Our blog is going live - at long last

We have finally gotten around to getting our blog started. This first post is a chronology of the first 12 days of our Semester at Sea adventure.  We arrive in Cadiz, Spain tomorrow at 0800 for a 5 day stay.  A summary of the trip so far follows.
Aug 23

We boarded a ship today to start the journey. The ship was big and ready for any kind of action the world could muster. As we were looking for our state room, an elderly gentleman asked if he could help us, and after explaining that we were with the Semester at Sea program he informed us that the ship we were standing on was the battleship Wisconsin. The MV Explorer was the smaller ship directly behind the USS Wisconsin.

The MV Explorer will be our residence for the next 109 days. After getting through security and having our 200 pounds of possessions delivered to our room, the next task was trying to store everything in a very small cabin. The first social activity was a meet and greets reception for the faculty and staff. There are 36 faculty and 38 staff members plus about 200 employees of the hotel group running the ship. We were very excited to meet people who were also enthusiastic and excited to get started. At 8:00 PM we pulled away from the wharf, and we were on our way. The first serious exercise, after everyone was boarded, was the Life Boat drill. It was gratifying to see that our life boat was just outside our cabin window. It blocks some of the view, but gives one a nice secure feeling as we rise each morning to see that the life boat is still there. It is sort of like watching the engines on your aircraft during the flight.

MV Explorer in Cadiz, Spain

Aug 24

Rock n’ roll – Here we go. We awakened around 6:30 AM to our cabin surfing back and forth. For Julie this was not a good sign. She rushed to the shower to ready for the events of the day to start and they did come. We went to breakfast, Julie with her small white bag in hand. Two bites of oatmeal, and that bag suddenly became her new best friend as she exited the cafeteria. She returned back to the cabin to sleep. Noon came quickly for her and bravely back into the cafeteria she went. Four bites of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a few spoonful of tomato soup went directly into her to-go bag. Back to bed she went. Dave brought her some toast and tea and walked her outside to the bow of the ship to watch the horizon and the waves. It was the best she felt all day. By dinner time Julie as really hungry. Even the bad spaghetti tasted good for the evening meal. After dinner we saw our first gorgous sunset with the sun slowly sinking into the sea. We took it as a sign of better things to come and an omen that Julie would soon not be dragging her little white bag everywhere she went.

Aug 26

After two days of high seas with waves of 8.5 meters (approx. 20 ft.), we slipped into Halifax about 8:00 AM. Julie has now acquired her sea legs and is ready for a little shore time. About 10AM the work study students and 62 Life Long Leaners boarded. This event was followed by a reception for the parents who were dropping off their students. It was an opportunity for parents, faculty and staff to meet and greet and hopefully allay fears of the parents about the fate of their children.

Archbishop Tutu and his wife also boarded the ship today. One of his memorable comments to the Executive Dean was “I don’t understand why everybody wants to talk to me - I‘m just a ghetto kid.” Perhaps he is just a little bit more than that.

Dave decided to take a Drawing 101 class after the professor made the boast that she could teach anyone to draw. Actually she said she could teach anyone to draw better than they do now. At any rate, the professor offered to go with him to purchase the necessary art supplies for the class. Off eywent to an art supply store in Halifax and spent an hour buying items that he was going to need for the class – about $150 worth. Makes one committed to staying with the class.

After a day of trying some of the local beer, we tried an upscale fish restaurant, McKelvies, in downtown Halifax,. It was very good. We finished off the evening walking the waterfront boardwalk back to the ship.

Aug 27

We had the opportunity to meet Archbishop Tutu today as he came into the computer lab to get his Mac configured for the ship. As Julie was introduced she said she was Dave’s wife. Archbishop Tutu shook her hand and in his nicest tone of voice corrected her by saying that Dave was her husband not the other way around.

Leaving Halifax, Canada

We spend the rest of the day exploring what we could of Halifax. Our day was cut short in order to be on the ship by 2:00 PM to be ready to depart for Spain at 5:00 PM. We left in sunny warm weather standing on Deck 6 watching all the student wave good bye to their crying and laughing parents below. Seven days from now we will arrive in Cadiz, Spain.

Aug 29

Classes start today. Julie is attending World Geography, Global Studies, and World Music and Disease & Healing. Dave will start his Drawing 101 class as well. In the evening we attend the social meeting with the lifelong learners (those passengers that paid full fare for the trip).

Sept 1

After 5 days at sea, we passed by Santa Maria Island – the western most island of the Azores. The Azores are  a 9 island chain with a population of about 350,000. They are a possession of Portugal. In addition to a few fishing boats, Julie also saw a half dozen porpoise frolicking around the ship.

Fishing boats off of Santa Maria

Santa Maria Island - Azores