Southern Hemisphere and Neptune Festivites!

Hello there and welcome to the Southern Hemisphere!!!


Yesterday (1/30) was a day filled with tradition, celebration, and relaxation. After being abruptly woken by a raging crew band, everyone filled the top deck around the pool, deck 7 to take part in the days festivities. After a brief announcement from the ship’s Captain, it was on with the traditional festivities! The basis of the tradition, supposedly, lies within the fact that all the pollywogs (students and other passengers) were to be christened into the values and ways of the sea to become Shellbacks. There was a series of events that made this transition from pollywog to shellback possible. First, lines formed in order for the pollywogs to be doused with “fish-guts,” (not real fish guts, it was a culinary concoction) in shades of mint green, electric orange, and milky white. From there they were bathed in the water of the sacred swimming pool. The water rapidly turned from a glowing clear Caribbean blue to a cloudy Coastal New England Atlantic Brown. After the cleansing, a ladder was climbed and the pollywogs reached the platform where King Neptune and his entourage settled. Once out of the water, the pollywogs were asked if they would respect the sea and all that it has to offer; after an acceptable answer, the pollywogs had to kiss: a fish, the ring of Neptune, and the Triton of the Queen. After doing all of those tedious tasks, the pollywogs were officially transformed and titled Shellbacks.

There was something that bothered me about this whole thing. From the time I woke up in the morning, I was absolutely thrilled to be celebrating Neptune day; a sea-holiday dating back hundreds of years. I was wishing everyone a Happy Neptune Day, and there seemed to be a confused look that came back at me. Trying to motivate and mobilize the crowds was like beating a dead horse. Thankfully, once the events began, people were infused with a wave of energy that came about the ship.

After the christening, people began lining up to have their heads shaved. It was a free-for-all. Gentlemen of all sorts and ladies with all lengths of locks lined up to fall victim of the razor. There were girls who cut of 12+” of hair. Tears streamed down their face but there was a smile under it all. A once in a lifetime opportunity that most had been looking forward to since boarding. Friend after friend of mine came running up to me showing off their new look…I was dreading what might end up happening to me. The director of my show cringed when I told her I was on the fence about shaving my head…but she said that I could do as I wish. The night before I had made several promises to people that if they shaved their head, then I would shave mine. As of lunchtime, no one that I had made that promise with had done so. After filling my stomach, it was abruptly turned uneasy when my friend Margot came running up to me with no hair!!! She was one of the ones that I made the promise with. I seriously almost threw up on the spot. I was dragged to Mark’s cabin where our friend Chad had his razor and was doing the honor to others who lined up. I really didn’t want to go under the razor, we started hacking away with scissors…I screamed and whimpered like a moaning beast in dire pain. After seeing what my head looked like after the butchering of the blade, I was coerced into going under the electric razor. I begged that they use an attached and not go right to the skin…thankfully, they allowed me to do so.

As I’m sure you can assume now, my head was shaved. It was a painful experience. Hysterical really. Luckily, they finished my head just in time to take part in the group picture of all the head shavers of the day. It really did feel good to be apart of that group. You would be stunned at the number of people that shaved their heads. Guys with hair down to their shoulders and ladies with locks down to their buttocks! The crazy thing is, there was a lot of people I knew and had met before they got rid of their hair, and now, frankly, I’ve looked like an ass asking their name again when I’ve known it since boarding the ship!! Let’s just say, hair does a lot.

After the shaving of the head, it was time for some fun in the equators hot sun. We all joked about having the Monday blues and how it was probably the worst case ever; no one on the ship had to work. We didn’t have school, all of the staff had the day off, it was just of course the ship’s crew that kept with their normal duties. Again, you’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t burn, even in the close rays of the sun.

I’ll be posting pictures of the past few weeks as soon as I get to Brazil…takes far to much time to do on the ship and it wastes valuable minutes. We get to Brazil tomorrow morning…YEAH! I have the first day in Salvador to myself, then, on Thursday morning I leave for Praia Del Forte, a fishing village a few hundred miles north of Salvador. On the way there we will stop at a turtle sancutuary, and also do some kayaking in a river around the area (not the Amazon). Well, I’ve got to get to class.

I’m sure they’ll be another post later on today with location updates! Ciao!

Show update and Neptune Celebration

Well, I missed a day…pardon my craziness on board the ship. I spent the time I would have been writing yesterday reading the massive script I received for the show I’m going to be in. But first, my location:

03 degrees, 14 minutes N – (inching closer and closer to the equator!)
041 degrees, 29 minutes W
Average Speed: 21.2 knots
1270 NM until Salvador
Sea Depth: 8987.2 feet
Water Temp: 80.6 degrees F, 27 degrees C
Air Time: Same
Swell height: 5-7 feet
Moderate seas with cloudy skies; Good Visibility.

