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.