SPAINNNNN!

FYI: We actually wrote this on Wednesday night, 1/28, after our first day in Spain. For some reason, it didn't post and we only just found out tonight when we got back on the ship from exploring Spain! We're writing another blog tonight about the rest of our adventures, but we wanted to post this one so everyone can read about our first day.


Guess what! We finally made it to our first port. We pulled in this morning at about 7 am and were jumping up and down. We quickly got ready, ate breakfast, and went to stand on deck with everyone else and watch the sunrise. It was amazing. As soon as the sun was up, we sprinted off the ship and began our adventure. Our first mission was to look for a store that sold watches. Side note: David Geiss (sp?) was our inter-port lecturer from Bahamas to Cadiz (he was the most amazing person ever! He was an excellent public speaker who has lived in Spain and had soo many interesting things to say. I'm so sad he's not traveling with us after Spain!). Anyway, he told us to go to a department store called El Corte Ingles, which was supposedly really close. Well, we walked around the port area for a little bit, and luckily we ran into David and asked him for directions. He told us how to get there, and as we were walking away, a lifelong learner named Joan asked if she could come along. We said sure and set off. As we were walking, we talked a bit and had some great conversations with her. She reminds me a lot of Grandma Flo (who we miss VERY much and hope is doing well!) and she had so much to say today. Well, when we were walking, we noticed that it was taking a lot longer than David said it would, so we stopped for directions and used very rusty Spanish with a helpful guy who led us in the right direction. We walked for about an hour and a half through the most interesting part of town. We saw schools, stores, apartments, people doing laundry, cats running around (yay), children playing...it was great! We got to see so much just wandering around and trying to find our way- it was an awesome way to start our first port! After we finally found the store and bought our watches, we started the long trek back. Okay, it was actually only about a 20-25 minute walk, but because we got lost on the way there, the whole trip took about 3 hours. haha. Oh well...that's part of the fun, right? And the best part of the morning was that we stopped at a little cafe on our way back to the ship and ate churros con chocolate (long fried pieces of dough served with a thick cup of chocolate to dip). They were definitely terrible for you but absolutely delicious! And while we were in there enjoying our churros, one of the guys that worked there came up and said, "Gemelas? (twins)" and we said, "Si!", and he showed us a picture of him and HIS twin when they were about 5 years old. It was such a great thing to connect with someone and was really a special moment!

When we got back to the ship at about 12:30 pm, we immediately had to turn around and get ready to leave for our Cadiz City Orientation trip at 12:45. There were so many SASers/faculty/staff/LLL's going on this trip that we had about 5 groups of 30 people all starting out walking into Cadiz. It was a funny sight, and we definitely took over their city today! The orientation was perfect! It involved A LOT of walking (5 hours) but was totally worth it! We saw everything in the city, I swear, and I bet we could tell you some interesting facts about Cadiz during the Roman Empire or even what the mayor's favorite office chair is made out of! Our tour guide was great, and of course, we took TONS of pictures! There was so much to see. It was almost overwhelming. We've never been out of the country, really (Mexico and Canada don't count), so the culture shock was amazing. It's not like Spain is that different from America, but just to see all these things that you've read about and seen in movies in real life is unbelievable. And to actually go out and talk to the locals, through a huge language barrier is an experience in itself. Doing things that are usually so easy...finding your way around, buying groceries or a watch....are quite difficult when you don't know where you are, how to get around, or how to ask someone for directions!

After the city orientation, we found out that there were extra tickets for a trip to see a Flamenco show. So we hopped on a bus with Rachel and drove about 30 minutes to a small town between Cadiz and Seville. In the middle of nowhere, literally, is this small resort looking thing with an outside arena. We all go sit in this arena and we got to see the most Spanish thing ever- bull fighting! They train baby bulls there, and we got to see one of the training sessions. We also got to see a horse dancing with women...which was awesome by the way...and then a Spanish man with really tight pants run around and try not to get run over by the bull! After that excitement, we went inside where Tapas and Sangria were waiting for us!! We were in heaven. And while we were eating and relaxing, they put on a flamenco show for us. It was amazing!! If you've never seen Flamenco before- go! It was really good and at the end we all got up and danced (I think some were more tipsy than others. haha) and had a fabulous time. During all of this, we also met a girl named Amy who is absolutely amazing. I can tell we are going to be close and we talked the entire way back to the ship! We also got to call Mom and Dad, Kathy, & the girls today! It was really exciting and we definitely needed a little dose of the fam.

