IMPORTANT UPDATE!
Hello all! I am having an amazing time so far on Semester at Sea and I will be updating my blog very soon. But the important info is that I gave you the WRONG EMAIL ADDRESS. THE CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS is ALVeinott@semesteratsea.net That is .NET not .ORG like I had posted a few days ago! Gotta run, but expect an update soon!
Amanda
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Just a quick update...
Hello from The Bahamas!
It's absolutely beautiful here right now and I should probably be outside enjoying the weather but I just wanted to let everyone know that I got here safe and sound yesterday afternoon. It's been a whirlwind the past 24 hours but it's been a great time. I've met some really awesome people and it's hysterical hearing "hey, I know you from Facebook!". I'm surprised how many faces I'm able to put to a name...or is it the other way around? Either way...I know a lot of people so far. It's starting to sink in now that this is actually real and that I'm actually boarding the m/v Explorer tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned to get more updates as the days and weeks pass bye...this will be one heck of a ride. I miss you all! See you in 110 days :)
Amanda
It's absolutely beautiful here right now and I should probably be outside enjoying the weather but I just wanted to let everyone know that I got here safe and sound yesterday afternoon. It's been a whirlwind the past 24 hours but it's been a great time. I've met some really awesome people and it's hysterical hearing "hey, I know you from Facebook!". I'm surprised how many faces I'm able to put to a name...or is it the other way around? Either way...I know a lot of people so far. It's starting to sink in now that this is actually real and that I'm actually boarding the m/v Explorer tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned to get more updates as the days and weeks pass bye...this will be one heck of a ride. I miss you all! See you in 110 days :)
Amanda
Sunday, August 24, 2008
It's getting close...I can feel it.
It's amazing to think that at this time, a week from now, I will most likely be sitting outside on the deck of the m/v Explorer writing a blog update...in the middle of the ocean. I can already feel the wind on my face, smell the salt in the air, and hear the lapping of the waves upon the hull of the ship. Hopefully it won't be too rough that night...I don't know if I'll be able to keep my laptop steady on my lap.
I've begun to wonder what it will REALLY be like. Now, I don't just mean what the shipboard community life will be like- I'm not too concerned with that. It will be like any other college community, except completely different. Yeah...exactly. I finished packing a majority of my life in 2 suitcases today and I'm shocked that most of it fit. Yes, I had to pack, then unpack, just to repack so it all fit, but it wasn't that bad. I took out probably 1/4 of the clothes I had originally packed so that lightened the load some. Unfortunately, I had made room for other things, so of course I couldn't just leave that space empty. Or could I have? Oh well, either way. I want to say a huge thank you to my mom because for the past few days, weeks, and months she's been the biggest help in the world. I really would lose my head if it wasn't for her. I don't know how I would have been prepared if it wasn't for her. Thanks mom! :-)
I digress again. So, yes, what will it REALLY be like living aboard the m/v Explorer with 650 other college students, a few dozen faculty and staff members, and the entire shipboard crew for 108 days? Probably a little crazy at first. Actually, it WILL be crazy at first. Not in a bad way, just in, well, a crazy way. I've heard stories from alumni saying that they weren't prepared at all for what life was like for 100+ days, but that they loved every minute of it. I can only imagine what they mean by that. I suppose I will find out soon enough. I know I'll come back a changed person than who I am at this moment in time. I can feel it already. I can't tell you how I'm going to change, but I'm sure if you know me now you'll understand when you see me come December. Can a person really go unchanged after experiencing Semester at Sea? I'm sure there are people who have walked away from SAS with a very minimal sense of self-change, but those are the people who were there for all the wrong reasons. I am not paying $30,000 for a 100 day vacation. I am doing this to experience the world, not to experience one big floating party.
Don't get me wrong. I'd be a hypocrite to say that I won't go out and have a couple drinks at a local bar or pub, because I'll be one of the first to suggest trying local brews or wines. But there's a huge difference between appreciating and abusing. I just hope I can find a group of kids like me who want to have the time of their lives, but remember the night before the next morning.
