Also, the night before last was Taco Night.
That deserved its own blog post.
There was even guacamole.
It was a good day.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Desmond and Daniel
My two favorite people right now: Desmond Tutu and Daniel Epstein.
So, picture this. I'm on ship, the air is super salty, and I'm working out outside. I go inside to get water, and all of a sudden Daniel is behind me talking about how awful the sensor on the water dispenser is. A girl named Kaitlyn, who was also at Zumba, whispered in my ear "It's now or never.", so I was like "So….are you from Blaine?" He had a mini freakout when he realized that I, too, was from Blaine (more or less). I even ended up getting a hug (saltiness and sweat and all). It was fabulous. I am such a fan of all the entrepreneurs on here and of Unreasonable in general, and it's crazy that this guy is from small-town Blaine, and is somehow on the same voyage as I am. Trying to solve the worlds greatest issues, no less.
Just so you can see how big of a deal he is, check out this screen shot from yesterdays Dean's Memo:
Of course I went to the Fireside Chat last night, and it was great! He honestly seems like a down to earth, humble, and honest person, and he talked a bit about his time on Semester at Sea. He said that his life wasn't changed like it was for a lot of his friends, but rather reinforced his values and beliefs. I think that I'll get something similar out of Semester at Sea. I don't think my perspective will be turned upside down or I'll have a revelation that I've been chasing the wrong dreams, but I think that I'll change in more subtle ways. I guess we'll see!
The main reason he created Unreasonable is because he wanted to find a community where he would fit in. He said that neither the profit or nonprofit sector seemed to fit him 100%, so he had to create the community. That's a pretty unreasonable (in the best way possible) thing to do, and also incredibly inspiring.
Shout out to my mom: next time you go to Barnes and Noble, check out the book The Power of Unreasonable People.
But honestly, we're a little over two weeks in and I'm obsessed with everything Unreasonable. Last night at the Fireside Chat I ended up sitting next to Coleman, who is one of the guys who is on here representing the Nike Foundation. The Nike Foundations main goal is basically something called the Girl Effect, which is the belief that girls across the world are the one's who know best how to end poverty, because they're the ones who know what they (and their families) need. And when I say poverty, I don't just mean poverty, I mean the roots of poverty: inadequate access to water and sanitation, inadequate access to education and health care, etc. First of all, he's an amazing dude. The night before last Daniel interviewed the guys from the Nike Foundation and he ended up asking them what their most embarrassing moment was. They both didn't want to answer, but I guess as a rule of the Fireside Chats, nothing is off limits. So I was in the front row, sitting next to Coleman, and at the end when the audience is allowed to ask questions, he asked me to ask Daniel what his most embarrassing moment was. I guess this was his form of payback. So of course I did. A girl doesn't deny someone from the Nike Foundation. No matter what.
I ended up talking to Coleman a little bit after the chat and it came up that Daniel was from Blaine as well! I also told him about running into someone from high school in Hilo, and he said: "It sounds like someone is trying to tell you something", which I guess in a way is what this whole journey is about. I'm hoping to be able to talk to the entrepreneurs a lot during this voyage, and even more so to be able to work with them.
I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about Daniel from me throughout this voyage, so I'll move on to my other favorite person: Desmond Tutu.
Just the fact that I can call him one of my favorite people and have reasons to do so is mind boggling. I've said hi to him, I've heard his laugh, and I've heard him speak multiple times. Yesterday he came into my Globalization and Social Responsibility class (and he's coming again tomorrow to take a picture), and it was by far one of the most amazing experiences that I've ever had, especially inside of the classroom.
I don't even know where to start, so I guess I'll just spit stuff out as I remember it. He talked a lot about how it's easy to be idealistic when we're younger, but the challenge is to hold onto that for our entire lives. I ended up writing down a lot of quotes (whoa, I'm directly quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu), so I'll share those now:
When talking about our generation and our strengths, he said that we are always "dreaming of a world of greater equality."
"There are no ordinary people."
"One of the things I remember is just how much we owe to others."
When talking about where he gets his strength to keep going, he told the story of one woman who prayed for him constantly. He said "Here I am, being prayed for at 2am in the woods of California." Archbishop's can, apparently, be very very funny.
"We are all upheld by the love and prayers of so, so many."
When talking about his involvement with the Truth and Reconciliation Council, he said that the council had to be dishwashers, not vacuums. His theory is that vacuums suck up all the dirt, but they hold everything in. On the other hand, dishwashers clean the dishes, but all the dirt goes down the drain. He said that in order to survive the council with any hope in humanity left, the people listening to these stories had to be dishwashers, not vacuums. He followed this by saying "Human beings are remarkable. When you see the things that people have suffered."
One of the funniest quotes, ever: "I'm not name dropping, but I just got an email from Jimmy Carter. He said to say hi…so everybody…President Jimmy Carter says hi!"
When asked when we should take action to change things we care about: "Anytime is the right time. The mouse will not thank you for being considerate of the elephant that is sitting on him." He also said that "Many things should have happened yesterday."
Someone in our class has spent a significant amount of time in South Africa, and she noticed that a lot of the youth don't even know what Apartheid is. His response, which was also one of the most powerful quotes: "Apartheid was also in prison. White prisoners got long pants and beds. Now when people go the Robben Island, Nelson Mandela's cell has a bed. It has been romanticized. Young kids don't know what it took to get to where we are."
When asked how he handles dark days: "I laugh easily…but I also cry easily."
