Hey guys...
hope you are following along with my blog on the SAS website! It's weird, every time I meet a new person on SAS, they ask "Oh, aren't you the girl from the website??"
I am at an amazing hotel in Copenhagen for 3 nights- we are docked so far away that it was actually cheaper to stay here than to travel back and forth from the ship each day. There is free internet, hence my being able to be online now!!
Copenhagen is beautiful and I'm going to Sweden tomorrow morning for a few hours. Miss you all lots, hope you are doing well.
Love you!!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
featured on SAS
Hey everyone-
Great news!!! Semester at Sea has decided to feature me on their official website!! Since my writing gets posted there anyways it’s kind of silly for me to waste my very limited internet minutes posting here too.
In the interest of full disclosure, I email my writing to the director of communications who then posts it to the website so there will probably be a few days lapse between when I write and when it gets put up. Also, she edits what I say to take out things that are irrelevant or inappropriate and sometimes re-writes what I say which is a little weird but oh well. There are 583 kids on this trip and about half have parents who are reading what I write, so I write keeping in mind that they are my audience along with prospective SAS college students.
Of the 65,000 students who have done SAS, I am the first they have ever featured. Kind of crazy….
Anyways, here’s the link where you can find my writing from now on. I may very occasionally still post here on lisastout.blogspot.com if I have something to say that I don’t really want broadcast.
http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/current-voyage/summer-2008-photos-and-blogs.php
and then click on me!!
I have to go to bed now, Russia tomorrow!!
Love you all!!
Great news!!! Semester at Sea has decided to feature me on their official website!! Since my writing gets posted there anyways it’s kind of silly for me to waste my very limited internet minutes posting here too.
In the interest of full disclosure, I email my writing to the director of communications who then posts it to the website so there will probably be a few days lapse between when I write and when it gets put up. Also, she edits what I say to take out things that are irrelevant or inappropriate and sometimes re-writes what I say which is a little weird but oh well. There are 583 kids on this trip and about half have parents who are reading what I write, so I write keeping in mind that they are my audience along with prospective SAS college students.
Of the 65,000 students who have done SAS, I am the first they have ever featured. Kind of crazy….
Anyways, here’s the link where you can find my writing from now on. I may very occasionally still post here on lisastout.blogspot.com if I have something to say that I don’t really want broadcast.
http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/current-voyage/summer-2008-photos-and-blogs.php
and then click on me!!
I have to go to bed now, Russia tomorrow!!
Love you all!!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Ship Life
Sorry I haven’t been writing a whole lot, I’ve been really busy. Moreover, I just don’t often feel compelled to sit at a computer and write when I could be around meeting new people. I am trying to use internet/cell phone as little as possible which wasn’t hard at all…for me. To be honest, I am really beginning to appreciate not being a slave to my cell phone and e-mail. Some people are going through technology withdrawal though.
So, where do I start?? I guess with the thing that surprised me the most:
The ship rocks. A lot.
I thought you could maybe notice the movement a few times a day. Wrong!! It is something you are constantly aware of from the minute you wake up until you go to bed.
The front of the ship rocks worse than the back, because it is the first part to hit the waves. My first class is at 8am and it is in a classroom in the VERY front of the ship. To make matters worse, the chairs all face backwards in that classroom so the motion is quite nauseating. One day about half of the class left because they were all seasick. I told the professor that the chair setup was making matters worse so we have since moved the chairs in a circle which makes it more tolerable.
I am soooo happy I don’t get seasick. There have certainly been a lot of times where the motion of the boat is overwhelming. I was checking my email yesterday and the boat hit a big wave so hard that I fell out of my chair. It is really funny to watch people walk around between classes, they are all bumping into each other and everyone swerves from one side to the other as the ship rocks.
My first class is called Business and Politics of the European union. The professor is from the school of commerce at University of Virginia . Sitting in that class can kind of be like the rides Universal Studios where you sit in a room and the chairs move around to simulate flying or something- like back to the future. When the rocking gets really bad in class I just pretend I’m on a rollercoaster and feel better. I can imagine how people get sick thinking that it’s hard to read or concentrate from the motion but it’s really a mind over matter thing… and if it ever becomes unbearable you just move to the aft (back) part of the ship and try to go as low as possible, to deck 2 or 3, where the ship rocks less. Also, it often helps to go outside where you can see the water.
