Aloha!!

Mom, thank you for commenting on our photography. We cannot wait to share all of our photos with you and you will be surprised to see hove many of them are quite artistic. Chris has taught us a lot, and it will be so much fun to tell the story that goes with each one. Sometimes you don’t even know what you are capturing until you download them later.

November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving

Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

It was back to the routine of classes today, beginning with Global Studies, ending with Anthropology of Tourism and Field Methods. Finally we were able to hand in our first ten page paper; Megan’s on Museums Studies and Tourism, mine on Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites. I have found that all of my assignments this semester are filled with so many of the same stories that I have written about in this blog and explore many of the issues that I have not. I cannot wait to share even these formal projects when I return home.

We have been watching student presentations in our Field Methods course and I have to say that, although they are entertaining and cover many facets of our port stays they strongly resemble the sort of slideshow that you would show family and friends after the voyage. My own interpretation of the project settled upon the presence of analysis and documentation of facts surrounding a narrow topic. Though I have chosen to write the ten-page paper instead of a ten-minute presentation it still embodies the core of the original assignment criteria. Fortunately I have completed the assignment that is in actuality due the day of the final, December 3, 2005, and have detailed the architectural features of Angkor Wat and the skill at which each material was utilized.

Megan writes, “It never quite feels like a holiday at sea, with no family, except for those who have come to feel like family, and spending the traditional meal with our adopted family unit managed to remedy any gloom from missing the festivities at home. It would have been wonderful to join everyone at the condo in Ocean City, Dad’s first visit since renovation, and experience the merriment of carving turkey, eating stuffing and pumpkin pie, afterwards followed by a TCBY. Just kidding, of course! Hopefully this new locale for turkey day will be a new addition to our yearly rituals.

With never a fissure between the perpetual A and B schedule, and the promise of another five-hour loss, classes on Thanksgiving was a bit extreme. For anyone doubting the demanding schedule on Semester at Sea, this should serve as a major paradigm of our daily routine. Heather and I managed to submit our ten-page essays to Professor Smyth who was pleasantly surprised to have received them much sooner than expected.”

The best part of the day was dinner, a traditional turkey feast with our adopted family. Indeed the crew went all out with turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and it would not be a day of thanks without pumpkin pie. We had a wonderful time chatting with our ship family over this feast and though we could not be at Ocean City it certainly did make the day feel a little bit more like a holiday. Before the conclusion of the meal Betty and Bob presented each of us with a small jar of New Hampshire maple syrup. I have never had syrup from New Hampshire, but according to our adopted parents it is to die for. We are going to save our golden elixir for homemade waffles this holiday season, though they promise that more can be sent. They have also invited us to their home in New Hampshire to show us around, though they will be moving to Florida during the winter and will return in the warmer months. Betty cannot wait to be sitting by the pool at their new house in Florida for the next four months. What a life!

Megan writes, “After a grueling timetable of events the highlight of the day arrived. With over 50 turkeys roasted and ready for carving, the Whittemore family situated around a large table in the corner of the deck 6 garden lounge, the atmosphere of familiarity and family surprised me. The doting parents commented on the attire of those who had donned a more elegant flair for the evening apparel, Heather and I with pin-stripe pants and beaded Indian shoes.

Though the meal was typical of Thanksgiving, it compared little to the delicious moist turkey and perfect stuffing at home. I found myself craving for an apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake, and then decided on chocolate chip cookie bars, cheesecake, snickerdoodle cookies, shortbread cookies, monkey bread, and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Of course, none of these scrumptious desserts were to be found and if anything in the kitchen should be functioning please let it be the stove.

Bob and Betty surprised the six “children” with a small gift, New Hampshire maple syrup! Naturally there is story behind this gift. From New Hampshire they have boasted of their superior syrup since the shock of a nauseating watery consistency offered in the dining room, sarcasm noted. Finally, we have our own little bottles of this ideal topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast. WAFFLES! Oooohh, I want waffles. I guess you can tell it is nearing the end of the voyage.”

