Semester at Sea Entry 1
Jan 20
So I’m officially now on board and have finished up with orientation….where to start ….
Travel to the Bahamas:
Apparently I had the audacity to request the Captain of my flight’s aid in assisting me with lifting my carry-ons into the overhead cartridges that I was merely just not strong enough and or tall enough to achieve successfully. After informing me that he is usually unable to do things like this, he helped and continued to make frequent visits to chat or to offer the service of an attendant. After the flight he returned to help me once again with my bags…nice guy. I sat next to an older Spanish woman (who only spoke Spanish) and chatted with her for a little while until she requested my window seat and I decided to oblige. She throughout the flight would periodically scare of the turbulence and repeat Hail Mary’s in Spanish while crossing herself. I was only slightly amused. Eventually I moved to the back where there was an open window seat and I was able to sleep.
The Bahamas:
Upon getting into the Bahamas I met several nice guys who helped me with my luggage and hailed me a cab….I’d probably still be stuck at the airport if not for their help. I quickly learned that most Bahamians follow Californian professional sports teams and was able to shoot the breeze as to how badly the 49ers suck and why. Immediately their accents threw me off guard as they were almost indecipherable. Take the heaviest Hawaiian accent you’ve heard, multiply that degree by about 5, throw in a ‘mon’ about every 2 words, speed it up about 10 times, and you have a Bahamian accent. Kule, my cab driver, was great….we chatted about nearly everything and sometime through the half hour ride he offered me ‘ The Bahama Mama Treat’…..yeah, he literally called it that. Haha. There was also a moment during the drive when we passed a bar and a man walked out yelling one obsenity or another and Kule took it upon himself to tell the ‘drunken bastard’ to watch his mouth in front of me. I also met a guy who’s name was Ali…you can imagine how awkward that interchange was for a little bit…..
In the Bahamas they drive on the left hand side (which is something that was unexpected). This is a direct result of the Bahamas being British owned until 1973, and after independence of which the Bahamian government thought it to be merely just too expensive to change. On the day we left the Bahamas there was a Jukabog festival which consists of a parade of Bahamians through Nassau with traditional garments, dance, and song. Another interesting fact of the Bahamas: they have no tax. When Kule told me this I was shocked as to how a government could function in providing public service to it’s citizens without tax and how that works economically, but he didn’t really know.
The Ship:
It took waiting 3 hours in line in the hot Bahamian sun with all of our luggage to finally get onto the ship. Fortunately it gave me an opportunity to meet a lot of people on the ship. The ship is amazing-much more ostentatious than I would have ever imagined- it is about 2 years old, complete with marble floors, chandeliers, about 5 bars, a pool, a functional spa (this seems somewhat nonsensical to me), a basketball court, and a gym. My room is tiny…..we’re right above the engine so there is a slight roar that you eventually drown out….the bathroom is about the size of an airport lavatory and the room is about 7 ft by 10 ft. Everybody thus far has been extremely sea sick- so bad that there have even been instances of people puking during orientation meetings. I had no idea we would be rolling as much as we are. It is pretty much impossible to walk in a straight line and things continually are falling. Everyone is attempting to fight sea sickness with Dramamine, patches, or bracelets… I’m trying to tough it out and have been pretty lucrative. The only time I felt a little sick was after attempting to keep my balance while running on the treadmill…I literally had to place my hand on the wall to keep from falling. Before getting on the treadmill I witnessed about 4 people fall on there faces….no exaggeration….hilarious…and I suppose it didn’t deter me (Beck decided not to give it a try). We’ve been having a lot of safety drills lately...which are slightly reminiscent of scenes from Titanic……kind of frightening.
I’ve met rad folks here so far. There is a group of about 6 guys who brought and are wearing the Life Aquatic red beanies…needless to say we’ve become fast friends. My roommate, Shauna, is adorable and there are tons of others that I love….lots of great conversations… Most people here are from the East or West coast…I suppose that’s where all the cultured cats are from…haha. So far I have spent tons of time chllin with Beck and my other new friends outside on the deck. The breeze outside it extremely warm…about 73 degrees even at night…it is absolutely beautiful.
Classes start tomorrow - yep, on a Saturday, and continue on Sunday. On Monday we arrive in San Juan.
I realize this is getting a little long and probably really boring so I’ll end this for now…..if you have anymore questions about something I was somewhat cryptic about, post it in a comment and I’ll get back to you.
I had a thought yesterday….
I’ve never really quite understood nor related to people when they say after traveling or having a long day that “they just want to sleep in their own bed.” I suppose in the last couple of years I’ve moved so frequently that I haven’t really felt like I have had my ‘own bed’. But- you guys, and you know who you are, are my ‘own bed’…..and I’ll always just want to sleep in my own bed.
