Life at Sea

Sailing on a ship through open water is definitely not as glamorous as it looks….at least not on the smaller ships like the MV Explorer where I’m living. The boat continuously rocks side to side making you want to sleep at all hours of the day!

 

My routine for the last couple days has been pretty much the same with class in the morning, working out in the early afternoon, a nice nap after, a little homework, another workout session, and then SLEEP! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so healthy or worked out so much in my life, but it seems that is all there is to do on the ship besides making new friends or plans for port which is also frequently done.

 

My classes for the semester will all be super easy. Out of the 4, I will only have 2 finals. On the other hand, my drawing class will have me busy once we are in port sketching and drawing at least 4 items from each country that share and explore the essence of that particular country.

 

I’m really glad I met Jenna (girl from Deck 3) and Brit (my roommate). These girls make my day every day. It’s so easy to be around them and we joke around all the time. Makes me slightly homesick and missing my best friends back home.

 

Soon enough I will also have a “sea family” to share my experiences with so I am very excited for that. A sea family is a small group made up of Faculty Members, Lifelong Learners, and other adults as the “parents” and the students as their “children.” This was something you had to sign up for and after hearing many good things I am excited to see who my “family” will be.

 

While the temperatures here, out at sea, aren’t the most spectacular and the wind can blow you straight off the deck, I’ve been keeping inside for most of the time. I miss the fresh air and the smell of fresh cut grass back home! Also, today we hit a patch of rougher weather. There have been near 20ft swells of water that have made the already difficult ship ride worse. Walking through the halls without staggering is a challenge and walking up and down the stairs consistently is no easy feat either.

 

Nevertheless, life on board the ship is definitely worth it because I will be in Ireland on Friday! I definitely cannot wait to begin my trek through Europe with my new friends and their high-spirited, adventurous attitudes!