Floating City Or Barf City?

Sarah here! Apparently I am not very good at keeping this blog up to date, I am so glad that Nate is better at that! So here is an update from the past week and a half while we were at sea:

Monday January 19th: Barf city or floating city?
- we leave the Bahamas and set sail to cross the Atlantic Ocean!
- the ship is crazy alive with all of the students on board, but most of the students are hung over from “Senor Frogs” in the Bahamas, so they are quiet!
- During Orientation, we run out of barf bags in the classroom and there is a constant stream of buckets and mops through the hallways as students become seasick!!!!!

Tuesday January 20th:
- I had potato soup for dinner, but I swear that it was really gravy instead! The dining hall has interesting labels like, “lamb of leg!”

Wednesday January 21st:
- We held the Activities Fair in the union. The union is forward on the ship and is where students get the most seasick. I had over 180 students sign up for the Ambassador’s, but all the while I was hoping that the students did not throw up on me while asking about the Ambassador’s Club!!!
- Also did my first program!!!

Thursday January 22nd:
- I take a two hour break and read on the back deck! The sun and ocean make up for the long days!!! It is so worth it!

Friday January 23rd:
- Working out is quite interesting, I look like Jerry Lee Lewis lifting weights and swaying back and forth with the ship! While on the elliptical machine I imagine myself running on water instead! Lifting weights outside and feeling the ocean spray is amazing!!!!!!

Saturday January 24th:
- Alcohol service (we do rounds there) is crazy… apparently the students think it is “Saturday,” but weekends no longer exist!!! Standing on Deck 7 at night is crazy, the salt literally changes the texture of my hair and my lips taste salty!
- I am sick of the time changes, we have lost an hour every day since we left the Bahamas!!!!
- we saw a bird!!!!!

Sunday January 25th:
- Had my first Ambassador’s Club meeting… it didn’t go so well, apparently all 180 students wanted the same position!

Monday January 26th:
- The ship is rocking and rolling!
- A glass flies off the counter in our room and breaks from the movement of the ship.
- Everything is falling out of the cupboard in the bathroom and I yell at items (hairspray, Tylenol,) because they fall all over!
- my bowl of pudding slides across the table.
- The stomach roller coaster feeling wakes me up and suddenly it feels like I am standing on my head!
- the students and tables at alcohol service roll from side to side, it was hilarious!

Tuesday January 27th:
- I wake up at 5:00am thinking the ship has been knocked on its side because the window is covered in water, but really they are just washing the windows.
- I think there is a ship in the distance, but really it’s a red light from our television reflecting on the window!! HAHAHAHA
- It has been over a week and I have yet to see a dolphin, or another ship…. Just ocean!
- I have a bad cough/cold!!!

Check back soon for my update about Spain.

Love Sarah!

latitude: 36° 32.07N; longitude: 006° 17.43W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 237°

Alas, We Have Arrived In...ESPANA!

Hello everyone. This is Nate, and I'm just writing to inform you that we have arrived in Cadiz, Spain.

We docked at about 7:30 am (10:30 pm the previous day, California Time). We woke up to a view of land! And buildings! It's nice to see solid ground again, but I think I already miss the ocean view. It's weird, for someone who doesn't like the beach much or even water for that matter, I think I could live at sea. I don't get an ounce of sea sickness, and I'm very comfortable swaying back and forth (probably why I like earthquakes as well).

Anyway, a little after 8:30 this morning, the students began disembarking. Now it is 10:45 am, and Sarah and I are waiting to have some lunch on the ship, then take our first day trip, called the Cadiz City Orientation at 12:45 pm. Basically, a bus will show us around and point out all the highlights that we will later revisit on our own time.

Unfortunately, Sarah is a little under the weather. She has a cold, and is still sleeping. She was awake this morning to help with the students, but has since reclaimed the bed. She thinks she can make it through the tour today, but we'll see how she's feeling after that.

Another update will come after some photos have been taken and some exploring and eating has been achieved.

So, until then, here is Cadiz, Spain, from our porthole:


Peace.

latitude: 36° 32.07N; longitude: 006° 17.43W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 237°

Halfway Across

Hello everyone, Nate here.

Today marks the halfway point of our voyage across the Atlantic. We have been at sea for four days now, and have just about another four to go. Sorry there haven't been any updates since leaving Nassau, but frankly not much has happened.

However, we have been keeping busy. On Tuesday, the ship was able to get a live feed of President Obama's (it feels so good to say that) inauguration. It was so cool to be on a historic voyage such as this one on such a historic day. And to share that moment with the next generation of American's who helped make that possible, and to see their excitement match what I was feeling was truly special.

Later that night, the ship had a party in honor of the inauguration. Cake and champagne was served (shhh, don't tell the students it was non-alcoholic champagne) and everyone had a great time. The moods on the ship were definitely high. Again, seeing a new generation so happy, and dare I say, patriotic and proud of their country was inspiring.

Other than that, things have been slow. I've been getting some sun and excercise, and Sarah was able to sit outside for a couple of hours yesterday as well (she's red now). Today, she has desk duty.