I’ll try and explain the ship a little… Nobody knows what happens on Deck 1. Deck 2 is about 2/3 crew and storage, and 1/3 student cabins (that is what we call our bedrooms). Deck 3 is ALL student cabins. Deck 4 is probably 3/4 student cabins and maybe 1/4 bedrooms for other participants, such as interport learners (i.e. there may be a student from Russia who participates but only goes from Norway to Russia ). Deck 5 is the junior suites (the bigger student cabins… which are seriously only a few feet longer than the double rooms but cost way more- in my opinion, not worth it since nobody is really in their cabins except to sleep).
Also on deck 5 is the lifelong learners (ranging from mid 50’s to mid 80’s… we have an 83 year old participant on board!). The lifelong learning program is for older people who want to take classes for fun. They do everything the students do… eat in the same places, go on the same field trips, even participate in the talent show we had the other night!!
Deck 5 also has the main administration office, the student life office, where you go if you have issues with roommates or want to check out a basketball or sign up for field trips, and the larger of the 2 dining halls. Deck 6 is more or less the entire campus- all 8 classrooms, the student union, a smaller dining hall, the computer lab, library, and piano bar/lounge. It has bottles of water and snacks for purchase for like $1.50 or $2. A lot of kids sit there and study but I prefer to be outside.
Deck 7 on the front part is the faculty lounge which students are not allowed in. The back of deck 7 has the wellness center which includes the gym, spa, and hair salon. The gym has a few cardio machines. You can sign up for 30-minute blocks on them starting the night before. On the outside, starboard side, of deck 7 there is a basketball court which is almost regular length but only half the width. Then behind that is the weight room which is outside but kind of walled-in so you don’t notice the wind too much. On the very back of deck 7 is the pool, which is really small, and a ton of lounge chairs where you can lay in the sun (or the bitter cold/wind, as has been the case thus far) and study. Recently, I have been doing this in my sleeping bag and 2 pairs of sweatpants and sweatshirts. I love being outside by the water but it has been maybe 50 degrees on a good day!!! It might not have been that cold, but the wind makes it feel that way. I am SO GLAD I BROUGHT MY SLEEPING BAG. Everyone else is jealous of it!! It was totally worth the 3 pounds it took up in my luggage, and it was only $20. Probably the best $20 I’ve ever spent.
Anyways, back to the ship. It’s small, but I’ve never been on a cruise before so I don’t really feel like I’m cramped onto a tiny ship. We have been at sea for over a week now so people are starting to get antsy but I’m sure once we get on land (!) in Norway everyone will be back to normal.
Moving on, here’s a typical day of ship-life:
7 a.m. (which, after our 5 on-ship time changes thus far, and the 1-hour time difference in Halifax, is really 1 a.m. on the schedule I am used to. We are all a little jet-lagged. Or is it ship-lagged??) Wake up, get dressed, find all of my books for class…. Easier said than done since I usually do this with the lights out because I don’t want to wake up my roommate.
7:30 a.m.- get breakfast with Jason and have my first coffee of the day. If you go on Semester at Sea, you will probably end up drinking coffee by the end even if you don’t to begin with. It’s necessary to offset time changes.
In my opinion, breakfast is the best food on the ship. Other meals can be good…especially the soup which is always reliable… but breakfast hasn’t been bad yet. Food on the ship is okay, you just have to adjust to repetition. I have never seen so many creative things made out of potatoes. The dining crew is so awesome and even gave me coffee one day at 8:45 despite breakfast being over at 8:30… I woke up late [it was the day we didn’t have class] and probably looked like a zombie. Either way, I got coffee so all was well in the world. I bought a travel coffee thinger at the campus store on the ship, it is invaluable to have around. Okay, this is quickly getting off-topic. Back to my schedule.
7:55 a.m.- walk to first class, Business and Politics of the EU. I kind of explained this already. Class is getting interesting now that we are done with the introductory material, and I am taking a field trip with this class in Belgium to go see the EU! It is optional but I think it would be worth it.
9:20 a.m.- Global studies in the Student Union. I try and try and try to stay awake in this class but regardless of my caffeine intake, it’s a challenge. The material is interesting but the rocking motion of the boat makes it very hard to stay awake. On the flipside, the motion makes it really easy to sleep at night. A few of my friends have been having trouble sleeping but I am out like a light the second I hit the pillow.