Just a little background on my personal favorite quote of the day. A guy in our class asked him what he thought of this idea from the Dalai Lama, and his quote regarding how sometimes it seems as though religion is pulling people apart instead of bringing people together. The Archbishop said: "If I place a knife on the table, it's morally neutral. If I take it and use it to cut bread, I am using it for good. But I could just as easily stick it in your gut. Religion is the same. Religion has produced a Mother Theresa, a Martin Luther King Jr, and the Dalai Lama. We have the capacity to turn anything into evil, but we also have the capacity to turn anything into good."
And one of the funniest quotes regarding his time spent with the Dalai Lama: "The cameras are on us, try to behave like a holy man."
Life is good. That is all.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Aloha from Hawai'i, and a couple other random ramblings
We left Hawai'i (to be said like a local) a couple of days ago, and we are now four days away from stepping foot in Japan (and therefore yummy snacks and food).
Sorry that it's been awhile since I've updated, but I swear I've never been so busy in my entire life. There always seems to be something to do. Hence why my Hawai'i update is coming a bit late. But let's start from the beginning…
The ship was in Hawai'i for a couple hours before we even got the chance to get off the ship. We had to go through immigration, which individually didn't last that long, but for 1,000 passengers took quite a while. Emily and I met up with a girl named Dehana right when we were going to get off the ship, and we both had the same itinerary, which included trying to find a luau, as well as a trip to Target/Walmart to get some last minute items before we leave the U.S for 3 months.
We ended up grabbing a taxi and sharing it with some other SAS students, and the driver somehow convinced us to go to Rainbow Falls, although we all originally wanted to be dropped off downtown. He said that downtown was downhill from Rainbow Falls, and it would therefore be easier to walk downhill to downtown than it would be to walk uphill from town to the falls.
Rainbow Falls was pretty awesome! Although I think that my time in Iceland made it hard for me, because honestly, I've seen cooler waterfalls. But still, being in Hilo was awesome. I think SAS chose Hilo because a) it's more cultural than the more touristy islands, and b) I'm pretty sure Honolulu hates SAS from the students who decided to leave a bad reputation in their wake.
We took a couple pictures at the falls and talked to some locals who were making hats, bowls, and other items out of coconut leaves. They were pretty amazing! But we didn't know if we could take them back on the ship with all the custom rules. All three of us ended up walking downtown, but Hilo doesn't have any sidewalks, so we were pretty much walking in the road. It was great for awhile, there were no cars and we were just kind of leisurely walking around and enjoying the fact that we were on land and in Hilo.
As a sidenote: land sickness is a real thing. After being used to constantly moving, being on still ground was just as much of an adjustment was it was first getting on the ship.
While we were in the middle of walking down to town, a lady in a truck pulled up and asked where we were going. This was one of the locals who was making stuff out of coconut leaves back at the falls. Turns out she was heading to the same place as we were, and she told us to get in the back of the truck. We all kind of stared at each other for a couple seconds, and then all of a sudden we were in the back of her truck. I guess in the couple of seconds we were looking at each other we figured that this lady seemed sane enough, and we were in Hawai'i, so we just went with it.
It was hands down the best thing about Hawai'i. It wasn't anything that we planned or prepared for, but it was an adventure in itself. Sorry parentals, I know you're probably a little freaked out, but look! I'm on the ship on my way to Japan in one piece! :)
After that we just ended up walking around downtown and getting the best shaved ice I've ever had in my entire life. I have a lot of pictures of that shaved ice. It had ice-cream in the middle, I'm pretty sure there were some beans in there somewhere, and cream on top. FAB-U-LOUS. YUM YUM YUM.
Dehana split from us and Emily and I caught the local bus to head to Target. Turns out all the R.D's and the Dean of Students were all on that bus headed to target. Emily and I were looking at a map, making sure that we knew how to get back when I looked up and…get ready for this…saw someone that I went to high school with! Alannah Hunsely! I'm not even kidding right now. I'm in Hilo, aka one of the smallest Hawai'ian cities, and I see someone from small-town Blaine! It was the craziest thing. All the R.D's started to freak out.
We spent a good couple hours at Target and then ended up calling cab to bring all our stuff to the ship. I am now stocked up on granola bars, ginger ale (for rougher seas), and snacks. Although once we get to Japan our entire cabin is going to be full with Japanese snacks. I already told my roommate, and I think we came to an agreement that that was ok.
While we were in Target, I was looking at something (I don't even remember what it was), but I wasn't sure if I would be able to bring it back on to the ship. I was just kind of kidding when I said "Semester at Sea people, where are you?" when all of a sudden I hear Craig (the Dean of Student's voice) say "What do you need?". Now, I wish that I could attach a clip of his voice, but it was legit one of the funniest things that will probably happen on this voyage. Classy.
I don't want to give an entire play by play, but I should also mention that for dinner I had the best coconut shrimp I've ever had in my entire life. I'm thinking that I might start to attach some pictures, but I know that that takes data storage, so maybe I'll just save them all for when I get home. I don't want you guys to know/see everything before I get home!
The second day wasn't as eventful. We tried to find a beach, but that was an epic fail. We ended up at a construction site. So I don't need to say anything more about that. We ended up back downtown and went to the farmers market.
That pretty much sums out Hilo. I guess I should also mention that about 200 SAS students decided that they should party in Hilo. We can all guess how that ended. One of the hotel managers said that they've never seen anything like it in the 30 years they've been in the hotel business. I'm pretty sure some people are going to be kicked out of the program when we get to Japan. Unfortunate, but hopefully people will start to get serious about this voyage.
The last couple of days have consisted of enjoying the sun and saying hi to Desmond Tutu when we walks by me.
