The next morning I got up at 6, I packed my smaller, more manageable backpack with my drivers license, a copy of my birth certificate, a copy of my passport, two passport photos, $100 USD (I had $102 USD left in my safe), 4000 Yen, the address for the embassy, Caroline’s phone, and some cereal and went on my way to the embassy. I got to the embassy at about 8:20am. I went through security and then took a number and waited. I was third in line, I believe. They called my number, I told them the situation, gave them all my papers, filled out some paperwork, and waited for them to process an emergency passport for me. An emergency passport is valid for one year. I have to get it renewed in the US when I get back. It looks the same as other passports, except it has EMERGENCY written across it and I think it has less pages. It also won’t have all the cool stamps, stickers, and visas my old passport had. But oh well, it’s a passport.
While I waited for my passport, I watched the cutest Japanese family. A mom, a dad, and a little boy and little girl. They spoke fluently in English as well. Those little kids were so cute. The mom was counting some yen, and the little girl leaned over her mom’s shoulder and said “Is that mine?” and her mom said, “No,” and the girl said, “Oh…well where’s mine?” Then the two parents got up to talk to one of the workers at the embassy and the little boy sat at the table trying to open his water bottle. “Daddy! It’s tight!” he cried out, when he couldn’t open the bottle. His dad didn’t respond. “Tight! Tight! Tight! Daaaaaaad it’s tiiiiiiiiiiiiight.” Still no response. It was pretty funny. Finally he gave up.
At one point I looked up and Aaron Baloney was walking towards me. I stood up immediately and thanked him again. I asked if he got my message and he said yes. I told him I would pay him back for his loan and he gave me his e-mail address and told me he was glad everything worked out. Aaron Baloney saved my life.
At about 10 o’clock I had a new passport, so I called the dean on duty on the ship and let him know, then I called my mom to let her know, everything worked out."
Goodbye, Hawaii... See you in a bit, USA
Hawaii was fantastic. I had such a good time, but things are moving so incredibly fast. We have one port left:
Puerto Queztal, Guatemala. We arrive in 7 days time.
Love from the Mid-Pacific.
Greg
FYI- Time change tonight. We are now EST - 5 hours! (remember when we were EST + 5, heading across the pacific to Spain!? CRAZY!)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Day 91. Tomorrow, the United States.
In just 5 hours or so, something will occur aboard the MV Explorer that I have never witnessed.
When we get nearly 90 miles off of shore, the deck hands will "run up the colors," that is, raise the necessary flags the ship must maintain while sailing into a working port. Many of them, we have no idea what they mean, and they change sporadically. However, two flags always mean the same thing:
At the aft of the ship, the flag of the Bahamas, the country to which our ship is registered, will fly... as it always does when we are in port. On the main staff, however, the flag of the host country will fly... in this case, the United States. Having been in East Asia just 9 short days ago and around the world before that, It's amazing to think that I will be entering my own country tomorrow...
At logistical pre-port, we joked about how the currency of choice in Hawaii is the United States dollar (which, as they told us, is equal to 1 USD). The language is English, and the emergency numbers is 911. These are things that have changed so often in the course of the last 100 or so days, and now they are so familiar that they're foreign.
In any event, we will arrive to the Island chain of Hawaii at 0600 tomorrow, and I plan on having a great time. My friends and I plan to hike through the island of Oahu and hang out on Waikiki Beach. It should be a great break from all of the studying and all of the rocking that the past 9 days have been... even though I am NOT complaining, I love the ship! It will be cool walking around with a wallet and not a money belt, and recognizing the wonderful cultural establishments like KFC and Taco Bell :-) .
Alright, that's enough writing for today. Talk to you in a few days!
Greg
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Days 78-82. JAPAN
We arrived on the western coast of the island-nation of
Early in the morning on day 1, Japanese custom officers boarded the ship for the first display of superior Japanese technology. Every passenger- students, life long learners, faculty, and staff ,had to have their temperature taken prior to entering the country. Normally this would take an extremely long time; however, customs simply brought an infrared camera up to the faculty staff lounge, and one-by-one, we walked right in front of it. It could sense our temperature, and alert officials if it was too high.
I was allowed to disembark the ship first, since I was part of SAS’s famous “Kobe Homestay” program. This is consistently one of the highest rated programs on every voyage it appears, and I understand why. There were only 35 spots, and I was lucky enough to get one of them. After clearing customs, the 35 of us went to the lower level of the port terminal and waited for our homestay families. All at once, a large group of Japanese families entered, and formed a circle, unfurling signs with “WELCOME <NAME>.” I looked around, searching for my name, and found it, written in typical Japenese style: “Konichiwa Lessans Gregory!”
