6/20
MV Explorer
We’re further into the Atlantic now, and have a bit more swell today. I heard several people say that they almost fell in the shower this morning, and the crowds of people are definitely swaying back and forth all through the halls, but people are mostly used to it now. We also have some white caps for the first time today, but that doesn’t make the ocean here any less gorgeous. In marine biology today, I found out that we are cruising over the Sargasso Sea, the clearest water in the entire ocean (see, I am learning stuff in class). That explains why so many people (including me) have been staring, mesmerized, over the handrail at the perfectly blue ocean. I have never seen ocean this blue, and I’ve seen a decent amount of ocean. It’s not like the bright turquoise of the Caribbean and has none of the green-gray tinges I’m used to in Southern California—just pure blue, like the kind they name crayons after. I’m headed up to my deck soon to enjoy it (and look for whales, dolphins and flying fish…I’ve only seen flying fish so far) for an hour or so before my next class.
I mentioned before how my marine bio prof scuba dives off the Southern California coast. Turns out he has also hidden in a trench between boulders from a 12-foot shark and been zapped by a California electric ray (google it…they pack enough punch to start your car and then some). I didn’t even know those existed, but they are apparently nocturnal, which somewhat diminishes my desire to do a night dive in Southern California.
We talked about Islam and its history today in my history class. It seems like the class will be a little piecemeal, but hopefully by the end I’ll be able to string everything together.
After class, I came back to my room, changed into my suit and grabbed my textbook to read while laying out by the pool. This worked for awhile, but the screaming children playing by the pool slowly eroded by ability to focus on the text, and I just worked on my tan for awhile before finding some friends and chatting with them. The children on the ship (about 30, I think) are the children of faculty and lifelong learners, and I am still a little surprised to see one of them run by. There is a club for hanging out with and/or tutoring the kids, which I think is a very clever way to get free babysitting.
Another thing I’ve found entertaining is how many of the girls on the ship are repping their sorority letters. Tanks, hats, sweatshirts, bags and stickers are everywhere…it’s like the end of winter quarter all over again! I guess that may be due in part to the number of southern schools that send students to Semester at Sea…Greek life is just a lot more intense down there. I did bring a few Tridelt tanks along with me as workout gear…but I *ahem* haven’t been to the gym yet, so I haven’t worn them. But I have met a few other Tridelts on the ship, so I’m spreading the Delta love all the way to the middle of the Atlantic.
6/21/11
MV Explorer
I still haven’t seen any new marine life…but I haven’t spent too much time looking out at the ocean. Time goes by so fast here…it’s 10:30 and I feel like I was just having lunch a few hours ago. It doesn’t help that most of the days during this crossing are only 23 hours long as we’re adjusting the time while we move through time zones. Classes are keeping everyone pretty busy, so between class during the day, reading/homework and meals there’s not that much down time.
I signed up my group for the Amazing Race, which occurs tomorrow evening. We don’t have more details about the race, so I guess I’ll find out tomorrow and let you know how it goes ☺ The prize for the winners is getting off the ship first in Barcelona, which will give an extra few hours in the city. This won’t matter for me much as my first FDP (faculty-directed practica), snorkeling in the Medes Islands (!!), begins upon arrival in Barcelona. Since we have a limited amount of class time, each class needs another few hours to count for 3 full credits. So, each of the classes requires a certain amount of onshore activities pertaining to the class to fill in this time. “Requires” is really not an appropriate word to use there…that’s why we all came on Summer at Sea in the first place! But, it’s technically true, and I guess the required part is to write up and turn in a reflection on your experience in class. So not to worry, my onshore excursions will be well-documented. FDPs, trips to sites relevant to the class your taking lead by a faculty member, are one way to meet this requirement. I will be doing a few FDPs and a lot of independent travel in each city we go to. I can hardly wait to get to Barcelona, but I know that once I get there the rest of the trip will start going by so fast.
I’m definitely not the only one who is excited to get to Barcelona. Many people are more excited just to get off the ship, which I understand. I’ve talked to several people sick of seeing just ocean every day, but I don’t mind. I’m looking forward to a new adventure much more than dry land. But, the ship is starting to feel pretty crowded to me…everywhere I go there are people. It’s great when I’m in the mood to meet new people (amazingly I still see people that I don’t recognize, and there will probably always be people that I haven’t talked to yet), but it gets a little tiring.
Today in Global Studies, we talked a little about Pompeii. The professor is an art historian (among other things) and showed slide after slide of pictures of the ruinously preserved city. I am now so thankful I signed up for the FDP in Pompeii…it will be so amazing to get to see it all in person.
6/22
MV Explorer
This morning my in my 9am Global Studies class, the professor told us it had snowed a few hours earlier. I have a very hard time believing that, though, because I was just laying out in the sun for awhile and it was beautiful…not even a cloud in the sky. Even this morning when I got up (supposedly only a few hours after said snow), it was warm, sunny and pretty much cloudless.
Almost every painting has “see every sunset and at least one sunrise” written on the back as advice from former Semester at Sea participants. I caught my first sunrise last night, which was nice, but there were clouds covering it at the horizon, so hopefully tonight’s will be better. As for watching the sunrise…I am really going to have to dedicate myself to waking up early (or staying up all night, which is probably the more likely, especially once we get into Barcelona and Italy and don’t have class for awhile) to manage that, but I do plan to. I hope it looks significantly different than the sunset.
I’ve met several people here that have an acquaintance or two that go to Stanford, but today at lunch I actually knew (and did a project with) the acquaintance. Small world, even here in the middle of the Atlantic.
Also, if you are interested in my exact location in the Atlantic each day (Mom and Dad) you can check out this website:
http://www.semesteratsea.org/current-voyage/overview/position-report.php
It also has cool stuff like speed, temperature, and sunset/rise times. If you navigate back from that page to the “Current Voyage” tab, that’s all about the stuff I’m doing now, so if you’re interested know yourself out.
Yes! After many emails and a little haggling I got a ticket to see the DJ Kaskade play at Opium Mar in Barcelona Wednesday night! It’s supposed to be awesome…and should definitely balance out all the Gothic architecture I’ll be touring earlier that day. I also just received the confirmation for the other trips I signed up for; I am so excited to do all the stuff on that list I can hardly stand it.
I just came back from the Amazing Race…our team didn’t win ☹ But, we did figure out all the clues, we were just in the process of getting the last few signed off when they announced that someone had finished and the race was over. At 7:30, all the teams of 8 assembled in the Union (the only large lecture hall where our Global Studies classes are held) and received sealed envelopes. Once all the groups had been checked in, we heard the rules. Inside the envelopes were 18 clues, each of which would lead us to a different place on the ship. Once there, we would get the clue signed off by a volunteer loitering at the spot. But, all the clues had to be done in order, and we got stuck on a hard one part way through, which was why we had the ones at the end figured out before we finished getting all the clues signed. The clues were riddles, codes, anagrams, crossword puzzles, and “find me here” questions. They lead us to the computer lab (where you find mice but no rodents), the weight room (bells that don’t ring), the pool, the pool bar, the mysterious 8th deck, and many other places aboard the ship. A “no running” rule was in place, so I had a chance to showcase my excellent speed walking skills, which I have had two years of waking up late for morning classes to perfect. I think about 2/3 on the ship participated, which is a lot of people, so the hallways were insane. Some of the groups really got into the competitive team spirit, like “Team Stache”, half guys and half girls, all have mustaches drawn on their faces. This is when rally gear would have come in handy…although convincing the rest of my team to wear it may have been difficult.
Love from (over halfway through) the Atlantic,
Ginny
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