No big deal.
I also had my first dinner with my extended family on the ship last night. It was quite the big deal. I signed up for this program at the involvement symposium, where I get grouped with some students and either faculty or lifelong learners, and they become our family while on board. The list of participants came out the other day, and my name wasn't on the list! They said that there were too many people so they just had to randomly select students. I just ended up emailing everybody under the sun until I finally got placed with a family.
My "parents" names are Tom and Linda Cunningham, and there are also about 7 other students who are in my "family". I believe that two of their kids have done SAS in the past, and if I heard correctly, their son is involved in some sort of water treatment thing in Nicaragua.
Today was the first "study day" of the voyage. I did plan on doing some work, but it was a joke because we had to fill out immigration forms for all the countries we're going to. That lasted about 2 hours or more. So our "study day" aka relaxation day wasn't either of those things because professors decided to assign some extra work and the Deans decided that this would be a great time to pile on immigration forms. I know that they need to be done, but whoaaa. For a nano second I wished that we were going to less countries. Just kidding. I would never wish that.
I also went to the worship service that was being held last night. We're going to have them every Sunday at sea. A guy named Wade that I've met is the one running it all, and it seems like it's going to be a great environment. I'm so happy to be building this community on board the ship. I can already tell that I'm going to miss is terribly when I'm gone, but now is not the time to think about that.
Anyway, sorry if this post is a little random, but honestly making it into multiple blog posts just didn't seem like a great idea. I'll try to keep up on my blog, but days at sea are busy and sometimes not interesting enough to blog about. I'll definitely try to do a post after each country though.
Thanks for reading, and if there's anything in particular that anyone wants to know or hear more about, let me know!
P.S. my roommate had lunch with Desmond Tutu and the Captain today. And Desmond Tutu made the staff get them ice-cream. To say I'm jealous is an understatement.
P.S.S. Ronald, Emily, and I (and probably a couple of other people) are going to have a Hunger Games movie night tonight! We can't show it on a projector in a classroom, because that would violate copy right laws, so crowding around computer is going to be fun. We'll see how this goes. Apparently there is a girl who brought her own projector and is sort of running an underground movie viewing thing on the ship. Maybe we'll try to track her down. There's also an underground snack exchange going on on the ship. It's kind of hilarious the stuff that is going down on here.
Sorry that it's been awhile since I've updated, but I swear I've never been so busy in my entire life. There always seems to be something to do. Hence why my Hawai'i update is coming a bit late. But let's start from the beginning…
The ship was in Hawai'i for a couple hours before we even got the chance to get off the ship. We had to go through immigration, which individually didn't last that long, but for 1,000 passengers took quite a while. Emily and I met up with a girl named Dehana right when we were going to get off the ship, and we both had the same itinerary, which included trying to find a luau, as well as a trip to Target/Walmart to get some last minute items before we leave the U.S for 3 months.
We ended up grabbing a taxi and sharing it with some other SAS students, and the driver somehow convinced us to go to Rainbow Falls, although we all originally wanted to be dropped off downtown. He said that downtown was downhill from Rainbow Falls, and it would therefore be easier to walk downhill to downtown than it would be to walk uphill from town to the falls.
Rainbow Falls was pretty awesome! Although I think that my time in Iceland made it hard for me, because honestly, I've seen cooler waterfalls. But still, being in Hilo was awesome. I think SAS chose Hilo because a) it's more cultural than the more touristy islands, and b) I'm pretty sure Honolulu hates SAS from the students who decided to leave a bad reputation in their wake.
We took a couple pictures at the falls and talked to some locals who were making hats, bowls, and other items out of coconut leaves. They were pretty amazing! But we didn't know if we could take them back on the ship with all the custom rules. All three of us ended up walking downtown, but Hilo doesn't have any sidewalks, so we were pretty much walking in the road. It was great for awhile, there were no cars and we were just kind of leisurely walking around and enjoying the fact that we were on land and in Hilo.
As a sidenote: land sickness is a real thing. After being used to constantly moving, being on still ground was just as much of an adjustment was it was first getting on the ship.
While we were in the middle of walking down to town, a lady in a truck pulled up and asked where we were going. This was one of the locals who was making stuff out of coconut leaves back at the falls. Turns out she was heading to the same place as we were, and she told us to get in the back of the truck. We all kind of stared at each other for a couple seconds, and then all of a sudden we were in the back of her truck. I guess in the couple of seconds we were looking at each other we figured that this lady seemed sane enough, and we were in Hawai'i, so we just went with it.
It was hands down the best thing about Hawai'i. It wasn't anything that we planned or prepared for, but it was an adventure in itself. Sorry parentals, I know you're probably a little freaked out, but look! I'm on the ship on my way to Japan in one piece! :)
After that we just ended up walking around downtown and getting the best shaved ice I've ever had in my entire life. I have a lot of pictures of that shaved ice. It had ice-cream in the middle, I'm pretty sure there were some beans in there somewhere, and cream on top. FAB-U-LOUS. YUM YUM YUM.
Dehana split from us and Emily and I caught the local bus to head to Target. Turns out all the R.D's and the Dean of Students were all on that bus headed to target. Emily and I were looking at a map, making sure that we knew how to get back when I looked up and…get ready for this…saw someone that I went to high school with! Alannah Hunsely! I'm not even kidding right now. I'm in Hilo, aka one of the smallest Hawai'ian cities, and I see someone from small-town Blaine! It was the craziest thing. All the R.D's started to freak out.