And there my family was: Mama Naori, and the 4 kids, 3 boys and the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. Tatsuhiro was 11, Matsahiro was 9, Akihiro was 6 and cute little Ayano was 4. Naori spoke broken English, but was so happy to have me. Her kids were shy at first, but as soon as I picked up Akihiro and put him on my shoulders, that was it. They were in love, and I was a camp counselor/ jungle gym for the next 48 hours. We played games in the terminal with all of the families, and they taught us different dances and sayings before we all went our separate ways. Me and my family went into the garage into the big family van and headed to their home about a half-hour away.
The first thing I noticed was how distinctly Japanese Japan was. It sounds silly, but in so many countries that I have traveled, many facets of culture are reminiscent of home in the
When I got to the house, I walked in, and all of a sudden, everyone started screaming. I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to figure out what the hell was going on. Naori pointed at my shoes- I forgot to take them off! You NEVER wear shoes inside ANYWHERE in
After we dropped my stuff off ,we went to the grocery store where we bought boxed lunches and drinks, and then headed to the local park to play out in the sunshine for the entire afternoon. There, we sat and ate on the grass under the cherry blossoms, and met up with 2 other homestay families. We shared, in broken English where we lived, what we thought of
That night, a few of the homestay families got together to have one big dinner for a few of us. We made Okonomiake, a delicious meat-pancake, and tons of other types of food. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore, and was then surprised when the man of the house came in and yelled, “OKAY! TALENT SHOW!!!” to the roaring applause of the 20 other people there. I was forced to do something, so I whipped out some magic tricks for the much-loving Japanese crowd. We were the center of attention, it was great.
Now. Before I continue, I have to fill you in on something. Before we get to each port here on Semester At Sea, our field office distributes special “port information pamphlets.” These spiral binders are great things to read before entering the destination country, and have all types of information; currency, customs, greetings, handshakes, electricity- basically anything you need to know BEFORE you arrive. As usual, I found myself reading this pamphlet on
Back to the story. At about 10 pm, home safe and sound, Naori approaches me and says: “okay Gregory, you take bath first!” All of a sudden, my time reading that pamphlet came flying back to me. WHAT DID IT SAY!?!? I couldn’t remember a word, I wished I had finished that paragraph. I run upstairs and look in. Sure enough, there’s a tub with green water, a nozzle, a shower above it, and 3 or 4 bowls on the ground. There are knobs and dials that I have never seen. ‘SHIT!’ I think to myself. I look at Matsahiro, the 9 year old, who senses my confusion. I shrug, as if to indicate “what do I do?” He laughs at me. No dice. Finally, the solution comes to me: I run back downstairs and grab my laptop. I practically throw the 6 year old across the room to access the internet cable which I plug into the side of my laptop. www.google.com. Search: Japanese Style
Ahhhhh. Revelation. There, listed in 10 easy steps on WikiHow.com, is a full description of what to do. I read the list, now relaxing from my panic attack, quiz myself, and then go upstairs and enjoy one of the most luxurious baths I’ve ever had! In case you’re wondering, the process involves soaking, washing, soaking, rinsing, soaking, washing, rinsing again, all with different parts of the shower and bath. Once I got the hang of it, it was great.
The next day was spent with the homestay family, eating, relaxing, and trying on kimonos at their friend’s house ( I looked goo-ood). By the time 5pm rolled around, and it was time to drop me off at the ship, we all had tears in our eyes. In just 2 days, I had become very close to all of the kids and they were reluctant to let me leave. They watched as I got on the ship, and then I ran up to the 5th deck (the lifeboat deck) and reached over the side yelling “sayonara!!” Finally they turned and headed toward the car. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
--
Back on the ship, I had to move on from my homestay experience quickly. The ship was sailing at 2100 hours (9 PM) from
We hopped a small monorail from the port terminal to Sanomyia Station in
After we arrived, we dedicated a few minutes to procuring food and drinks for the night before searching for the hostel shy of the midnight curfew. We accomplished all 3, but barely made it to the hostel in time. We checked in at 11:45 by a pleasant non-English speaking Japanese woman who accidentally demonstrated her flatulent ability while we were standing in the lobby. She took us upstairs- and it was as traditional as it gets. A room with a straw-mat floor and 6 rolled-up futons. We stayed up late laughing, talking and sipping on Kirin Japanese beer, and then fell asleep- with the ship off the coast sailing north a few hundred miles away.