We’ll be crossing the equator at 0330 (local time, I’m going to be two hours ahead of the east coast come 0200 hours). Tomorrow we don’t have any classes in celebration of Neptune Day. We will be abruptly woken at around 0700 to begin the wild and crazy events of the day. From head shaving to being covered in fish guts, there will be adventures and activities to please all types. More on that later.

As for the play…it’s called Ganesha. It was performed off-Broadway back in the 80s’ in NYC and it was a total flop. Some say part of that is because the original was 3.5 hours. Thankfully, our wonderful director has done a fair share of editing and chopped it down to a comfortable hour and forty-five minutes or so. With a cast of four and a very basic set, this show is going to be quite something. I’m scared to death though. Of course, the title of my part is very basic, Man. However, in playing the role of Man, I have to be about 12 or 14 different characters throughout the show. Only one of them is repeated and the rest are memorable and important aspects to the show. This makes matters much scarier for me. Not only will I have to play all these different characters, but, they will all have to be distinctly different from the one I just walked of stage playing. There are times when I’m two or three different characters in one scene! Thankfully, I have until April 9th to get ready for this show…sorry Mom, Dad, and Betty, no performance in ‘Nam!

The show mostly takes place in India and Ganesha is an Indian god created by a woman in need of a child. He has the body of a man and the head of an elephant. He is not your typical god; he is always happy and can be anywhere he wants or you need him to be. He cannot answer wishes, nor is he a god you pray to. He is simply there to hold your hand, guide you through, and be by your side when you might need someone. Ganesha also takes on the role of several other beings throughout the show, though not nearly as many as Man does. The two other characters, Katherine and Margaret, are best friends from Greenwich, Connecticut. Both just decided they needed to get away from home…clearly far away considering they choose India as an escape. They both go through a series of personal and physical changes throughout their journey. Anger and joy, sadness and frustration are just some of the obstacles these crazy ladies have to overcome. They do so by the random people (mostly played by Man) and encounters they have along their two-week stint in the great, vast nation that is India. From a sarcastic ticket agent at the airport, to an hotel manager, and from a hate-crime victim to an ignorant American tourist, these are just a few of the types of people Kitty and Maggie will meet along the way.

Now, as for tomorrow’s HUGE CELEBRATION! It is tradition that those passing the equator shave their heads to prepare for the change in climate and also a way of cleansing the body (head) of past experiences and impurities. Now, I’ve been pondering and toiling over whether or not to shave my head and go along with tradition…frankly, it is still up in the air but this is what I can tell you: I purchased a raffle ticket that entered me in a drawing, in doing so, if my ticket is drawn I will have my head shaved by the Capitan of our great ship, along with four other raffle winners. I’ve been saying that this is the only way I will shave my head, however, as most of us know, I do tend to buckle under peer-pressure (why do you think I have two piercing?), so that’s not to say I won’t end up doing it regardless of whether or not my ticket is drawn. My roommate is definitely shaving his head along with several other friends of mine, including a few ladies with some lengthy-locks. I just keep telling myself how much of a freak I’m going to look like with a shaved head, but hey, by the time I get back to the States it will be back at the length I left with it…so we’ll see. What I will say is look forward to future blog posts because there might be a telling story about my experience under the razor…or maybe not. Who knows?

As part of an ongoing shipboard program, the community college classes, the Ethnomusicologist is going to be putting on a performance in the Union tonight. He is a renowned Cellist and will be performing music from the great country of Brazil. I can’t tell you how excitied I am to visit this great country. The city of Salvador (the port we’re going into) has a population of about 2.5 million. It is in the province of Bahia in the Northeastern region of the country. This region is also one of the poorest in the nation. As the fourth largest country in the world (land size), Brazils population mostly lies within its urban locations. Because it becomes so difficult to live in the rural, country areas, citizens have been flocking to the major cities for decades. In fact, with a population of about 180 million, 80% of this population lives along the coastal cities of the great Atlantic Ocean, kind of coincidental when you think about population distribution in the United States. A common misconception about the country is that people think it is of Spanish decent…FALSE. The national language is Portuguese because that is who colonized this great country back in the mid to late 1500s. An amazing aspect about the colonization of this country is that by the 1600s’, most of its boarders and contours were set without any wars or major conflicts. Brazil shares a boarder with every South American country except for Chile which boarders Argentina on the western-shore of the continent.

Well, that’s all for now. Looking forward to tomrrow!

