I'm Sailing!

Ok, I know that this is a very late blog entry! Bare with me, the Internet is very slow I’ve started my trip around the world!

I wont recap all that happened in the Bahamas. I had lots of fun going to the zoo, the Atlantis, the beach and the Straw Market. It was beautiful and I’ll post some pictures.

All the exciting stuff happened in the past two days and that’s where the voyage really starts!

I already feel like a failure for not updating the blog yesterday on the first day. So, I shall recap.

Becca( my roommate for the hotel in Nassau) and I woke up early and were both pretty anxious to get going towards the ship. We took a cab over to the wharf both of us thinking we were going to arrive way to early. But then we saw the line that stretched two blocks down alongside the wharf. Of course our cab driver dropped us at the very front of it, so we had to drag our stuff down the middle of the road to get to the end of the line. Finally we were allowed on the dock. This was the first full view of the explorer that I had and I don’t think I will ever forget how beautiful it was. We waited in yet more lines and finally were able to board the ship. It was so surreal to pass over the gangway and into the second level! Our excitement soon dwindled a bit when we found out we had to wait in yet more lines for various things such as health, cell phones, and such. Finally it was time to go check out the rooms! I got to my room and my cabin steward, Joseph had to help me with the door. Our doors are like hotels and our student ID’s are our room keys. I was hoping my roommate would be there, but no such luck. Within minutes one of my bags was already outside the door waiting for me. I didn’t want to start unpacking till my roommate showed, so I knocked on Becca’s door and we went exploring. Words cannot describe how beautiful this ship is. I LOVE IT. Everything is sparkling clean and looks brand new. We have two dining halls, seven decks, a pool, a piano bar, a spa, a gym, and so much more. Eventually my roommate showed up and she seemed really nice and excited like me which was a good sign. We discussed closet space for a while, then said, screw this lets look around! We ended up eating our first lunch on board, outside on deck six. It was pretty amazing. Around three we had our first lifeboat drill. This was probably one of the most miserable experiences I have had in the past year. It was sweltering hot and we all have to pack in like cattle in front of our assigned lifeboats. I’m in A3. I love the atmosphere right now because everyone is so excited and friendly. We got a spot on deck pretty early before the ship embarked. It was so much fun, and felt so epic to hear the ship’s horn blow as we made our departure from Nassau! Close after leaving port we had our first meeting, which was basically an introduction to ship life. It was fun; we got some useful tips like. “Only flush down the toilet what you produce” and “keep all doors shut cause you will loose your fingers!” Apparently fingers have been lost on several voyages. And if you get seasick remember “one hand for the ship and one hand for yourself.” The evening was filled with these kinds of meetings and then we had some with our floors and the people who makes up our teams or as we call them “seas.” I’m in the Adriatic Sea with about fifty other kids. Sunset was beautiful and I have many pictures of it. I’m sure it was only the first of many that will be memorable. We started to feel the rocking as soon as we departed the port. Let me tell you it is WAY more motion than I was expecting. I normally don’t get sea sick but this is very strange. Eliza (my roommate) and I were doing fine, both of us felt great until we started to get really tired. We came back to our cabin with the intention of unpacking some more and then going to bed. But as soon as we were in our cabin we both felt pretty nauseated. We took quick showers and then went to bed. Sleeping when you are rocking in all directions is very interesting. We were told today that on a scale of 1-10 as how rocky the waters will be from now till the end this is only a 2. There were some very sick and disappointed people when we got this news. I eventually fell asleep from what was probably pure exhaustion from the day.

Today was a long day of meetings since it was our orientation. We started out with breakfast, and then headed to meetings on various subjects. UVA Honor Code, and Safety At Sea which was given by one of the crew members from the Ukraine and he was hilarious. We all loved him. Later we had more on Health, field excursions and ship life. None were terribly boring but I’m looking forward to my classes starting tomorrow cause today was just booked to the max with time sitting in the Union. The union is the biggest classroom on the ship, and yet its not big enough for everyone so other classrooms and cabins have the lecturers on satellite TV. Every member of the ship has to take the course “Global Studies.” I haven’t been in any of the satellite rooms yet and I hope not to be cause I think it would be boring to watch class on TV. I had dinner with some new people and then sat on the deck for a hour watching yet another beautiful sunset. After sunset I met up with some other friends and we played card games until our last meetings of the night. I’m gonna brag now.. This is the only way to go to college! Sitting on the back of a cruise ship, sailing around the world and staring out into an amazing sunset. It does not get better. Our stewards make our beds everyday and clean every inch of the ship every night. They work so hard and are the nicest people ever. At dinner they offer us our drinks and then clear all our plates for us. Its strange trying to get used to such service! I’m having lots of fun and meeting lots of interesting people. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and then the day after we hit San Juan! I love you all and I miss everyone like crazy!

I tried uploading pics but its not working out. Hopefully soon!