We awoke early the next day and nabbed a street-car to the
What followed was one of the most influential days of the voyage, and probably my life. What I found in
Most startling, however, was the message employed by the people of
What we found was completely the opposite. There was no animosity. There was no anger. There was no demand for repercussion. There was no blame. In fact, the Japanese actually accepted some of the blame, calling the bomb “ a result of misguided Japanese imperialistic policies.”
The entire park, the entire city, is just devoted to peace. Instead of asking why the bomb went off, they spend every ounce of their energy asking, how can we be sure it will never happen again. From the A-Bomb dome, one of the few remaining buildings from before the blast to the Cenotaph monument with the names of all 140,000 victims of the blast, to the eternal flame, which will remain lit until “all nuclear weapons are extinguished from the earth.” The museum was heart-wrenching and factual, and spent all of the time about the education of the damage that nuclear weapons can inflict on people. Normal people. Like the ones walking to work or to school in
My time in
We remained in
As I left
--
Catherine, Tessa, Nancy, Nate, Chazz and I arrived by train to
Our night out was great. We met up with some other SASers, and ended up eating and walking around the nightlife district of Roppongi, before getting a Karaoke room until 5 AM. This is a common way to get a cheap hotel room, and a few of the girls who didn’t have a place to stay just slept in the Karaoke room before being kicked out when the place “closed” at 5 in the morning. This of course came after we sang our tails off… which was quite a sight to see.
The rest of us with a capsule went back to the place and crashed for the night.
In the morning of day 4, I met up with Kara, and together with a few others, we toured through downtown
That night, after relaxing for awhile in a coffee bar, Kara and I met up with 25 other Jewish SASers for an evening I’ll never forget. It was the 2nd night of Passover, and the Tokyo JCC decided to invite us to come to their Seder, held in the American Embassy. The Jewish community was made up of some of the nicest people ever, who were so interested in our journey and the differences between our observance and theirs. Among native Japanese Jews, there were those who emigrated from the
The final day, I layed low. Having accomplished more in 4 days than I had in most any other country, Jill, Caroline and I hung around
My time in
Most importantly, though, were the people. I have NEVER met friendlier, more eager to help people in my life. Through language and cultural barriers alike, their obsession for respect and responsibility shines through. All you had to do is look confused in public, and somebody would come up to you and help. And I’m not kidding. It’s that real.
I’m truly privileged for having spent my time in
Greg
Additional!
I forgot to say:
-we had a great shabbat dinner tonight with everybody, we only have 2 more in the whole voyage!
- Jill and my performance went over great. Everybody has been walking up to us all day complimenting us, it's been so funny.
Alright that's it.
Day 90. 2 Days til Hawaii (Japan blog forthcoming)
Hey all
Today was great. After the talent show last night, we ended up staying up til about 4 AM, talking, playing and hanging on the top deck (it was so nice up there). So this morning, I slept in real late, grabbed lunch and just relaxed all day before going to class.
I did an interview with Jerry, the ship's videographer about my thoughts on SAS and the impact it's had on my life. I'm sure you'll read more about these two things in the coming weeks as I'm forced to put my emotions into words, but I'll share with you what I told him. Semester at Sea has put the world into focus in my life, and in many ways, its effects on me won't be seen until long after I'm off the MV Explorer. Since I've been experiencing this voyage with 700 other people, it's hard to measure personal growth or change... since we're all changing with eachother at the same time. It's when I get home, and can look at myself in comparison to things that have more or less remained the same, that I'll realize how different I act, think, perceive the world over which I traveled. In summation, NOT having these amazing people to talk to and de-compress with- the people who have been with me from the very beginning- is terrifying to me.
We had a very emotional discussion about war in my media studies class. My point of view was that if the people who have waged war were fortunate enough to see the world like we have, I doubt the war would have been waged in the same way. In my optimistic opinion, from the crusades to the holocaust, agressors had to view their victims not as human beings, but as a virus- a non-human problem to be wiped from the world. It's my opinion that nobody could do the atrocities our history speaks of if they considered them fellow human beings. I can only hope that's true. In that reasoning, if these people were able to see the smiling faces of the Vietnamese, the bustling steetcorners of Hiroshima, I doubt they would have been able to make the decisions they did. If we lived in a world where people saw eachother as people, it would be a very different world indeed.