New and Sea and Such

While at sea…

Tracking Data:
Latitude: 10 degrees, 57 minutes N
Longitude: 056 degrees, 27 minutes W
Avg. Speed: 20.17 knots
Total distance made good: 756 Nautical Miles (NM)
Distance to Salvador: 2,722 NM
Sea Depth: 14,500 feet (Almost THREE miles deep!)
Air/Sea Temp: 78.8 degrees, for both
ENE winds at 23 knots making for moderate to rough seas; Swells ranging from 7 – 10 feet.

Now for the big news. So yesterday I was trying really, really hard to get work done. However, for two of my classes I didn’t have the books. I went to the library on multiple occasions to check the books out from the reserve section so I could begin the reading…to my great luck they were never there. Well, lets just say that’s a good thing. Big news folks, big news. Call the newsman, and bring in the chorus line. Strike up the band and cue the lights because I got cast in a show!!

Yesterday from 1830 – 2000, the performance arts professor was holding auditions. This dawned on me at about 1945. I went to the Union where they were being held and was hoping for the best. I had nothing prepared, but had been told that there would be monologues to choose from. So, I asked for a piece and I gave it my best. I read over it once and I was rushed onto the stage, as there was only about five minutes left before the next activity was to take place in the Union. My monologue was from a show called Suicide in Bb. It was a short play originally written, produced, and preformed at the Repertoire Theater at Yale University in good ol’, gun wavin’ New Haven. My character name was Jeep and he talked about the feelings he had inside his jail cell. It was a personal monologue and in it he was contemplating suicide because he was sentenced to life in prison…why, I have no idea. I only had one page of the script to look at. Regardless, I went up there and gave it my best, and she loved it. She (the professor) then pulled me aside and set up a sort of improv conversation that I just had to go with. It worked out perfect. In about 10 minutes I had done an audition that I normally would of taken days or weeks to prepare for, and this went better than all of those!

What fun it is going to be. There are 6 shows that will be preformed in the Union over the course of our journey. Besides the fact that I’ll be acting on the stage of our ship, the other great bonus to being cast in the show is that I get college credit for it!!!! So now I have 15 credits!!! The SAS program does not recommend taking 15 credits because the work load is very intensive, however, there are no texts or tests for the performance lab, just rehearsal on A days and script memorization!!! So, my Uncle will blast me for saying this, but this show won’t be like a regular class so it works out perfect! That’s not to say it is not going to demand just as much attention, if not more, because of the short amount of time we have to put on the shows. I was cast in one of the six shows, as for whom I might be playing, I have no clue. More reports on that tomorrow when the class meets for the first time.

As for life at sea…today when I woke up and went out on deck to enjoy my breakfast in company of the sea, the clouds were so low it was like you could of picked them out of the sky. There were layers of high clouds with the bright blue sky shining through, and below them were dark, thick, heavy, low clouds that were just hovering over the ocean, motionless, while the turmoil of the sea churned below them. I have learned that it is a completely different world out here on the wide-open ocean; with no land in site, and white caps and waves as far as the eye can see…there is nothing but the sky and the wind, the water and the sun that brings life to this bustling metropolis onboard the MV Explorer. I’ve also realized that this ship is exactly like a country, or a city really. I feel as though we could just stay on the sea forever; completely isolated from the world around us, and maybe, just maybe, when we are in dire need of supplies, we could stop by the closest port and stock up, and then, get back underway navigating the most unknown territory in the world…the ocean…why the hell not?

Well, there is much to be done. Until tomorrow, I’m off.

BIENVENIDOS A PERTO RICO!!

Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico!

Well, I’m back at sea and therefore have loads of time to write and think and think and write. So…happy reading. I thank all of you for the comments and local news updates.

For those of you tracking me on the map:
As of noon today (1/26) our Latitude is 15 degrees, 30 minutes N. Longitude, 063 degrees, 08 minutes W. Distance to Salvador: 2755 nautical miles; average speed 20.6 knots (doubled since we last sailed, making for a smoother ride); ocean depth, 6320 feet; water and air temperatures are the same, a comfortable 78.8 degrees. Winds from ENE at 11 knots, making for light seas with a swell of about 5 feet.

We arrived in port on Monday morning (1/23), just before 0800 (local time). I woke at around 0715 and our boat was just pulling into what I would call the San Juan Harbor, though I have no idea of the official name. What a site. The city of Viejo (old) San Juan is a vibrant, eclectic, and diverse place to visit. While sailing by the old city, the buildings stand out like stars in the midnight sky on a clear night. Painted in striking hues of color: sienna orange, majestic red, mint green, pale purple, and aqua blue. Before disembarking, you could just tell that this old world city is always bright with life and culture.

The ship was docked at Pier 14, commonly referred to as the Navy Frontier Pier. The reason our ship was not docked where all the “normal,” luxury liners dock, is because we are staying in port for three days. Upon arrival, US customs boarded our ship to prepare for face-to-face inspections of EACH person on board. During this time, the Secretary of State from Puerto Rico gave us a briefing on his job as Secretary of State, what Puerto Rican Culture is like, and how historical events shaped this city’s culture to the present day.