I've packed a quarter of one of my suitcases with miscellaneous items for the kids in all the countries I visit. I packed finger puppets, bracelets, bubbles, coloring books, bouncy balls, and other small toys and nick knacks for them. There's something to be said about the innocence of children. I wish I could go back to that childhood innocence sometimes. Even in the midst of poverty, these children have smiles on their faces. If only the adults of this world could learn from the child they once were.
I hope I have the strength to walk away from the children I meet in such countries as South Africa and India. I have a soft spot for helping kids. I know I'm going to want to whisk them away from what we Westerners see as sub par living environments. I know I'm going to laugh, and cry, and become angry and humble all within one afternoon...It would be impossible not to.
So many thoughts are running through my head at this moment that I can hardly make sense of any of them. A few days ago, a friend of mine asked if I had a lot of mixed emotions and my answer to them was no. I felt blank actually. But now, with only 2 full days left in the States, I am feeling a range of emotions that I haven't felt in a very long time. I'm happy, sad, anxious, excited, optimistic , hopeful, nervous...all mixed into one. Needless to say, I'm just a tad bit stressed. But, the good thing is, all this stress will be well worth it the minute I roll my 150 total pounds of luggage onto the loading dock in Nassau. From there, let the journey of a lifetime begin.
I've begun to wonder what it will REALLY be like. Now, I don't just mean what the shipboard community life will be like- I'm not too concerned with that. It will be like any other college community, except completely different. Yeah...exactly. I finished packing a majority of my life in 2 suitcases today and I'm shocked that most of it fit. Yes, I had to pack, then unpack, just to repack so it all fit, but it wasn't that bad. I took out probably 1/4 of the clothes I had originally packed so that lightened the load some. Unfortunately, I had made room for other things, so of course I couldn't just leave that space empty. Or could I have? Oh well, either way. I want to say a huge thank you to my mom because for the past few days, weeks, and months she's been the biggest help in the world. I really would lose my head if it wasn't for her. I don't know how I would have been prepared if it wasn't for her. Thanks mom! :-)
I digress again. So, yes, what will it REALLY be like living aboard the m/v Explorer with 650 other college students, a few dozen faculty and staff members, and the entire shipboard crew for 108 days? Probably a little crazy at first. Actually, it WILL be crazy at first. Not in a bad way, just in, well, a crazy way. I've heard stories from alumni saying that they weren't prepared at all for what life was like for 100+ days, but that they loved every minute of it. I can only imagine what they mean by that. I suppose I will find out soon enough. I know I'll come back a changed person than who I am at this moment in time. I can feel it already. I can't tell you how I'm going to change, but I'm sure if you know me now you'll understand when you see me come December. Can a person really go unchanged after experiencing Semester at Sea? I'm sure there are people who have walked away from SAS with a very minimal sense of self-change, but those are the people who were there for all the wrong reasons. I am not paying $30,000 for a 100 day vacation. I am doing this to experience the world, not to experience one big floating party.
Don't get me wrong. I'd be a hypocrite to say that I won't go out and have a couple drinks at a local bar or pub, because I'll be one of the first to suggest trying local brews or wines. But there's a huge difference between appreciating and abusing. I just hope I can find a group of kids like me who want to have the time of their lives, but remember the night before the next morning.
I've packed a quarter of one of my suitcases with miscellaneous items for the kids in all the countries I visit. I packed finger puppets, bracelets, bubbles, coloring books, bouncy balls, and other small toys and nick knacks for them. There's something to be said about the innocence of children. I wish I could go back to that childhood innocence sometimes. Even in the midst of poverty, these children have smiles on their faces. If only the adults of this world could learn from the child they once were.
I hope I have the strength to walk away from the children I meet in such countries as South Africa and India. I have a soft spot for helping kids. I know I'm going to want to whisk them away from what we Westerners see as sub par living environments. I know I'm going to laugh, and cry, and become angry and humble all within one afternoon...It would be impossible not to.
