Sunday, August 31, 2008
Bon Voyage and All Aboard!!
August 29th, 2008 At the crack of dawn (actually it was like 815) Maggie and I made our way down the Prince George’s Wharf in the Bahamas. Much to our dismay, the line to board the MV Explorer was about a mile long. To put this burden in perspective for you guys, Maggie and I had 2 duffel bags that weighed about 60 pounds each, a heavy backpack, and a smaller bag. After about 30-45 minutes of waiting in the scorching sun, we finally got our room assignments (Maggie and I were roommates after all!!) and said goodbye to Papa Klos.Once inside the customs building, our bags were searched for booze and other contraband items. Luckily for Maggie and myself, we had none of that stuff. We headed straight to our room, room 3125. Once we opened the door, we were surprised to see how big the cabin actually is!Next on our agenda was unpacking (what a daunting task that was!), exploring the ship, and napping in our new beds!At 5pm, we all went onto the aft decks and waved goodbye to our parents! For some it was sad, for others it was the moment they had been waiting for all Summer (not Maggie and me, of course…)We ended our night with a “Sea Meeting.” Our deck, level 3, is called the Carribbean Sea. Neal, out LLC (Learning-Living Coordinator, otherwise known as an RA) is awesome!! Although he never can seem to remember Maggie’s name haha!Neal wanted us to have a chant to make us the “coolest sea on the ship.”“BANGERANG!!! Ru-fi-o! Ru-fi-o! Ruuuu-fiiii-oooooooo!”
Just call us lector one and lector two: August 31st 2008
Life @ C:
It turns out both Amber and I had an excellent night sleep last night, probably due to the fact that the boat made a spontaneous stop in…PUERTO RICO! As we woke up it was somewhat of a relief to eat breakfast with the waters not speeding by. Still at dinner time, when the boat finally departed Puerto Rico, the moving waters and sun setting was as serene and calming as anything could be. We have started a nightly tradition of having dinner on the outside back deck while watching the sunset. The first night everyone gathered around the back of the boat to see the sun fall, and when it did its job a round of applause was issued by all the viewers.
Today was the first day of classes. We both started the day with the global studies course which is a requirement. Then I (Maggie) went on to my global feminisms class, then later in the day I went to my Survey of Asian Art History course. I sat next to a 60-some year old lady in my global feminisms class; she is a “lifelong learner” who came on the boat for recreation and somewhat of education refreshment. A lot of the lifelong learners will stop by out classes and listen to the lectures. In Art History, the teacher asked we all introduce ourselves and state our favorite museum. I decided to give a shout out to Kansas City and name the Nelson as my favorite, and the professor explained that there is a great deal of Asian Art there! Amber only had one class today.
In the afternoon we enjoyed some lunch, naps, showers, workout, and then headed to church. The Catholic Service was held in a classroom, and Amber and I volunteered to read the readings. We both were lectors! We are going to try to pick up some Eucharist in Brazil, but for this mass it was just brief prayer service, but still it was a nice service.
Afterwards we went to dinner and watched the sunset. Tonight is “pub night” so we had wine and beer with dinner, then in a little bit the “bar” will open outside where we are allowed a limit of 4 drinks.
Well that is all for now, we miss you all obviously, but are thinking of you as we enjoy all the little thrills of being at sea.
It turns out both Amber and I had an excellent night sleep last night, probably due to the fact that the boat made a spontaneous stop in…PUERTO RICO! As we woke up it was somewhat of a relief to eat breakfast with the waters not speeding by. Still at dinner time, when the boat finally departed Puerto Rico, the moving waters and sun setting was as serene and calming as anything could be. We have started a nightly tradition of having dinner on the outside back deck while watching the sunset. The first night everyone gathered around the back of the boat to see the sun fall, and when it did its job a round of applause was issued by all the viewers.