We already feel like we learned SO much and we loooove Cadiz (definitely have to come back some day)! We can't believe we're going to see 3 more cities before the weekend, and then go to Morocco in 5 days! We are the luckiest people in the world and so unbelievably blessed. I know we keep saying that, but I still can't believe we're here doing this. It's crazy!

Well, it is now 2 am here and we have to be up at 7 for our trip to Sevilla, Cordoba, and Grenada. We hope you're all enjoying our blog so far! We're hoping to upload pictures soon so get excited! Also, we're gonna be gone until Saturday night, so you'll here from us after we get back from our trip! Miss you all and love you!

K & S

p.s.- Shout out to Alyssa Eubank......aka coolest person EVER! We love you sooo much!!!

Day 5 at Sea

Hey everyone! Right now it is 2351, or 11:51 pm on Saturday. We are now, I think 4 hours ahead of the east coast, 5 ahead of Chicago. We have gone approximately 2,200 miles since Nassau and we have 1,514 miles to go till we reach Cadiz, Spain! The air temperature outside today was 70 degrees, and it was a gorgeous day! The water was the calmest it has been since we started, which was so nice to be able to walk down the hall! I thought it was normal for the waves to be that big, but apparently the Atlantic is unusually stormy for this time of year. So maybe it'll stay nice and calm from now until we get to Spain (countdown: 3 days)!!

Life aboard the ship has been good. Very surreal. We still are walking around kind of in a daze, asking ourselves if it is real. But at the same time, we have come to 100% accept this as normal. For example: it's normal during class to look out and see the ocean waves, and it's normal to go up to someone at dinner and say, "Hi nice to meet you. Are you going to Marrakech in Morocco or are you doing the camel-riding excursion?", and it is totally normal to hear on the afternoon announcements: "Today at 2100 we will have a meeting in the union about what foods to eat in Spain", and right after that hear: "If you are planning on signing up for the food market visit in Chennai, India, please come to the student activities desk." All of these things are now what we consider normal. I guess that's the mindset one has to have, since this is the only way of life we now know, and are going to become even more accustomed to as we travel.

We started classes a couple days ago. Kate and I have all of our classes on B days, except for Global Studies, which is every morning (everyone on the ship attends this). Classes are okay. They're classes, so how interesting can they be, ya know? But they don't seem too difficult. Plus, we get to take classes on a ship traveling the world, so we can't complain! I would also like to point out that we no longer have weekends. So, while some of you may have been enjoying sleeping in and relaxing today (Laura and Julia went sled riding, I hear!) we were up at 7:45 for a full day of class and work. Days on the ship are only A and B- no days of the week. That way, when we get to port, we get the whole time off. It's like getting a spring break every few days. It's definitely gonna be great!

Work is going well. Kate has learned a lot about audio/visual things like projectors and microphones and sound boards. It's pretty interesting. Plus, if nothing's going on, she can sit in the union or the A/V booth and read or do homework. Her boss is Allan or "Sparky". He is from the Phillipines and he's been with SAS for 15 years! He doesn't speak English extremely well, but he's so funny. Kate and Kat (another girl she works with) even made up an A/V cheer and handshakes with him last night. It seems like lots of fun. The library is good. I re-arrange books on the shelves and check out books to students. I like it because I can mostly sit behind the desk and read. I like my bosses and the other people that I work with, too, so that's good.

