We've got some talent on board

We had two talent shows that took place on the ship. The crew talent show and the shipboard talent show.
Over the span of the voyage the crew becomes your family also, you get to know their personalities, their stories and make great friends with them. ( shout out to Darwin and Ledford! Love you guys.) they put on a talent show on for the ship and it was great! There was dancing and a lot of singing, songs we could sing along with and songs from their home country. our crew is talented and this show allowed them to show off their skills and we got to see them in a new way. No uniforms, just them being their selves.  The crew is amazing, they work so hard to make everything perfect. They are the hardest working people and always have smiles on. I will always see them as family.

The shipboard talent show was unbelievable. It was right at the end of the voyage. And some how I was able to score front row seats, almost impossible. There is so much more talent on the ship than you could imagine. This is the time where you can show your new friends what you can do and what you are interested in back home.
We had amazing hip-hop dancers, tap dancers, salsa dancers. we had musical people that blew our minds, unbelievable singers-people you would never think sang all the sudden knew how to hit every note. A few slam poetry- Stephen who made the entire audience bust into tears because his words about he voyage were so spot on. And Indigo wowing the ship with her amazing ability to hula-hoop.
There was a mix of everything and every act blew my mind. I had been living with these people for so long and just now being able to see some of their amazing skills. We had a wide variety of people on our voyage all unique yet all having the same dream- travel the world.

Red sea for the bronze medal

Sea Olympics! Never heard of it? It is a day during Semester at Sea where the shipboard community participates in a variety of fun games. The ship is broken up into about 8 different seas and on this day we all compete against each other.  I lived in the Red Sea. There was a ping pong tournament, a blind doge-ball, who can do the most pull ups, melt an ice block to put on the t-shirt inside, synchronized swimming (but it was too rocky so we did that inside which was even better!), Ship-wave-captain, standup comedy, trivia, and soooo much more. The day was action packed with events going on and they were happening in every part of the ship. I participated in Ship, wave, captain (version of rock paper scissor shoot) and we took home the gold! I also participated in the leap frog portion of the ship relay, blind doge ball, and a few other small events.

                The whole day we were in first until we scored zero points in one of the events. We ended the day with Bronze and were more than pleased. At the end of the day it is not about points or score boards, it was about if you had fun and made new friends doing some of the ridiculous tasks. Did you meet someone that you had never seen before, did you go out of your comfort zone, and did you feel completely happy about where you are in life.

                We were in the middle of the ocean where only the sea could hear our laughs and our loud chants. Sea Olympics is a day where the whole ship is out of their cabins and all interacting like a true family. At dinner the cafeterias are loud with laughs and everyone is talking about their favorite Olympic game. Everyone is full of energy and the whole ship is glowing with pride. We are in the middle of the ocean and we are having the best time of our lives. 

Time to become a Shellback

A person becomes a Shellback when they have sailed across the equator, and that’s exactly what I did. Our captain dresses up as King Neptune painted entirely with green paint and a few staff members are king Neptune´s council. Everyone on the ship gathers around our small pool and listens to what the king has to say. We then must recite a pledge and the activities begin. To officially become a shellback you could do one of two things. Shave your head, or get fish guts poured on you then kiss a fish. I wanted to shave my head but since I had an internship lined up I figured I´d better not. The internship is in Spain and I am sure they are going to expect a girl with hair. So I went for option two. 5 people at a time are lined up and we get fish slime poured over us. I´m sure they watered it down but it still smelt really bad, we then turned around and jumped into the pool that had turned brown from all the stuff they put on us. When it’s your turn to get out of the pool you must kiss a fish and King Neptune´s ring or else you are thrown back into the pool. Many people shaved their heads including a few girls, and a few people just donated some of their hair to locks of love. The whole event was a blast and the back deck was filled with excited shipmates. Study days can´t get much better than that!

Birthday at sea

I celebrated my 20th birthday on the ship on February 9th and it was wonderful. One of my friends put balloons and signs outside my door so that when I opened my cabin door it was the first thing a saw. I also received many letters from back home, which was awesome! I even got one from my dogs. My wall in my cabin is covered with cards and I love it. At dinnertime we had a large group of friends all enjoying a chocolate ice cream cake. I was sung happy birthday in three different languages, English, Spanish, and French, it was pretty cool.  My birthday on the sea is definitely one to remember. 

Thoughts of the day

I wake up every day on this ship and am still amazed that this is my life. Everyday I walk up the stairs of a ship that is floating in the middle of the ocean where land is nowhere to be seen. This is my life, taking classes while swaying back and forth with hundreds of kids just like me. Their goal: travel the world. This is my life, loving everyday as it comes and doing work while watching the waves crash around me with salty wind in my hair. This is my life, traveling the globe by ship and calling it school. This is me, living in a world where everyday is so amazing and so inspiring. This is me, trying to describe a feeling that I am still trying to unscramble myself. This experience is impossible to explain and each moment I become more appreciative of what this life has to offer. The realization of what I am doing hits me everyday as I try and wrap my head around it. Processing everything that has been occurring has been difficult and it is even harder now that we are jumping from port to port. Loving life, loving my journey, loving the opportunity I was given to be able to experience so many places in such a unique way. This trip allows me to make my own conclusions about cultures and generate a perspective of the world that is significant to my life. I can begin to appreciate different beliefs, living standards, and norms that are very different to what I have been use to and enjoy them myself rather than trying to understand them from someone else’s eyes. My life right now is filled with more joy than I have ever felt, and more happiness than I ever thought could come from a trip. These memories will forever be irreplaceable and this voyage will continue to help me grow.

