Setting Sail... Finally!!!

Hi Everyone!!! 

First off, we did not leave the Bahamas on Thursday the 19th like we were supposed to at 5pm. There were somewhere around 27 people in Florida having problems with visas. We ended up having to leave port on Friday the 20th at noon and coming back into port  in the Bahamas at 5pm. After everyone boarded the ship on Friday, we left again and set sail for good at 8pm. They said this has never happened on any voyage they are ever aware of and that this will be an epic voyage. Now that we are sailing, the boat is rocking a lot. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get used to this. 

On Thursday, getting on the ship was so overwhelming. My stomach was in turns about meeting people, but everything went well. I am glad I met and shared a room with Sarah   in the Bahamas because we have been hanging out most of the time (she goes to school at University of South Carolina and is from Ohio). My room is 3020 (on deck 3 outside with a window). When I got into my room, I was the first there and it was depressing because it seemed so small and claustrophobic. Now that I am unpacked, it is much much better since it is decorated with pictures on the walls. I met my roommate and her name is Colleen. She is from New Hampshire she is a triplet (other two are boys) and she has two twin older sisters. Daphne is another girl I have been hanging out with. She is from DC but goes to school in Colorado and was on my flight from DC to the Bahamas. Sarah, Daphne and I hung out in the Bahamas since we all stayed at the same hotel. Thursday was a long day of asking and introducing your name, where you go to college, where your from, your major... etc. very boring and draining. We got our room unpacked and mostly organized. We also had an emergency drill today which took a long time. The purpose of the drill was to account for everyone, not to evacuate. The only time to evacuate would be if there was an order from the captain to abandon ship. Thursday night we had an introduction of staff and talking to our RD's (Like an RA in the dorms). Fun Fact - I had dinner with Sarah, Colleen, Daphne, Alex, and Henry (He is the son of the Executive Dean). There are about 577 students and over 700 people total.

Friday we had orientation all day!!! It was all boring. The morning was basically about plagiarism and academic related. The afternoon was filled with safety and health seminars. Friday we left the Bahamas around noon and came back to port around 5pm to pick up the rest of the students who had problems with their visas. I am not quite sure why we had to leave, whether there was another ship coming in or not. When we left Bahamas for the first time, it felt weird, we went to the front of the ship and it was so windy I felt like I was about to blow away. We had an involvement fair Friday night, and I signed up for Yoga, Zumba, Insanity, and "Extended Family." I will definitely not be doing all those workout groups but just want to get the emails to make sure I try and work out. Everyone talks about how much weight the girls gain on the trip. The Extended family is where you get paired up with a life long learner or one of the families on the voyage. 

The first day of classes was on Saturday!!! Isn't that weird? I never thought that would ever happen. I had three classes Saturday and one on Sunday. Then we arrive in Dominica. In Global Studies, we learn about all the ports we go to before we get there. This class is very interesting to me and I like it a lot. My other classes I am in are Art History, Drama/Theatre, and Creative Writing (all of which are not very exciting for me as of now). One thing that is definitely very interesting about taking classes on the ship is the variety of different professors. My teacher for Creative Writing teaches at Princeton and my teacher from Drama has taught at Yale and Harvard. This is something that intimidates me, but is a great experience!  

About eating... The peanut butter is absolutely disgusting!!! So dry and the bread is really dry and so I only eat it when toasted. There are picture frames in our rooms that everyone takes off of the walls and writes on the back with tips and advice. One said something about the peanut butter gets better as you go on (I hope so). Breakfast is my favorite meal! I liked the pancakes and they have cereal. For lunch and dinner they have an assortment of potatoes, pasta, and vegetables.

On Saturday, I got sea sick for the first time! I went to get some of the free medicine that they give out for this. It helped and I am feeling better now. Sunday will be the test if I feel the same way again or not! 

In the Bahamas

After the final students got on the ship. Their parents are at the bottom waving good-bye, if you can see.

Our room. My side is on the right.