We also shared an interesting program this evening at 2000. We participated in something that was designed to show us how different each of our backgrounds were, and how different each of our upbringings are. The moderator would read a prompt, like "I worry about holding hands with the person I love in public" or "me or one of my immediate family members have used food stamps" or "I worry about paying for my college education" ... and we were told to stand or sit according to how the prompt applied to us.
We broke into small groups and discussed what we saw. Les McCabe, the executive dean and president of ISE was in my group, and our discussion was really interesting. I think that there is a large stereotype about SAS that only affluent white Americans participate in the voyages, and yet, tonight's activity showed me that is untrue. Our shipboard community is made of people from different walks of life, different ethnicities, backgrounds and customs. It was a good insight to the community with which I've traveled the world.
Tomorrow, I'll post the Japan blog, write some FDPs for class, and get ready for HAWAII. I can't believe that our ship will be flying the US colors in just 2 days! It's crazy!
Talk to you tomorrow.
PS. Time Change tonight. We are now on Hawaii's time zone, EST -6
Japan Blog
Hey
Finishing the Japan Blog right now
It should be up in a few hours after I read over it!
Greg
Friday, April 17, 2009
Day 89. Evolution test done, Talent Show.
Tonight was such a great night. The big "Explorer's got Talent" show kicked off in the Union at 2000 hours, and featured upward of 30 acts from students, faculty, lifelong learners and staff.
Some of the performances, like Dave's poetry reading and the last song about how the voyage is ending in a few days will forever be with me. I already am trying to find a video of many of the performances so that I can watch them in the future.
Jill and I of course debuted our second song, entitled "On Land." It went over great, and was complete with two costume changes that happened during the act. We got the first standing ovation of the night and everybody loved it. Jerry, the vidographer, told us that he is going to cut a part of the performance in the voyage video- which would be awesome.
As I write, I'm sitting up in the piano lounge with like 15 friends. After the show, we all just collapsed here and made a giant circle. We have been eating our faces full and playing card games and making fun of eachother for about 2 hours now. It's the moments like these that I am truly going to miss. The world, it seems, will be around for a few more years at least- this community, however, has an expiration date- and it's creeping up on us. Sitting in the union, I realized how much of a community we really are. I know SO many people, and SO many people know me. Even the ones I don't know I recognize, and it's going to be too weird when this community splits up. Ah. Don't wanna dwell!
I'm gonna crash in bed. Only 2 more days til Hawaii!!!! Very excited.
Love from the Pacific.
Greg
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Day 88. Loving Life.
As I write this, it's just after midnight, and I'm sitting on the 5th deck starboard side outside. It's the deck with all of the lifeboats, and large external lights mounted on the side of the ship illuminate the water rushing past below. Walking out here, I couldn't help but thinking how alone we (our ship) is out here. Not a light, ship, or land nearby for 1,000 miles. If, for some reason, somebody decided to take a swim, the Pacific Ocean would certainly be their permanent residence. Nonetheless, we hit some beautiful blue calm seas today and the temperatures increased in our preparation for Honolulu.
I gotta say, I am quite excited to see the United States in 4 days. The past 3 months of my life has exposed me to so many cultures, but it will be almost surreal to see my nation's flag on the mainstaff of the ship on Sunday morning. Certain barriers like language, currency, communication, cultures will disappear for the 2 days on the island... and I think that I will notice it now more than ever before in my life.
With the voyage closing in on its second-to-last port of call, we are all following Les McCabe's advice to do what we want to do now, and not put it off any longer. I took advantage of that today. While sitting at dinner on the 6th deck aft outside, another incredible sunset began to form before my eyes. This is such a common occurrence that every time I see it, I say to myself "I should take a picture of this... but I have lots more time on the ship, so I'll make a point to bring my camera up one of these days and do that." Well today, I had that conversation, and decided I couldn't wait any longer- what if it was cloudy for the rest of the voyage... I'd never forgive myself!