(On a sidenote: today between my first and second classes I looked outside and I SAW LAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 DAYS!!!! They were the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland . Wohooo!! We made it across the Atlantic!! I ran into the piano lounge yelling “You can see land!!!” and everyone there got up to look… I then realized there is a classroom right across from it whose door was open so the entire class totally saw me run into the lounge yelling that… but oh well, I was excited. I took like 40 pictures but you can’t see the land in them L .)
After global studies, there is some down time from about 10:45 until 11:30. Usually I do some reading or hang out with people outside, or go up to the basketball court because nobody is up there early in the day. Yesterday at that time, I went on a bridge tour. The bridge is the part where the captain sits. There are 4 assistant captains that take turns. They are really funny and all from all over the world. I asked them if they ever get bored up there and he said yes, and then I asked what they do for fun and he showed us a little microphone setup where they sing karaoke!! Whether or not he was being serious, I don’t really know. I have a picture of myself in the captain’s chair. I will send it as soon as I get a chance to upload it.
At 11:30, we all get lunch. Breakfast is 7-8:30, lunch is 11:30-1:30, and dinner is 5:30- 7:30 (I think). We don’t eat for 2 hours straight, but we sit there for the duration usually and talk since there really isn’t much else to do. It is remarkable how well I know all my friends already- I feel like I’ve known them for at least 2 months, because without the usual technology you are forced to talk face to face frequently but I love that.
From 1:30- 2:20 I go outside and read or socialize casually with my group of friends. At 2:20 I have my class Russia and the problem of Economic Development. The teacher is a professor at a business school in Australia and is one of the most captivating speakers I’ve ever heard. It is a really interesting class although the material is a little dense sometimes.
At 3:30 we all go back outside and enjoy the sun or lack thereof. I found that I have a new talent of seeing whales/dolphins. There are so many of them! You can recognize them by looking for a spray of water when they come to the surface. I got a picture of a dolphin although you can only see a little bit of it’s back. In the afternoon, I usually go to the gym at some point provided I make it to the sign up sheet the night before. The rest of the afternoon, we just sit around on deck 7 for hours and do homework, talk and look at the water and birds… yes, there are birds in the middle of the ocean which is very weird because nobody knows how they survive without land but they do.
I bought speakers for my iPod at the campus store and they work pretty well. The campus store is small but has everything you would need within reason. It has been cold out so we all go outside in 2 pairs of pants and a few shirts but it is still really nice to be in the breeze. The back of the ship (there are small outer areas where you can sit on the back of each of decks 4, 5 and 6, and a huge outside area on deck 7) isn’t as cold as the front since most of the wind is blocked. We went up to deck 8 the other day which is the observatory deck… it was SO WINDY Jason’s hat blew right off and went into the water.
At 5:30 or 6 we get dinner. Then at 7, Alison, Caitlin, Chelsey and I and sometimes Jason go play basketball. Sometimes we play seriously, other times we just shoot the ball around. Maybe half the time there are other kids on the court who play with us or play their own half court game. I think I am going to sign up for the intramural basketball tournament. Anyways, we play until about 8 and then I shower (theres a better chance of getting hot water at night- it’s not impossible in the morning, but there are so many kids showering then it takes longer to heat up). The showers are not as bad as I thought they would be.
AFTer hours (haha… get it? Aft?? Gotta love ship terminology puns) is from 9-11. Some people get dressed up to go out there but usually most kids are in sweatpants or pajamas… it has been so cold out that we haven’t had much of a choice. Either way it’s a great way to meet people.
Five of the eight nights we’ve been on so far, we have had to turn the clocks ahead one hour so everyone is kind of messed up schedule-wise, especially people from the west coast who are now 9 hours ahead of their regular time.
Ship life overall is fun… we had a talent show the other night where some people sang, some danced, some played the piano, one kid did a comedy act, and a few teachers and lifelong learners read some read poetry. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours.
Well, there was just a mad influx of students into the computer lab so I’m gonna head out so someone else can use this computer. I will certainly write after Norway!!
So, where do I start?? I guess with the thing that surprised me the most:
The ship rocks. A lot.
I thought you could maybe notice the movement a few times a day. Wrong!! It is something you are constantly aware of from the minute you wake up until you go to bed.
The front of the ship rocks worse than the back, because it is the first part to hit the waves. My first class is at 8am and it is in a classroom in the VERY front of the ship. To make matters worse, the chairs all face backwards in that classroom so the motion is quite nauseating. One day about half of the class left because they were all seasick. I told the professor that the chair setup was making matters worse so we have since moved the chairs in a circle which makes it more tolerable.
