Days at Sea after Japan !!!!!!!

These were the last days at sea between ports. It was strange because a lot of things were coming quickly to a close. Classes were one of those things. There was a change in the Global Studies class format. We had a short lecture at the beginning of class and then got into small groups and discussed different themes and topics from the semester. I really enjoyed hearing from the other students in my group. I think we all learned a lot from each other throughout the voyage.

I had class the rest of the day, and that evening we had a crew talent show! It was hilarious! There was tons of singing, dancing, juggling, and other interesting skills. One of the crew members even wrote a song about the semester. We also had open mic night, during which students shared stories about Japan. There were some memorable ones, and it certainly reminded me how much I enjoy Japan.

The following day I had no classes. We had a silent auction to raise money for charities we had visited on the trip. There were all sorts of things up for auction! There was even a map the crew had used to chart our course around the world. Later that night we got to see another part of the trip DVD. We saw a few more countries, and reminisced about all that we had seen.

I had class on the next A day, and we also had a fire drill. Everyone was laughing because we were so close to the end of the trip … did we really need another drill? But we all stood at the drill and answered to our name saying we were present. I had to go back to my room because I was wearing flip-flops and had to change into tennis shoes! I always loved those fire drills!

In the evening we had a fair where students could talk about different organizations they were involved in back at their home campuses. It was interesting to talk to people and learn about the many different activities going on around US colleges.

The following day was very special. It was May 2nd for the second time! For the last few months, we lost an hour or more of sleep pretty much every other day we were at sea. This was challenging for many reasons, but it had to be done because we were traveling around the globe. At the end of the semester we had lost so many hours that we were entitled to a whole day back on the calendar.

The funny thing was that they ended up changing the date several times before we got to the month of May. When this happens, it messes up your sense of time even more. Logically, it does not seem right to be able to pick a random date to be repeated. But that is what happened! We were at the “date line” so we celebrated May 2nd, 2nd! Some people even had their 21st birthday on May 2nd! This was a dream come true! It was exciting for me because I don’t think I will ever again be able to say I lived the same day twice!

The next day I had classes again. We were slowly wrapping things up in each class. It was time to turn in final papers and projects. It seemed very strange to me. I was not happy that everything was coming to a close so quickly. That night I went to a theater production. We had several theater classes on the ship, and they did a show that they had written about the trip. It was really funny and very entertaining for the entire ship community. I enjoyed hearing some of the memories from the beginning of the trip.

One of the last major events on the ship was the Ambassador’s Ball. This was a big deal and something everyone looked forward to. My roommate and I were on the committee to help with the ball. It was fun because we got to participate in the decisions on the theme and how to decorate the ship. We decided on a Doctor Seuss theme, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.” Certain areas of the ship were decorated with flags and banners and memorabilia from each country. We were in charge of the China and Japan room. The ship community got really into it! We had to pick a group of people to sit with at dinner, and then we were assigned a sitting. We made the dining rooms look extra special, and then everyone got to choose their food from a fancy menu!

Most people wore something they had purchased in one of the countries. My group decided to wear saris at first. But because many of us had other traditional outfits, we ended up changing a couple of times during the evening! We wanted to make the best use out of each outfit! So we all started in saris and attempted to get pictures on the back deck. The only problem was that it was extremely windy! My sari kept falling off because the wind would grab it and pull it! It was hilarious! I ended up just wrapping part of it around my neck like a scarf! Needless to say, picture time was one of my favorite moments on the ship!

We ate at first sitting, and our meal was delicious! I had shrimp cocktail and steak! It was a step up from rice and potatoes! The meal was so nice because I got to eat with my closest friends on the ship. It was also special because everyone was all dressed up and wanted to make the evening a memorable one! After dinner we all changed into a different outfit and visited with other friends. We got more pictures and looked at all the country decorations around the ship.

Later on in the evening there was a dessert buffet on the deck. One of the professors gave a toast and everyone dove into the fancy desserts! The cheesecake was my favorite! We stayed on the deck for a while and then went down to the union where there was a dance. It was a fantastic evening and I thoroughly enjoyed spending it with my friends!

The last few days were busy with classes and activities. I had yoga out on the deck several times. It is always more challenging with the ship rocking. We had a Caribbean Sea meeting to discuss the last few weeks on the ship. There were many topics covered and the most important was how to pack! It was going to be an interesting proposition! There was even a drag show one evening! I did not recognize some of my professors in their new outfits! It was definitely a sight to remember!

Also, we had our last Global Studies exam. This was a big deal because it was our last exam and our last chance to help our grades! Everyone was up late, memorizing maps of Asia and trying to cram information about China and Japan. Fortunately, the test was not as hard as some of the others, and I managed to come out of the test feeling pretty good!

And we had a pre-port for the last time, for the port of Honolulu, Hawaii! It was great because we had three students from the island of Hawaii, and they gave us more insight about what it is like to live there. They shared some cultural misconceptions, and some of the most popular foods to eat and things to do. Even though Hawaii is very touristy, it is very different for the people who actually live there!

I even got to participate in the pre-port! For the past several weeks I had been learning how to dance the traditional hula. There was a group of about eight of us who performed at the pre-port. We learned two different dances, one classical and one modern. It was very interesting because almost all of the moves are motions that help to tell a story. I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to hula!

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
-- Henry Miller