Officially At Sea

Where to begin, friends?

I have this compulsion when I write to include every little sensory detail. I so wish to communicate to everything that I have seen and felt and everything else I’ve taken in all the past 2 days in hopes that I can send a little capsule of my world home to you all.

But the reality is that in the beginning of transitioning into college on a boat that is sailing around the world means you only have the time, space, and mental capacity to write the simple, basic blocks that construct the day.

So here I am.

In my room and new home for the next 3.5 months.

I’m sitting here with my brand stinking new roommate Allie, who looks like a cross between my friend Annie Smith and Rachel McAdams from The Notebook. She is lovely and kind and funny and laidback and loves Jesus (I’m not kidding when I say that for I snagged the best roommate on the boat. Considering the roommate assignments were random, that would be a first).

The MV Explorer is smaller than expected, but my room is larger than expected (with a generously-sized window) so I’ll take that compromise.

It’s been over 24 hours sailing and I have officially eaten, showered, and slept on the wide-open seas with no land in sight.

Some of you might be under the impression that the boat is big enough not to feel the rocking of the 6-foot swells below us.

No-no, friends, no-no.

At lease for now, I don’t think I could ever forget that I’m living on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a CONSTANT rocking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth like the epic lines from everyone’s childhood favorite I’ll Love You Forever. It’s not barfing-up-breakfast rocking, but definitely how-am-I-ever-going-to-complete-assigned-readings-without-passing-out status. This means we can all pray for sea-legs to arrive as soon as possible. In the meantime, the boat offers unlimited, complimentary seasickness medication that can be retrieved anytime from a dispenser on deck 2.

Classes start tomorrow, and like the nerd I am at heart, I’m ecstatic about them. Delicious, intellectual mind-stimulation. What could be better?

On the course schedule is Global Studies (required for all Semester at Sea students), The World In Literature and Film (think fiction into film international-style), Geohazards and Natural Disasters (should be nice and comforting to study while at sea), Warfare in the Modern Era (from a humanistic, not tactical, perspective), and (if adding goes well) Anthropology of Reproduction (my semi-secret potential passion). I met my professors this afternoon, and there will be more on them later, I’m sure.

So that leaves me both literally and figuratively trying to find my equilibrium, but until then I’m stumbling down the hallways of the ship and taking it day by day.

Love. Anna

p.s. Unfortunately, the internet connection is VERY slow and even more EXPENSIVE. Due to this reality, I won’t be able to post pictures very often…they take way to long to upload and consequently eat away mega bytes, which we have to pay for. My sincerest apologies. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, words will have to do.