So many thoughts are running through my head at this moment that I can hardly make sense of any of them. A few days ago, a friend of mine asked if I had a lot of mixed emotions and my answer to them was no. I felt blank actually. But now, with only 2 full days left in the States, I am feeling a range of emotions that I haven't felt in a very long time. I'm happy, sad, anxious, excited, optimistic , hopeful, nervous...all mixed into one. Needless to say, I'm just a tad bit stressed. But, the good thing is, all this stress will be well worth it the minute I roll my 150 total pounds of luggage onto the loading dock in Nassau. From there, let the journey of a lifetime begin.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
And the waiting game begins...
I have less than a week left until I leave for the Bahamas...how incredibly insane is that? I feel like I JUST applied for the program back in late September last year, and now I have 8 days to go before I depart. My last day of work is tomorrow and it is definitely going to be bitter sweet. I've had some amazing nights this summer that I'll never forget. I hate goodbyes. I wish they all could be "see you laters" but unfortunately that's not the case. Life has a tendency to get in the way sometimes. But I do hope I have more "see you laters" than goodbyes. I digress...
For the past hour or so I've been reading blogs of students who are alumni of Semester at Sea. Every single blog entry I have read makes me that much more anxious/excited/nervous. I could envision myself as the author of their blogs as I was reading. I can't wait to experience what they've experienced and then be able to write about it. I want to experience the scooters flying through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, I want to experience the 20-30 foot waves that have a tendency to rock you off your bed in the middle of the night, I want to experience the jubilation one feels when they reach the highest point of the Great Wall of China, I want to experience the repetitiveness of the food on the ship and then the joy one feels when Taco Day arrives. All in all, I want to experience things I've never experienced before and that I know I'll never be able to experience again.
As I was reading this one blog, I came across a quote that was simple, straight-forward, and probably the most true statement I've ever read: "A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes. I want my mind to stretch farther and wider than it's ever stretched before. I don't WANT my mind to be able to go back to it's old self after I arrive back home on December 14th. I want to be changed forever. I know I'll be changed forever. And I also know that I won't be able to explain how. Please, before you ask me in 4 months how I've changed, observe me for a while. I'm sure you'll see how I've changed better than I'll be able to explain it.
On that same note, I know the question that I'll be asked the most when I get home is "So, how was it?"... How WAS it? Can that question actually be answered? I already know the answer won't be able to be put into words. Pay attention to the look in my eyes, that sparkle that tells a vivid story all on its own. Pay attention to the quiver in my voice as I talk about the poverty I saw in India and South Africa. Pay attention to the way my face lights up when I say the words "amazing", "unbelievable", "astounding" because that light will convey more than the words themselves. But most importantly, pay attention to the little things...the things I DON'T say. It will be hard for me to be surrounded by friends and family at first when I get home. I will need time to debrief...time to come to my senses...time to reflect upon what it was that I saw and did, who the people were that I met and talked to, what the food was that I smelled and tasted...
Most of you know that it is easier for me to put my thoughts down onto a piece of paper, or in this instance a blog, than it is for me to get them out as words. Somehow when my thoughts trickle out through my mouth, they become jumbled up and not at all what I meant before they became audible. Therefore, I'm sure these blogs will become an outlet of my mind more so than words ever will. I hope you all don't mind reading them. I do try my best to keep them entertaining, enlightening, and full of emotion. There will be times that you laugh and there will be times that you cry. Don't doubt for one instance that I wasn't laughing or crying as I was writing what you were laughing or crying about...because I was. I'm going to try to put in as much detail as possible without being boring because God knows I won't be able to remember the little details of Brazil by the time I get to Costa Rica. There is only so much room in this brain!
I'm going to try to post some pictures throughout the voyage onto my blog but I can't make any promises as to how many or how often. I did find out that you can post not only blog entries via email, but I can also upload photos to this blog via email. That way, I don't have to use any of my free Internet minutes at all for blogging purposes. Pretty neat huh? For those who know me, be prepared for an 8 hour slide show of pictures come December. I took 1100 pictures in 28 days overseas last summer...can you imagine the pictures I'll take in 108 days? Yikes. Oh, and I bought a video camera so I'll have some actual video footage of some of the places I see and things I do. Who wants to skydive over Cape Town via a video camera strapped to my wrist? This is truly going to be one hell of an experience...