I am soooo happy I don’t get seasick. There have certainly been a lot of times where the motion of the boat is overwhelming. I was checking my email yesterday and the boat hit a big wave so hard that I fell out of my chair. It is really funny to watch people walk around between classes, they are all bumping into each other and everyone swerves from one side to the other as the ship rocks.
My first class is called Business and Politics of the European union. The professor is from the school of commerce at University of Virginia . Sitting in that class can kind of be like the rides Universal Studios where you sit in a room and the chairs move around to simulate flying or something- like back to the future. When the rocking gets really bad in class I just pretend I’m on a rollercoaster and feel better. I can imagine how people get sick thinking that it’s hard to read or concentrate from the motion but it’s really a mind over matter thing… and if it ever becomes unbearable you just move to the aft (back) part of the ship and try to go as low as possible, to deck 2 or 3, where the ship rocks less. Also, it often helps to go outside where you can see the water.
I’ll try and explain the ship a little… Nobody knows what happens on Deck 1. Deck 2 is about 2/3 crew and storage, and 1/3 student cabins (that is what we call our bedrooms). Deck 3 is ALL student cabins. Deck 4 is probably 3/4 student cabins and maybe 1/4 bedrooms for other participants, such as interport learners (i.e. there may be a student from Russia who participates but only goes from Norway to Russia ). Deck 5 is the junior suites (the bigger student cabins… which are seriously only a few feet longer than the double rooms but cost way more- in my opinion, not worth it since nobody is really in their cabins except to sleep).
Also on deck 5 is the lifelong learners (ranging from mid 50’s to mid 80’s… we have an 83 year old participant on board!). The lifelong learning program is for older people who want to take classes for fun. They do everything the students do… eat in the same places, go on the same field trips, even participate in the talent show we had the other night!!
Deck 5 also has the main administration office, the student life office, where you go if you have issues with roommates or want to check out a basketball or sign up for field trips, and the larger of the 2 dining halls. Deck 6 is more or less the entire campus- all 8 classrooms, the student union, a smaller dining hall, the computer lab, library, and piano bar/lounge. It has bottles of water and snacks for purchase for like $1.50 or $2. A lot of kids sit there and study but I prefer to be outside.
Deck 7 on the front part is the faculty lounge which students are not allowed in. The back of deck 7 has the wellness center which includes the gym, spa, and hair salon. The gym has a few cardio machines. You can sign up for 30-minute blocks on them starting the night before. On the outside, starboard side, of deck 7 there is a basketball court which is almost regular length but only half the width. Then behind that is the weight room which is outside but kind of walled-in so you don’t notice the wind too much. On the very back of deck 7 is the pool, which is really small, and a ton of lounge chairs where you can lay in the sun (or the bitter cold/wind, as has been the case thus far) and study. Recently, I have been doing this in my sleeping bag and 2 pairs of sweatpants and sweatshirts. I love being outside by the water but it has been maybe 50 degrees on a good day!!! It might not have been that cold, but the wind makes it feel that way. I am SO GLAD I BROUGHT MY SLEEPING BAG. Everyone else is jealous of it!! It was totally worth the 3 pounds it took up in my luggage, and it was only $20. Probably the best $20 I’ve ever spent.
Anyways, back to the ship. It’s small, but I’ve never been on a cruise before so I don’t really feel like I’m cramped onto a tiny ship. We have been at sea for over a week now so people are starting to get antsy but I’m sure once we get on land (!) in Norway everyone will be back to normal.
Moving on, here’s a typical day of ship-life:
7 a.m. (which, after our 5 on-ship time changes thus far, and the 1-hour time difference in Halifax, is really 1 a.m. on the schedule I am used to. We are all a little jet-lagged. Or is it ship-lagged??) Wake up, get dressed, find all of my books for class…. Easier said than done since I usually do this with the lights out because I don’t want to wake up my roommate.
7:30 a.m.- get breakfast with Jason and have my first coffee of the day. If you go on Semester at Sea, you will probably end up drinking coffee by the end even if you don’t to begin with. It’s necessary to offset time changes.
