Almost home...

Well, the voyage has come full circle. We are about three days away from Florida, the sun is shining, the weather is warm, the waves have calmed, and it’s study day for the students, which means they are all out in their bikinis and shorts laying by the pool deck. This last stretch has been the longest yet. When everyone hopped back on the ship the night we left Spain, people were so excited to be going home. The energy was contagious, people who’d never spoken before on the voyage were all of a sudden walking hand in hand, hugging one another and chanting Ole, Ole Ole! Ok, maybe that was because they drank so much absinth at the bars in Cadiz. At any rate, people were happy and excited. But then we had some of the worst weather yet, and people weren’t even leaving their cabins. I didn’t have the luxury since I was up to my ears in details for the Ambassadors Ball. The night of the ball the ship was rocking and everyone had a great time. But the next day they had their final classes before exams, and not surprisingly, attendance was low. In our last Global Studies class, each professor gave a 5 minute farewell lecture. One cried, some wrote and read poetry about the voyage, and others continued the theme of their courses. After three days of intense waves, we have finally reached calmer seas. And the mood on the ship has taken a more somber tone. Everyone seems to be looking forward to getting home. And getting done with finals. It’s a strange place to be, because part of you wants to return home to all your friends, family, the comforts of home, and the other part of you knows you’ll miss the adventure of traveling the world, the feeling of being out at sea, with nothing but miles and miles of waves and blue sky. I’ll miss my sea, and the friendships I’ve made with students, staff, faculty and the crew. There are so many things that I will miss about this voyage. I’m still as grateful as ever that I had the chance to be here, and meet all these people, and see so much of the world. As I was beginning to pack yesterday I pulled out a sheet of paper that listed all the ports we would visit. And I remember that at the time, it was just an itinerary. These countries and these ports, for the most part, held no meaning for me. They were just cities on a map, that made a circle around the globe. Now, I can look back and remember the people of Vietnam, Burma, Japan, Egypt, everywhere. I have memories from each of these places - some highs, some lows, the unexpected, and the unforgettable. At least I hope I won’t forget.


I know that when I get home people will ask what country was my favorite or what I did in each of the ports. I’ve been working on a little Top Ten list of sorts and here’s how it goes.

Top Ten Best Overall Experiences
1. Japanese bath.
2. Kayaking in Lantau Island, with two friends from the ship.
3. Chatting with Deaf Children in Vietnam
4. Playing with kids at a church camp in Burma
5. Wearing the Indian Sari at a cocktail party in Chennai
6. Playing an Indian version of poker and just hanging out, laughing with George and his friends. 7. A night of Karaoke in Kyoto, Japan.
8. Card games and radio addresses on a sailboat with five students and 1 Croatian skipper.
9. Swimming in the warm clear waters of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii.
10. Meeting up with friends in Barcelona and falling in love with the beauty of Sitges.


Top Five Cuisines
1. Vietnamese Pho’
2. Turkish kebabs
3. Spicy Indian food that you eat with your hands.
4. Tapas and Pinchos in Barcelona.
5. Dim sum plates in Lantau, and the coconut curry chicken soup in Hong Kong (yum).


Worst Food
1. The fruit on the ship, way past the state of ripeness.
2. The hot dogs on the ship (ok, I didn’t even try them, they looked so bad)
3. Imitation eggs on the ship (that I ate because the fruit was bad)
4. Fish heads and fish liver in Japan.
5. Japanese food in Barcelona (can’t wait to have sushi again in California)


Worst drivers / worst traffic
1. Chennai, India (Lived in constant fear for my life, nearly had a heart attack)
2. Cairo, Egypt (Did not even cross the street for nearly half of one day)
3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Actually told people to tell my parents I loved them if I died)

Safest, most efficient, and best transportation
1. Japan
2. Turkey
3. Spain

Top three friendliest, most welcoming people
1. Japan
2. Myanmar
3. Egypt

Top three most beautiful sights
1. The mosques and Haga Sofia in Istanbul
2. The Pyramids at Sunset
3. The Dalmation coast on the Adriatic Sea in Croatia

Most beautiful cities
1. Istanbul
2. Dubrovnik
3. The Hong Kong Skyline and the shores of Repulse Bay.

Best on Ship
1. My Sea Social! (Classy or Trashy, the best sea by far)
2. Sea’lympics
3. Open Mic nights
4. Transiting the Suez Canal
5. Barbeques!
6. Swimming during global studies exams
7. Karaoke in the F&S Lounge.
8. The view from anywhere on the 7th deck.
9. Watching the sunrise as we pulled into Hawaii.
10. Never getting tired of seeing the sunset on the sea.