The Calm Before The Storm

"A life well lived is not measured in the accumulation of things, but in unparalleled experiences," an ad in our favorite magazine Caribbean Travel & Life states, and we fully agree. Almost down to one month before going "Around the World in 100 Days" as the probably almost too cliched aphorism goes. Regardless, with one month left the looming reality of packing and purchasing last minute items still does not loudly, and with certainty, answer the question. Are we really going? Is this happening?

"Yes!" we want to shout again, and again, and again to anyone who will listen, anyone not slightly dulled from continuous talk on our exploits and upcoming adventures. Some people have asked, "How was your trip? That boat trip cruise you went on?" We without pause, or hesitation, begin rambling about our recent cruise in January for 14 days in the Southern Caribbean. They listen attentively and interrupt to inquire about how the classes went or how long we stayed at each place before we realize they were actually talking about Semester at Sea. Of course, at this point we dutifully remind them that we have not even left yet.

What seems most intriguing to us is the idea of experience. How do you relate experience? The job of a writer, or writers in our case, is to describe, illustrate and paint a clear image of the places and people we shall meet - a sunset on the ocean where the sun melts into the horizon and infuses the water with an orange glow, the touch of sand, either velvety soft or thick and porous pottage like oatmeal that you could eat with a fork, or a woman at market selling mangosteen and jackfruit whose smile is so pleasant you are attracted to buy only her merchandise. But how do you catch something that lasts in a moment in time? Like a seal escaping the jaws of a great white in the ring of death around seal island or that first sip of tea at a ceremony that slightly burns your tongue?

Our grandmother would certainly concur with the quote. When our grandparents were alive they traveled to over 79 countries, a number we hope to beat and after covering about 2/3 of the major inhabited Caribbean islands and parts of the United States and London, England, this trip will certainly put us well on our way at a very young age. Our grandfather passed away in 2000, but our grandmother's death Friday, May 13, 2005 makes this trip even more sad and special at the same time. Two parallel emotions that will ground us throughout our journey. A good friend of hers, Walter Gross wrote a poem to commemorate her 60th birthday years ago and we would like to cite a portion:

She's been to Europe, Africa, and parts of the Pacific
She's cruised the Caribbean, and Alaska was terrific!
She's seen the land down under, and the mountain high above it;
Offer her another trip - she's bound to say "I'd love it!"

She has climbed the Eiffel Tower, she has seen the Berlin Wall,
And the Palace of the Kremlin, where the czars had their last fall,
The windmills by the Zuider Zee, the cross-marked Norman beaches,
The fiords of Scandinavia, the Danube's flowing reaches,

St. Peter's and the Vatican and all the sights of Rome,
The cities of the Renaissance, the Alps and Jungfrau's dome,
The Dover cliffs, the London Bridge, the Scottish moors and heather,
The shamrocks 'cross the Irish Sea, Bermuda's bright blue weather!

She has walked the Wall of China and boated up the Nile,
She has gazed on Fujiyama from Honshu's terraced isle;
She has seen the flamenco dancers in the heart of gypsy Spain
And traced the steps of Jesus up the narrow Street of Pain.

We find some comfort knowing that she passed with the knowledge that we were going on this trip. When we first presented this opportunity to her she cried. Traveling meant so much in their lives, and the stories of their trips meant so much in ours. We know they will be with us, especially Nana whose cremated remains will hang on a golden chain and keepsake urn that is no larger than a fingernail. Several times people have said, "I like your necklace" and we say, "Thank you, it's our grandmother." It is her experiences, her travels that have created this legacy. Here's to the calm before the storm.

P.S. And no fifty-foot waves :)

Tying up Loose Ends

Finally it seems as if everything is coming together. We will be receiving the last of the shots sometime within the next two weeks for meningitis and have filled all of our prescriptions for the trip including ginger pills and sea bands in addition to the motion sickness patch and anti-malarial medication. Our classes are confirmed and we have chosen all of our field programs, which we will update again when they are finally confirmed as well. We are very excited and it seems like we still have such a long time to wait and a lot of preparation to complete; for which two heads are definitely better than one, not to mention the myriads of help and advice from friends and family, all in all perhaps a dozen heads or more. Not to worry as Nana would say! We will be taking five courses onboard (Anthropology of Tourism, Anthropology: Field Methods, Geography which is of course required for the entire student body, Travelers' Journals, and hopefully we will be able to sign up for the Introduction to Art History during the drop/add period.) The packet of field programs and requirements is quite long, but we received it on Thursday, and have since then picked what we hope to do in each port, and will mail that tomorrow. Perhaps the biggest chore is yet to come - PACKING. We have compiled an extensive list and it seems to only get longer as we continually add forgotten items of necessity...i.e. sunscreen, sunglasses, and clothes pins; just to name a few. It won't be long now, but we will update a few more times before our departure. Stay tuned!