We have eight days until we arrive in Hawaii, and I have to admit to a loss of enthusiasm about our last port. I would like to consider Japan the final port; it just seems as if it will be a mini one-day vacation – the calm before the storm. Coming up this week is the Ambassador’s Ball on the twenty-eighth, the International Date Line on the twenty-ninth, and the Global Studies Exam on the thirtieth. It will be very strange to relive the twenty-ninth for two days and I look forward to seeing how it affects our clocks and those of our loved ones at home. Of course with the exam approaching every free minute is study, study, study, eat, sleep, as Nana would say.

Megan writes, “It is a long leap across the rolling sea, eight days, five hours soon to be lost to Father Time, the Ambassador’s Ball, and the International Date Line that will swing Maryland’s time ahead of us five hours, rather than the nineteen behind. Don’t ask me to explain, it will take a great deal longer than eight days to Hawaii for me to figure out this complex arrangement of “spatial anomalies” that have thwarted our nights of sleep. While the loss of time might suggest we selected the least enjoyable voyage on Semester at Sea, the opposite path gaining these hours instead of loosing, the order of the countries on our itinerary has been ideal. Each one has improved on the previous and I cannot imagine having begun the voyage with the ultimate language barrier of Japan and China, and their shopping mall cities. I suspect eight days at sea to feel like an eternity, but my love of the ocean will make this confinement seem more like seventh heaven, even with classes.”

November 25-27, 2005
Classes

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

B, A, B, or BABs as I like to say. This is the order of the days. Not Friday, Saturday and Sunday or the more precise 25th, 26th, and 27th of November, just B, A, B. And, needless to say, classes. We delivered our final essays to Professor Smyth and the journal snapshots project I have come to denote as my scrapbook of journal tidbits, photos, tickets, and currency. Undoubtedly he has quite a lot of reading to do, solely from Heather and I alone.

Heather writes, “Like I said before it is all routine at this point. We continue to watch student presentations in Travelers’ Journals and are finalizing the last travel article of the semester. As the last requirement is a comparison I thought it would be interesting to feature the removal of footwear in India, Mauritius and Japan and the underlying meaning – to preserve or to pray.

On the twenty-sixth we handed in our scrapbook journals. I am incredibly pleased with the final result, even adding the small poems that mom has included in our cards for each port. The only aspect that I would have liked to add is the currency conversion for each country to go along with the saved cash. It feels so good to turn in our field methods assignment and Professor Smyth made me feel that much better when he asked, ‘Oh, already?’”

You can almost feel the excitement for the Ambassador’s Ball tomorrow, people getting nails and hair readied for the event. The promise of a gourmet meal, champagne and wine, dancing, and a sneak peek at the voyage video and Chris’s photography. Even though Heather and I know he has posted several amazing photos of the two of us, we cannot purchase these prints until after the voyage, as per his contract with the Institute for Shipboard Education.

Heather writes, “Everything is winding up for the Ambassador’s Ball tomorrow night and we cannot wait to get all dressed up to take pictures with the Captain and all of our friends on board. Of course, it goes without saying that we are very much looking forward to the four-course dinner menu, champagne, wine, and the dessert bar. Perhaps we will have to dream of sugar plum fairies; I only hope that after three months that steak will not be too much of a shock for my stomach.”

November 28, 2005
Ambassador’s Ball

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

If there are classes on Thanksgiving then it should be easy to conclude that there are classes the day of the ball. With the Global Studies exam growing ever nearer on the horizon, much like Hawaii, I try to remain positive, although overwhelmed at the enormity of material I have to digest entirely if I want to get an A. This class has most assuredly, and surprisingly, been the most difficult course I have ever taken. It also remains to be the only course I will receive no credit from at my home University. It will merely pass as a lower-level elective, not something I need at this point for graduation.

After three classes Heather and I, clad in fancy skirts, arrived at our table in the Main Dining Room. Four other seats at our table, all people I have never met. We had hoped to be near familiar faces, but many of them had managed to squeeze into the later sitting at eight o’clock. As the time slot was completely booked Heather and I opted for the earlier meal at five fifteen. Two guys arrived in suits, both from Texas and the four of us waited, and waited, and waited. We raised our glasses during the Champagne toast, and then waited some more.

