25 days and counting...

It's Christmas Day, December 25, and coincidentally enough it is also 25 days until I board the MV Explorer to embark upon a once-in-a-lifetime trip known as Semester at Sea!

Welcome to my journal. I will be using it while I am at sea from January 19th until April 28th of 2006. Enjoy, check back often, and leave comments and/or email me. :)

The MV Explorer is a 24,300-ton ship with a length of 525 feet, beam of 84 feet and draft of 24 feet. It was built in 2002 by German shipbuilders Blohm & Voss, and is the fastest passenger ship in the world with a cruising speed of 28 knots. In terms of facilities, it boasts a computer lab with Internet access, student union, mini library, campus store, 2 dining rooms, 9 classrooms, swimming pool, lounges, over 350 cabins, and a fitness center.

The program itself started in 1963 and has more than 42,000 alumni. Students spend a semester (or summer) visiting other countries and cultures while earning academic credit. The academic sponsor recently changed from the University of Pittsburgh to the University of Virginia.