We spent a good couple hours at Target and then ended up calling cab to bring all our stuff to the ship. I am now stocked up on granola bars, ginger ale (for rougher seas), and snacks. Although once we get to Japan our entire cabin is going to be full with Japanese snacks. I already told my roommate, and I think we came to an agreement that that was ok.
While we were in Target, I was looking at something (I don't even remember what it was), but I wasn't sure if I would be able to bring it back on to the ship. I was just kind of kidding when I said "Semester at Sea people, where are you?" when all of a sudden I hear Craig (the Dean of Student's voice) say "What do you need?". Now, I wish that I could attach a clip of his voice, but it was legit one of the funniest things that will probably happen on this voyage. Classy.
I don't want to give an entire play by play, but I should also mention that for dinner I had the best coconut shrimp I've ever had in my entire life. I'm thinking that I might start to attach some pictures, but I know that that takes data storage, so maybe I'll just save them all for when I get home. I don't want you guys to know/see everything before I get home!
The second day wasn't as eventful. We tried to find a beach, but that was an epic fail. We ended up at a construction site. So I don't need to say anything more about that. We ended up back downtown and went to the farmers market.
That pretty much sums out Hilo. I guess I should also mention that about 200 SAS students decided that they should party in Hilo. We can all guess how that ended. One of the hotel managers said that they've never seen anything like it in the 30 years they've been in the hotel business. I'm pretty sure some people are going to be kicked out of the program when we get to Japan. Unfortunate, but hopefully people will start to get serious about this voyage.
The last couple of days have consisted of enjoying the sun and saying hi to Desmond Tutu when we walks by me.
No big deal.
I also had my first dinner with my extended family on the ship last night. It was quite the big deal. I signed up for this program at the involvement symposium, where I get grouped with some students and either faculty or lifelong learners, and they become our family while on board. The list of participants came out the other day, and my name wasn't on the list! They said that there were too many people so they just had to randomly select students. I just ended up emailing everybody under the sun until I finally got placed with a family.
My "parents" names are Tom and Linda Cunningham, and there are also about 7 other students who are in my "family". I believe that two of their kids have done SAS in the past, and if I heard correctly, their son is involved in some sort of water treatment thing in Nicaragua.
Today was the first "study day" of the voyage. I did plan on doing some work, but it was a joke because we had to fill out immigration forms for all the countries we're going to. That lasted about 2 hours or more. So our "study day" aka relaxation day wasn't either of those things because professors decided to assign some extra work and the Deans decided that this would be a great time to pile on immigration forms. I know that they need to be done, but whoaaa. For a nano second I wished that we were going to less countries. Just kidding. I would never wish that.
I also went to the worship service that was being held last night. We're going to have them every Sunday at sea. A guy named Wade that I've met is the one running it all, and it seems like it's going to be a great environment. I'm so happy to be building this community on board the ship. I can already tell that I'm going to miss is terribly when I'm gone, but now is not the time to think about that.
Anyway, sorry if this post is a little random, but honestly making it into multiple blog posts just didn't seem like a great idea. I'll try to keep up on my blog, but days at sea are busy and sometimes not interesting enough to blog about. I'll definitely try to do a post after each country though.
Thanks for reading, and if there's anything in particular that anyone wants to know or hear more about, let me know!
P.S. my roommate had lunch with Desmond Tutu and the Captain today. And Desmond Tutu made the staff get them ice-cream. To say I'm jealous is an understatement.
P.S.S. Ronald, Emily, and I (and probably a couple of other people) are going to have a Hunger Games movie night tonight! We can't show it on a projector in a classroom, because that would violate copy right laws, so crowding around computer is going to be fun. We'll see how this goes. Apparently there is a girl who brought her own projector and is sort of running an underground movie viewing thing on the ship. Maybe we'll try to track her down. There's also an underground snack exchange going on on the ship. It's kind of hilarious the stuff that is going down on here.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Be Unreasonable
Last night really sealed the deal. This is by far the coolest thing that will ever, ever happen to me.
The Unreasonable Institute hosted their first Fireside Chat last night (at 2115, go military time!), which is basically when Daniel Epstein (founder of the Unreasonable Institute) interviews one of the members of the team, which can either be an entrepreneur or mentor.
First off, I should probably explain The Unreasonable Institute. Daniel Epstein calls himself an impatient optimist, which is basically what Unreasonable is based off of. A bunch of entrepreneurs from all over the world got together in Boulder, Colorado, with the intent on trying to solve the worlds most pressing problems. And now they're all sailing with us! I know there is a guy who is doing something in the water field, so I'm trying to find them. There are also a group of cousins on here who have developed noninvasive technology to help blind people see, someone has invented hearing aids that are solar powered, and there is also someone who is developing a robot that can successfully soak up oil spills.
It's legit.
Last night Daniel interviewed Hunter Luvins (sorry for the possible misspelling of the last name, I don't have access to google), who is Times Hero of the Planet. Um, yeah. That just happened. She is one of the mentors for the Unreasonable Institute, and she's fabulous! She grew up with Martin Luther King Jr. and Caesar Chavez sitting around her table. When Caesar Chavez boycotted grapes, so did her family. She talked a lot about how the progress that will be made in this world will come from the unreasonable people. The people who are willing to travel around the world by ship. The people who are willing to think outside of the box, and maybe even face failure a million and one times before they succeed. The people of the arts. The science people. The creative people. The statistic people. The expressionists. The one's who are passionate about something and fighting for it.
I should also mention that the Prince of Saudi Arabia is one of the Unreasonable mentors.
I should also mention that this lovely screenshot is from yesterday's Deans memo.