So I ran downstairs to my cabin and back up outside, and as if on cue, all of a sudden something happened. Whenever something is spotted in the water- dolphins, whales, birds, somebody's boot, you see a group stand up and go to the rail. That of course attracts other people to stand up and see what's going on, and within like 13 seconds the entire deck is on their feet, talking about what may or may not be off the side. That happened this evening, and I walked over, camera in tow, to find out what was happening. Then I saw it. The biggest rainbow I have ever seen in my life, right there, 50 yards off the side of the ship. But not just the rainbow, the end of the rainbow, heading straight down into the water right in front of my eyes. Before I could register what was happening, I followed the rainbow up to the right, over top the ship, and right back down on the other side, hitting the water off the opposite side of the ship. We were literally under the rainbow... the brightest most brilliant rainbow I'd ever seen. Lucky enough to have my camera, I took about a million pictures, hugged friends in front of the camera and just took it all in. The rainbow finally dissipated, and the sun set on the horizon with huge cumulus clouds above it, changing colors to the second.
My friends, I finally know what the word "Awesome" was created for.
--
This evening, I received my global studies test grade (I got a B, oh well), and also took in the ship's play "The Persians" My friend Alicia played a part in it, so we all watched and cheered her on. I also booked our table for Ambassador's Ball, held 3 nights before we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale in May.
Well... it's beginning to rain out here, so I'm going to go inside and sleep. i have to be up early to finish studying for my evolution exam tomorrow. Ah! really raining now! Gotta go!
Talk soon. Pushing forward 1 hour tonight, now EST - 7.
Greg
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Day 87. Day off from classes, fancy dinner, and a stomach pump
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Day 86. Students of Service Auction, over $7,000 raised in one night
Hey all
The global studies exam went well, I think I did pretty well on it. We were certainly more prepared than on our first exam... and hopefully my grade will reflect that!
As for the sea, it's been an interesting day. We awoke to all external doors on the ship being locked up so we couldn't go out, which they really only do when the weather is particularly rough. As the day went on, conditions improved slightly (or maybe we just stopped paying attention to the rolling). We seem to be through the worst of it, though, and the noon report said we should hit calmer seas and warmer temperatures today. I must admit, though, while I was taking the Global Studies exam in the main dining room, I looked up from my 100-question exam and caught a glimpse out the massive back window at our wake. We were rolling left and right with waves crashing on all sides, and here I was, taking a test in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. With a very modern ship, it's easy to forget where we are, so I try to make it outside at night, when the lights are switched off, to realize how far from civilization we are, how vast a body of water we traverse...
The main event of the day was the Students-of-Service (SOS) Auction Day. This kicked off SAS's Ship-wide drive, which provides money for equipment, programming, scholarships and grants to future SAS students. It also helps the many charities, orphanages, townships and medical centers we have visited on our voyage around the world. There was a raffle, a silent auction, and a live auction. Here were some of the items
-The 'Flag' of each 'Sea' from Sea Olympics- I was the top bidder on my Sea's flag
-The official nautical chart of our voyage, signed by Captain Jeremy- went for over $200
-The chance to blow the horn while coming in to Fort Lauderdale, FL- over $100
-Read a night-time story by Joe, the Conduct Officer and retired- LAPD undercover officer
-The chance to raise the US Flag in Fort Lauderdale, FL - Over $200
-Pizza Party, Popcorn party, free cookies, etc.
- 1st student off the ship in FLL, Last Student off the ship in FLL
-A week in a lifelong learner's cabin in Springfield, IL... A week in a cabin in Anchorage, Alaska... A week in a timeshare in Grand Cayman... A weekend in a cottage outside of Yellowstone National Park. All of these prizes went for $500-1500, way less than what you would normally pay
-Announce that "The ship has been cleared" (by customs) in Fort Lauderdale, FL
-A lesson in Towel Animals by one of the cabin stewards
-A pair of overalls signed by the crew
-The original signed lyrics of "No Land," Jill and my song in the beginning of the Voyage
And TONS of other items. Like I said in the title, well over $7,000 was raised just tonight, and the ship-wide drive has just begun. it's a great cause.
Tomorrow, we have the day off from classes, and I plan on spending the time sleeping, relaxing and studying for my evolution test in 2 days. We are doing our ship-wide picture tomorrow at 0800, and then each university's students are taking an individual picture throughout the day. Also, the ship offers "Fancy Dinner," a 4-course gourmet meal for only 25 dollars in a private dining room. You have to reserve a table with friends in advance, and you all get dressed up and it's great. Since it was Jill's birthday on the ship a few days back, we are all doing it tomorrow night, which will be a great end-of-passover meal.
Speaking of Jill, she and I are planning another performance, and are busy writing the lyrics. Hopefully we'll finish that up tomorrow as well!
Talk soon, thanks for your emails.
Greg
