Open Seas

We are just cruising away to Brazil which they have told us will be very fun but quite dangerous. So we are working on finding some boys to go with because we are scared out of our wits! 

The ship is so bumpy- i thought it was bad at first when i got sick, apparently those waves were ones out of tens and we are heading for much worse. :( The ship is just unreal to go outside and all you see is ocean-kind of scary. The ceilings rattle constantly and today people have been falling all over the place. I just know that I will be the first to eat it on top of some guy in front of everyone. 

My classes are okay. There is a ton of reading and my geology and sociology teachers are the weirdest teachers I might ever have. All the classes tie into the countries we are visiting some how which makes it a little more interesting. 

I found out which trips I will be taking for the rest of the semester (at least the big ones). I am going to Beijing and will be seeing the great wall along with many other places. I am currently working on booking a 4-day safari in south africa. I will be flying to singapore when we get to malaysia! And lots of little stuff in between. 

My phone receives calls but I cant use the internet-makes no sense because everyone else who has a blackberry can use the internet. I have to wait to get into ports but oh well. 

This experience is just shocking to me everyday. I have made some great friends who make me laugh so much I look like a crazy person. But I would rather look crazy than sane! Love you all! Sorry I cant upload many photos it takes forever and we dont have much internet time. 

Puerto Rico

Ranancito (our mini tour guide)  Left to right: Lindsay H, Caroline, Lindsay W (my roomate) Me

My computer doesnt work and i dont have any time but now you can all put faces to the names of my friends. Love you guys!

January 26, 2008 

Well we arrived in Puerto Rico around 7 a.m. As soon as i woke up and looked out of my port hole i saw a sign from the port that said. "Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico" for those of you that dont know spanish that means "Welcome to Puerto Rico." (mom)

Anyway I am kind of stressing because i never got into one of the safari groups in africa and now i am trying so hard to join one but i am not sure it will happen. What will i do if i go all the way to south africa and NOW go on a safari? I cant believe it. Anyway we are slowly being called by groups to exit the ship and then we are free to do what we want. 

So Lindsay, Lindsay, Caroline and I (my new friends) spent the day walking around Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. We rode the trolley around town and saw the old fortresses and great stone wall that protected the capital way back when. We ate at a small cafe that overlooked the ocean and then headed to the beach. We tanned at la playa "El Ocho" for a while enjoying the beach and lovals. On our walk back to the ship we made a few stops at the Normandy Hotel and the Hilton and pretended to be guests so we could go on their private beaches and lay in the hammocks. We also used the concierge to find tourists information, we called to make plans for horseback riding and went back to the ship!

Later that night I rode on a bus for over an hour with a bunch of SAS kids for a trip to the Bioluminescent Bay. When we arrived it was already dark and the moon was low and hidden behind the clouds. We were paired up for kayaks and took off. There were about 20 kayaks lined up rowing through a big bay that had no luminescence and had a dead end. But the guide went straight toward the wall of bushes and rocks...so we followed. We entered a pitch black tunnel of trees. the only way to know where to go was by following the glow sticks that were attached to the kayaks. When you looked up it was one of the most amazing skies ever. The mile of roughing through the trees in our kayaks ended at a big bay-the bioluminescent one. When you put your hands/feet in the water and make the water move it looked like there was fairy dust in the water. It was literally magical looking. Gold and silver fairy dust just shimmering in the water. 

Our guide explained what it was: It is the ability of living organisms to emit light. Bioluminescence is created through oxidation which makes photophores (whatever those are). Anyway the entire experience was great and so much fun. Kayaking at night under the stars in the warm water listening to the coqui frogs (which are native to PR) sent an energy of light through me then having a glitter of life to end with was perfect. 

January 27, 2008

Today we woke up to a phone call from our tour guide saying he was outside the ship waiting for us...WOOPS! SSo we quickly got ready and ran outside and were greeted by a nice large man with his son. Ranan and Ranancito (Ranan Jr.). They drove us to the Conwuistador Hotel about one hour away. The hotel was insane! Right next to it are huge houses owned by Michael Jordan, Shaq, Shakira and J-Lo! We took a fairy ten minutes out to a private island called Palomina and it was beautiful. We rode on horseback (so funny cause my friend was so afraid and her horse would stop all the time to eat and mine was albino and if i shifted my weight even a little his knees would buckle). We rode to the top of the island which was a great view. Breathtaking. We stayed on the beach and tanned for a while then went back to play in the pools at the Conquistador. 

Ranan and his son were amazing and took us to Walmart so we could buy some stuff before going back to the ship. Even though we only knew them for a day it was so sad to say goodbye. We got to know them so well and promised we would come back and visit some day. Already so much has happened and this is not even one of the main events of my semester!

January 28, 2008

Basically today we spent walking around town and getting souvenirs. Now we are in the Sheraton Hotel using their free WiFi but of course my computer is not working so I am using my friend's. Why would anything technical work for me on this trip? We leave Puerto Rico tonight and are heading to Brazil! Not much happens on the boat except for classes so I will update after we get there and adventure a little. Miss everyone so much love you too! Hope all is well :)

The Beginning...