So I’m officially now on board and have finished up with orientation….where to start ….
Travel to the Bahamas:
Apparently I had the audacity to request the Captain of my flight’s aid in assisting me with lifting my carry-ons into the overhead cartridges that I was merely just not strong enough and or tall enough to achieve successfully. After informing me that he is usually unable to do things like this, he helped and continued to make frequent visits to chat or to offer the service of an attendant. After the flight he returned to help me once again with my bags…nice guy. I sat next to an older Spanish woman (who only spoke Spanish) and chatted with her for a little while until she requested my window seat and I decided to oblige. She throughout the flight would periodically scare of the turbulence and repeat Hail Mary’s in Spanish while crossing herself. I was only slightly amused. Eventually I moved to the back where there was an open window seat and I was able to sleep.
The Bahamas:
Upon getting into the Bahamas I met several nice guys who helped me with my luggage and hailed me a cab….I’d probably still be stuck at the airport if not for their help. I quickly learned that most Bahamians follow Californian professional sports teams and was able to shoot the breeze as to how badly the 49ers suck and why. Immediately their accents threw me off guard as they were almost indecipherable. Take the heaviest Hawaiian accent you’ve heard, multiply that degree by about 5, throw in a ‘mon’ about every 2 words, speed it up about 10 times, and you have a Bahamian accent. Kule, my cab driver, was great….we chatted about nearly everything and sometime through the half hour ride he offered me ‘ The Bahama Mama Treat’…..yeah, he literally called it that. Haha. There was also a moment during the drive when we passed a bar and a man walked out yelling one obsenity or another and Kule took it upon himself to tell the ‘drunken bastard’ to watch his mouth in front of me. I also met a guy who’s name was Ali…you can imagine how awkward that interchange was for a little bit…..
In the Bahamas they drive on the left hand side (which is something that was unexpected). This is a direct result of the Bahamas being British owned until 1973, and after independence of which the Bahamian government thought it to be merely just too expensive to change. On the day we left the Bahamas there was a Jukabog festival which consists of a parade of Bahamians through Nassau with traditional garments, dance, and song. Another interesting fact of the Bahamas: they have no tax. When Kule told me this I was shocked as to how a government could function in providing public service to it’s citizens without tax and how that works economically, but he didn’t really know.
The Ship:
It took waiting 3 hours in line in the hot Bahamian sun with all of our luggage to finally get onto the ship. Fortunately it gave me an opportunity to meet a lot of people on the ship. The ship is amazing-much more ostentatious than I would have ever imagined- it is about 2 years old, complete with marble floors, chandeliers, about 5 bars, a pool, a functional spa (this seems somewhat nonsensical to me), a basketball court, and a gym. My room is tiny…..we’re right above the engine so there is a slight roar that you eventually drown out….the bathroom is about the size of an airport lavatory and the room is about 7 ft by 10 ft. Everybody thus far has been extremely sea sick- so bad that there have even been instances of people puking during orientation meetings. I had no idea we would be rolling as much as we are. It is pretty much impossible to walk in a straight line and things continually are falling. Everyone is attempting to fight sea sickness with Dramamine, patches, or bracelets… I’m trying to tough it out and have been pretty lucrative. The only time I felt a little sick was after attempting to keep my balance while running on the treadmill…I literally had to place my hand on the wall to keep from falling. Before getting on the treadmill I witnessed about 4 people fall on there faces….no exaggeration….hilarious…and I suppose it didn’t deter me (Beck decided not to give it a try). We’ve been having a lot of safety drills lately...which are slightly reminiscent of scenes from Titanic……kind of frightening.
I’ve met rad folks here so far. There is a group of about 6 guys who brought and are wearing the Life Aquatic red beanies…needless to say we’ve become fast friends. My roommate, Shauna, is adorable and there are tons of others that I love….lots of great conversations… Most people here are from the East or West coast…I suppose that’s where all the cultured cats are from…haha. So far I have spent tons of time chllin with Beck and my other new friends outside on the deck. The breeze outside it extremely warm…about 73 degrees even at night…it is absolutely beautiful.
Classes start tomorrow - yep, on a Saturday, and continue on Sunday. On Monday we arrive in San Juan.
I realize this is getting a little long and probably really boring so I’ll end this for now…..if you have anymore questions about something I was somewhat cryptic about, post it in a comment and I’ll get back to you.
I had a thought yesterday….
I’ve never really quite understood nor related to people when they say after traveling or having a long day that “they just want to sleep in their own bed.” I suppose in the last couple of years I’ve moved so frequently that I haven’t really felt like I have had my ‘own bed’. But- you guys, and you know who you are, are my ‘own bed’…..and I’ll always just want to sleep in my own bed.