Ship Life on the Long Sail

Happy weekend!

We're about halfway through our long sail to Hawaii - today is the 5th of 10 days.  Man, it's been kind of bananas.  The longest sail we've had was 7 days, and that was right at the beginning, so this is really tough.  It doesn't help that the Pacific Ocean is anything but pacific... we've had some rocky, rocky seas.  Luckily I still have some scopalomine patches to get me through.  The first day after Japan we had swells up to 25 feet.  The Captain actually rerouted us a bit to avoid some of the weather - I can't imagine what it was like since it's been tough with the "better" route.  

Beyond that, the weather has been beautiful.  It's a perfect temperature outside and I'm trying to find time to spend outside reading.  I fear I've taken the constant ocean view for granted.  Well, maybe I haven't taken it for granted - but my job keeps me inside quite a bit.  I'm certainly going to focus on it more and more.  I'd also like to get in a few more sunrises/sunsets. 

We've certainly been busy in the past few days.  Yesterday was the shipboard auction, which raises money to go into the SAS Fund which helps cover tuition costs, scholarships, financial aid, better technology, etc.  There was a silent auction for 8 hours in Tymitz Square (the main meeting point on the ship) and I was trying very hard for a photograph taken by a friend of mine (the ship's photographer).  A student with waaaaaay more expendable income than me outbid me in the last few minutes.  Oh well.  I asked Keri if I could just buy the print from her, and she said I could.  Other things at the silent auction: clothing, jewelry, chocolate, peanut butter, paintings (from ports and from voyagers), items signed by the officers and/or the Archbishop, dinners made in home cities, bubble baths in the deans' cabins, etc.  I stuck with the photograph. 

At night, though, was the live auction and the BIG money makers.  People donated weeks at their vacation homes, weekends in their real homes with breakfast, classes, the Captain's map, first off the ship, the person who gets to raise the US flag as we sail into our final port, things like that.  I didn't raise my hand once (most of these things went for $500-$3000).  The best part of watching, however, was the auctioneers.  3 guys I work with and a student were the auctioneers and they were hilarious. 

Let's see, we've also had a little Mexican fiesta for our team in the executive dean's cabin.  It was delicious, but we all felt sick to our stomach because the food is so much richer than regular ship food.  Also, a couple friends of mine showed a documentary one night about Tibet and Dharamsala, India (where they had traveled in India) and talked about the plight of the Tibetan people.  It was fascinating, and what was even MORE fascinating was that 4 SAS students had actually traveled to Tibet during our time in China.  I couldn't believe they had actually made it there and back safely.  I think they couldn't believe it either.

Today was a busy day - I helped a couple different student groups make banners for different appreciation days.  I helped with a banner one time and quickly became known as "the banner girl."  What a difficult burden to bear ;)

I also had arranged a reunion dinner with my Cambodian group tonight, and it was really nice.  Nobody really felt like talking about everything that happened since we returned, but it was good to have some distance and perspective alongside us while we ate our Swedish meatballs in cream sauce.  I will really miss that group of students, they are pretty outstanding.

In the past few days, I have become very much in-tune with the part of me that wants to be at home.  A few people I know (students, staff, AND faculty) have expressed similar feelings.  It's time.  While I'm apprehensive about returning to everything being the same, I also look forward to the familiarity. 

My friend Holly and I have been working VERY hard on practicing how to not be jerks when we get home.  It's very common practice for everyone on this ship to say things like that "oh, I bought that in India" or "this couscous is nothing like the stuff I had in Marrakech" or "did I tell you about that crazy taxi story I had in Mauritius?"  These adventures and travels make up the main context in which we know each other, so it's very easy to relate to each other in that way.  And this has been our LIFE for 4 months.  But we're trying to remember that we can't do that at home (or our friends will tire of us).  We practice just saying "thank you" when someone says "I love your bag" instead of "oh thanks, I bought it in Saigon at the Ben Thanh market, and I did an awesome job bargaining, and it was right before I had that whole bowl of pho spilled on me" or some other obnoxious comment.  So, we're aware, and we're preparing.

Yesterday we crossed the International Date Line (literally halfway around the world from when we crossed the Prime Meridian) and we went back in time.  Yes, we lived November 27th twice.  So I went to bed last night on November 27, and then woke up in the morning of November 27.  During our daily announcements, Kathy said "if yesterday wasn't perfect, then you get another chance today."  It's all very "Groundhog-Day".  So, yesterday if I had written this I would've been 17 hours ahead of you.  As I write this today, I am 6 hours behind Central Time.

That's about it for now - before we dock in Hawaii we have Open Talent Night, I have a beverage service night, I am implementing a Faculty Appreciation day, and I'm just trying to take advantage of our last normal days on the ship.  Once we board in Hawaii, we have finals, reflection day, and convocation.  We actually got our customs information today - it does not sound like a good time in San Diego.  They also drew names out of a hat to determine the order the seas can disembark.  We're 8th, out of 10.  Bummer.  Oh well, I've got nowhere to be except my hotel in San Diego. 

Take care!