There have been so many interesting and fun things to participate in! The other night, we went to a lecture about Obama where we watched a speech he made in Philadelphia during the campaign and then had a discussion about civil rights. It was great. We also got to watch Dark Knight in the union which was fun and I love that movie! One night, they had swing dancing lessons, and the night after that, we had a presentation about how to eat out in Spain. There's something different every night to choose from, so it's been really great! Also, they had an activities fair that we went to, where you can sign up for clubs and stuff. I signed up for Vicarious Voyage (you communicate with a classroom in the U.S. and send them packets and postcards so they can learn about the different countries and live "vicariously" through us), Extended family (this is where you get a "family" of other students and lifelong-learners or professors as your grandparents. You have dinner with them and other fun activities), and a Christian interfaith group...kind of like a bible study. I also signed up for Students of Service, which is self-explanatory. Kate also signed up for Extended Family, Students of Service, and the Christian group. She didn't sign up for Vicarious Voyage because she's doing a pen-pal program with a teacher who's an SAS-alum. Kate also signed up for the Spanish language club to brush up on her spanish skills. We both signed up to be a part of the Preschool Enrichment Program which is basically a way for you to read to, and play with, the dependent children of faculty and staff that are 1-5 years old. SO cute! I'm very excited about that one! And we might be able to help tutor the older dependent children, too. There were so many amazing opportunities to sign up for that we couldn't decide! I think we made the right choices!

On a quick side note: the food is getting very old. It's not that it's bad or anything, it's good, but I swear I've seen more ways to make pasta and potatoes than I ever knew were possible. Kate and I gave in and bought a kit-kat and reeses from the pool bar because we couldn't stand the blandness anymore. Needless to say, everyone is dying to get to Spain and eat the food! Yum!!

Anyway, we have to turn our clocks ahead another hour, so we must go to bed. We are definitely thinking of everyone back home and missing you all so much! Stay tuned for another one (or two) before Spain! Love you!

K & S

p.s.- I've e-mailed about a dozen people and have only gotten responses to a few. Anna, Jenna, and Kathy- have you gotten anything? I sent you all e-mails a few days ago and hadn't heard back. I'm assuming it's because we're in the middle of nowhere-literally- but who knows.....

Hello from the Atlantic Ocean!

Hi Everybody!

We are currently about 500 miles off the coast of Florida. We still have a little over 3,000 miles to go before we reach Spain on the 28th. We've been getting settled in and getting used to everything, and this is the first chance I've gotten to update this. I'll give you a short play-by-play of the past couple days.

Monday, Kate and I got to the ship around 7:30 am to start helping with check in. Seven hours and 700 students later, we were done! We then had to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Kathy, which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Everyone was standing near the port fence crying and hugging, but everyone was really excited, also, so that helped! After saying our goodbyes, we got on the ship and left land for the last time in 9 days. Then the whole ship (not boat) had a lifeboat drill and we had to stand outside for over an hour with long-sleeves and long pants. It was fun. Or not. When it was finally over, we ran downstairs to get the cameras and sprinted back upstairs to get a good spot by the railing. We saw all the parents, including ours, down on the dock, some crying, others cheering, and a few holding signs saying "We love you", "Be Safe", and "Please call home soon". haha. It was great. Then (drum roll please)....they unhooked the ropes holding us to the dock and off we went! It was really strange to be slowly floating away from Mom, Dad, and Kathy (and land)...not being able to call and say "wait! i forgot this!" or "hey i still see you". We stood there for the longest time with the other students until we couldn't even see the pier anymore. The sun went down and it was beautiful, and I got pictures (first sunset!). After the excitement of leaving, we had a mandatory orientation meeting and then our sea meetings (each hallway on the ship is given a name, kind of like a dorm, and they are all sea names). We are the Bering Sea, and our room is located in the forward part of the 4th deck on the port side. Our room is wonderful! There's more than enough room to store things, the beds are super comfortable, and the stewards come and clean it and make our beds for us (they also clean up after us at meals and bring us drinks...it's hard getting used to...lol).