What's that they say about denying and truth? Archbishop Desmond Tutu is already walking around this ship. I don't know how much more insane this experience could possibly get.
As if last night wasn't fabulous, this morning I woke up, got dressed, went outside, and realized that I was severely overdressed in my pair of jeans. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was warm. And then it sprinkled, the sky was still blue, and then a legit rainbow sprouted out of the water and everybody oohed and awwwed.
This is just the bare minimum of what has been going on. Hawaii tomorrow! The first day I think a bunch of us are just going to chill and possibly go to a store and get some things that we either forgot, or realized that we will desperately need sometime throughout the 3.5 months. For me, that's more snacks. We haven't even hit the hard part of the voyage where everything is unfamiliar and I'm already eating my Nutella and granola bars. I also broke down and got a smoothie this morning--I was going to at least try not to buy anything from Deck 7 until AFTER Hawaii, but I slept through breakfast this morning and decided that a smoothie was in order. The second day in Hawaii will revolve around more chilling, but a girl named Leana who knows Hilo really well is going to take me to get some local shaved ice (which is supposed to be heaven to the tastebuds) and the farmers market (which is supposed to be heaven in general). I'm excited! Mostly I'm just excited for land.
Funny side note: today at the end of classes, professors said "See ya next time. Have fun in Hawaii!"
I could get used to this.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Pacific Ocean Happenstances
While sailing somewhere in between Ensenada and Hawaii, two important things have happened:
1) I fell over in the bookstore. Literally. One moment I was looking at sweatshirts, the next I was falling on them.
2) I talked to Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Before anyone freaks out, it was nothing major. Emily and I were in the bookstore the same time that Desmond Tutu was, and he was going around the store saying "Hello? Hello?" in his totally cute old man voice. Nobody was in the store, but I found a note on the desk saying that all purchases can be made next door. I tried to explain it to him, but I got a bit tongue tied, so I ended up just holding out the sign for him to read. He ended up just laughing and saying "Thank you" (again in his cute old man voice), and walked out. Emily and I just stared at each other for a couple seconds before bursting out laughing.
It's crazy! We're in the middle of the ocean, we're in a bookstore in the middle of the ocean, and Desmond Tutu was there! He was wearing black knee high socks and black shorts, and I don't know if "cute" is the politically correct word to be using in terms of Desmond Tutu, but that seems to fit the best.
I also met someone who went to PLU for a year before transferring and she said she knew who Aaron Steelquist was! CRAZY! So if anyone else is reading this that is talking to Aaron, let him know that I met somebody else named Kaitlynn (spelling unknown, so I will use my own) that apparently knows him.
In school related news, I have officially had each of my classes once. Water for the World seems like it'll be a great class, but also a lot of work (hello team project and individual paper/presentation in front of 90 people). Globalization and Social Responsibility seems great as well, but also a lot of work. In lieu of the 12 page research paper, we can go on two Semester at Sea field programs (which are service visits that I'm already signed up for), but we still have to do the presentation. I'm not sure if this is a good deal or not. I mean I still have to do the research and the presentation, so I don't know if actually writing out the paper would be that much more work.
Social Psychology seems like it will be the most relaxing class so far, if psychology can ever be relaxing. The professor is going to tailor our class schedule and reading around ports. He didn't exactly come out and say this, but he's basically putting ports first and class second, which I appreciate. He was a student on SAS awhile back, so I think he's approaching this class with both a student perspective and professor perspective. He's part of the Von Hippel clan. Both him and his brother are professors on board, and they each brought their families. Even the grandma is here. So basically half the ship has the last name Von Hippel.
Women Writers Around the Globe seems like it'll be kind of challenging, but great. I really like the professor so far, she seems really approachable and easy going. We have a couple papers, but no prompts, which is going to be difficult. She talked a lot about Jane Austen the first class, so I think I'll enjoy it.
In way more exciting news, Hawaii in two days! I will kiss the land. I may even refuse to get back on the ship. Not really. But it's a nice thought. We've all been on the ship for a couple days now, and everybody is getting really restless. The 10 day stretch in between Hawaii and Japan is going to be a fun one, especially since we're supposed to hit storm after storm after storm. Roller Coasters won't seem so daunting after this. Cage diving with sharks in South Africa may not even seem as scary anymore.
Well, time to do more reading. Emily and I are going to go over our planned trips over lunch and see if we both have a free day where we can sign up for a day trip or service visits or something. A lot of people we've talked to don't have anything planned for Japan, so a lot of people are talking independent travel. Dong independent travel first seems a bit daunting, but it's really the only place I can do it. However, a lot of people don't plan on being back on the ship and are doing overland travel in-between Yokohama and Kobe, and I want to be on the ship. We'll see what happens.
STILL in the middle of the ocean, but not for long!
1) I fell over in the bookstore. Literally. One moment I was looking at sweatshirts, the next I was falling on them.
2) I talked to Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Before anyone freaks out, it was nothing major. Emily and I were in the bookstore the same time that Desmond Tutu was, and he was going around the store saying "Hello? Hello?" in his totally cute old man voice. Nobody was in the store, but I found a note on the desk saying that all purchases can be made next door. I tried to explain it to him, but I got a bit tongue tied, so I ended up just holding out the sign for him to read. He ended up just laughing and saying "Thank you" (again in his cute old man voice), and walked out. Emily and I just stared at each other for a couple seconds before bursting out laughing.
It's crazy! We're in the middle of the ocean, we're in a bookstore in the middle of the ocean, and Desmond Tutu was there! He was wearing black knee high socks and black shorts, and I don't know if "cute" is the politically correct word to be using in terms of Desmond Tutu, but that seems to fit the best.
