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!