22 days: like a warm cup of tea

As I sit in my grandparent's house triple-checking my packing, I find myself taking note of a few strange things I have packed. Perhaps, in an effort to aid other future SAS students I will post my full packing list later, but for now, some of the more unusual possessions that are stuffed in my bag:

- two bags of Lego candy
- a buckle from a life jacket from Adventure Camp
- one blue morph suit

This is my last full day in Canada until June.

I spent the week visiting with friends and family. The last few days have been wondrous- I found myself glancing at faces, just enjoying the shape of their profile, how they laugh, the way they smile. Next time I see these people, I will be tanned with the sun of foreign countries and full of stories I yearn to share. Yesterday morning, before friends were arriving, I felt as if it was Christmas- the inescapable joy. This morning, I felt queasy. I don't enjoy goodbyes, but I wouldn't have traded these past few days for the world.

The world comes soon enough.

We fly out tomorrow for California. God have mercy.

26 days: pieces of a puzzle

Each class has a field lab, worth at least 20% of our mark. Basically, pre-planned adventures.

For my Acting class- For my Religions of the World class -

 Not pictured: for my Astronomy class we will be spending some nights studying the stars while on the boat. Therefore we won't have a traditional in-port field lab. For my Global Shakespeare course we will we watching a Shakespeare production in South Africa and meeting the cast and director.

Semester at Sea also offers planned excursions. The plus of these is that they are hassle free, completely planned and organized. The downside is they are more expensive and more "tourist-y".

I've signed up for two, both in which independent travel is more intimidating. I've thought long and hard about which trips I wanted. I cannot wait to see the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, which I have heard in so many of my mother's stories, and after my Hinduism class, seeing the Ganges in India might bring me to tears.

Other than these trips, I have few plans for travel. I have ideas, dreams, thoughts, from reading a plethora of student blogs, but I am waiting to (hopefully) make friends on the voyage and then make plans together.

27 days: packing

32 days: a legacy

My mother traveled on Semester at Sea (at that time the S.S. Universe) in the Fall of 1981, a year after my aunt, 24 years before my cousin, and 33 years before me.

Whenever I ask her about her voyage, she lights up. I have been nurtured by her stories as much as her cooking. There's that story about the bugs in the bread, getting lost in the Forbidden City, swimming in a frog-infested pond in India. I have recently been rereading her half-finished scrapbook, laughing as she discovered the potency of Chinese wine. One residual from her voyage is the word 'starving'- my brother and I, when hungry, were never allowed to say "I'm starving!". Mom had seen children around the world who were, truly, starving, and she never permitted us to make such a claim.

In 2005 my interest was sparked again as my cousin boarded the M.V. Explorer. My cousin's year was the infamous near-disaster voyage, however, I'm not worried. She survived, and so will I! We followed her voyage on a map in our living room, and this photo has been in my room ever since (I even did an art project based on it in high school... it was bad). To me, this photo encapsulates wonderment, discovery, exploration, learning. I remember her telling me when I saw her about a month ago about how she recently went to a baby shower for a friend from SAS. Eight years from her voyage and she still is that close with the people she sailed around the world with!

As I said, my aunt did SAS a year before my mother. However, I have not had the chance to hear many of her stories- perhaps for a reason. The only story I know is her jumping port- that is, not getting back on the ship, because she wanted to see Rome (or some other country the ship wasn't scheduled to go to- this is a big no no, and now would get me expelled).

Luckily, as my mother says, I am more responsible at my age than she or my aunt ever were. I still hope to make amazing memories to one day share with my daughter.

35 days: jumping ship

stupendous: adj., meaning impressive, mid. 16th century, from Latin that means 'to be wondered at'

My grade three teacher taught me that word, and ever since it has been one of my favourites. It's a word that is larger than life, and that's what I hope the next 6 months are going to be for me.

In 35 short days I will be boarding the MV Explorer on the Semester at Sea program. To say this has been a life-long dream is not an understatement. My mother, aunt, and cousin all have done this exchange, and I have been raised on their stories.

I have been blogging previously to this current incarnation of '[Adverb] at Sea', here, but I realized that Wordpress wouldn't let me update via email. As I have access to email but not internet while on the voyage (voyage, not cruise), I've made the switch. The original was a good resource for dealing with my uncle's death at Thanksgiving, as well as my preparations for Semester at Sea, so a warning: emotions.

I'm currently quelling anxieties about planning for SAS. In a week I will have said goodbye to my home, and currently the belongings I am taking with me are in a pile in a corner of the living room. I've been reading blogs from students who went on Spring 2013 trip in an effort to try to decide what I want to do in each port. Needless to say, it's overwhelming.

And it all begins in 35 days.