Upon disembarkation, I of course didn’t waste anytime. I had a field trip planned for 1300 hours to the El Yunque Rainforest; however, I was able to get off the ship around 1030ish and was NOT going to just sit around while in port. My neighbor and I decided that we were going to walk into the city and get a local experience on the way. It took about 20-minutes to find our way into the heart of Viejo San Juan. Once there, we were both in awe over the stunning architecture, variety of residents, and overall persona of the people that surrounded us. There was a sense of happiness all around. In the brief time that we had to explore, we found our way to a little restaurant with a courtyard where we enjoyed the most AMAZING nachos of our lives. The salsa was like nothing I had ever had before; it was incredibly tiny bits of tomato, onion, and spices with a flavor that I could not pin point for the life of me…regardless, it was thoroughly enjoyed and devoured.

We headed back to the ship around 1230, and were ready to depart for El Yunque. With my bag on my back, hat on my head, and binoculars around my neck, I was ready for the jungle adventure of a lifetime. It took about an hour to get there. I boarded a bus with 22 other students and we were off. Our tour guides name was Raymond and our crazy driver was Manolin. Manolin liked to talk and tell us incredibly irrelevant things, which was fine because it was entertaining and made the ride go by quicker. He took us the “back-way,” supposedly, and because of that our eyes were exposed to the poverty that makes up 60% of Puerto Rico. In the distance you could see the mountain we would be exploring. At the base, we began our drive to the top on a crazy, snake like road. Around each corner Manolin had to lay on the horn because they were so sharp that if a car or van came around there is no question, there would be a collision. This was quite comical.

Once at the top, we jumped out and were ready for the trail. At almost 3000 feet, from some parts you could see all the way to the ocean. Upon entering this thick, dark, plush forest of vibrant green…my eyes were readily awaiting the flora that I had dreamed of seeing and the animals I had only read about in books. To my disappointment, I only saw three different flowers, and the only live animal was a snail that could have a spiral shell in up to 3 inches in diameter. The most predominant flower was the “Mira Me Linda,” or in English, “Look at me Beautiful.” To me, it looked like an Impatient…nothing really special. There were three colors, white, pink, and magenta. The two other forms of flowers I saw were tropical in their appearance and demanded my attention with their bright yellow and orange hues.

What is so amazing about the rainforest is that everything is growing ontop of everything. There are small trees growing off of big trees and rocks are engulfed by ever-spreading moss that is as soft as a shag carpet. The soothing sound of flowing water was a beautiful reminder of how this forest can get up to 200 inches of rainfall a year!!! What makes the vegetation in this forest so amazing is how it all works. Barely any light reaches the floor of the plant-carpeted forest, and yet light is the essential ingredient plants need to make food and grow. This is where adaptation and nature comes into play. There is a reason why little trees are growing out of big trees and tiny plants grow up the stems of bigger plants. By attaching themselves to a bigger or taller plant, they are able to share the food and energy needed for Photosynthesis (the chemical reaction that turns sunlight into chlorophyll, which in turn, feeds the plants). These plants would never be able to survive if it wasn’t for the big guys who can get hit by the sunlight and further the advancement of plant life. This is just one of the amazing ways that nature has learned to adapt and find ways of expanding and growing…all the time.

Of course there was a lot of depressing news that came from this trip also. The state bird of Puerto Rico is native to this region; however, because of industrialization it is on the verge of extinction. Also in seeing this forest, I learned where all my notebook and computer paper comes from…trees, trees, and trees. For those of you that think I’m liberal now…be prepared for when I get back!

I took 200 plus pictures in the rainforest. After the tour we boarded the bus and headed back to the ship. Our tour guide was generous enough to give us some great recommendations for dinner and nightlife. For dinner we took his number one recommendation and went to Punta De Vista, Point of View. This was a great local place right in the main pier region. I had the best black beans and rice in my life along with some great tostados (or it might be toastanos), which is like a Caribbean French Fry; they are a flattened plantain fried to perfection to please the palette. From there we headed to Calle de San Sebastian (San Sebastian St.) for some local pubs. We ended up at a local bar called El Café Seda. I have no idea what that means, the bartender said there really was no translation. The local beer was called Medalla and it was comparable to a Coors Light or Bud Light. At a buck-fifty to two bucks a beer, it made it even better.

