Crossing the Atlantic

1/24

Hello everyone! SEMESTER AT SEA IS AWESOME. That is basically going to be the theme of this post. The past few days have felt like a cross between a summer camp and a cruise. We get all the luxuries of a cruise (they make your beds and clean your plates for you) with the fun activities of a summer camp. We had swing dancing lessons and a talent show last night. The classes are so interesting too! I switched up my schedule a little bit. I dropped Religion and Politics of Islam for Biomedical Ethics, and I am thrilled I made the switch. Islam seemed interesting and pertinent to the world today; however, after only one class Biomedical Ethics may already be my favorite class. The teacher is Leslie Harmon, who is a dean of a law school. She is extremely articulate, and I think she will teach the class really well. It is technically a philosophy class, but because of her background in law we are going to read and interpret many cases. For example, we will be discussing euthanasia, the effect of the one child policy in China, and medical consent, while also learning about philosophers. The rest of my classes are going well, I have never taken Economics or Psychology, so I cant wait to learn disciplines of study that will be completely foreign to me. This is a voyage filled with new adventures!

There are between 20 and 30 students in each class, excluding Global Studies which is held in the Union (capacity about 400) and then broadcast on screens in all of the satellite classrooms. I have made a ton of friends! In classes, the dining rooms, and hallways it feels like its freshman year all over again. My roommate, Heather, and I are getting along so well. I think she is so cool; just last night we left our group of friends because we were so tired and wanted to go to bed, and then ended up staying up an extra hour just talking and giggling in our room. I get out of class at noon and A days, and 1:30 on B days, and the rest of the day I spend hanging out with friends. Currently I am sitting on the back deck studying with friends and watching the Atlantic pass us by. In the afternoon there are probably 200 students laying out and studying….

Speaking of studying (or not)… I took a dip in the pool and didn’t get a chance to return to my blog-post. However, its now evening, and I can continue! The extracurricular activities they have planned for us are spectacular. Last night we had an Open Mic, which was amazing! Twenty or so of my peers performed, doing everything from playing original songs on the guitar, to singing and playing piano, rapping, or dancing. It was really fun. After that, all the students disperse themselves throughout the common areas. I played dominoes last night; I also enjoy playing catchphrase, card games, and apples to apples. We have them all! There was also a Pub Night on the back of the 7^th deck. We are allowed 2 drinks with dinner, and 4 afterward; so while no one got wasted, responsible drinking is a good social lubricant. Although we hardly need it, I feel I have been in one interesting conversation or another since I got here. Today was also full of activities! The first meeting of the SCUBA club was today, and I am going to be the president. Hopefully we will arrange dive trips in each of the countries. Many of the people in it are going to dive with Great White sharks in South Africa. I am going on a wildlife safari in the Kwazulu Natal Game Reserve, so I will miss that trip. Hopefully I will be able to schedule dive trips for myself in Mauritius and Viet Nam (maybe even Thailand?). After the meeting, I ran over to the Union, where we had Salsa lessons. Hopefully I will be able to put those to good use in Spain. The Salsa lessons will continue for the next few days, so I may actually be decent when I attempt to dance in Sevilla!

I am also signing up for a few more activities. Many of the professors have families, so I signed up to help out at the preschool. There are 5 children between 18 months and 5. One of the boys, aged about 3 and all dressed up as a sailor, sang a song at the Open Mic last night. It was adorable! There is also a program called Vicarious Voyage. My partner Whitney, who goes to SF State, and I will be “adopting” a second grade classroom in Pittsburg, CA (in the Bay Area). We send them postcards from all the countries we travel to, and send three packets to the classrooms. They then base their curriculum on these countries, and use the materials we send to them to learn about the cultures! We are planning on emphasizing on the food and clothing of each country, so we will include things like menus, photos, and whatever else we find interesting.

Seriously, I have been so busy, and I am having a great time! Although I cant say it enough, I want to publicly thank my parents for this trip of a lifetime. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It is so great. Anyway, I’m being encouraged to come join a game of Catchphrase, so I gotta go.

P.S. I have been taking a ton of pictures, there was an amazing sunset tonight! Ill upload them soon!

First Days Aboard the Explorer

1/19/09

Today is my first day aboard the MV Explorer! Everything is SO awesome. My boarding time was 8:20. However, when I got there, the line was around the corner. They said there was a problem with the baggage screener. It took about 2 hours to get on board and through the registration process. I signed up for one more field excursion in India. When I got to my room, my roommate was already there. Her name is Heather Dunn, and she is from Escondido, CA. Escondido is in North County San Diego. I went out to lunch with her, her two younger brothers, and her parents at Hard Rock Café in downtown Nassau. Her parents own a pool construction company. She is very tall and loves sports, especially volleyball, which she plays at the club level at USD. There is now another huge Chargers fan in my life… looks like its going to have to become my #2 team.