The storm before Japan

One would think that since we are so close to our destination… JAPAN, that it would be a smooth ride. WRONG! It was the biggest storm we have hit yet. They canceled the later classes because of the rockiness. At dinner chairs were flipping over and sliding across the floor even though there were people sitting in them! Everyone was taking videos and dodging furniture. I went down to my cabin to check things out and our dresser came unattached from the wall and fell over with our stuff everywhere! In the bathroom my roommates shampoo bottle exploded all over the shower (this made an extremely slippery shower for us in the morning). This storm was insane; the waves were hitting the windows of the 6^th Deck! And deck 5 doors were leaking badly. They locked all the doors so no one could outside and it was the first time I was taken to the ground. The pressure the waves put on your body were so strong it felt like there were weights on your shoulders but when the boat went up you could practically fly. I was caught in the middle of these two pressures and they took me down the stairs face first. Don’t worry it didn’t hurt at all and some say I went down pretty gracefully. When I hit the floor it was the funniest thing ever and it took some other kids down to their knees with laughter. Lets just say that last night was so much fun and such an experience. Thank God I didn’t feel sick!

            In other news I and now in Japan! I am about to be so culture shocked and I have never been so excited. I am in Japan and I don’t have jet lag...how cool!  

PS. I just found out that it was the biggest storm since 2005, So crazy! They had to repaint parts of the ship! 

Into the Future I go

I just lost an entire day of my life. Very interesting. Yesterday was the Sunday the 20^th but now it is Tuesday the 22^nd!  I am officially in the future.  The storms are coming and last night was the first of it! I about rolled out of bed and my roommate and I both woke up in terror. The ship is actually heading into a perfect storm, which is a little freaky; I hope my “no sea sickness” lasts! It is about to get very exciting! I washed my clothes in the sink for the first time and that was an interesting experience. It takes a while for everything to dry. Classes are still great and I am continuing to meet new people everyday. 

Day 4 and 5

Its not a boat it’s a ship, its not a not a journey it’s a voyage, its not a cruise it’s a university.

A lot has happened in these two days that it is hard to keep up with. Day 4 (Jan. 12^th) I had my second two classes. Theory and practice of persuasion and intro to drawing, I swear the professors get cooler and cooler. It is amazing how I have already learned so much and we haven’t even gotten to our first port yet! I find myself sitting in on other classes and joining their activities and it is a blast. I got to do a bridge tour. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is the upper bow of the ship where all the navigation, steering, GPS, and controls happen. I got to meet and take pictures with the captain and it was really awesome!

Day 5 for me is definitely one to remember. Not necessarily the classes, but the lecture I sat in on at the end of the day. The unreasonable at sea is sailing with us on this voyage, an organization trying to solve world problems. It goes way more in depth than that and their projects are absolutely amazing. During that lecture we had Hunter Lovins speak. She has done incredible things throughout her life and she is a “hero of the year” for Time Magazine and has published 13 books. I have been meditating with this amazing woman everyday and I had no idea. I thought it would take a while for me to see a change in myself though out this voyage, but I have now realized that my mid-set is already starting to shift. It is very interesting to think about, if I already feel a little changed and it is only day five, what will I become in 100 more days.
 I think everyone tells you it is a life changing experience not because of the physical trip but because the people you meet along the way and hearing view points you have never been exposed to before. Its about the stories you hear and the information you gain. What I really enjoyed about Hunter was the fact that she is hopeful. She knows so many things about topics that can bring you into a dark hole but she finds optimism and remains hopeful of the world and what we can become as individuals working together. Listening and joining in on conversations is the biggest way to grow on this journey.  Everyone on this voyage has something very unique to offer. And every person has a story that you never would have thought. As a way of expanding my comfort zone I have been sitting at different tables every night meeting as many people as possible. This action would never be socially acceptable back at school but here it is welcome with open arms and people want you to sit with them. I am having the best time of my life! 

Day 2 and 3

I get up at 6:20 every morning to meditate with a group of people lead by an Indian man. After meditation breakfast opens up and our group is the first one in line. The second day at sea was orientation which took forever and they told us about ten ways how we could get kicked off. The swells are getting pretty big and it is hilarious watching everyone walk around. We haven't gotten our sea legs yet, we all walk in zigzags and I have gotten to know the walls pretty well on a few occasions. That night we had what was called involvement symposium where we were able to check out all the clubs and activities that will be on the ship. Yes mom I did sign up for my extended family. The second night there was a little storm and all the drawers were opening and slamming closed and all our belongings were flying across the room.

Day 3 January 11^th classes started! My first class was Consumer Behavior and I finally met some people from North Carolina! It was so fun meeting my professor as he was swaying back and forth trying to keep his balance and steer clear of the door that had a mind of its own.  I have an 8am and a 2:15 or 14:15 (we use military time on the ship) so I have a large gap on my “A day” classes. In this time I ate, sat outside, met new people, wondered the ship, and tried not to fall down. The second class was Water for the world, which is my largest class. I know that it is the biggest because it is a lens class (a special name for a limited amount of classes that each student had to choose).  We meet in the front of the ship in the student union, which is the most rocky- it really puts your sea tolerance to the test. The captain said we are experiencing 12-18 ft. swells, and although it is very rocky and hard to stand it does not seem like they are that large, so don’t worry I feel very safe! Overall I think the two classes I have had thus far are going to be great! I am excited to meet my next two professors tomorrow.

            E-mail me is you haven’t already done so or I will not be able to contact you!    erica.delaney.sp13@semesteratsea.org.   Sorry for the lack of photos, the whole uploading thing doesn’t work so well and it also takes up some of my precious Internet time. (They surprised us with 2 FREE hours of internet time.)

This is goodbye for now from the middle of the deep blue sea.