The following morning, I was up and at-em and raring to go. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to take full advantage of a port and slept until around 1030. It was a good time for me to do some personal journal reflection and make a few phone calls. Once the ship woke, we headed into town for some more exploration and a bit of shopping. I was unpleasantly surprised at how few street vendors there were. Even right in the region of the cruise ships there was an unimpressive amount to choose from. Our plan was to find food and head to San Cristobal, a fort built by the Spaniards on the early 1500s to defend their newly founded colony from those crazy Brits. It took us a while, but we found our way to this vast and amazing defense structure. Something that really stands out in my mind is that back when the little city of San Juan was founded, there was no natural fresh water resource for miles and miles. So, in their genius ways of architecture, underneath this massive fort is a 718,000-gallon storage tank that holds all of the rainwater and run off. All of the exterior flooring was pitched in the direction of narrow gutters or channels that fed the storage tank with the precious water. The fort was also laden with tunnels, secret passageways, dungeons, and prison cells. In walking down some of these tunnels I had to set the scene for myself; unfortunately, the tunnels were lined with handrails and lights…but I just had to make it a bit more exciting. Just imagine, you are a Spanish solider and your fort is under attack. You had spent the night drinking the great native rum and were abruptly awoken from your drunken sleep by the sound of canons attacking your fort. It’s the middle of the night…you and hundreds, sometimes thousands of other soldiers need to get from one side of the fort to the other. In your bright red or white uniform you don’t want to be running in site of the enemy. There are no lights, no night vision goggles, and no handrails, just instinct and rage feeding your veins. Sometimes the enemy outsmarted the Spaniards and dug their way into their tunnels. They’d set gunpowder bombs and explode them from two sides; this screwed the Spaniards in more ways than one. If anyone was in-between the two blasts, they were trapped or killed, and now there was no underground out of site access to the other side of the fort.

It really blew my mind to try and relive, and perhaps think of what it would have been like during that time of battle.

To end the time at the fort, I stayed to watch the weekly performance of some great dances and wonderful native music. What a performance it was, and my can they dance!!! Well, this really put me in the mood for some great local music and salsa dancing.

Back to the ship I went and got ready to head out to a club called New Yourica (not sure about the spelling). This club was in a little alley way and right across from it was a little tiny bar that sold beer for a buck fifty as opposed to the four to five dollars inside…it was perfect. Once inside the club, I salsaed the night away…truly invigorating. Funny story, I teamed up with my neighbor Amanda who had learned the basics of salsa the night before. We started creating a killer salsa routine. Well, she had her bag on her shoulder and at one point I spun her around and because of it, her bag cleared the counter and knocked over a bunch of beers and drinks, onto the floor they went…we just kept dancing and no one seemed to mind. I think it was because we looked so damn good. It was great.

Our last day on land, Wednesday, we spent at the beach. It was wonderful. Isle Verde (Green Island) was a beautiful beach with a perfect surf and great rays. I was a good white boy and covered myself with sunscreen, only SPF 15. Just so you all know, I haven’t burnt once. My skin has been sun-kissed since I headed south and is going to continue that until we get to China.

I’ve already learned so much in the short time I have been away. But the most important thing that I learned was that traveling in huge groups really sucks and when you do that, you are really restricted in what you can to do. There was so much more that I wanted to do but couldn’t because of conflicting opinions and desires. I didn’t want to be the rude piece of shit I can be in the first port because it’s the beginning of the trip and I have to live with these folks for the next 94 days or so. However, I have decided that from now on, I’m going to get done and see what I want to, and if people choose to join me, so be it. If not, then I’m sure I’ll find a taker or two somewhere else that wants to join me in my adventure of choice. I’m just thrilled I learned this right off the bat.

Enough bitching.

Well, I’ve gone on long enough, and it’s still not all in there! I’m at sea for the next seven days until we reach the stunning port of Salvador, Brazil. Expect lots in that report, we are there for five days.

Back reporting soon!

Photos...

Hello there. As per popular request and many a complaint, this post is going to be all photos! I've been in Puerto Rico since Monday and will be departing tonight (1/23) at 2300. I can say that it has been AMAZING here in PR and cannot wait to find the time tonight/tomorrow to write a full report for all of your eyes to enjoy. Well, enjoy the photos and brief captions.





Left, view from the San Cristolbal Fort built to defend the city of San Juan by the Spaniards, details to come.













At right, the roadside waterfall in El Yunque.

This is the view from the ship of the fort El Morro, details to come in next post.

As a note, it is a ROYAL pain in the ass to upload photos on this site. I hope to set up something where you will be able to view photos separtley from the blog. Talk to you soon.

Rough Seas Ahead...

