Hello from the middle of the Pacific Ocean!! It’s day 4 here on the ship and we are currently at the halfway point between Mexico and Hawaii. It’s so funny how I just keep looking around and reminding myself that this is actually happening. I am so proud that I was able to get myself here and beyond excited for what is to come from this once in a lifetime experience.
Embarkation day was such a blur of travel, paperwork, and info sessions so I’m relieved to finally be getting into a daily routine of living on the ship. For such a small floating community there really is quite a bit to stay busy with. Socializing with anyone and everyone has kept me occupied, but I know my schoolwork is going to start to take up a lot of time too. Every night there are different activities, guest speakers, and even a pub night were you can indulge in your allotted 2 glasses of wine lol. Movie nights, star gazing, and games of ping pong have completely taken the place of all technological distractions or the real world. It’s actually so refreshing to just sit down and get to know someone on a deeper level without the interruptions of electronics.
Everyone is so eager and excited that it can get a bit overwhelming, but I feel like I’ve already met and made so many amazing friends. It really does take a certain kind of person to do something this out of the box, which really shows through in everyones diverse personalities. I’ve probably sat next to different people at each meal and have had the most intriguing conversations with people from all over the world, coming from all different backgrounds. Everyone is so different, but at the same time everyone shares this love for the rest of the world that brings us all together on this voyage of a lifetime.
The weather has been mild so I haven’t heard about too many people being seasick, but today was also my first day without taking any sort of antinausea medicine so fingers crossed that I feel fine. Every day is warmer, and with today being right at 85 degrees we were able to sit outside by the pool and enjoy the views all day. I’m usually done with class everyday by 12:30 so the pool deck is where I spend most my afternoons, working on class readings and soaking up the sun. It’s like being on a constant vacation with a class thrown in here and there;)
My “A day” of class began today with my global studies class at 9:30AM. Everyone on the ship takes this class, so the Kaisersaal, the largest auditorium on the boat, is packed to the brim with over 600 of us students. After, that I had my management class over leading high performance teams, which I actually found to be very interesting. The professors who come from universities all over the US, are obviously invested in their work and take pride in their field of teaching. I will have a field lab in Shanghai, China for that management class and will visit the international headquarters of IBM to speak with company leaders, while learning more about how they construct such high functioning teams effectively.
The food exactly as I had been told it would be… pork, potatoes, and pasta… although there is a decent salad bar and small variations in each meal, I know I’m going to be ready for my first real meal in port at Kobe. When I’m really not feeling dinner, the pool grill makes a mean veggie burger and fries. I plan on stopping at the Walmart in Honolulu to stock up on some snacks and things to get me through the 11 day stretch to Japan.
Internet really is nonexistent. Other than email and some of my class sites, there really is not much to it. Even certain places on the ship and times of the day will give you better access to the SAS home port page than others. I was going to try and keep this page as current as I could, but from the looks of it, my wifi will only be available while I’m in port, so try to hang with me! I promise to keep the updates coming as quickly as I can!
Sea ya soon,
Ally