Blogs from Oceans and Seas - page 165

So, we have been at sea for about nine days now, and I think I am one of the few people on the ship who are not losing their minds. I love it out here. Reading for class is so much better when you can go out on the deck and watch for marine life (One dolphin and one whale sighting today). I have met some really nice people who will provide a good group of friends to hang out with and I am still enjoying meeting all the new people from across the U.S. Classes are fun and interesting. One of my professors reminds of the English professor from The Dead Poets Society (I think that is the right movie). Food is decent and the addition of cheese squares can make any meal better. We ... read more

The Start Line -- Cape Town, South Africa (03 January 2009) Table Mountain loomed from across the bay. Helicopters buzzed overhead. Spectator boats swarmed around the sidelines. There is definitely excitement in the air as we surge towards the start line, and we're definitely not going to be crossing it alone. In 15 seconds, the start gun will fire and hopefully our bow will be one of the first to point westward towards Brazil. This is the start of the longest single-ocean yacht race in the world with over 3600 nautical miles of deep, blue South Atlantic ocean water separating South Africa from Brazil. It is the 2009 Heineken Cape to Bahia Race. It is an emotional experience to race under the shadow of Table Mountain - one of those moments in your life you never ... read more

The last couple days of writing from my journal. I’ve been having a crazy time, waking up before 9 for classes, and spending the day reading, writing, meeting people, and hanging off the railing watching the ocean. It is definitely a lot of fun, but I am seriously missing you guys. More than I even anticipated. Its starting to get to me. Thank you for the comments and messages, the love from a quarter of the way around the world is much needed and even more appreciated. anyway, here it is... Les McCabe, our executive dean, spoke to the “school” yesterday. He talked about ubuntu, a concept introduced to him by the Archbishop Desmund Tutu. The word, translated as humanity, comes from the Bantu language of the Zulu people of South Africa. The concept emphasizes compassion ... read more

Ok, so now that I have my internet and everything set up, it is time to get this blog going. The Bahamas were pretty cool. The hotel I stayed in was amazing and I got to watch the stupid Eagles lose to the Cardinals on a big screen projector. The next day my roommate for the night Alex and I went to the port to get on the ship (we have been told many times that it is NOT a boat). The M.V. Explorer is really cool. It is smaller than the last cruise ship I was on but it has everything we need. The rooms are tiny but I have only spent the nights there so it works out. It has been three days since we left the Bahamas and it is pretty weird to ... read more

What a whirlwind turn-around! I arrive home from South Africa only 2 days before Christmas. There was some mad rushing around replacing things lost during my mugging (license, health card, etc.) before everything closed up. Then lovely holiday time. I’m so happy to have been home for a holiday, uninterrupted. Time with my family, including the extended family, is so valued right now. Lots of time with my best friend and the little guy I love (her baby). Jet lag really kicked my butt for the first week or so, but otherwise, it was just wonderful. However, less than 3 weeks later, I was already packed and again on a plane! 10 days ago, I signed onto the Carnival Fantasy. The Fantasy is one of our oldest ships and she is so small! Well, actually she ... read more