Day Before Puerto Rico

Hopefully this will work – I am here sitting in the Piano Lounge with about 15 other SASers and we are all e-mailing or blogging. This journey has been amazing so far; I don’t feel like words can even describe it. Pulling out of Nassau was breathtaking, as was the sunset over the ocean. Yesterday and today have been the worst in terms of pitching and rolling, with swells up to 11 feet!! Classes began yesterday after a day of Orientation and meeting so many people that no one can remember or keep track of it all. I love my room and Janelle (my roommate) and I are having a blast. I’m glad I roomed with someone I know! Sleep has been difficult for the past 2 nights, but I think I’m getting used to being rocked to sleep.

Global Studies is interesting, especially when we have different faculty lecture for part of it. My Environmental Studies class for my Bio requirement looks like a lot of work, especially in terms of the research project we have to do along with keeping Field Notes and a Field Journal. My favorite class of all is my Marketing Tourism class. The professor is laid back, has a great sense of humor, and loves the topic. Everyone is really excited about the class, too, so it doesn’t matter that it’s at 8am! I haven’t had Business Law yet, but I know 3 people in it. We’ve had “Sea” meetings (like hall meetings) and I’m in the “Red Sea.” Everyone is so friendly and I am meeting a great group of people.

We arrive in Puerto Rico tomorrow but we still have to go through a rough storm tonight. I’ve been to the Campus Store and Supplies Store and played a ton of cards. I still haven’t watched a movie yet – but that’ll change shortly, I’m sure! I’m doing the 5 trips in Puerto Rico and can’t wait. As of right now I am planning to do China independently with some friends, I have NO clue what I want to do in Myanmar (Bagan sounds enticing..) and I want to do service visits in Brazil (day before the Amazon), South Africa, and Mauritius. Everything is just being dumped on us so hard and fast that a lot of people are getting really bogged down with things to do, myself included. E-mail has become my de-stresser since I refuse to nap yet. I’m sure that’ll change quickly, too… My favorite place, other than the Lounge, is the Pool Deck/Bar on the 7^th floor. The smoothies are amazing, especially the papaya one.

The ship is rolling and pitching like crazy. A lot of people are seasick, including some of the faculty, staff, and crew. We are all handling it pretty well – except when I had to run out of Environmental Studies yesterday morning because we had class in room 7 which is a cornered off part of the Union. I’m doing better today, it was just a few hours yesterday where I felt pretty sick. Everything is just awesome and so much fun, I feel like there is so much to do and not enough time!!

I hope you guys are having a great time wherever you may be. I am having the experience of a lifetime even though it hasn’t hit me yet and I have no idea when it will. I’ll update again after Puerto Rico!! Bye kids.