In my opinion, breakfast is the best food on the ship. Other meals can be good…especially the soup which is always reliable… but breakfast hasn’t been bad yet. Food on the ship is okay, you just have to adjust to repetition. I have never seen so many creative things made out of potatoes. The dining crew is so awesome and even gave me coffee one day at 8:45 despite breakfast being over at 8:30… I woke up late [it was the day we didn’t have class] and probably looked like a zombie. Either way, I got coffee so all was well in the world. I bought a travel coffee thinger at the campus store on the ship, it is invaluable to have around. Okay, this is quickly getting off-topic. Back to my schedule.
7:55 a.m.- walk to first class, Business and Politics of the EU. I kind of explained this already. Class is getting interesting now that we are done with the introductory material, and I am taking a field trip with this class in Belgium to go see the EU! It is optional but I think it would be worth it.
9:20 a.m.- Global studies in the Student Union. I try and try and try to stay awake in this class but regardless of my caffeine intake, it’s a challenge. The material is interesting but the rocking motion of the boat makes it very hard to stay awake. On the flipside, the motion makes it really easy to sleep at night. A few of my friends have been having trouble sleeping but I am out like a light the second I hit the pillow.
(On a sidenote: today between my first and second classes I looked outside and I SAW LAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 DAYS!!!! They were the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland . Wohooo!! We made it across the Atlantic!! I ran into the piano lounge yelling “You can see land!!!” and everyone there got up to look… I then realized there is a classroom right across from it whose door was open so the entire class totally saw me run into the lounge yelling that… but oh well, I was excited. I took like 40 pictures but you can’t see the land in them L .)
After global studies, there is some down time from about 10:45 until 11:30. Usually I do some reading or hang out with people outside, or go up to the basketball court because nobody is up there early in the day. Yesterday at that time, I went on a bridge tour. The bridge is the part where the captain sits. There are 4 assistant captains that take turns. They are really funny and all from all over the world. I asked them if they ever get bored up there and he said yes, and then I asked what they do for fun and he showed us a little microphone setup where they sing karaoke!! Whether or not he was being serious, I don’t really know. I have a picture of myself in the captain’s chair. I will send it as soon as I get a chance to upload it.
At 11:30, we all get lunch. Breakfast is 7-8:30, lunch is 11:30-1:30, and dinner is 5:30- 7:30 (I think). We don’t eat for 2 hours straight, but we sit there for the duration usually and talk since there really isn’t much else to do. It is remarkable how well I know all my friends already- I feel like I’ve known them for at least 2 months, because without the usual technology you are forced to talk face to face frequently but I love that.
From 1:30- 2:20 I go outside and read or socialize casually with my group of friends. At 2:20 I have my class Russia and the problem of Economic Development. The teacher is a professor at a business school in Australia and is one of the most captivating speakers I’ve ever heard. It is a really interesting class although the material is a little dense sometimes.
At 3:30 we all go back outside and enjoy the sun or lack thereof. I found that I have a new talent of seeing whales/dolphins. There are so many of them! You can recognize them by looking for a spray of water when they come to the surface. I got a picture of a dolphin although you can only see a little bit of it’s back. In the afternoon, I usually go to the gym at some point provided I make it to the sign up sheet the night before. The rest of the afternoon, we just sit around on deck 7 for hours and do homework, talk and look at the water and birds… yes, there are birds in the middle of the ocean which is very weird because nobody knows how they survive without land but they do.
I bought speakers for my iPod at the campus store and they work pretty well. The campus store is small but has everything you would need within reason. It has been cold out so we all go outside in 2 pairs of pants and a few shirts but it is still really nice to be in the breeze. The back of the ship (there are small outer areas where you can sit on the back of each of decks 4, 5 and 6, and a huge outside area on deck 7) isn’t as cold as the front since most of the wind is blocked. We went up to deck 8 the other day which is the observatory deck… it was SO WINDY Jason’s hat blew right off and went into the water.
At 5:30 or 6 we get dinner. Then at 7, Alison, Caitlin, Chelsey and I and sometimes Jason go play basketball. Sometimes we play seriously, other times we just shoot the ball around. Maybe half the time there are other kids on the court who play with us or play their own half court game. I think I am going to sign up for the intramural basketball tournament. Anyways, we play until about 8 and then I shower (theres a better chance of getting hot water at night- it’s not impossible in the morning, but there are so many kids showering then it takes longer to heat up). The showers are not as bad as I thought they would be.
AFTer hours (haha… get it? Aft?? Gotta love ship terminology puns) is from 9-11. Some people get dressed up to go out there but usually most kids are in sweatpants or pajamas… it has been so cold out that we haven’t had much of a choice. Either way it’s a great way to meet people.