I updated my blog at an internet café in Nassau. On ship time was 2:30, I got back around 2. We then had a lifeboat drill. After that, we were allowed to socialize until departure at 5. As we started to pull off, I felt a rush of emotions. It is such a crazy feeling to know you are about to embark on the most amazing journey of your life. “I am going to circumnavigate the globe!” kept running through my head. Imagine that. Watching the water separate us was the catalyst I needed to make this dream trip real. As the inches of water between the boat and the dock became feet, and then yards, and then tens of yards I realized there’s no turning back now. We all gathered on the back of decks 5, 6, and 7 to watch the departure. Nearly all 720 of us were on the back of the decks, watching parents wave from the dock. It was a good time to socialize and meet new friends. As Nassau edged toward the horizon, the sun was setting, and we were all sitting on the back decks. Two of my new friends, Jordan and Jack, brought guitars and serenaded us as we sailed away….

1/20/09

Today was the first sea day aboard the MV Explorer. We are getting closer to the middle of the Atlantic, leaving the shore farther and farther away. We had orientation all day. At 9am we met in the Union for a full day of all the orientations. The rocking of the ship made it terribly hard to stay awake. The teachers were introduced, and there were presentations on safety, Global Studies, the library, the field program, and internet. I set up my internet and now have email! It is free for us to use, so send me emails!

My email is cecummins@semesteratsea.net

It was a pretty uneventful day in terms of classes, although there was a lot of information to grasp. However, the most exciting moment of the day was watching the INAGURATION! It took the entire bandwidth of the ships internet to broadcast it. Most people gathered in the Union to watch, there was a very charged atmosphere. I had a great time. It will be interesting to return to the United States after Obama’s honeymoon period. We shall have to see what changes!

After the last meeting, there was a small celebration with cake and champagne. After that, Catchphrase was the name of the game. Heather and I played a very lively game with about 10 other students. I love that game! We lost an hour crossing time zones, and will lose an hour each night until we reach Spain.

1/21/09

Classes commenced today. Global Studies is required for all students, and is every day from 9:20 to 10:35. Macroeconomics, Religion and Politics and Islam, and Introduction to Psychology are the three other classes. Sea days are either A or B, alternating every day at sea. That means we have class from now until we get to Spain. After a few weeks, I will probably not even know what day of the week it is, just that it is either A or B day. Global Studies and Macroeconomics were the classes I had today, from 9:20 until noon. The rest of the day is free time! I took care of some housekeeping (buying books, doing email, setting up printing), and then spent the rest of the day laying in the sun and socializing. I just finished the activities faire, and the Dark Knight will be showing at 9. I am having the greatest time of my life already. I can hardly believe its really happening! I had high expectations, but my experience has already exceeded them and we haven’t even reached Spain. I cant wait to visit Max in Sevilla! Pictures will come when I get to Spain, the internet is too slow and costly to upload photos now. I will be in Spain next Wednesday.

Bahamas

1/17/09

Good evening from the Bahamas! I have officially begun the first leg of my journey. I woke at 3 a.m. this morning (man, it seems like a long time ago…) in order to get a 4 a.m. ride to the airport from my father. Thanks for the ride Dad! Although it was a very early morning, I was so excited that my dad and I had a very lively car ride down. Saying goodbye was tough, although my tears were spent the night before saying goodbye to mom. My flight left on time and arrived safely in Atlanta, Georgia. I had an hour layover and then my flight departed for the Bahamas. The late afternoon sun was beautiful on the island of New Providence. There were even 9 (or more) students from Semester at Sea on my flight! There were 6 of us sitting near each other, which was a great way to get to know a few people before the ship departs.

1/18/09

(Since I have had no internet, I am putting both of these posts together)

I am writing this from the Wyndam Grand Resort on Cable Beach. It’s a beautiful hotel on the North side of New Providence Island. Nassau is the biggest city and capital of the Bahamas, and is located on New Providence Island. Cable Beach is named so because this is the location where the very first trans-Atlantic telephone cable emerged. The cable was run underwater from England across the ocean floor until it resurfaced in the Bahamas. Most of the hotels are on Cable Beach, except for the Atlantis, which I will write about later. I have an ocean-front room overlooking the pool, the lagoon, and the ocean. Last night my plane arrived around sunset so by the time I arrived at the hotel it was late dusk. I saw the beautiful view this morning! I arose at 7:30 to make the most of my only full day on the Bahamas. The bus to Nassau runs every 3-5 minutes, so I hopped on one and was let off right in front of the famous “Straw Market” in downtown. There were probably 50 or so vendors hawking t-shirts, “Chanel/Coach/Louie Vutton etc” purses, photo frames, shotglasses, and any other wares tourists will buy.