Sea Update for January 22, 2006:

We are expecting severely rough seas this afternoon into the night and upon arrival in Puerto Rico. Currently, we are 20 degrees 04 minutes north, 068 degrees 23.0 minutes west. We have traveled 621 Nautical Miles (NM) since leaving Nassau and are 159 NM from Puerto Rico. Our average speed is 8.5 knots (the reason we are going so slow is to make sure we have enough time at sea to get classes and housekeeping work done before arriving in port). The Sea depth is 2800meters or 9,185 feet, temperature 79 degrees F. Air temp is 80 degrees. The winds are coming from ENE at 27 knots, because of this we have swells ranging from 13-15 feet. The seas are expected to get much rougher as the evening goes on.

Yesterday (1/21) I laid out for a half an hour and got some color, nothing to severe, just a light sun kiss. Today I’ve been mostly doing school work and getting ‘stuff’ out of the way. Today at lunch I sat at the Spanish table to brush up en mi espanol before PR. This table will continue to meet at lunch throughout the trip, so I hope to come back a bit better in Spanish than when I left.

Last night was the first night where alcohol was served. There was a happy hour from 5-6 where you were allowed two drinks (wine OR beer), and then an evening social from 9-11 where you were allowed 4 drinks. It was a wonderful evening. It wasn’t that people got drunk or wasted, it was that it was a great way to break some ice and get people REALLY socializing. I met so many people, but of course remember so few names.

As a note for the blog, leave you email address in the comments section as it is easier for me to access it that way. I have free internet access to the Semester at Sea website where I can send postcards to people, which is much easier than doing it through AOL or gmail. Also, if you are going to email me, please send email to: jclefrancois@gmail.com.

Back to sailing!

Getting to Know the Sea

First full day at Sea (01/20/06). And what a day it was. From a geography professor that stripped off layers of clothing to prove a point to Student Life orientation, it was a day with a serious agenda. Thankfully, those days are numbered. School beings today (01/21/06)!

On the ship there are A days and there are B days. Geography is the one course that meets each day for an hour and a half. This class will be incredibly exciting. Dr. Sam Sheldon is the Global Studies official professor. However, he also draws upon the talents from the other incredibly talented and impressively diverse body of 26 other faculty members. He sets the tone for the course and from there, we will hear from anywhere from 1-3 faculty members, guest lecturers, and even students on a daily basis. The overall theme of the course is “Globalization and Localization.” These are incredibly relevant and controversial topics. Everything we do and study revolves around the countries we are visiting. On Monday we will dock in the port of San Juan, PR. On Saturday we will hear from a guest lecturer and will be briefed on the cultural customs and different ways of life on the island. Believe it or not, Puerto Rico is an incredibly diverse island; from Africa to the Western Caribbean, its resident draw their ways of life from deep historical roots from all around the world.

One of the professor’s on board the ship is a native of PR and we will be hearing from her on Sunday. The one thing about doing a Semester at Sea is that your classes meet each day you are at sea. There is really no official weekend, however when you are in port, classes do not meet, so breaks range from 2-6 days at a time.

As far as the ship goes, this is quite the floating University. Lounges and pianos, a union that doubles as a disco, a store, a library, and a fully equipped fitness facility, onboard, there really isn’t much we’re missing. O wait…I forgot to mention the 9 classrooms. These window lined and spacious rooms, are fully loaded with top notch technology equipment, ranging from flat screen TVs, to projectors and even an inter-ship network that can show video being taped in the Union, live to all the other “Satellite” classrooms.

So far, I really can’t complain about the food. Tonight at dinner there was grilled Mahi-Mahi. There have been plenty of great vegetable selections and there seems to be a fish served each night with dinner. The first night was broiled Pollock. There are two main dining halls and all meals are served buffet style. You can eat on one of the two decks with tables and chairs that are on decks 5 and 6, but there is also plenty of room to dine inside. There is also a pool on the 7th deck with tables, chairs, and a bar that serves fresh smoothies and other enjoyable treats that bring the feeling of “home” to the ship. The crew on board this vessel is absolutely amazing. They go out of their way to do what they can to help you, and are just painfully happy while doing so. You know something, people are really too happy around this damn ship. In NY, you just can’t go around and happy all the time, its pretty much impossible. And even more so, even if you are happy, that certainly doesn’t mean all the people around you are going to be also. It feels weird when there is not a range of emotion running about thousands of people.

I’m going to close this post with some very interesting demographics that make up this ship.
Students: 684
Adult Passengers: 19
Faculty: 27
Staff: 33
Partial Voyagers: 8
Crew: 203

Total people onboard the MV Explorer: exactly 1,000.

There are 134 Business Majors, 73 Communications Majors, 71 Psychology majors, and ranking fourth is of course the great study of Political Science standing tall with 42 students. There are 262 Universities and Colleges represented onboard, with a student body stretching from the US to China, and Colombia to Latvia, from Canada to Japan and Singapore to Israel; in addition to charting the globe we also have quite the cross-cultural student body onboard. There are 121 students from California, 99 from Pennsylvania, 41 from Colorado, 41 New Yorkers, 32 New Jersians, 31 from Mass., 26 Washingtonians, 22 ridiculous Texans, and of course, the reason for the big list…20 students from the great state of Connecticut. Which really, when you think about it, is quite impressive considering its overall size and population in comparison to the other states that make up the top 8.

