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.....