Been Around The World

Hard to believe that it's already been 10 years since I first sailed around the world with Semester at Sea.  Being lucky enough to do it 3 years ago is equally impossible to believe but that's another post for another anniversary.

At 5pm on January 19th, 2006, I set sail from Nassau in the Bahamas aboard the M.V. Explorer on a journey that would take me around the world, give me countless memories and introduce me to my wife.  It was a pretty big event in my life and not a day goes by that I don't think about that voyage.  Sometimes I get "smell-flashbacks" where something I smell triggers some memory and gives me a smile.  It could be the smell of fuel that makes me remember that port in Salvador, Brazil.  Or maybe it's a campfire smell that conjures up images of the Burmese countryside with pagodas glimmering in the sunshine. 

My first voyage with SAS was definitely a life-changing experience and something I still have trouble believing was real life.  It was and will always be one of the most important events of my life.

Have Towel, Will Travel

The Great Wall of China

I'm excited for the start of another football season this week.  I'll spend many of the upcoming Sundays sitting on my couch, swinging my Terrible Towel in the air cheering on the Steelers.  It's like my security blanket and it's well traveled.

It still pains me that I temporarily left it on the tour bus at the Taj Mahal in India and didn't get a picture with it there.  It has seen just as much of the world as I have:

Tian Tan Buddha outside Hong Kong. 2013

On top of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa in 2006.

On top of Lion Head Mnt, Cape Town, South Africa. 2013

Sumo championship match in Tokyo, Japan. 2013.

We Have To Go Back

It was 106 days that felt like 106 minutes.  Today our voyage came to an end.  There were lots of hugs and a few tears.  I didn't know who would make my eyes water first but I knew it would happen.

The past four months have been amazing.  My second time around the world and I already can't wait to go again.  It was my first trip to four new countries (Singapore, Ghana, Morocco & Spain) and a chance to get back to a place I love but thought I'd never make it to again (Burma).  It was a chance to re-experience India and come away with a much better feeling about the country. 

The Explorer in Barcelona.

All of it was enhanced by the fact that I had a wonderful, patient and loving traveling companion along the way. She was my rock when I'd get stressed out from the fishbowl of shipboard life or when we'd get lost on some steamy, Asian street.  I also met some of my favorite people in the world about the ship and I already miss them greatly.

The entire trip was everything I'd hoped it would be and more.  I still have lots of stories to tell that I'm sure will come floating back in the next few days and weeks.  For now I get to meet two of my best friends here in Barcelona and spend a few days exploring Europe before we go back to the States.

I look forward to going back home and seeing my family again.  I look forward to seeing my pink house and getting a big dog hug and kiss from Libby.  And I look forward to the day in the future when I get back to my floating home aboard the MV Explorer.

Family Ties

Me, Kelly, Dan, Nicole and Craig.

Last night we celebrated the end of our voyage with the Alumni Ball.  The entire shipboard community got all dolled up and I got to have a special fancy dinner with 800 of my closest friends.

There was good food with good friends and lots of pictures.  Throughout the evening we celebrated the amazing experience we have all been through over the past 100 plus days.  We sought out friends to take pictures and by the end of the night my face was sore from smiling. 

Us with Larkin and Arpan

One of Kelly and I’s top priority pictures was getting pictures of our kids.  That’s right we have children.  Surprise Mom.  We have six of them in fact.  Amazing since we’ve only been gone for four months and they are all college students.   In fact they are part of our “extended family”, a group of students who we were assigned to get to know on a more personal level. 

Us and Felix

Our group was four girls and two boys and they all ended up being lovely kids.  We had dinner with them and just chatted with them throughout the voyage.  Some required more one on one attention, some liked dining with the group.  Either way our conversations were always interesting and it was great to hear their stories about traveling in port and learning their backgrounds. 

It was a little weird to hear someone yell “Dad” across the room and realize they were referring to me.  It also produced a funny moment was when we ran into one of our kids actual parents in Cape Town.  “Dad meet my Dad.”

In reality it felt like the entire ship was one big family and I'm going to miss so many people when we depart tomorrow.  There will be lots of hugs and even a few tears I'm sure.  What a beautiful experience it has been.  

US and Elizabeth

Us and Monique

Us and Taylor

Community

 

Community: Noun -A group of people living together in one place.  But really it's so much more.  It's hard to believe that in less than 10 days I'll be off the ship and will never see this group of people all together again.  The friendships I've made with some of the people here will surely carry on long after the voyage ends but never again will we all be the family we are right now.  It's sad.

However all good things must come to an end and I will cherish the time I have left with everyone.  I'm trying to follow the quote that is printed on a bandana that hangs on my wall, "Don't count the days; make the days count."

And if you are looking for me in the picture above, look all the way in the back and look for the gray hat.  I'm easier to spot in the Persian Gulf sea picture to the right.  You definitely can't miss my wife;)

Tuesdays with Tutu

There are days when being a Resident Director is a taxing job.  Being awoken at 1:30 in the morning to watch an overserved student fail a sobriety test and then pass out in a chair during his observation time is quite an annoying task.  But then days like today come along and wash all that frustration away.

