Sea at last....

Wow, I can't believe we've been at sea for a few days now.  Classes have started for students, and now that our orientation schedule is over, I have a few moments to breathe and reflect on the fact that we are sailing our way around the world.  Our schedule has been crazy and packed for the past few days from orientation to meetings, etc.  but it has been fun and exhilarating as well.

One thing I wasn't prepared for was the actual rocking and movement of the ship.  I knew I was going to be sailing, but there are literally times when you are walking down the hall, swaying side to side, or getting pulled from one direction to another.  It's a trip and a reminder of how powerful the ocean waves are.  It provides me with a great sense of scale.  Unfortunately some people have struggled with seasickness, but I've been pretty blessed and feeling good.  I felt a little queasy a few times, but ginger pills work miracles (I'm so glad I grabbed those at Whole Foods last minute - wow, Whole Foods seems like such a foreign concept.)

Another amazing phenomenon in this journey is that when you look out the window, you are surrounded by the vast ocean.  I know that's not the most newsworthy observation, but it truly is stunning to see the sea with no land in sight.  If I ever feel that this experience is surreal, all I have to do is look outside, and/or on the map of where we are and it simultaneously confirms that feeling and brings it to the present.  The color of the water is no longer the bright teals and light blues that hugged the white sand beaches of Nassau.  It is now a deep, rich, navy blue, that looks almost as if it were dyed that color.  The sea just as calming as I expected it to be, and I look forward to more time outside on the decks. The rocking motion has also served as a great sleep aid, as even though I've had little time for sleep, what sleep I've had has been very deep.

The students on my deck, 'the Baltic Sea' are great.  We had an involvement symposium last night, and over 200 students came to sign up for my area, Service Learning.  It was very heartening, and they already had a dinner to get started with ideas.  

We are a few days away from Dominica, and looking forward to it - our first port!  The night before we arrive at each port, we have what is called a 'Port Lecture,' which is required.  That's where we get updates about culture, safety, etc.