Only four more days until Spain! There will be an update then for sure, if not earlier. Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments also. We miss everyone so much.

Peace.

latitude: 30° 57.9N; longitude: 043° 34.74W; speed: 21.5 knots; course: 81°

Bye Bye Bahamas!

Nate here.

It's official now. At 8:00 am this morning, the students began boarding. There was confusion, contemplation, chaos, and finally, complacent-ness. Sarah's duty during check-in was to greet the residents on her floor as they moved in. And I helped by grimacing at each and every student that dared look at me, thus establishing my roll as the hall troll early on.

Actually, check-in seemed to go very smoothly and was outright slow most of the time. At noon, check-in was complete, so Sarah and I left the ship for one final romp in the Bahamas. For lunch, we got an authentic Bahamian Subway sandwich. Mmmm...Americana in our stomachs!

Now the students are all settled in, and just after 5:00 pm we pulled out of the Port of Nassau with a ship full of excited kids, and leaving behind a port full of sad parents, and are now beginning our 8 day voyage across the Atlantic (and out of the Bermuda Triangle). The trip has officially begun. We have even had our first dinner with the students, and they all seem very nice.

I'm off to sit in on Sarah's first mandatory floor/sea meeting. As always, thanks for reading and check back for updates. I will leave you with a photo of the students on the ship's deck, watching the sunset over the Bahamas as we pulled out of port, as well as a photo of the port full of parents.


Peace.

latitude: 25° 45.9N; longitude: 076° 23.9W; speed: 21.6 knots; course: 81°

An Update From Sarah

Hello!

This is Sarah! I finally had a chance to sit down and write something, so here it goes! We have been going non-stop, exhilarating and exhausting at the same time! Thursday was very hectic. Leaving Miami was intense and emotional, it was raining lightly but we still enjoyed being outside as the ship left the port. I yelled “Light Speed to Endor!” And then wished (as always) for my own R2D2!

We ended up leaving Miami on Thursday instead of Friday so we had to book it to the nearest CVS to pick up toiletries… I am so glad we made it because the ship store has yet to open and we would have been S.O.L. without shampoo!

Nathan and I by chance had lunch yesterday on the outside deck with one of the faculty members that I am working with. The faculty member is a former whistle blower on arms deals in South Africa and his wife (also on the ship) is recently retired (after 22 years) as the personal assistant to Desmond Tutu. I was amazed at their life experience, their kindness, and their activist spirit! This moment was probably just another lunch to them, but to me it was awesome! Just thought I would share this brief moment with all of you because it was so special and something that I will always remember… it is also very indicative of what life is like here on the ship. The faculty and staff are extremely talented and intelligent, every moment with them is interesting.

I was very seasick last night, but once the meds kicked in (two hours later) I felt much better! Of course today everyone said they were land sick :) Our cabin is becoming more and more like home. We have put pictures up of family and friends so that I can see all of your lovely faces! Shaving my legs in that tiny shower was crazy, something that all of the women have laughed about! The ocean is beautiful and I am so blessed to be here!

We have been working/training from 8:00am to 10:00pm or 11:00pm, but today was a much appreciated short day! Today we had meetings until noon. Nathan and I were able to walk around the Bahamas and do a bit of sight seeing. Then we met up with some other staff members to have lunch at the Hard Rock Café and wander by the water. We were back on the ship for the parent’s reception at 4:00pm, which was quite interesting… every parent wanted to see a cabin (they were unable to do so.) I gave a few tours of the ship for parents, although I am still learning my way around! After the parent’s reception I worked on door decs, welcome letter, bulletin boards, etc. Of course my wonderful hubby was there to help me! As Nate and I were putting up flyers I realized, “oh crap the students move-in tomorrow!” It is finally starting to become real.

I was selected as a trip leader for an overnight trip in Morocco and an overnight trip to Bangkok Thailand. I know this will be a lot of work but I just can’t wait to go!

I miss everyone very much. I will write more later. Tonight I am off to bed because we begin at 7:00am tomorrow! The students check in at 8:00am, then they have life boat drills, orientation and sea meetings… then we set sail for Espana (Spain)! I am still very very apprehensive about crossing the Atlantic, but I just can’t wait to be in Spain again!

Dad and Moms (all three)- we are thinking of you and love you very much.

Here is a photo of some of the other LLCs and myself in the Bahamas:

From the left: Jason, Shirl, Andrea, Sarah, and Brad.

Love, Sarah

latitude: 25° 4.8N; longitude: 077° 20.4W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 0°

The Bahamas And T'ings

Nate here. We docked at the port of Nassau, Bahamas sometime this morning. We woke up and looked out our window to find other people on a different cruise ship looking back at us. Pictured above is our ship, the MV Explorer, parked in the Bahamas port.

We'll be here for a couple of days. Today there is a reception for the parents of the students. Then tomorrow, the students finally board. The faculty and staff seem very excited* (*read as stressed) about that. At least they will add some liveliness to the ship. After that, we ship out for our 8 day hike across the Atlantic to Spain.