We’re supposed to be encountering some rougher seas come Saturday night, Sunday. I’m with the group that cheers on the big waves and swells while all the weak stomached folk lay low and stay as far from the front (bow) of the ship as possible. That’s all for now; good day mate.

Bahamas and Beyond...

Welcome to the Bahamas. I’m posting a bit late because I didn’t really have any internet access from Nassau. After a quick jump of a flight in a 20-seat puddle jumper, I arrived in Nassau at about 4pm on the 17th. I simply breezed through immigration and then onto customs where I think the guy looked at all my bags and just let me go through without any inspection to save himself the hassle. Frankly, I was thrilled.

I ventured outside to catch a cab, as I was letting one know where I was going a little voice asked where I was going and if she could join me. I came to learn that her name was Molly. She goes to school in Oregon and is originally from northern California. Once at our new Bahaman home, the Nassau Beach Hotel, I went off to check in. She had a friend that was already there and checked in. She let me know her room number so I could meet up with them later and that was that. While checking in, I, of course, was hoping for my very own king size bed. There is nothing like a massive bed all to yourself after two days of non-stop travel. To my disappointment, the hotel had been out of power for the entire afternoon and had just turned back on before I got there. Somehow, because of the power outage there were no king beds available, so I got two double beds instead. Howeva, because of my great luck, it just so happened that I would be neighbors with Molly and her five other delightful roommates.

I got settled and went over to say hello. All but one of the six was a west coast kid. Mark was a resident of New Hampshire and attended good ol’ UCONN. They had plans to go into town and asked me to come along. I of course overwhelmingly agreed to join them for the downtown Nassau adventure. We ended up at Senor Frogs, but quickly changed our minds when we heard about this club called Fluid. Yes, I know what your thinking, I too was a bit apprehensive, but once we got there the music just made my feet move! We danced the night away there and once the crowd died down we headed over to Senor Frogs. One of the ladies in our group smooth talked her way out of the cover charge and magically, we all got in. Once inside, we became the life of the party…well, really, we were the party. Anywho, once our legs had fallen off our bodies we all managed to crawl into a cab and head back home. I inched into bed as soon as I saw it.

Having arrived home at quite the late hour, I was hoping to wake up and drag myself to the beach and get some more shuteye in the light of the Caribbean Sun. Of course, that didn’t happen…for two reasons really. Number one, my wonderful concerned mother abruptly woke me up in the morning because she hadn’t heard from me. Well, what the hell was I supposed to do. Neither of the two cell phones I had worked and christ, I just left home, what the hell did I have to check in so soon for. Well, mothers are mothers and she just wanted to make sure I was alive. I was.

Of course when I answered that call I also realized it was nasty overcast and pouring rain. I rolled over and went back to sleep hoping to wake up to some sunshine in an hour or two. Needless to say, that didn’t happen.

Around noontime, we all headed into town to get a feel for the place in the daylight. It was quite different from the night scene. So many things were horribly depressing; already I have learned how much I fucking hate Globalization, and we’re just begun our global treck. From Starbucks to Subway, it came as no surprise that the US Embassy building shared a parking lot with the good old, piece of shit McDonalds. We grabbed a bite at a little local diner that was hoping; I went for a typical Caribbean favorite: Conch Fritters. And what a choice it was.

After lunch we perused through town a bit more and started walking in the general direction of our hotel. After having walked a ways, we decided that we’d stroll the rest because we had already started. Well, an hour and a half later, and five miles behind us, we arrived back at our pad. Nap time it was.

The Bahamas is so damn expensive, but the Duty Free Liquor stores were just the script the college kids ordered. We went back into town that night and once again blew up Senor Frogs. After two nights of nonstop dancing, my legs felt as though they were no longer a part of my body.

Of course, the next morning had a 0630 wake up call on the agenda because it was off to port we go!!! Thankfully, L was the last letter of the first group of people boarding the ship. It started at 0800 and the first group was supposed to be done by 1000. We got there a bit after 0800 and waited in line for at least an hour and a half. Thankfully, it was overcast and there was a light mist in the air keeping us cool while anxiously awaiting to board our new floating home. Past check in and safely through customs, we found ourselves stunned at the sight of the vessel we were about to board. And yet, even to this minute, it feels the reality of it has not set in. I was giddy for about a minute or so. I can’t describe it; there is still a numbness to the idea of it all. Perhaps, once we get to our first official port, San Juan, PR, the excitement will take over and I will be bursting with awe and wonder. It has been an incredibly long day. I can’t even begin to speak of how many names I’ve been told and yet how few I remember.