That's it for now. Stay tuned for next episode...It's probably going to be a much more frantic sounding entry as I get closer to my departure date. Wish me luck in upcoming week!
-Amanda
For the past hour or so I've been reading blogs of students who are alumni of Semester at Sea. Every single blog entry I have read makes me that much more anxious/excited/nervous. I could envision myself as the author of their blogs as I was reading. I can't wait to experience what they've experienced and then be able to write about it. I want to experience the scooters flying through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, I want to experience the 20-30 foot waves that have a tendency to rock you off your bed in the middle of the night, I want to experience the jubilation one feels when they reach the highest point of the Great Wall of China, I want to experience the repetitiveness of the food on the ship and then the joy one feels when Taco Day arrives. All in all, I want to experience things I've never experienced before and that I know I'll never be able to experience again.
As I was reading this one blog, I came across a quote that was simple, straight-forward, and probably the most true statement I've ever read: "A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes. I want my mind to stretch farther and wider than it's ever stretched before. I don't WANT my mind to be able to go back to it's old self after I arrive back home on December 14th. I want to be changed forever. I know I'll be changed forever. And I also know that I won't be able to explain how. Please, before you ask me in 4 months how I've changed, observe me for a while. I'm sure you'll see how I've changed better than I'll be able to explain it.
On that same note, I know the question that I'll be asked the most when I get home is "So, how was it?"... How WAS it? Can that question actually be answered? I already know the answer won't be able to be put into words. Pay attention to the look in my eyes, that sparkle that tells a vivid story all on its own. Pay attention to the quiver in my voice as I talk about the poverty I saw in India and South Africa. Pay attention to the way my face lights up when I say the words "amazing", "unbelievable", "astounding" because that light will convey more than the words themselves. But most importantly, pay attention to the little things...the things I DON'T say. It will be hard for me to be surrounded by friends and family at first when I get home. I will need time to debrief...time to come to my senses...time to reflect upon what it was that I saw and did, who the people were that I met and talked to, what the food was that I smelled and tasted...
Most of you know that it is easier for me to put my thoughts down onto a piece of paper, or in this instance a blog, than it is for me to get them out as words. Somehow when my thoughts trickle out through my mouth, they become jumbled up and not at all what I meant before they became audible. Therefore, I'm sure these blogs will become an outlet of my mind more so than words ever will. I hope you all don't mind reading them. I do try my best to keep them entertaining, enlightening, and full of emotion. There will be times that you laugh and there will be times that you cry. Don't doubt for one instance that I wasn't laughing or crying as I was writing what you were laughing or crying about...because I was. I'm going to try to put in as much detail as possible without being boring because God knows I won't be able to remember the little details of Brazil by the time I get to Costa Rica. There is only so much room in this brain!
I'm going to try to post some pictures throughout the voyage onto my blog but I can't make any promises as to how many or how often. I did find out that you can post not only blog entries via email, but I can also upload photos to this blog via email. That way, I don't have to use any of my free Internet minutes at all for blogging purposes. Pretty neat huh? For those who know me, be prepared for an 8 hour slide show of pictures come December. I took 1100 pictures in 28 days overseas last summer...can you imagine the pictures I'll take in 108 days? Yikes. Oh, and I bought a video camera so I'll have some actual video footage of some of the places I see and things I do. Who wants to skydive over Cape Town via a video camera strapped to my wrist? This is truly going to be one hell of an experience...
That's it for now. Stay tuned for next episode...It's probably going to be a much more frantic sounding entry as I get closer to my departure date. Wish me luck in upcoming week!
-Amanda
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wait, HOW long do I have left?
