I'm on a ship in the Middle of the Atlantic!

Well let’s do a run down of the last few days I have had since I left home! I flew out of LAX at 10:38pm arrived in Baltimore at 6:41AM plane delayed so I missed my flight in Toronto to get to Halifax arrived in Halifax an hour later and had the person I was sharing a room waiting for me with two other people from her flight, there were semester at sea kids everywhere particularly everyone that was work study. Lindsay is the girl that I met at the airport along with Kelsey and Kareem…we then all proceeded to the Westin, and Kelsey ended up staying with us instead of going to the hostel by herself. I had lots of fun with them. The next day we got up and headed out to the ship to check in for work study. Had some orientation type stuff and they put us straight to work for a few, later that evening we went out with another girl named Alyssa, and sat at a restaurant and chatted and had some hummus and what not. We didn’t go to “The Dome” where everyone was meeting at from SAS because we heard from the locals it was sketchy and not to go on THURSDAYS lol. I was supposed to meet Mike there, but I didn’t go and then when I saw him he said yea neither did I. It’s pretty fast paced going on the ship once the other 460 or so students got on, it’s funny to see how people self select themselves with others on the ship and great to meet tons of people, we are much smaller than most Semester at Sea communities but it’s a lot of fun so far. I found out that I am working for Student Life as their Activities Program Assistant…aka. I DO ALL THE ACTIVITIES…it’s like being Jesse or now Ryan as PB Director but not PB under you, and with 1/16th of the resources and funding. Yea…. So I am supposed to put on events every day except two days before port while at sea just for an hour and a half and what not so if you have any ideas that could be thrown my way for activities on a ship with not even markers and no funding let me know! Leaving Halifax was amazing, I couldn’t believe it, when we  finished our lifeboat drill and then we all go to the top it was sooo crazy I got chills because we were finally and there was no going back, but WHO WOULD?! Orientation day sucked it was soooo long and the ship was moving which doesn’t make me sick at all instead I fall asleep on every soft surface I sit and since this is a ship,  that used to be a cruise ship…that is all there is…MAJOR PROBLEM. I can’t really read without falling asleep lay in bed without doing anything. I have so much reading it’s ridiculous I don’t know how to read 181 pages in two days, craziness. My class schedule is interesting but “flexible”. That word is in quotations because it’s the word of the ship we have to learn flexibility in order to overcome our limitations here on the ship. Today was A Day 1 or A1 as we call it first day of classes I had Global Studies and Multicultural Detective Fiction. Tomorrow is B1 so I have Interpersonal Communication and Deviance and Social Control, the professors are awesome (and as I write this I am pretty sure I just heard thunder….crap) and very helpful I love this whole integrated learning thing on the ship having the Life Long Learners and LLCs (formerly known as RDs) and just the family or spouses of faculty and staff. I’m loving it so far and found a group of people for Spain, unfortunately I will not be making it to Granada for La Alhambra like I wanted as time will not permit it but Seville is a go! ☺ And I have a group, like they say, just go with the flow and it will work out so I am pretty much set for everything up till Ghana assuming I get the day trips I want. Sale 1 is taking place and I am sure it’s going to be difficult I didn’t get a home stay and it’s required for a class. Well I have written way too much but last but not least here is some ship terminology for you when I use it.

Forward – front of the ship
Aft – back of the ship
Starboard – right side
Port – left side
Deck – not level or floor
Voyage – not cruise
And finally it’s a friggin SHIP not a BOAT!
LLL – Life Long Learner
LLC – Living Learning Coordinator (formerly RDs for you previous SASers)
CEO – no one knows, but it’s the RAs they changed the names though it’s a new program

P.S – we are the 100th voyage and we have the best shirts everrrrr! And I am the yellow sea deck three in the ghetto haha four of us in one room lame but whatever!

Well, it's time!

So as I write this post I am about 24 hours and some change away from being on my flight headed to Halifax, Canada. What am I feeling? Oh everything possible, you think after leaving for a semester to DC that I'd know how to handle this, but nope, leaving the country and really not seeing anyone I know for 4 months that my friends is a scary concept. I have packed my life into two duffel bags, which tomorrow still need some rearranging for weight limits, and getting rid of some stuff since I think I could lose a few tops, I don't even remember packing pajamas to be quite honest. I have my new billabong backpack I bought today, and my REI hiking/daypack to be filled tomorrow with leftovers and dvds and all that good stuff. I'm sure I am forgetting something but almost positive I will find it in Halifax if need be.

I am excited, I can't believe it's finally here, I've been waiting for this day for two years and it wasn't easy getting here either, but all the stress and troubles and financial figures have worked themselves out and tomorrow when I get on that plane and go to bed for the night and arrive in Canada the next day, it will be well worth it. Sure I am going to cry, but who doesn't cry, it's natural. I'm about to learn to get out of my comfort zone like no one's business, I'm gonna see things very few people will ever get to see and do things even fewer will ever do. I'm going to live up this moment like none before. And of course I am going to miss my beloved family and friends.

Emily, thank you sooooo much for all your help, you could have made me figure it out on my own but you were very helpful, I promise to e-mail you and let you know all the crazy adventures, and ship experiences just because we both know, you will be the only one who gets it, and I will make sure to get dressed, to "go up" and laugh when I do it :).

I'm really excited, and sure as hell nervous and as much as I talked to Emily I still have NO IDEA what to expect, I am ready to meet new friends and meet the ones I am already friends with like Mike the guy from Colorado who we've both already decided is going to be my bestie on the ship. Now I am not the type for experiencing wonderful things on my own, but I am sure I will think of all you that I love so much with every experience I have and at times wish you were right beside me, but know that I can't wait to see you all in January and share all of our adventures abroad we've had!

So my friends, this is the last you will hear from me until I get settled on the ship, to my family that reads this, thank you for being so wonderful and helpful in making this experience possible. if anyone wants to e-mail its: aaramos@semesteratsea.net or aramos@clunet.edu

Much Love,
A-Ram