Five of the eight nights we’ve been on so far, we have had to turn the clocks ahead one hour so everyone is kind of messed up schedule-wise, especially people from the west coast who are now 9 hours ahead of their regular time.
Ship life overall is fun… we had a talent show the other night where some people sang, some danced, some played the piano, one kid did a comedy act, and a few teachers and lifelong learners read some read poetry. It was a good way to spend a couple of hours.
Well, there was just a mad influx of students into the computer lab so I’m gonna head out so someone else can use this computer. I will certainly write after Norway!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Middle of the Atlantic
It is Friday, June 20th and I am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
I don’t even know where to start. Just one week ago I was still in Rochester, getting ready to leave for the airport. So much has happened in the past week, it’s incredible to think I haven’t been gone for much longer than I actually have.
I apologize to everyone for not writing sooner. Needless to say, I’ve been really busy meeting new people, adjusting to ship life, and starting classes. I’ve sat down a few times to try and write but I have so much to say I didn’t know where to start.
To backtrack, I spent both Friday and Saturday nights in Halifax with a really nice group of 20 or so kids, also doing Semester at Sea.
Halifax was a neat little town. It is very maritime and is both geographically and culturally centered around the water. All the locals there were very nice. It was surprisingly very warm on Saturday afternoon but because of it’s proximity to water, the weather changes quickly there. If you ever go, take a jacket- I was glad I did!
Probably about half of the people doing SAS stayed at the Westin in Halifax, since Semester at Sea’s partner travel agency was able to reserve a lot of rooms at a lower rate than usual.
On Sunday, a lot of SASers were lounging around the Westin lobby with their luggage waiting for their turn to board. It is done alphabetically by last name and since I’m an S I wasn’t due to board the ship until 11:00, although the process started at 8 a.m. Since the Westin was literally right next to the dock, I just walked over with my bags- which is easier said than done, keeping in mind that my bags weighed more than I do.
I was really surprised at how easy check-in was. First, you get a pre-printed nametag which also says your cabin number. Then you walk down the line to the next station where you are crossed off of a list. Lastly, you get a ticket with your room number on it for every bag you want to have delivered to your room instead of having to carry them.
Then we went inside the dock building (please excuse my lack of proper ship-related vocabulary, I’m still learning) where we went through security.
First, you give your passport to people who check it off of a list- I haven’t seen mine since. I’m glad SAS is holding my passport for me. I would lose my feet if they weren’t attached. Next, you put your “checked” bags on an x-ray belt just like at the airport, and then they are taken directly to your room. Meanwhile, you then go to the next security checkpoint where your “carry on” bags go through a different x-ray belt while you walk through a metal detector.
Then you finally board the ship!! You walk up about 30 stairs and then go though the gangway security entrance which is where you enter the ship when it is in port. Then you are directed to the student union, where there are 5 or 6 different tables, each for a different check-in procedure. One table involves your class selection where you receive your class schedule, another for your bill where you can double-check that you have not been incorrectly charged for anything, and another for the Field Program where you have one last chance to sign up for any pre-sale trips that aren’t sold out. I chose to do an overnight trip for Turkey that goes to see Troy that I had read about and decided I wanted to do after the deadline for our field program selections had passed. At another table you are given your ID card which also doubles as your room key. Then, at the last table, the SAS staff makes sure they have your medical form on file.
This whole process takes less than 5 minutes. Then you can go to your cabin, where your checked bags are already waiting for you!!
I got to my cabin and was actually pleasantly surprised. I don’t know the exact dimensions, but despite the rooms being small, there is a ton of storage space especially if you don’t mind getting creative with it. All of the rooms come with a small TV and remote, a small fridge, and a hairdryer in the bathroom. The closet had about 20 hangers to split among 2 people but if you put a few items on each hanger you can definitely fit everything. There is also another cabinet next to the closet with a small electronic safe in it to keep your wallet and cell phone in. The beds are small but surprisingly comfortable. Also, there is a built-in desk, along with a small glass table. Well, I have to get to my class soon, Russia and the problem of Economic Development, but I’ll try and write more soon!! Again, sorry to keep everyone waiting!
I don’t even know where to start. Just one week ago I was still in Rochester, getting ready to leave for the airport. So much has happened in the past week, it’s incredible to think I haven’t been gone for much longer than I actually have.