I swear, this trip is creeping up on me way faster than I expected it to! I only have 13 days, 8 hours and 58 minutes until my flight from Newark to Nassau, Bahamas. Then, only 2 days after that I leave for the adventure of my life.
I'm sitting outside right now surrounded by darkness as I write this blog entry and I feel quite content. The sounds of a cool summer night might be one of my favorite things in the world. I can't wait to experience what the nightime sounds of Brazil or Namibia or Japan are going to be like. Will the night be even darker than I see it now when I'm sitting high on a sand dune in the Namib dessert staring up at a million stars high in the sky? Will the air smell the same after a morning rain in Brazil? Will the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo mimic that of New York City at 2am on a Friday night? God, I can't wait to find these things out...
It's crazy to think that in 15 nights, I'll be sitting on the m/v Explorer, probably with Greg, or Kedren, or Katie or somebody I don't even know yet, with a huge smile on my face. I wonder how many people I will know on a first name basis by the time December 14th rolls around. It should be pretty high figuring I'll see the same 1000 people for 3 and a half months. That's like sticking the amount of people I went to high school with on the ship...wow. This should be interesting.
People seem to be getting more and more nervous as the days inch by...at least that's what Facebook reveals. Passports, visas, indy trips, packing lists and questions about hair straighteners seem to be the top discussions at the moment. I thankfully have my passport, my visas, indy trips, packing lists and hair straightener questions/concerns taken care of already. Suprisingly, I feel rather relaxed about this whole thing now. I have 75% of my stuff packed already and it APPEARS that the other 25% of it should fit. It's just going to take some finagaling and the strategic placement of shampoo bottles and hiking shoes in order for my zippers to close, but hey, that's half the fun!
The only thing I'm slightly concerned about right now is having all my paperwork in order. It seems that every few days Semester at Sea sends me an email saying "don't forget this piece of paper" or "make sure you have..." this or that. I guess the easiest way to deal with all that is just to make copies of everything and make 2 separate folders...one to carry on the plane with me and the other one stowed safely away in my luggage.
I feel like I had so much more I wanted to write but nothing else is coming to mind. If it does, expect another blog entry soon...
I'm sitting outside right now surrounded by darkness as I write this blog entry and I feel quite content. The sounds of a cool summer night might be one of my favorite things in the world. I can't wait to experience what the nightime sounds of Brazil or Namibia or Japan are going to be like. Will the night be even darker than I see it now when I'm sitting high on a sand dune in the Namib dessert staring up at a million stars high in the sky? Will the air smell the same after a morning rain in Brazil? Will the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo mimic that of New York City at 2am on a Friday night? God, I can't wait to find these things out...
It's crazy to think that in 15 nights, I'll be sitting on the m/v Explorer, probably with Greg, or Kedren, or Katie or somebody I don't even know yet, with a huge smile on my face. I wonder how many people I will know on a first name basis by the time December 14th rolls around. It should be pretty high figuring I'll see the same 1000 people for 3 and a half months. That's like sticking the amount of people I went to high school with on the ship...wow. This should be interesting.
People seem to be getting more and more nervous as the days inch by...at least that's what Facebook reveals. Passports, visas, indy trips, packing lists and questions about hair straighteners seem to be the top discussions at the moment. I thankfully have my passport, my visas, indy trips, packing lists and hair straightener questions/concerns taken care of already. Suprisingly, I feel rather relaxed about this whole thing now. I have 75% of my stuff packed already and it APPEARS that the other 25% of it should fit. It's just going to take some finagaling and the strategic placement of shampoo bottles and hiking shoes in order for my zippers to close, but hey, that's half the fun!
The only thing I'm slightly concerned about right now is having all my paperwork in order. It seems that every few days Semester at Sea sends me an email saying "don't forget this piece of paper" or "make sure you have..." this or that. I guess the easiest way to deal with all that is just to make copies of everything and make 2 separate folders...one to carry on the plane with me and the other one stowed safely away in my luggage.
I feel like I had so much more I wanted to write but nothing else is coming to mind. If it does, expect another blog entry soon...
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