Tuesday, January 27, 2009
¡Olè!
We arrive in Espana! I haven't been able to update my blog because I ran out of internet...apparently it was 2 hours for the entire 4 months!! Ick! So emailing me at cjouellette@semesteratsea.net is even more important. ;) Anywho, just wanted you all to know that I'm in Spain and I'll be writing about what we're doing when I get back. A group of friends and I are packing an overnight bag and just taking off...hopefully hitting Seville, Cordoba and Granada and spending the night in a hostel. I'm sooooo excited! I'll write more later. Much love!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A Momentous Day
Today during one of the 8 or so hour-long orientation sessions, Professor Schoener said it best; you measure your life by these moments. And Professor McCabe also made a great point; when you remember these moments in the years to come, you always remember the place. I was sailing the Atlantic Ocean on the day Obama was sworn in and I’ll always remember that.
Orientation in itself was boring and to be honest, common sense. The only upside of today was that the AV & IT staff were able to broadcast the Inauguration live for us. Not surprisingly, I cried. I can’t help it; it was just such a beautiful and uplifting speech and it’s such a pivotal moment in history. Today I was proud to associate myself with Americans because I feel like America has embraced its identity just a little more. It seems that, surprisingly, a large majority of the students and faculty are Obama fans – or at least faking to be.
I worked a little today, lending a hand in the computer lab whenever I wasn’t feeling deathly ill or in a session. I had to leave the morning session because I thought I was going to throw up again – yes it does seem that I suffer severely from seasickness. It’s horrid. Every time I move I feel the acid in my stomach churning. I’m light-headed, nauseous, and all I want to do is sleep. And the front of the ship – where the majority of my classes are held – is the absolute worst. I haven’t been able to keep food down for the past two days and all I’ve had is bread and water. So I’m going to go get the seasickness patch tomorrow. I tried the pills but they just made me feel worst. The ship’s phone is also a problem; it’s as unreliable as they said. I bought 13 minutes for $20 yesterday but Meredith couldn’t hear me at all when I called. AND because of the limited broadband usage, there’s no internet calling or video. The limited broadband is also going to make it hard for me to post pictures. It stinks hardcore. But there’s nothing I can do. Tomorrow I start classes and work my first real shift in the computer lab. I’m anxious for the semi-scheduled life to begin that way I can plan the rest of my life around it. Oh and we found out today that we’ll be changing clocks ahead one hour every day for the next few days – talk about cruddy. The other thing that’s weird is that they keep the entire ship air conditioned wayyy too cold; so when we go outside it’s like 75 degrees and humid but then we freeze when we come back in. Oh well, just something else to get used to. I’m heading to bed soon; I’ve found that the easiest way to cope with seasickness is to sleep it away.
Orientation in itself was boring and to be honest, common sense. The only upside of today was that the AV & IT staff were able to broadcast the Inauguration live for us. Not surprisingly, I cried. I can’t help it; it was just such a beautiful and uplifting speech and it’s such a pivotal moment in history. Today I was proud to associate myself with Americans because I feel like America has embraced its identity just a little more. It seems that, surprisingly, a large majority of the students and faculty are Obama fans – or at least faking to be.
I worked a little today, lending a hand in the computer lab whenever I wasn’t feeling deathly ill or in a session. I had to leave the morning session because I thought I was going to throw up again – yes it does seem that I suffer severely from seasickness. It’s horrid. Every time I move I feel the acid in my stomach churning. I’m light-headed, nauseous, and all I want to do is sleep. And the front of the ship – where the majority of my classes are held – is the absolute worst. I haven’t been able to keep food down for the past two days and all I’ve had is bread and water. So I’m going to go get the seasickness patch tomorrow. I tried the pills but they just made me feel worst. The ship’s phone is also a problem; it’s as unreliable as they said. I bought 13 minutes for $20 yesterday but Meredith couldn’t hear me at all when I called. AND because of the limited broadband usage, there’s no internet calling or video. The limited broadband is also going to make it hard for me to post pictures. It stinks hardcore. But there’s nothing I can do. Tomorrow I start classes and work my first real shift in the computer lab. I’m anxious for the semi-scheduled life to begin that way I can plan the rest of my life around it. Oh and we found out today that we’ll be changing clocks ahead one hour every day for the next few days – talk about cruddy. The other thing that’s weird is that they keep the entire ship air conditioned wayyy too cold; so when we go outside it’s like 75 degrees and humid but then we freeze when we come back in. Oh well, just something else to get used to. I’m heading to bed soon; I’ve found that the easiest way to cope with seasickness is to sleep it away.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bermuda, Bahama...
What a journey already. I landed in Nassua, Bahamas last night around 9pm and by the time I got to the resort, I was disgustingly tired. Note to all: Atlantis Resort isn't that great if you're only staying for 12 hours. I paid something like $10 for a can of Bud Light and $50 for a 5 minute long distance call. Over $400 for the entire 12 hours. Rediculous. I've met some amazing people so far...on my flight from Boston to Atlanta I met this really great woman named Kim. She bought me a bag of M&Ms and told me about all of her travelings; she's an enthusiast who's been to almost all states and travelled with a group called Upward People. She was uber nice.
The ship is every bit as amazing as you'd think...marble and gold everything, people serving you all the time; it's insane. I met a bunch of students today when the work study kids got to board...very diverse but awesome group. I met a bunch of the staff and faculty and they're all wicked chill. My roommate is from the Dominican Republic and she's a sweetheart. Other than that, I haven't and probably won't get to explore the beautiful island but I want to come back. It's dazzling and as soon as I get another free minute, I'll post a picture.
For anyone who's interested, I have unlimited and free e-mail through the ship so that'll be the best way to contact me for the next 4 months. The address is cjouellette@semesteratsea.net. There's more...lots more...but I'll have to finish later. We leave tomorrow night. :)
The ship is every bit as amazing as you'd think...marble and gold everything, people serving you all the time; it's insane. I met a bunch of students today when the work study kids got to board...very diverse but awesome group. I met a bunch of the staff and faculty and they're all wicked chill. My roommate is from the Dominican Republic and she's a sweetheart. Other than that, I haven't and probably won't get to explore the beautiful island but I want to come back. It's dazzling and as soon as I get another free minute, I'll post a picture.
For anyone who's interested, I have unlimited and free e-mail through the ship so that'll be the best way to contact me for the next 4 months. The address is cjouellette@semesteratsea.net. There's more...lots more...but I'll have to finish later. We leave tomorrow night. :)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I'm Leavin' On a Jetplane...
Except I know when I'll be back again. I've had this song stuck in my head now for over a week. Appropriate seeing as it's almost time. I leave to fly out of Bangor Friday, board the MV Explorer -- my new floating home -- in about 3 days and make sail for Cadiz, Spain on January 19th. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've decided that I want to document my trip on here so that my friends and family can hear and see all the amazing things I'm doing. So to kick this blog off I thought I'd list all the places I'm going and a link to the Semester at Sea website, which has the dated itinerary, map, mailing addresses (hint hint), and other information.
So wish me good luck -- I've just about managed to pack 4 months of my life into 2 bags -- and let's hope that I get to the ship with no troubles. Woot!! Here's to the adventure of a lifetime. :)
- 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) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
So wish me good luck -- I've just about managed to pack 4 months of my life into 2 bags -- and let's hope that I get to the ship with no troubles. Woot!! Here's to the adventure of a lifetime. :)
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