The author is a graduate of Shenendahowa High School who lives in Clifton Park. This is the second of three articles regarding her experiences during her semester at sea. The first article appeared in print Aug. 20 and is available at www.spotlightnews.com. The third article will appear in a future edition of The Spotlight.
The last time I wrote, it was two weeks before I took off on a voyage around the world on a 921-passenger ship called the MV Explorer. Since I left two months ago, I have already been to six countries including Canada, Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, and Mauritius. The voyage has been a rocky one, literally, but also an incredible experience more than I could have ever imagined.
When I first arrived in Nova Scotia, Canada, with my family in late August, I had no idea of what was to come. I remember walking through the city of Halifax wondering if the person in front of me was someone I’d being living with for the next three and a half months. In the halls of the Westin Hotel, I would pass by hundreds of people, thinking that in a matter of days, even hours, I will be able to build a relationship with that person that could last a lifetime. It was a scary thought to me leaving my own family without any idea or expectations to go and build a new kind of family with people who live all over the world.
On the 28th, I took my first step in the doors of the MV Explorer. At first I was nervous, but within seconds I met a cute boy who insisted on carrying my bags to my cabin for me. That, to me, was the perfect start to the voyage. I walked into my cabin, but my roommate had already dropped off her bags and left. I wandered around the ship, joining in on conversations and sitting out on the back deck at the water thinking, ‘This is the view I will see every morning ` the clear blue waters of the ocean.’`
Did I mention I have never been on a ship before this? Well unless you count the Minne-Ha-Ha in Lake George. I doubt a three-hour tour can be compared to living on a ship for three and a half months. The first couple of days on the ship, a lot of people were getting sea sick, but I toughed out and tried holding off on those seasickness pills.
The deans were the first faculty we met, one even made sure he greeted everyone as they entered the ship on the first day. During the orientation, we were able to meet the rest of the faculty and, of course, Captain Jeremy. Captain Jeremy is quite the character. He’s that voice you hear calmly announcing a fire drill, the man with a monotone that both students and faculty will later impersonate. Still he is willing to paint himself green and piece his ears to transform himself into King Neptune for when we cross the equator on Neptune Day. Neptune Day was a morning of ceremonies for those who have never crossed the equator by ship before. There was a `baptism,` where you got fish guts dumped on your head before jumping into the pool.
After being `baptized` you had to greet King and Queen Neptune (aka the captain and Dean Rita). Those who had the courage had their heads shaved. Surprisingly a quarter of those who got their heads shaved were girls. I was not part of that group.
The very second we walked on the ship, the ship’s staff changed our outlook on our own moms and grandmothers ` making them look bad. They make our beds, vacuum our floors and always make sure we have clean towels every day. When we eat, they pick up our plates and ask us if we would like anything else to eat or drink, and even bring us dessert. If there is a spill, they clean it up or if someone is walking to a table they’ll carry the plate for them and even push in their chair. Yes, we are spoiled, but think about it as though the staff is taking care of the ship not spoiling the students. They clean our rooms because they think if they don’t, we won’t either (well, yeah, that is correct). Since there is no washer or dryer available to the students and faculty, they have to bring us fresh towels, otherwise everything would smell like fish. When it comes to the kitchen, the staff definitely does more than they have to, but I learned that they take the plates and cups from us because certain things are able to go into the ocean, but if we don’t separate our food from our paper and plastic, then it makes it harder later on when we are trying to dispose of our waste.
When we arrive at port, there are several opportunities for everyone. You can go and travel independently, but I usually stay close to port and go on trips semester at sea offers. When there is extra time, I am able to swipe my card and walk around the city, try the food and take pictures. But before we ever walk off the ship, the two days before we arrive in port we have `cultural pre-port` and `logistic pre-port.` Cultural pre-port is when the faculty talks to us about what to try, for example in Spain they suggested we try the ham and sangria. They also tell us what to watch out for and what to pay attention to, whether or not the cars drive on the opposite side of the road or not. During `logistic pre-port` we talk more about what the currency exchange is, how much taxis and stamps usually cost and where we could find a phone to call home.
All the ports so far have been amazing. Spain was the best port to start off in. It was a small city, where you could basically walk to anywhere you needed to go. There were a lot of restaurants, museums and cathedrals that were close by.
Morocco was definitely not what anyone expected. It was so hard to get a sense of the culture until I spent the day at an orphanage and an evening with a Moroccan family during Ramadan. That is when my time in Morocco completely changed and I got to see the people for who they are. I even got the opportunity to go the second largest mosque in the world and watch their prayer.
Ghana was unbelievable. The people were friendly, we got great bargains and there was so much to do. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I heard that we were the largest group of Americans to ever go to Ghana at one time, which was pretty exciting for being the 100th voyage of semester at sea. Next was South Africa. Cape Town was beyond beautiful but very much Americanized (which is not what I wanted when I planned on traveling the world). I was still able to walk through the townships and learn about its history of Apartheid and District Six. Then there was Mauritius, which was definitely the destination where everyone, including students, faculty and staff took the time to sit back and relax. Now I am on my way to India, not knowing what to expect but preparing myself for the culture shock.
If someone offered me this opportunity again, I would take it in a heartbeat. (I say that now but wait till I graduate and I get a huge bill sent to my front door.) This trip has given me more opportunities to experience the world than I ever thought I would receive, and it’s only halfway through the voyage.
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