We are finally off! We left Nassau a little over a day
behind schedule because we were waiting on 13 people to get visas from the Brazilian consulate in Miami. Because we are sailing down the Amazon and that is technically Brazilian territory, anyone without a Brazilian visa would be unable to even be onboard the ship as it makes its way into port, unless they have a Brazilian visa. And, in turn, if someone were unable to be onboard while we sailed down the Amazon, they would miss too much class to complete the semester successfully.13 people were not issued a Brazilian visas mostly because the private visa agent most of the SAS (Semester at Sea) community used became overwhelmed and miscalculated the time needed for each consulate to process each individual passport. There simply was not enough time to issue visas for each country to everyone. In my case, I was not issued an Indian visa but luckily that is something that can be dealt with later. Fortunately, the Institute for Shipboard Education office back at the University of Virginia worked some magic and all 13 people got their visas and were able to sail with us!
We are expected to have “good weather” all the way to Dominica (pronounced do-min-ee-ca) and, while that has held true till this point, the steady rocking is quite an adjustment. My workout this morning was…an experience. I found a new art form in running on the treadmill as the boat rocks from one side to the other. I guess that’s something I’ll have to master before the end of the trip. My stomach has been cooperative (knock on wood!) though I am exhausted! Apparently, you burn a significant amount more calories in an average day on the boat because your body is constantly compensating for the rocking and working to stabilize itself as you do the things you normally do on land.
These first couple days have been quite, I guess, socially uncomfortable, would be the best way to put it. Prior to arriving on the boat, I simply imagined each port and never seriously took a moment to envision the ship and what life on the ship might look like. Well, I will tell you. There are over 600 students on the boat. We are all typical college-aged students who have been transplanted from our daily, routine lives onto this boat without Internet and cellphones. We are being forced to have conversations with people without stalking them on Facebook before. We are being forced to sit through dinners and conversation without being able to glance at our cellphones. The small talk is exhausting. "What is your name again?" "Where do you go to school?" It feels like freshman year all over. But, it has to be done. Not to mention, all of mingling has to happen while battling the drowsiness and nausea of sea sickness. The one thing that we all have in common is an excitement for experiencing the world. That has to make this ships one of the coolest places on earth.
At the same time, I am still not sure if all of this has hit me yet. I feel like I am on an extended cruise. The fact that it will last longer than 6 or 7 days seems preposterous. I mean, how crazy is it that one day I will wake up and see India or Ghana or South Africa from our deck? It seems too fantastically incredible to be true.
We are expected to have “good weather” all the way to Dominica (pronounced do-min-ee-ca) and, while that has held true till this point, the steady rocking is quite an adjustment. My workout this morning was…an experience. I found a new art form in running on the treadmill as the boat rocks from one side to the other. I guess that’s something I’ll have to master before the end of the trip. My stomach has been cooperative (knock on wood!) though I am exhausted! Apparently, you burn a significant amount more calories in an average day on the boat because your body is constantly compensating for the rocking and working to stabilize itself as you do the things you normally do on land.
These first couple days have been quite, I guess, socially uncomfortable, would be the best way to put it. Prior to arriving on the boat, I simply imagined each port and never seriously took a moment to envision the ship and what life on the ship might look like. Well, I will tell you. There are over 600 students on the boat. We are all typical college-aged students who have been transplanted from our daily, routine lives onto this boat without Internet and cellphones. We are being forced to have conversations with people without stalking them on Facebook before. We are being forced to sit through dinners and conversation without being able to glance at our cellphones. The small talk is exhausting. "What is your name again?" "Where do you go to school?" It feels like freshman year all over. But, it has to be done. Not to mention, all of mingling has to happen while battling the drowsiness and nausea of sea sickness. The one thing that we all have in common is an excitement for experiencing the world. That has to make this ships one of the coolest places on earth.
At the same time, I am still not sure if all of this has hit me yet. I feel like I am on an extended cruise. The fact that it will last longer than 6 or 7 days seems preposterous. I mean, how crazy is it that one day I will wake up and see India or Ghana or South Africa from our deck? It seems too fantastically incredible to be true.
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| First day on the boat! |
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