I can also say that the people on this ship are truly wonderful and amazing human beings. From the eclectic blend of students to the diverse faculty, and from the global crew to the overwhelmingly happy cabin stewards, this ship is a global melting pot…literally. There is quite the rigorous schedule on board this great ship, the MV Explorer.

For the fist night at sea, it has been quite comical. People are not dealing too well with the motion in this wide and vast ocean. The feel of the Sea is like no other; to some, calm and relaxing, while others are on edge and nauseated. For me, the roll of the ocean is soothing and makes for an easy night’s rest. There is something amazing about charting yout way through the most unknown territory on earth: the great ocean.

Well, that’s all for now.

Here I Sit...

So, here I sit in the Tampa airport and I was just patiently waiting and reading my book before the most exciting announcement in the world came over the loud speaker...FREE WIRELESS THROUGHOUT THE AIRPORT!! A perfect time to do a little post. I got to Tampa yesterday (1/16) morning and had a lovely evening with my Floridian Aunt and Uncle. I woke this morning and headed for the airport, headed to Nassau by way of Miami. The layover is quite perfect really; a few friends are meeting me at the airport for lunch during my pit stop, one last HOORahhh if you will. From there, I'm island bound. I get into Nassau around 4ish and head to the Nassau Beach Hotel. It’s just a few blocks from the Atlantis Hotel, which is THE spot in the Bahamas. The large majority of SAS students are staying at the Atlantis or where I'm at, the Nassau Beach Hotel.

I'll have a full day in Nassau on Wednesday. I plan on getting some sun and hope to meet people going on the trip. Come Thursday, I need to be at the ship for 8AM boarding call! Glad my name falls in the first group of the alphabet boarding rules. What’s going to be the scariest part of the boarding experience, is finding out who the hell my roommate is going to be! I just hope I'm there before he is. Of course the downside to a ship cabin is a shared closet and VERY limited space. But I've heard that your room is the last place you are, except of course, bedtime.

Well, five minutes till boarding! Talk to you soon!

Welcome

Well, here we are. Just so you know, this whole blogging this is brand new to me, so we are starting this together. On January 16, 2006 I will get on a plane in Hartford, Connecticut and travel to Tampa, Florida where I will spend my last night in the US with my Aunt and Uncle. From Tampa I'll board a plane headed for the Bahamas...Nassau that is. I'll have about a day and a half to see the area and get to know as many Semester at Sea(SAS) folk as possible. The 100 day global expedition officially begins on January the 19th at 8AM when I board the MV Explorer.

The ship sets sail and will be making its first stop in a common United States territory, San Juan, Puerto Rico. This will be the shortest stop, just three days. After getting a sense of the island flavor, we set sail for seven days and head south by way of the Atlantic Ocean for the tip of Brazil. The beautiful Portuguese city of Salvador will be explored for four days. After Brazil, one of the first ocean crossings occurs. It will take ten days to get from Southeaster Brazil and head south across the Atlantic to the southern tip of Africa. After the trans-Atlantic journey, our ship will arrive in Cape Town, South Africa for six days. After that we head northeast into the middle of nowhere. It is a tiny island, about the size of a pea really. Set in the Indian Ocean, Port Luis, Mauritius is quite the tiny African entity. From there we head due north to the eastern coast of India. We will dock in Chennai, the capital city of the most populous country in the world. From there we will head east across the Bay of Bengal to Yangon, Myanmar. After spending some time in this risky military rogue state, we head south through the narrow Straight of Malaca between Malaysia and Sumatra. Once through, we will head north to southern Vietnam, Ho Chin Minh City. Known to the locals as Siagon, this will be quite the trip...my parents are going to be meeting me there. From 'Nam we navigate through the South China Sea and end up in Hong Kong. From there we will make way up the Taiwan Straight and into the Yellow Sea to find a city on the northern tip of the bay, Qingdao, China. After China comes a well known island. We’ll plot a course around the southern tip of Japan and stop on the south eastern coast in the city of Kobe. Sadly, Kobe is the last stop outside of the United States. It will be a sad day when the 13-day cross-Pacific journey begins. It will be a mark of several things: the end of a journey, finals time, my birthday (which will be celebrated dead smack in the middle of the ocean), and the fact that the US is our next stop…whoooooppppiiiiieeeeee (please note: thick sarcasm)! On April 28, 2006, if all goes as planned, the MV Explorer will make its last stop in the beautiful port of San Diego, California.

If I’m still alive by the time we get back to the states…this will be something we’ll have a lot to talk about when I return to the east coast.

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