This morning our RD team had the opportunity to have a private meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu to talk about how to address the students when they question the difficult poverty and injustice they are beginning to experience in our port stops.  I would listen to Arch read the dictionary for three hours if given the opportunity.  He has a presence and a manner of speaking that just pulls you in and makes you hang on his every word. 

During our talk he would pause, sometimes for almost thirty seconds, and I’d wonder if he lost his train of thought.   Then he would begin speaking like he never stopped and I started to realize that he was truly speaking with a purpose, selecting the exact words he wanted to say for maximum impact.  And when he would make a joke and laugh, his spirit would fill the room.  I really can’t believe how lucky I am to have opportunities like this. 

Our conversation lasted over an hour and focused on the nature of being human.  He spoke about Ubuntu, the South African philosophy focusing on people’s need for each other and being good to one another.  I’ll admit sometimes the news can get me down and to a point where I wish I could live on an island away from everyone and it was a good reminder of the need for others. 

Arch also spoke of the feeling of being unable to change the world and the need to contribute in small ways to make a big impact.  It sounds simple but something as easy as not taking too much food at dinner can have a positive impact.  There is no point wasting food while others struggle.  

Our conversation left me rethinking my own actions in everyday life and how I can help facilitate change.  As the saying goes, think globally and act locally.   

Kon Nichi Wa from Japan

Greetings from the Land of the Rising Sun.   It is nice to be able to connect with the outside world again.  As we arrived in Japan the government forced our ship to disable our internet satellite so I have been dependent on spotty WiFi connections I was able to pick up on my phone.

Today is our fifth day in Japan, second in Kobe, however I am on call today and will be stuck on the ship until we sail tonight at 2000.  I guess technically I’m forced to stay on the ship after that too unless I’d like to swim to China.  I plan on catching up on blogging and organizing my hundreds of pictures in between calls about lost students and missing Ipads.

Overall I really enjoyed my second time visiting Japan.  It’s a beautiful, peaceful country but one of many interesting contrasts.  It’s very common to find a small Shinto shrine situated among sky-rise apartment buildings in a bustling neighborhood.  Japan is also one of the cleanest countries I have ever visited but finding a trashcan seems next to impossible.  

I will recap our trip from Yokohama, Tokyo and Kobe in smaller post to come.  In the meantime, arigatoo for reading.

O Captain! My Captain!

 

The last 48 hours have been quite a bumpy ride.  Captain Jeremy has been doing his best to thread the needle and avoid two converging storms and get us into Japan on time.  The sounds of the ship barreling through the rough swells has kept many of us up at night and looking forward to being on solid ground again.  Today the waves have gotten so bad they have shut down most outside decks and are giving warnings over the loudspeakers.  

Kelly and I got the chance to take a tour of the bridge yesterday and watch the waves crash against the bow.  We learned all about how this ship operates and keeps us on course.  The bridge is very high tech with lots of buttons and monitors.  I tried to keep my hands away from everything just in case.  It was a little disappointing that there is no giant steering wheel to spin like in the movies.  It was interesting to learn that they do still us physical maps to chart the course.

Yesterday was a busy day for Kelly and I around the ship.  Besides the bridge tour, we also had an ice cream social for my sea, an appetizer tasting for the upcoming port of Japan and a Dean’s social where we mixed with faculty and other staff.  All of them went very well despite the chaotic atmosphere of the ship’s rolling.   I am amused by my student’s in my sea.  We were given the name of the Arabian Sea but for some reason they have taken to changing our name to the Persian Gulf.  They are a smart-alecky group and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Poseidon is Peeved

The seas are angry my friends.  Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.  Today we are experiencing swells between 3-4 meters (about 10-13 feet).  Sadly we are expecting it to get worse before we reach Japan.  The crew has even closed the portholes of the cabins on the second deck.  The entertaining rumor on the ship is that each time we hit a big wave and the ship shutters we just hit a whale.  The next 24 hours should be fun.

Yesterday was a study day for the students but all of us aboard spent a few hours filling out immigration paperwork for some of our upcoming ports.  If you thought filling out the paperwork to get your passport was a pain, wait till you have to do forms for other countries.  Some places like India are extremely strict about staying within the boxes and not making any mistakes and will reject any forms that are messy. The forms are a major pain but at least they are complete.

Today we are finishing up plans for Japan and looking ahead to some other ports. We booked an overnight bus from Yokohama to Kobe to avoid sailing with the ship and to get an extra day in Japan. We still need to make some hotel arrangements but it’s starting to come together!

Back to the Future

For perhaps the only time in my life I don’t have a case of the Mondays.  You see for those of us aboard the M.V. Explorer Monday simply did not exist.  Last night we crossed the international dateline and jumped into the future from Sunday to Tuesday.   

Time may be relative but losing an entire day is quite a mind-freak.   On my previous voyage we crossed the dateline going in the opposite direction so we had April 20^th twice.  I look at it as getting my life back in balance.  I was a bit disappointed there wasn’t a buoy marking the crossing but I guess it would be pretty difficult to make something like that happen.

Last night we had our second big event on the ship, Trivia night.  It was a big success and as always some of the wrong answers were better than the correct answer.  For example, pumice is correct answer to the question of what is only type of rock that floats.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not. 

Five more days to Japan!