Anyway, back to yesterday...we woke up and had meetings starting at 9 am. They were mostly boring and information I've already heard, so I almost fell asleep. Not to mention, the rocking of the boat makes you want to sleep a lot!. At 11:30, we all got to watch the inauguration ceremony through satellite in the union! It was amazing! Everyone was taking pictures and cheering every time they saw Obama! It was a great moment! And the cool thing about it that our Dean of Students said was that we are embarking on an amazing journey around the world while America is also starting a new journey. I am really excited to see how we are treated (as Americans) in other countries now that Obama is President. It should be interesting! Anyway, after a few more meetings, we got a break and played cards and Sorry with some girls we met. At 9:15, the crew surprised us and we had a celebration in the union for the inauguration, complete with champagne and cakes with little American flags in them! The crew is awesome here and they deserve a huge thank you for putting all that together on such short notice!

Today we started classes and work, except Kate and I don't have any of our classes (except Global Studies) today, so we're just relaxing and napping. The ship rocks so much that people look like they're drunk all day long. It's not uncommon to fall down the stairs or run into someone. I hope we get used to it soon! We also have an activities fair tonight where we can sign up for clubs and stuff, so I'll let you know which ones we picked!

That's all for now. I'll post more later when things are more interesting. Miss you all! Hope you're week is going well!

*Kate and Sarah*

p.s.- Mom and Kathy...did you get my e-mails? Because I haven't heard back and wanted to make sure you got home okay. If you sent me one, I didn't get it, so resend it. Thanks! Love you!

BAHAMAS...The Ship...And we sail away tomorrow!!

Sooo...we are pulling away from the dock in 19 hours! So much has happened in the last few days, it seems like it's been a week! We left on Thursday night at midnight and drove to Chicago (almost dying along the way because of snow and huge semi-trucks who can't drive at 3 am). We made it to our 5:55 am flight and sat on the runway for an hour and a half before we realized that we officially missed our connecting flight in Cincinatti. So, we got off, and made our way to a flight to Atlanta. After waiting (and sleeping on the floor) for two hours, we finally got on a flight and got to Atlanta at 3 pm. Then we flew standby to Nassau and found out that all of our bags were lost and they had no idea where they were. So we went to the hotel, fell asleep for the first time in almost 2 days, and waited for everything we brought to get there. Thankfully it did the next day, but Delta will get a strong-worded letter from all of us (and the 8 other SASers on our flight who ALSO got rerouted and lost their bags!!). 

Anyway, after all of that, we finally got to relax in the lovely, warm, wonderful Bahamas. Kate and I walked around, did nothing, met some other SASers, and tried some new foods (and drinks)! Today, we got to get on the ship!!!!!!! It was amazing. The ship is beautiful and huge and so much better in person! We got our room...4054...AND found out that we don't have to have a 3rd person in our room because they cancelled, but we STILL get the $5,000 each back! We are sooo excited! Our room is on the 4th deck, so we have a huge window which has a GORGEOUS view of the Atlantis, water, and beaches! I'm getting off track.... after getting on, we had a meeting with all of the other work study students, and ate lunch with our bosses on the 5th deck overlooking the harbor. We both love our bosses! Not as good as Jen Weed or Chelsea of course (see the sucking up going on). haha. 

After settling in, it was time to get ready for the 550 parents that were coming on the ship, so we went to our assigned posts and guided the parents to the reception. We even got to show Mom, Dad, and Kathy our room which was really fun! After the reception, we unpacked and went out to dinner with our dad, Kathy, and two people they met at the airport, Anne and her daughter, Rachel, who's also going on SAS. We had a great time, and now we're going to sleep...we have to be on the ship tomorrow at 7:30 am to help with all the other students checking in (700 college students boarding in 4 hours...should be very interesting!). 

We still can't believe we're here. It was beyond surreal to step on the ship and see everything in person. We've been looking at so many pictures and videos that it seems like we're in a dream. I really don't think it'll hit us until we pull away tomorrow. We're nervous, anxious, EXCITED, and ready to get this trip started!

So that's all for now. We'll post again and send out an e-mail after we set sail and are on our way to Spain!! Miss you all already!