I apologize to everyone for not writing sooner. Needless to say, I’ve been really busy meeting new people, adjusting to ship life, and starting classes. I’ve sat down a few times to try and write but I have so much to say I didn’t know where to start.
To backtrack, I spent both Friday and Saturday nights in Halifax with a really nice group of 20 or so kids, also doing Semester at Sea.
Halifax was a neat little town. It is very maritime and is both geographically and culturally centered around the water. All the locals there were very nice. It was surprisingly very warm on Saturday afternoon but because of it’s proximity to water, the weather changes quickly there. If you ever go, take a jacket- I was glad I did!
Probably about half of the people doing SAS stayed at the Westin in Halifax, since Semester at Sea’s partner travel agency was able to reserve a lot of rooms at a lower rate than usual.
On Sunday, a lot of SASers were lounging around the Westin lobby with their luggage waiting for their turn to board. It is done alphabetically by last name and since I’m an S I wasn’t due to board the ship until 11:00, although the process started at 8 a.m. Since the Westin was literally right next to the dock, I just walked over with my bags- which is easier said than done, keeping in mind that my bags weighed more than I do.
I was really surprised at how easy check-in was. First, you get a pre-printed nametag which also says your cabin number. Then you walk down the line to the next station where you are crossed off of a list. Lastly, you get a ticket with your room number on it for every bag you want to have delivered to your room instead of having to carry them.
Then we went inside the dock building (please excuse my lack of proper ship-related vocabulary, I’m still learning) where we went through security.
First, you give your passport to people who check it off of a list- I haven’t seen mine since. I’m glad SAS is holding my passport for me. I would lose my feet if they weren’t attached. Next, you put your “checked” bags on an x-ray belt just like at the airport, and then they are taken directly to your room. Meanwhile, you then go to the next security checkpoint where your “carry on” bags go through a different x-ray belt while you walk through a metal detector.
Then you finally board the ship!! You walk up about 30 stairs and then go though the gangway security entrance which is where you enter the ship when it is in port. Then you are directed to the student union, where there are 5 or 6 different tables, each for a different check-in procedure. One table involves your class selection where you receive your class schedule, another for your bill where you can double-check that you have not been incorrectly charged for anything, and another for the Field Program where you have one last chance to sign up for any pre-sale trips that aren’t sold out. I chose to do an overnight trip for Turkey that goes to see Troy that I had read about and decided I wanted to do after the deadline for our field program selections had passed. At another table you are given your ID card which also doubles as your room key. Then, at the last table, the SAS staff makes sure they have your medical form on file.
This whole process takes less than 5 minutes. Then you can go to your cabin, where your checked bags are already waiting for you!!
I got to my cabin and was actually pleasantly surprised. I don’t know the exact dimensions, but despite the rooms being small, there is a ton of storage space especially if you don’t mind getting creative with it. All of the rooms come with a small TV and remote, a small fridge, and a hairdryer in the bathroom. The closet had about 20 hangers to split among 2 people but if you put a few items on each hanger you can definitely fit everything. There is also another cabinet next to the closet with a small electronic safe in it to keep your wallet and cell phone in. The beds are small but surprisingly comfortable. Also, there is a built-in desk, along with a small glass table. Well, I have to get to my class soon, Russia and the problem of Economic Development, but I’ll try and write more soon!! Again, sorry to keep everyone waiting!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Loonies and Toonies
Part 1- Friday, June 13th
5:00 p.m.
I just took of from
It turns out the travel gods are indeed not in my favor. I should have worn my lucky airplane socks!
As I boarded the flight inWe took off from
My connection didn’t leave until 11:40 so I thought I would be able to make the flight without a problem. However, it seemed that it was employee training day at Continental in
I was absolutely thrilled.
So, I went to the continental customer service desk, and waited in line for about 20 minutes. I was fuming, but managed to sweet-talk her into getting me to
Anyways, I ran up to the
Anyways, I got to the
Apparently, when you connect flights in a different country, you have to claim your bags and then re-check them, they do not automatically go onto your next flight.
So, off to the baggage claim I went. At this point, pretty much all the bags from my flight had been claimed, and I did not see mine. I checked at the Continental service desk and the guy told me that the computer said my bags had gone directly to
Anyways- once I established that my checked bags were indeed not in
I FINALLY got on a plane going to
But, I don’t even care. The point is that I’m getting to
The announcements on the plane were all in French. I’m sure it’s the same old stuff they say on
The airplane itself is pretty snazzy- there is a little TV thing on the back of every seat along with an outlet to plug in laptops- yay!!
