Day 1 Semester at Sea
Depart Norfolk, VA for Nassau, Bahamas. Matt, Peg, and Berna toured the ship with me. Couldn’t believe There are 22 work study students like me. There are three Jessicas. Crew is very nice, mostly from Philippines and Jamaica. Had a jam session with another guitarist (teacher’s son named Matt) and a pianist (videographer named Garrett). Transformed my radio into a guitar amp in my room and played for a while before going to sleep, boat rocking but I feel fine.
Day 2(Wednesday, August 28):
Lat 28º 52.44N Long 076º 16.78W
En route to Bahamas. Woke up to see interminable ocean landscape rushing by my window. My room is 3075 (3rd deck, starboard, right around the middle). Worked out a little bit after breakfast, can’t believe I’m out here. Students are all very nice, made some friends already. Work study task of the day was to make magnetic name cards for all the student’s cabins.
...
Played some songs for friends, talked to Jack (exec dean) during dinner, feels my pain for USC/SAS situation, lives in Corvallis, wants me to play music for faculty. Wrote the book on study abroad programs. Cool guy. Work study assignment is determined, I am assigned to A/V assistant (3-4 hours every day at sea). Task is to help set up projectors for powerpoint, assist with A/V for events. Supervisor is Nathan (27) former SAS student, very chill, from PA, lives in D.C.
Ship noises are consistent with constant earthquake. Rattling in the library. Sea legs are fun, running from side to side, similar to drunk legs. Miss some people, but awestruck by surroundings and situation. Arrive in Bahamas tomorrow.
Day 3 (Thursday, August 28th)
25° 4' 60N 77° 20' 60W
Thanks to my friend Krista, I now know how to say “Hello”. “How are you”, and “Good, thank you, and you?” in Estonian. Also working on my Spanish…new phrase of the day is “Por su puesto!”, which is “Of Course!”
…
We’ve been in port at Nassau for a few hours now…swam in the ocean, very blue, very salty. Bought a shot glass, honing my bargaining skills. Came back to ship at 7:45 pm to help parents aboard for the parent tour. About to go out again tonight, can’t be out too late because our day starts at 7 tomorrow morning. Nassau is super commercial…subway, burger king, starbucks, total tourist trap, but enchanting in its pastel welcome.
Comments