I also met someone who went to PLU for a year before transferring and she said she knew who Aaron Steelquist was! CRAZY! So if anyone else is reading this that is talking to Aaron, let him know that I met somebody else named Kaitlynn (spelling unknown, so I will use my own) that apparently knows him.
In school related news, I have officially had each of my classes once. Water for the World seems like it'll be a great class, but also a lot of work (hello team project and individual paper/presentation in front of 90 people). Globalization and Social Responsibility seems great as well, but also a lot of work. In lieu of the 12 page research paper, we can go on two Semester at Sea field programs (which are service visits that I'm already signed up for), but we still have to do the presentation. I'm not sure if this is a good deal or not. I mean I still have to do the research and the presentation, so I don't know if actually writing out the paper would be that much more work.
Social Psychology seems like it will be the most relaxing class so far, if psychology can ever be relaxing. The professor is going to tailor our class schedule and reading around ports. He didn't exactly come out and say this, but he's basically putting ports first and class second, which I appreciate. He was a student on SAS awhile back, so I think he's approaching this class with both a student perspective and professor perspective. He's part of the Von Hippel clan. Both him and his brother are professors on board, and they each brought their families. Even the grandma is here. So basically half the ship has the last name Von Hippel.
Women Writers Around the Globe seems like it'll be kind of challenging, but great. I really like the professor so far, she seems really approachable and easy going. We have a couple papers, but no prompts, which is going to be difficult. She talked a lot about Jane Austen the first class, so I think I'll enjoy it.
In way more exciting news, Hawaii in two days! I will kiss the land. I may even refuse to get back on the ship. Not really. But it's a nice thought. We've all been on the ship for a couple days now, and everybody is getting really restless. The 10 day stretch in between Hawaii and Japan is going to be a fun one, especially since we're supposed to hit storm after storm after storm. Roller Coasters won't seem so daunting after this. Cage diving with sharks in South Africa may not even seem as scary anymore.
Well, time to do more reading. Emily and I are going to go over our planned trips over lunch and see if we both have a free day where we can sign up for a day trip or service visits or something. A lot of people we've talked to don't have anything planned for Japan, so a lot of people are talking independent travel. Dong independent travel first seems a bit daunting, but it's really the only place I can do it. However, a lot of people don't plan on being back on the ship and are doing overland travel in-between Yokohama and Kobe, and I want to be on the ship. We'll see what happens.
STILL in the middle of the ocean, but not for long!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Top 10
A Countdown of the Top 10 Hardest Things To Do On a Rolling Ship That are Easiest To Do on Land:
10) Sleep
Being "rocked" to sleep doesn't have the same appeal now as it did when I was a kid. Plus, we're rocking the wrong way. Instead of going back and forth, our beds are positioned so the rocking is up and down. It's like being on a surgical table, except we're not knocked out on anesthetics and we're not strapped in.
9) Writing
My handwriting has gotten worse. It looks like chicken scratch. Sometimes a big wave will come around and my handwriting with get big, then normal, then I'll try to compensate for the waves and it ends up looking really small.
8) Walking
Walking is not easy. That is all.
7) Opening Closet doors
Sometimes the waves are against you and it takes way more energy than necessary to open, and sometimes the waves are "with" you which makes the closet door swing open and announce to the world that it is in fact open.
6) Carrying stuff
Not possible when you have to rely on both your hands to brace yourself so you can get to your cabin or class in one piece. It's quite hilarious to see people try to keep their balance. Everybody is walking at an angle, which sounds like a great idea until the angle is no longer working with the way the ship is rocking. That's when crashing into people happens. Lucky guys don't need any pickup lines. They are literally running into girls.
5) Eating
Today, my plum rolled off the table and the juice from my fruit did not leave any area on my plate untouched.
4) Eating Nutella
The container MUST be on a hard surface. I have yet to take the Nutella out of my room, and tonight is the first night that I've broken it open. It tastes even better than I remember. I'm thinking about bringing it to breakfast and eating it on some toast, but I don't want to be bombarded. I'd like to make it to at least Hawaii in one piece.
3) "Tossing Cookies"
No matter how well your aim is.
2) Filling up your water bottle
Aside from the fact that the sensor on the water dispenser is demonic, filling up your water bottle when your hand is constantly moving side to side is quite the feat. It should be an olympic sport. I wouldn't be surprised to find that sometimes it'll take me 5 minutes to fill up my water bottle.
And for number 1...
1) Walking DOWN the stairs
I had absolutely no idea that it could be a bigger workout going DOWN the stairs than going UP the stairs. Thank goodness for handrails--that is all.
These may all seem like negative things, but they're quite entertaining if you really think about it. Also, this is happening on the MV Explorer aka the ship that is taking me around the world while I take classes. There's nothing to feel sorry about. Even puking, which I consider to be my biggest fear, doesn't seem as bad here as it does back home. Yesterday I said one and done, but I broke that rule today, so now I'm saying two and done. No more!
Sending love from the middle of the ocean.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Pacific Crossing
It's hard to believe that it's only been a little over 24 hours since I've stepped foot onto the MV Explorer. It feels like it's been so much longer and so much shorter at the same time. Every minute has been booked and planned so far. So let's start at the beginning…
I was on the 9:15 bus from San Diego to Ensenada, which turned out to be more of a 10:15 bus by the time we actually got on. It was about a two hour bus ride from SD to Mexico, and I wish I had something interesting to say but it was pretty uneventful, aside from the fact that it was the bus that was taking us to the MV Explorer. I sat next to a girl who is going to be on my Women Writers Around the Globe class, and there were two guys from Washington sitting in front of me who actually knew where Bellingham was! WOOT WOOT!
