Suite Life on Deck

Dear lovely reader,

Greetings from the Pacific Ocean! The past few days have been a whirl wind. But I’m really excited to let y’all know that I made it on the ship, MV Explorer! All the anticipation, excitement, nervousness has subsided. It’s been exactly one week since I boarded but it really does feel like one month. I can’t explain it, but time feels both long and quick at the same time. Days at sea can be exhausting sometimes but so thrilling. I do apologize that I can’t find the time to blog as frequently. But I’m promising myself to make my way around it. This suite life on deck can’t mean a lot if I don’t have anyone to share it with. :D

Day 1, January 9, 2013: The drive down to San Diego was so smooth and easy, no traffic at all. Once we got to the Hilton Hotel for check-in and bag drop-off, all I had to do was to wait for the buses to take me to Ensanada, Mexico, where the MV Explorer will embark. Said deuces to the family, see y’all in 4 months J (I just learned that deuces is the equivalent to peace like two weeks ago). I remember seeing all the students and their families, saying their farewells. In my mind, I pictured waving farewell on the ship and seeing families waving back at the dock as tears shed and hugs are exchanged (guess some things can’t all begin like Titanic). But this parting still meant a great ordeal to me. Definitely made me realize how real this voyage can be. I met a friend named, Pabel from Peru, as I waited for the 11:30 bus. He was so easy to talk to and he’s an international student mang. Also met Paola, waiting at the hotel. Very sweet and easy to talk to girl. Once we finally got on the bus, it was about 2 hours passing through some checkpoints aka Caminos y Puentes. When I finally saw the MV Explorer for the first time, I had to take a step back and breathe it all in as one view. But I couldn’t, the ship was just as huge as this voyage was. Until today, I’ve never been on a cruise ship before. So the thought of having a floating campus over water is pretty much the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. The gold railings, the red carpet, the warm lights, all seemed very grand to me. There were so many students, faculty, just people walking around, touring the ship, checking in, shaking hands, and exchanging backgrounds. I kinda realized how much of a California girl I was because I’ve never been to any other state before haha. But these students were all over the USA, and internationally all over the world. Just the simple “Hello, where are you from?” made me fit into so many eyes and perspectives.  Basically, the first day of SAS was a blur, a stressful, surreal blur (first day of school Cady Heron throwback, but true). 5pm was the schedule time to leave port on Ensanada. I was sitting near the end of the ship with my new and wonderful roommates, Bridget and Cassie, as we watched the dock, the buildings, the city lights, get smaller and smaller as the ship took off. That was the last time we would see dry land until the next week we would arrive to our first port, Hilo, Hawaii.  I could never forget my first embarkation day of Semester at Sea.

I really don’t want to make this blog dreary with boring details, so I’ll keep this part brief. I really thought I wouldn’t get seasick or motion sickness on this ship. But that seasick bug got almost single person on the first day. Seasickness is really no joke, it could put someone down and in bed for the entire day. But the best part of it all is that it is totally understandable and not at all embarrassing. And the even better part of the best part is that I haven’t felt sick ever since the first day, so no complaints at all. Every day is so important on this voyage, whether it be at sea or in port, that you really can’t afford a day being down and in bed. But knock on wood and wishing everybody all happy and well-being. Note to any future voyagers out there, please don’t take Dramamine (motion sickness medicine) as a whole tablet, because you WILL get sleepy, and you WILL practically snooze through every lecture on your first day of class. Classes contain around 20 students each, except for Global Lens courses (maybe around 50-60 students). So the probability of a professor remembering your name is great, and the probability of a professor calling you out in class is even greater. Courses at SAS are definitely keeping me on my toes, but it’s not something to shy away from. Just trying to keep up with some of the most intellectual and outspoken students and powerful professors, I’ve ever encountered.

Aite lesbehonest, I’m actually docked in Hilo, Hawaii right now. I really wanted to send out this blog through email (the only unlimited web resource we students have on this ship) by tonight because I’ve been keep this blog in my Drafts folder for about a week now. Tomorrow morning will be the second and last day in Hawaii so I’ll definitely be writing my Hawaii blog as soon as I can. Thank you for reading my blog! I'll miss you!

Your friendly explorer,

Kimmy