About to land in
Part 2- Sunday, July 15th, 10:00 a.m.
It’s Sunday morning. I am supposed to board the ship in 45 minutes, but they just announced that there is no line to board right now so I might go sooner. Just wanted to say that my luggage was in
The $1 and $2 denominations of the Canadian dollar are called Loonies and Toonies and every time I hear it I start cracking up.
Well, I can’t write much more since I have to get on the boat soon. I’ll probably post in a week or so- I have nine days across the Atlantic before we get to
-Lisa
Friday, June 13, 2008
day of departure
It is 8:47 a.m. on Friday, June 13th. I'm sitting at gate B2 of the Rochester Airport. So far, today has gone smoothly.
Continental allows each passenger to check one bag up to 50 lbs for free. Checking a second bag costs $25. Since I am going away for a long time, I needed to check two bags, but keeping them each under 50 lbs was quite the challenge. I have spent the past week folding, organizing, sorting, and space-bagging my clothes (you vaccuum out all of the air from a plastic bag filled with clothes to shrink the size). After weighing each item on a bathroom scale before packing it, I was able to take exactly what I thought I needed, no more, no less.
I checked my bags, and each weighed exactly 49.5 pounds. When this showed up on the airport scale, I jumped up and down and said "wahoo!" and the Continental attendant at the check-in counter probably thinks I'm retarded. What can I say, I was very excited that my packing strategy worked! I made it through the security checkpoint without any problems- so far, so good.
Earlier, three security guards approached me to comment on my laptop- they were amazed that laptops are made this small.
There is a lady in the row of chairs behind me who has made 4 or 5 calls from her cell phone, and had the exact same conversation each time. She told every single person "I got a bagel at McDonalds, but I cannot for the life of me get the butter out of the little container because I can't fit the knife in it!"
I don't know what it is about airports that makes people use their cell phones so much. Maybe it's because there's nothing else to do while they wait, or maybe it's because they have to go a whole 2 hours on the plane without using it. Either way, I might just go over to her and butter her freakin' bagel for her.
It's now 9:10. The flight leaves at 9:40, so we should start boarding at 9:20.
The only problem is that the plane isn't here yet.
My connecting flight at Newark leaves at 11:40, so hopefully I should still have time to make the flight even if there's a minor delay. I realized I forgot to wear my lucky airplane socks. Every time I've worn them, my flights have all left on time, and vice versa.
Oh well. Let's hope that the airline industry is having a good day regardless of my socks.
I'll post again sometime tomorrow.
Continental allows each passenger to check one bag up to 50 lbs for free. Checking a second bag costs $25. Since I am going away for a long time, I needed to check two bags, but keeping them each under 50 lbs was quite the challenge. I have spent the past week folding, organizing, sorting, and space-bagging my clothes (you vaccuum out all of the air from a plastic bag filled with clothes to shrink the size). After weighing each item on a bathroom scale before packing it, I was able to take exactly what I thought I needed, no more, no less.
I checked my bags, and each weighed exactly 49.5 pounds. When this showed up on the airport scale, I jumped up and down and said "wahoo!" and the Continental attendant at the check-in counter probably thinks I'm retarded. What can I say, I was very excited that my packing strategy worked! I made it through the security checkpoint without any problems- so far, so good.
Earlier, three security guards approached me to comment on my laptop- they were amazed that laptops are made this small.
There is a lady in the row of chairs behind me who has made 4 or 5 calls from her cell phone, and had the exact same conversation each time. She told every single person "I got a bagel at McDonalds, but I cannot for the life of me get the butter out of the little container because I can't fit the knife in it!"
I don't know what it is about airports that makes people use their cell phones so much. Maybe it's because there's nothing else to do while they wait, or maybe it's because they have to go a whole 2 hours on the plane without using it. Either way, I might just go over to her and butter her freakin' bagel for her.
It's now 9:10. The flight leaves at 9:40, so we should start boarding at 9:20.
The only problem is that the plane isn't here yet.
My connecting flight at Newark leaves at 11:40, so hopefully I should still have time to make the flight even if there's a minor delay. I realized I forgot to wear my lucky airplane socks. Every time I've worn them, my flights have all left on time, and vice versa.
Oh well. Let's hope that the airline industry is having a good day regardless of my socks.
I'll post again sometime tomorrow.
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