Once we got off the bus, we had to go through security lines (it was like being at the airport all over again), and then we had to turn in our passports and yellow fever cards. AND THEN WE FINALLY GOT ONTO THE SHIP.
BUT THERE WERE MORE LINES.
Like 2 hours worth of lines. We had to make our way to the Union (which is the biggest room on the ship where we all congregate for meetings and pre ports, which is incidentally the worst part of the ship to be in for sea sickness, but we'll get to that later), and go through different stations such as Student Accounts, Field Programs, and such. To my parents, who I know are wondering, I haven't had to write a check yet. The student accounts station just made me sign a paper saying that I acknowledged that I had an outstanding balance and I would turn it in. So, when I'm supposed to pay, I'm not exactly sure.
After that we were able to go to our rooms, and I was able to meet my roommate! Her name is Gabby and she's from Long Island. She's pretty cool, seems like we'll get a long just fine. Her luggage was waiting for her when she got to our room, but I'm pretty sure mine was the last to be delivered. We had a life boat drill (which was really intense by the way), and we just basically had to stand in life jackets out on the deck while they shouted our the names of the people who were supposed to be in our group. Captain Jeremy (with his super regal accent) announced that in theory, we had all been safely evacuated and all was well. Just imagine the most captainy person who can imagine, then add a British accent on top of that. He's legit. Trust me.
Up until last night, sea sickness didn't really bother me. It was sort of just like being permanently disoriented and dizzy. Everyone is walking around slightly bent to one side, and at times we'll run into each other or make a diagonal beeline for the wall. It's weird, but this already seems normal. Apparently these waves are normal though, and this is what we're supposed to get used to. What's NOT normal is the fact that we're expecting 18 foot waves sometime in the near future. No. Not excited. Definitely not excited about this.
We sat in the Union last night for some orientation stuff, introduction of the faculty, and basically just the whole "get ready for your life to be changed in the greatest way possible" speeches from all the different Deans. There are too many Deans to keep track of. Oh, and we've been instructed to call Archbishop Desmond Tutu Arch. No big deal.
Finally after line upon line upon line, we were able to go back to our cabins. Gabby and I decided that we were way to tired to unpack so we just shoved everything into a corner and went to bed. The bed's are actually surprisingly comfortable, and the pillow that I vacuum sealed has actually come 90% back to life. It wasn't the greatest nights sleep I've every gotten, but it wasn't the worst either.
So like I said, seasickness didn't bother me last night. This morning I got up and was feeling good! I went to breakfast, turned around for a second, and realized that the Arch was literally sitting right behind me. I was eating french toast and Desmond Tutu was eating french toast right behind me. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
After breakfast, they (as in the Deans and such) had every minute packed with more orientation. I think we had more safety and community orientation for three hours, then lunch, then more. However, this morning in the Union, I wasn't feel so swell. The waves were a rolling and so was my stomach. I left the Union, went down to my room, and unfortunately my french toast did not stay in my stomach. I hope Desmond Tutu's did, because french toast coming up definitely does not taste as good as it was going down. Don't worry parentals, I'm feeling much better now, and that will teach me to take the free seasickness meds every morning for awhile. And definitely the night before each time we leave port.
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I'm forgetting to mention little things that have happened. I still have journaled, but honestly we have not had a free minute to do anything besides necessary unpacking or orientation since I got on the ship.
Well, Emily and I are headed to the Union to learn more about clubs and groups! Goodbye from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, somewhere in-between Ensenada and Hawaii.
I was on the 9:15 bus from San Diego to Ensenada, which turned out to be more of a 10:15 bus by the time we actually got on. It was about a two hour bus ride from SD to Mexico, and I wish I had something interesting to say but it was pretty uneventful, aside from the fact that it was the bus that was taking us to the MV Explorer. I sat next to a girl who is going to be on my Women Writers Around the Globe class, and there were two guys from Washington sitting in front of me who actually knew where Bellingham was! WOOT WOOT!
Once we got off the bus, we had to go through security lines (it was like being at the airport all over again), and then we had to turn in our passports and yellow fever cards. AND THEN WE FINALLY GOT ONTO THE SHIP.
BUT THERE WERE MORE LINES.
Like 2 hours worth of lines. We had to make our way to the Union (which is the biggest room on the ship where we all congregate for meetings and pre ports, which is incidentally the worst part of the ship to be in for sea sickness, but we'll get to that later), and go through different stations such as Student Accounts, Field Programs, and such. To my parents, who I know are wondering, I haven't had to write a check yet. The student accounts station just made me sign a paper saying that I acknowledged that I had an outstanding balance and I would turn it in. So, when I'm supposed to pay, I'm not exactly sure.
After that we were able to go to our rooms, and I was able to meet my roommate! Her name is Gabby and she's from Long Island. She's pretty cool, seems like we'll get a long just fine. Her luggage was waiting for her when she got to our room, but I'm pretty sure mine was the last to be delivered. We had a life boat drill (which was really intense by the way), and we just basically had to stand in life jackets out on the deck while they shouted our the names of the people who were supposed to be in our group. Captain Jeremy (with his super regal accent) announced that in theory, we had all been safely evacuated and all was well. Just imagine the most captainy person who can imagine, then add a British accent on top of that. He's legit. Trust me.