Heather writes, “We continue to study for our Global Studies exam, though I imagine that I will never feel fully ready. The amount of material covered is just incredible; my mind starts spinning just thinking about what we have discussed in class and what is too come these last few days for the most important test of the voyage. It will be such a relief after the thirtieth as Megan and I have no final exams. For our Tourism course we are writing the optional eight-page paper in place of the exam and for Field Methods we have opted to organize all of our photos into a presentation. This seems like a daunting task, but it will at least give us a chance to start on what many of you reading this blog will see upon our return. I know, now you are really excited.”

As cruise ship etiquette it is customary to not serve the meal until all individuals have arrived. These two girls were half an hour late. Regardless, when it became apparent after ten minutes that they were a “no show” our shrimp cocktail, onion soup, and Caesar salad were carried out, along with La Terre wine. Heather and I had purchased one ticket, as is the custom, for a blushing wine, and along with a glass of champagne and water became the potion for the evening. Along with the beverages, the food was ideal. The two girls finally arrived, unable to eat the three missed courses. The steak, asparagus and potatoes were absolutely phenomenal and well worth the expense of twenty-five dollars. After the meal Heather and I went to have our photo with Captain Jeremy before heading to the Union for the video and photo slideshow.

Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

Megan and I chose the first seating at five fifteen, and in just a few hours the formal dining room was transformed into your typical white tablecloth, crystal goblets, delicate china, and waiters running around with loaded trays of shrimp cocktail. We sat with four other students and had a wonderful time. It began with a champagne toast, followed by delicious shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, and Caesar salad. Finally it was time for the main course as steak, asparagus, and baked potatoes were delivered to our table. It was wonderful. It is very difficult at this point in the voyage to see the ship as anything but a floating campus, a dorm, and a home. It is hard to imagine that this ship could ever be a cruise liner in my mind again, and certainly no cruise will ever feel the same after being at sea for one hundred days.

After dinner we gathered in the Union, swapping places with the eight o’clock seating and watching a twenty-minute clip of Sony’s voyage documentary, and a forty-five minute presentation of a small portion of Chris’ photos. It was very moving and the film was compiled exceptionally well, but I do feel that pictures speak louder than words. If Chris offers a similar DVD of photos it may be something worth purchasing. Near the beginning a picture of our duplicate carry-ons made an appearance and certainly everyone present laughed when they figured out whose luggage it was. Later Chris asked, “Did you see your luggage? That’s the day we first met!” I think that he is really excited about coming into San Diego and seems to be even more excited about finding us upon arrival. He claims he wants moving pictures; he knows that we are going to be a complete wreck when we see mom and dad on the pier. Oh well, it is a part of this voyage that would be fantastic for someone to capture on film. The slideshow also had a shot of us at the Olympics in our judicial positions ruling over the Spelling Bee event. It captures the moment so completely, Megan with a puzzled look and I whispering in her ear.

Megan writes, “Sony, the videographer, has done a phenomenal job on the voyage video; unfortunately I still will not purchase the DVD. The twenty-minute preview afforded some wonderful laughs, but only in such a company familiar with the ups and downs of our voyage would you find some of the sequences to be amusing or understandable. Chris arranged a forty-five minute slideshow of about four hundred images or more that were absolutely fabulous. Heather and I made an appearance during the Sea Olympic photos and our infamous carry-ons were featured in the beginning. It took several minutes for everyone to realize what the two red bags outside the ship were, later Chris mentioning, “It was the first time we met.” I might have to purchase this photo, just because it is the first day and engenders so many wonderful memories. Perhaps with some of my remaining Internet time I will check out his website again and try to find any other images from the Olympics, Halloween, and possibly the ceremony performed by Dean Tymitz and his wife Dixie.”

Soon it was time for dessert, but first the dessert had a photo shoot and Megan did a marvelous job capturing the savory icing, colorful sprinkles, and decadent chocolate creations. By the time we actually got in line it nearly spanned the length of the ship and took almost an hour to pick out a plateful of these tasty treats. Yummy.

Now it is well past midnight and the studying must continue tomorrow so it is definitely time for bed.

