Paul and I are so darn lucky! Natalie and her friend, Kelly, traveled with the Semester at Sea (SAS) program back in 1994 and she had been encouraging us for years to take the plunge! It’s hard to believe that we took her advice and actually traveled around the world for 109 days. Of course, the two-for-one pricing gave us lots of incentive! We travelled with some really fun people learning about our world by studying and visiting twelve foreign countries and two Hawaiian Islands. The Semester at Sea Fall 2010 voyage can easily be described as a crash course in global consciousness.
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| Our home for 109 days |
Returning to real life was not easy after not having to cook, make a bed, do laundry or clean for so long. I had dreams about various ports for 10 days. In one of those dreams, the ship sunk but we were able to swim to shore! Significant, hmmm? Then the dreams started up again when our return home after a two-week visit with Debbie and Natalie’s families in California was approaching.
So what was daily ship life like? Life aboard the MV Explorer was like being at a huge floating coffee shop where I could always find a friend to shoot the breeze. Besides the fun people, the courses ranged from business, science, art, anthropology, theater, psychology, music, religious studies and Global Studies. We could sit in any class where there was room at no additional charge and we did not have to do the homework! The library had all the text books available. The faculty was outstanding. AND, there was an abundance of exciting activities to add to the memorable experience.
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| Jjodee, Cooper, Maryann and Boots say goodbye |
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| Dinner with the Tutu's |
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| Block party |
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| More block party |
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| Brett, Rocky and Ryder at 00:00!! |
The seas were rocky sometimes, particularly in the aft of the ship. One day when the seas were rough, the choral group decided to practice sitting in chairs arranged in a double circle on the hardwood floor of the Union. Just as we started to sing, we all slid slowly to one side of the stage and back again! It was just so funny. So we moved into the chairs that are designed not to move under any circumstances, but now we were in a large circle and could not hear one another. Another day my shopping buddy, Gail, was thrown backwards out of her chair in the dining hall and bumped her head hard on a serving table.
Larger classes, seminars and shows were held in the Union. We really did not spend much time in our room with classes, reading or internet use in Glazer Lounge or the computer lab, meals, evening Explorer seminars and Life-long learner social hours and meetings daily during the cocktail hour. Then there were events: Neptune Day, the Halfway There Party, Halloween, the Sea Olympics, Talent shows, Thanksgiving, the Auction, the Choral Performance and the Captain’s Ball. Many of us were involved with the crew talent show, open mikes, the ship talent show, more open mikes, birthday parties, the choral performance and late nights visiting in the Lounge. We had to plan port visits which might merely involve checking out Forder’s for transportation availability, special sites and shopping. But other times we had to locate hotels and check out train schedules via the internet. Marillee Carol, a LLL, described life aboard astutely. “The camaraderie, daily entertainment, over stimulation, energy and vitality of everyday life on Board and off, was so fabulous!"
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| Louisa and I are initiated as Shellbackers - We crossed the 00:00 point! |
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| The Lion King skit for the NoMer Sea |
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| The NoMer Sea Synchronized Swimming Team |
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| Me, Alyssa, Dan, Donna, our choral teacher, and Connie after our performance |
The most important and memorable part of this voyage is by far the relationships established with other passengers. That last week was a blur of activity. We all wanted to spend as much time as possible sharing experiences. While students studied, wrote papers and took tests, we had more seminars on other places to visit and non-profit opportunities, wrote our blogs, and partied. There was a block party on one end of deck five where no students lived. Four rooms were open and we all brought food and wine and moved from room to room during the evening.
Louise and Frank and Paul and I enjoyed a special dinner in honor of Louise’s birthday the next night. Special dinners are like going to a fine restaurant - five courses and champagne for $25 each. Such a deal. They were truly special.
The following night, our group’s leader, Chris, ordered super appetizers in Glazer Lounge during the cocktail hour. We all skipped dinner. The Tutu's held a cocktail party for the adults on board. Another skipped dinner!
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| Tom and Brett with Paul |
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| Leah with Louise and me |
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| My Daddy! |
Then it was time for a dance party in Glazer after dinner. Then time for the Captain’s Dinner and Ball.
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| Alex, Cooper, Vanessa and friends |
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| Nicky, Anne, me, Louise,Corrine, Grace, Lisa and Marty |
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| Connor's parents welcome |
The last night aboard the ship all the LLL’s staff and faculty brought and wine, liquor and food left in their cabins for a 9:00 smorgasbord! Paul and I left that party before it ended, because we planned to be on deck at 6:00 am to watch the docking in San Diego. Everyone was blasted awake at 6:00 am by Neil Diamond singing "Coming to America." I thought Paul had turned on music and asked him to please turn it off! Many others probably felt like that too. But we got up, dressed and ascended to aft Deck 7 to welcome the sun and San Diego!
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| Parents waiting |
To learn how you too can enjoy a marvelous voyage like this one, visit www.semesteratsea.org. Many options exist from the 109 day voyages to partial voyages to six week voyages. Most itineries are set two years in advance. For instance, SAS has announced that the 109 day voyage in January 2012 will repeat the two-for-one pricing for life-long learners, the offer which convinced us to take the trip of a lifetime. Start planning for it now!
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| The San Diego sunset |