I had a chance to walk around Nassau while Sarah was in meetings, and in another hour or so, Sarah will have a couple hours to kill, so we will have lunch in the Bahamas together. The island vibe is everywhere, as well as the tourist vibe.

I'll leave you with another view of our ship, this time from the streets of Nassau:


Peace.

latitude: 25° 4.79N; longitude: 077° 20.44W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 157°

Moving

Minor update here. We have just pulled up anchor and are finally moving. We're officially on our way to the Bahamas, which means we are officially on our way out of America.

Peace.

latitude: 25° 47.8N; longitude: 080° 4.4W; speed: 12.6 knots; course: 56°

Cabin Fever

Here is our cabin tour, as promised. The video a little choppy, but it's better then nothing and gives you a good feel for the place:


As you can see, we are completely unpacked and moved in. I think it's great. It's small, but I don't think we really need any bigger than this.

Also, we pulled out of the Port of Miami last night. We're not on our way to the Bahamas yet, though. We pulled out because of the high cost of staying in port. So we dropped anchor about a mile off shore and that is where we stay for now. I'll leave you with a shot of the Miami skyline we took last night:



Peace.

latitude: 25° 47.2N; longitude: 080° 5.4W; speed: 0.0 knots; course: 312°

Lost In America

Hey everyone. So we finally made it to Miami after, what should have been a five hour flight with a two hour lay-over in Dallas, turned into a 13 hour ordeal.

Apparently America is feeling a longing for our departure that we must have not been returning in full, thus its desire to thwart every attempt made by us to arrive at our final destination before leaving this country for, in the grand scheme of things, just a small amount of time. Either that, or it was American…Airlines, that is, and its longing for the customers it lost yesterday.

After packing for our four month voyage (here is what four months of luggage looks like), we visited our families, said our goodbyes, then pumped ourselves up to get to Miami where the MV Explorer was waiting for us. Well, after a two and a half hour delay at Ontario Airport, waiting for our plane to be repaired due to a “problem” discovered the night before that also required a test flight, then boarding our newly scheduled connection flight in Dallas to a plane filled to the brim with angry passengers due to a cancelled flight in addition to our own delayed flight that took a little over an our to board (and one flight attendant yelling at me about seats), we felt like we were finally ready for Miami. Especially since the plane took the twenty minutes to taxi to the runway, point it’s steel nose in the general vicinity of Florida, and wait its turn to take-off…even rev its engines…however, we were wrong. We didn’t predict that as soon as the engines revved up for that sudden burst of speed needed for flight, they just as suddenly cut out, and the very polite pilot informed us that “someone” forgot to put some gas in our tank. Back to the gate for us, and another hour later, we had gas. TAKE-OFF!

In the end, we got to Miami. We were tired, our hotel (motel) ended up catering specifically to doped up transients, and we ate some grease with a little pizza thrown in for good measure. But we found our way to the port today, and our now on the ship!

Our cabin is so very cozy, and I will take a video of the layout and post it tomorrow. We have met all of the faculty and staff at a very nice little party for everyone, and Sarah is attending her first meeting.

We’ll be taking off tonight and dropping anchor a mile or so off the coast of Florida to sleep. Then off to the Bahamas tomorrow.

We haven’t explored the whole ship yet, but we will, and post every detail.

Thanks for reading.

Peace.

Packing

Hey everyone, Nate here. This is our first post regarding our upcoming global trip. There's not much to talk about right now, but in just nine days we will be boarding the MV Explorer and embarking on an adventure of a lifetime.

For those of you who don't know (or need a refresher course), last year Sarah accepted a very prestigious position as a Living Learning Coordinator and Ship Ambassador Advisor aboard the MV Explorer as part of University of Virginia's Semester at Sea program for the Spring Semester of 2009 (for more information on Semester at Sea, please click here). What that means is that Sarah and other staff will be joining several hundred students aboard a cruise ship for a 4 month journey around the world — and as her loving spouse, I get to tag along (*sigh of endearment* being married is great).

Ever since Sarah accepted the position last year, time has flown by at an incredible pace, and in just over a week from now, we will be on the MV Explorer leaving from Miami, Florida. From there, our itinerary is as follows:

• Nassau, Bahamas
  
• Cadiz, Spain
• Casablanca, Morocco
• Walvis Bay, Namibia
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Port Louis, Mauritius
• Chennai, India
• Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand
• Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
• Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
  (Antigua, Guatemala City)
• Transiting of Panama Canal
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The students board in the Bahamas, where we will depart on January 19th, and return to Florida May 6th.

Like I said, there isn't much more to say right now since we are still at home making final preparations for the trip, which includes packing. This is a chore unto itself. Here is a photo of our guest bed crammed with only the tchochkes we are bringing with us. Mind you, we haven't even laid out our clothes, shoes, jackets, chonies, and toiletries yet. That's just the extra stuff. Not-to-mention our whole house looks like that bed right now.

I think that's it for now. Thank you for reading, and check back soon for regular updates on our life at sea. And if I left anything out, you can be sure Sarah will be posting here very soon.

Sarah and I would like to thank everyone for all of your support. We will miss you!

Peace.