So everyone tells you the rooms are small, but nothing you can imagine will ever prepare you for how small the rooms actually are. The ship is taking off around 5:00 tonight and I still do not have my bags... it's almost 3. My Ipod is broken and my rechargeable batteries for my camera are no longer rechargeable. My blackberry has not been working, so much for international service. My room (and most of the ship) smells like paint because they just put finishing on the wood everywhere. It is quite a nauseating smell. So far it's been a great trip!
The good news is my roommate seems to be pretty cool. I would describe her as a hippie from Connecticut who likes to party. She has a boyfriend back home and is studying business. She is a junior at Emmanuel in Boston (which is where my friend Brian Kelly goes)!
Anyway all of the parents have to leave by 3:00 so instead of watching everyone cry I am choosing to sit in my room. We are going to have our safety drill and orientation tonight. Classes will start on Friday.

I got my bags 15 minutes before the ship left Nassau. Waving goodbye to families that i didnt even know was very sad so i started to unpack instead. The ship started swaying and i thought i would be fine. I ended up getting very sick all of last night and missed some meetings already. My friend gave me a patch to wear behind my ear and it has helped a lot so far. I didnt realize that there was going to be a constant sway. I also didnt realize that there is no hot water on the ship. My shower was freezing and i am sure i still have conditioner in my hair and soap on my body. I am overwhelmed with all the papers and things i need to get done and figuring out what trips to go on in ports. I have yet to see Ashley on the ship which is weird. At one point i was convinced she must have changed her mind and not gotten on, but then her name was called to collect luggage so i know she has to be here. We are the largest group they have ever had on SAS 753 students (70 from CU). With all the workers, teachers, etc. there are over 1000 people. I am not sure that this is a good thing because there is limited space on all of the trips you can sign up for. Well i will write when i can, but i feel so sick that doing anything really sucks. Love you all.

Classes start tomorrow and then we arrive in Puerto Rico on Saturday. I will update when I get back from my adventures there!

I MADE IT...KIND OF

Well after a full day of traveling I made it to the Bahamas, but my bags didnt. Quite unfortunate, but there was a large group of us who left from Denver and our bags never made it. Supposedly they will deliver our bags to the ship tomorrow before we take off! I check in at 9:00 am and don't know what I'll do until my bags get there. Well thats the start of my semester at sea! :) Dont worry though I am still smiling.

Leaving on a ship!

I am leaving on January 22 and wont be back until May 9! I will be taking classes on a ship (MV Explorer) and porting in different countries around the world. Here is my itinerary: 

• Nassau, Bahamas
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Salvador, Brazil
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Port Louis, Mauritius
• Chennai, India
• Penang, Malaysia
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Hong Kong
• Shanghai, China
• Kobe, Japan
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Miami, Florida

Click here for a more detailed itinerary! 

So follow along on my adventures and I will do my best to keep an update of my whereabouts!

I want to say a few things before I leave:

-Mike Hilton: Stay away from my mentees! I love you and will miss your hugs and visits between classes, but blast some Beatles when you think of me.

-Jasen: Tell Grandma and Pops i say hello and i cant wait for dinner! I will miss your hugs and sweetness J-keep an eye on mike and have a good time while you do it:)

-Tom: I can't imagine what it would be like if only one of us were in Arizona right now. I'll miss your phone calls every few days and the cigarette breaks. Tell Amanda I say hello and I love her!

-Bri: keep the room alive and bumpin' without me. Ill miss our fun and random times. 

-Chad, Ian and Spense: I'll miss you boys and our crazy nights, not so much our pathetic drama and loneliness but we will have more of it next year! Don't get in too much trouble without me! And don't let Lindsey boss you around too much.

-Kim: I'm gonna punch you in the throat and Im gonna miss you and macaroni so much! You all better come visit me.

-Teagan: Oh lord who knows what to say. Stay strong and do your work! Have fun in between of course.

-Hadley: It's a good thing you live so close cause we can hang out a bunch when I get back, until then live free and keep smiling. 

-Amanda: Try to go to class and make PRSSA a kick ass chapter!

-Kara: oh my love I will miss you much but be back before you know it! Tell Bo I say hi because I'm sure he wont read this. I love you both!

-Miss Michelle and Dave: Don't worry we will have plenty of dinners over the summer to catch up since we will all be so lonely. Cory is always home if you really need to talk! Love you both!

-Michael: Don't be too lonely and try and stay as warm as a hot toasty cinnamon bun. I love you so much and will miss you more than anything/anyone. Meet me in my dreams! I love you.

-My Family: I will miss you all more than I can express. Keep smiling and don't miss me too much. I will enjoy everything to the fullest but it wont be as good as it would if we were all together. I love you all so so much and you will be in my mind all the time. Good luck with baseball, volleyball, botox and all!

-If I forgot you I'm sorry I leave tomorrow and am very rushed. I love you all and will miss you!