Walking through and out of the Straw Market I found the promenade that lines the Nassau harbor. There I had my first glimpse of the MV Explorer! It was docket alongside three Carnival Cruise ships, and was dwarfed by all three. The 7 story MV Explorer will be home for the next 112 days. I am SO excited! Seeing the ship made me so excited that I ran up to it and checked out the port. They wouldn’t let me on today, but my boarding time is 8:20 tomorrow, a mere 12 hours from now!!

After checking out the MV Explorer, I boarded a ferry to Paradise Island, the home of the Atlantis Hotel. What a grand hotel! I have been to some very deluxe places, but Atlantis takes the cake. It had the glitz, grandeur, and size of the Las Vegas mega-hotels with the swimming, weather, and views of the Bahamas. The only place that I have been that is comparable is the Hilton Hotel in Kona, Hawaii. Luckily for me, my blue watch is nearly the same color as the wristbands given to the guests of the Atlantis. I managed to sneak in, and spent a few hours exploring and swimming. However, I went out to the beach, and was denied access to the hotel on the way back in. I was ready to leave, so I caught the ferry and then the bus back to my hotel.

Ravenous after a busy morning, I returned to the hotel around 2. Lunch consisted of conch fritters and a margarita on the beach while listening to Bob Marley. It was wonderful. I spent a few hours reading on the beach and swimming in the ocean. Sunset was beautiful, and now I am about to grab a bite to eat. Before I know it, I will be on the Explorer!

1/19/09

Update: I boarded the ship this morning, it is AMAZING!! I will send out photos later. My roommate is Heather Dunn from Escondido, CA. She is really nice, I know we will get along well. I have to board the ship soon, so I have to go... but I will update later!

Packing!

Hi all,

It is Thursday night, and I am finishing up the final preparations for my journey. I have packed up all my clothes, books, and toiletries; now my dad and I are sitting downstairs preparing to pack my computer, two cameras, and a video camera. I have to be sure that I will be able to record my trip! I will be posting my photos to:

www.caraecummins.shutterfly.com

Bob and Kath Piro hosted a Bon Voyage party for me in Petaluma earlier this week. We had a wonderful dinner and then played Wii. The first album I have uploaded are pictures from that night. On Wednesday night, I had my own Bon Voyage party in Davis. It was wonderful! Thank you to all of my friends from Davis and Berkeley who came up and made my last night in Davis very special. I am going to miss you all! See you at the Whole Earth Festival!

Tomorrow, being my last full dad in the United States, is filled with goodbyes. Kyle is driving down to Marin tomorrow to so we can have lunch and say goodbye. Then Michael will drive up from Santa Cruz in the early afternoon to say goodbye to his big sister! A family dinner will follow, and then it will be time for me to go to bed. Dad is driving me to the airport at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning! My excitement for this trip nearly overpowers all my other emotions, but I know it will hard not to be homesick for the people I love.

This will be my last post until I arrive in the Bahamas, where I will quickly upload photos of the warm Carribean. (Jealous, South Dakota? I heard it was a balmy 4 degrees today!) I cant wait to begin the first leg of my global circumnavigation!

Love,
Cara

First Post

Hi everyone!

As you all know, I am about to head off to Semester at Sea. Internet is limited, and hopefully I am going to be very busy exploring new countries so I wont be able to send out and respond to many emails. I am going to use this blog as both a diary of my trip and a tool to keep in touch with everyone. I will post photos on another website, but I havent figured that out yet. I'm planning to take thousands of photos! (otherwise my dad might disown me) I leave in 10 days. I'm so EXCITED! On January 17th I will be traveling to the Bahamas to begin my trip. My voyage is from January 19th to May 6th. I am traveling to 11 countries:

• 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 ship I am traveling on is the MS Explorer. It is 590 feet long and 84 feet wide. I will be staying in an Outside double cabin. I dont meet my roommate until the day of embarkation. At 6 a.m. Saturday morning I fly out from San Francisco to Nassau, Bahamas. I will be staying at the Wyndam Nassau Grand Resort on Cable Beach for two nights before embarkation Monday morning. The ship sails at 5 p.m., which should mean a beautiful sunset as we head out into the Atlantic.

It takes 9 days to cross the Atlantic, during which I will be attending orientations and my classes. I am taking Global Studies, Geography of the Oceans, Macroeconomics, and Religion and Politics in Islam. All of the details for my Semester at Sea is at the website:

www.semesteratsea.org

You can see my voyage in the Voyages tab, I will be on the Spring 2009 voyage under Upcoming Voyages.