Up until last night, sea sickness didn't really bother me. It was sort of just like being permanently disoriented and dizzy. Everyone is walking around slightly bent to one side, and at times we'll run into each other or make a diagonal beeline for the wall. It's weird, but this already seems normal. Apparently these waves are normal though, and this is what we're supposed to get used to. What's NOT normal is the fact that we're expecting 18 foot waves sometime in the near future. No. Not excited. Definitely not excited about this.
We sat in the Union last night for some orientation stuff, introduction of the faculty, and basically just the whole "get ready for your life to be changed in the greatest way possible" speeches from all the different Deans. There are too many Deans to keep track of. Oh, and we've been instructed to call Archbishop Desmond Tutu Arch. No big deal.
Finally after line upon line upon line, we were able to go back to our cabins. Gabby and I decided that we were way to tired to unpack so we just shoved everything into a corner and went to bed. The bed's are actually surprisingly comfortable, and the pillow that I vacuum sealed has actually come 90% back to life. It wasn't the greatest nights sleep I've every gotten, but it wasn't the worst either.
So like I said, seasickness didn't bother me last night. This morning I got up and was feeling good! I went to breakfast, turned around for a second, and realized that the Arch was literally sitting right behind me. I was eating french toast and Desmond Tutu was eating french toast right behind me. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
After breakfast, they (as in the Deans and such) had every minute packed with more orientation. I think we had more safety and community orientation for three hours, then lunch, then more. However, this morning in the Union, I wasn't feel so swell. The waves were a rolling and so was my stomach. I left the Union, went down to my room, and unfortunately my french toast did not stay in my stomach. I hope Desmond Tutu's did, because french toast coming up definitely does not taste as good as it was going down. Don't worry parentals, I'm feeling much better now, and that will teach me to take the free seasickness meds every morning for awhile. And definitely the night before each time we leave port.
As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I'm forgetting to mention little things that have happened. I still have journaled, but honestly we have not had a free minute to do anything besides necessary unpacking or orientation since I got on the ship.
Well, Emily and I are headed to the Union to learn more about clubs and groups! Goodbye from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, somewhere in-between Ensenada and Hawaii.
Testing, testing!
So this is a tester to see if this is actually being sent to my blog from my email. I am now on the ship! I don't want to write much in case this ISN'T working. So someone who is reading this PLEASE email me and let me know that it is!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
San Diego today, Ensenada tomorrow!
Everything is shoved into two duffle bags. That in itself was an adventure...I've removed more than half the clothes I thought I'd bring, but managed to keep two jars of Nutella with me.
It's my last night in San Diego, and tomorrow morning, I'll be setting sail! For some weird reason that is too complicated to understand, the ship will be leaving from Ensenada instead of San Diego, so I'll be taking a Semester at Sea shuttle to Mexico! I'm on the 9:15am bus.
Today I found out I'll be in room number 3037, which seems like a solid number to me. Even though I'm in San Diego and I've received my room number (still have yet to figure out who my roommate is...), this is still the most surreal thing in the world. Five/six years after first finding out about SAS, and two years after seriously trying to make it happen, I will be boarding the ship tomorrow as a student! And I might pass Archbishop Desmond Tutu on my way to dinner or something, just saying.
Tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my bed, on deck three (inside), in room 3037...probably somewhere in the middle of the ocean on our way to Hawaii. And when I get up I'll be surrounded by water...living on the water...and about a week from then I'll be waking up early to see us pull into port.
That's it for now! The next time I updated will be when I'm officially on the M.V Explorer. WHOA!
It's my last night in San Diego, and tomorrow morning, I'll be setting sail! For some weird reason that is too complicated to understand, the ship will be leaving from Ensenada instead of San Diego, so I'll be taking a Semester at Sea shuttle to Mexico! I'm on the 9:15am bus.
Today I found out I'll be in room number 3037, which seems like a solid number to me. Even though I'm in San Diego and I've received my room number (still have yet to figure out who my roommate is...), this is still the most surreal thing in the world. Five/six years after first finding out about SAS, and two years after seriously trying to make it happen, I will be boarding the ship tomorrow as a student! And I might pass Archbishop Desmond Tutu on my way to dinner or something, just saying.
Tomorrow night I'll be sleeping in my bed, on deck three (inside), in room 3037...probably somewhere in the middle of the ocean on our way to Hawaii. And when I get up I'll be surrounded by water...living on the water...and about a week from then I'll be waking up early to see us pull into port.
That's it for now! The next time I updated will be when I'm officially on the M.V Explorer. WHOA!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Charity Ball World Tour
There's a guy who will be on the S13 voyage who is bringing a little something special with him on board...
500 soccer balls!
He's working with a company called Charity Ball that is going to donate 500 soccer balls to Semester at Sea, at which point us students will donate them to kids that we meet around the world. It seems like quite the special adventure, and I'm excited to get involved once on the MV Explorer!
He's going to be updating a blog while we're gone, so if anyone is interested, here's the link:
http://charityballworldtour.blogspot.com/
5 days until San Diego, 8 days until boarding the MV Explorer and traveling around the world.
Happy 2013!!! It's gonna be a GREAT year.
500 soccer balls!
He's working with a company called Charity Ball that is going to donate 500 soccer balls to Semester at Sea, at which point us students will donate them to kids that we meet around the world. It seems like quite the special adventure, and I'm excited to get involved once on the MV Explorer!
He's going to be updating a blog while we're gone, so if anyone is interested, here's the link:
http://charityballworldtour.blogspot.com/
5 days until San Diego, 8 days until boarding the MV Explorer and traveling around the world.
Happy 2013!!! It's gonna be a GREAT year.
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