Today was the first day of classes. We both started the day with the global studies course which is a requirement. Then I (Maggie) went on to my global feminisms class, then later in the day I went to my Survey of Asian Art History course. I sat next to a 60-some year old lady in my global feminisms class; she is a “lifelong learner” who came on the boat for recreation and somewhat of education refreshment. A lot of the lifelong learners will stop by out classes and listen to the lectures. In Art History, the teacher asked we all introduce ourselves and state our favorite museum. I decided to give a shout out to Kansas City and name the Nelson as my favorite, and the professor explained that there is a great deal of Asian Art there! Amber only had one class today.
In the afternoon we enjoyed some lunch, naps, showers, workout, and then headed to church. The Catholic Service was held in a classroom, and Amber and I volunteered to read the readings. We both were lectors! We are going to try to pick up some Eucharist in Brazil, but for this mass it was just brief prayer service, but still it was a nice service.
Afterwards we went to dinner and watched the sunset. Tonight is “pub night” so we had wine and beer with dinner, then in a little bit the “bar” will open outside where we are allowed a limit of 4 drinks.
Well that is all for now, we miss you all obviously, but are thinking of you as we enjoy all the little thrills of being at sea.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Bahama Mamas
"Bermuda, BAHAMAS, come on pretty mama..."
For the past two days, Maggie and I have been relaxing poolside, kayaking in the bay, and enjoying the nightlife that Nassau has to offer.
After an emotional and exciting reuniting of the two girls from the long three months of summer, it has been nothing but fun!
Wednesday night, we went to The Poop Deck for dinner. Despite its name, the food was delicious! And we even ran into a bunch of USD students who were having their dinner as well. That night, we decided to check out Senor Frogs, a popular bar in many tropical locations. As we walked in, we were excited to see about 200 Semester at Sea students all having a good time and getting to know one another.
Thursday was a hot and stormy day. After a quick trip to the gym and a Starbuck's run, we headed to the pool and beach. Maggie kayaked for the very first time!!! Unfortunately, our nice beach day was interrupted by an unexpected downpour, shrouding the Atlantis Hotel in a dense fog. Thursday's dinner was at The Twin Brothers, a really yummy place (we recommend the conch fritters! Delicioso!).
Maggie and I also got a peek at what is going to be our home for the next 4 months. The "MV Explorer" pulled into the harbor at about 4pm on Thursday and much to our surprise, it was a LOT bigger than what it looks like in the pictures!
We are SO excited to board the ship tomorrow morning and can't wait to settle into our new home!
Currently, we are getting ready to go to another meet-and-greet at Senor Frogs, conveniently right around the corner from our hotel. Good night!
XOXO,
-Amber
For the past two days, Maggie and I have been relaxing poolside, kayaking in the bay, and enjoying the nightlife that Nassau has to offer.
After an emotional and exciting reuniting of the two girls from the long three months of summer, it has been nothing but fun!
Wednesday night, we went to The Poop Deck for dinner. Despite its name, the food was delicious! And we even ran into a bunch of USD students who were having their dinner as well. That night, we decided to check out Senor Frogs, a popular bar in many tropical locations. As we walked in, we were excited to see about 200 Semester at Sea students all having a good time and getting to know one another.
Thursday was a hot and stormy day. After a quick trip to the gym and a Starbuck's run, we headed to the pool and beach. Maggie kayaked for the very first time!!! Unfortunately, our nice beach day was interrupted by an unexpected downpour, shrouding the Atlantis Hotel in a dense fog. Thursday's dinner was at The Twin Brothers, a really yummy place (we recommend the conch fritters! Delicioso!).
Maggie and I also got a peek at what is going to be our home for the next 4 months. The "MV Explorer" pulled into the harbor at about 4pm on Thursday and much to our surprise, it was a LOT bigger than what it looks like in the pictures!
We are SO excited to board the ship tomorrow morning and can't wait to settle into our new home!
Currently, we are getting ready to go to another meet-and-greet at Senor Frogs, conveniently right around the corner from our hotel. Good night!
XOXO,
-Amber
Sunday, August 24, 2008
our itinerary :)
the travel itinerary:
Nassau, Bahamas
Salvador, Brazil
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Cape Town, South Africa
Chennai, India
Penang, Malaysia
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Hong Kong, China
Shanghai, China
Kobe, Japan
Yokohama, Japan
Honolulu, Hawaii
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Miami, Florida
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