Megan writes, “Overall, Heather and I took a good amount of photos, I was going to type “thousands of photos,” but thought you might take it literally since twenty-five giga-bytes on my computer now house thousands and thousands of photos from our travels. Anyone want to see them all? I can only imagine some of the thoughts from people anxiously waiting to see photos and purchases. You better be ready because we are coming home.”

November 29, 2005
Another Tuesday

How to write about the same day twice, that is the question of the hour. On the first twenty-ninth we turned in our final articles for Travelers’ Journals and later received a ninety-five on the assignment, which we found placed on the front of our door. Bet you never thought your professors would know where you live. In class Professor Eastman distributed our grades, both of us receiving a ninety-eight percent on our presentations, and of course, an A in the course. We have adjusted our clock five more times in the last few nights, making it a grand total of nineteen hours ahead of home. Of course who knows what will happen tomorrow.

Megan writes, “Today is a B day, and with three more classes until Hawaii, it is back again to wonderful BABs. In Traveler’s Journals we handed our final articles into Professor Eastman. She later returned them to our cabins, a familiar “A” emblazoned on the bottom. I cannot wait to share these two-page articles from this class with others, as they have been a great exercise in focusing on the most crucial elements and being concise for an audience who may, or may not, want to hear a mass of details.”

Guess what? We went to bed yesterday and woke up today, Tuesday the twenty-ninth again! For those of you wondering it is just like going to sleep on a normal basis and waking up in the morning, except for the fact that you leave your little calendar on the same day instead of ripping it off. Well we decided to call home to see how that invisible bump in the middle of the night from the dateline changed everything. Time had stopped for us while everyone at home had been whipped forward, five hours ahead of us. Wow! Don’t try to figure it out, just accept it. All I know is that five and nineteen is twenty-four hours, so I guess that it makes sense. But what a change, we have been living in the time before you for so long and suddenly we are calculating what you have already done and we have not, like eating dinner or going to bed.

In Global Studies the theater class performed the Conference of the Birds and it was very well done. “Riveting, stupendipitous,” as Professor Murphy would say. It certainly made me think a lot about our own voyage of discovery. Perhaps this would be something very interesting to read when I return home.

Megan writes, “Everyone, and I mean everyone, was lined up in the dining room at seven o’clock when Heather and I arrived this morning. The cause, chocolate chip pancakes and sticky buns. Today the students who purchased during the Auction the right to choose the menu for a day have selected these treats and all I really want is my bowl of cereal. It almost seems like a movie where the days keep repeating itself in various simulations, each more unlikely than the previous. Heather and I missed our quiet morning at breakfast with barely a sole awake.”

We received our second paper back in Tourism and both received an A+, Professor Smyth writing, “A gem of a paper.” Needless to say, I believe that we are going to be getting at least three A’s. Studying has taken up much of out thoughts and time considering that tomorrow is the big day.

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

For lunch, hot dogs and hamburgers, French fries and corn on the cob. For dinner, tacos, nachos and cheese. It seems they opted for nothing but snacks and while I did enjoy my lunch, I was not about to repeat snacking for dinner. Heather and I decided to visit Manny at the snack bar for a noodle soup bowl from China and headed back to our room to study, study, study. Tomorrow is the Global Studies exam.

In the last Global Studies class the acting class performed a play that was quite remarkable, each one a different bird on a journey. It is written after a novel, which I would love to read. Later Professor Oaks read several poems, one from Juan Ramon Jimenez, the figure the Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House has been named for, as well as Naomi Shihab Nye, another familiar name from our residency at the house for two years. I cannot recall whether she actually visited, or her work was merely read, but I believe it to be the former.

November 30, 2005
Global Studies and Hawaii

We arrived in classroom four early, prepared more for this exam than any other, or at least I hoped that to be the case. I knew receiving 100 was the goal, the required percentage to receive an A in the class. Leaving the test site, I knew that to be far from the reality as three questions circled my thoughts. While I did receive an A on the test, a B+ will have to suffice. And I am proud of my accomplishment, knowing how hard I prepared and how horrible I really am at politics and economics, elements largely featured on the exam.

Heather writes, “Last night at pre-port we learned that Hawaii does accept US currency and credit cards. The conversion rate is $1 = $1 and we should have no problems with the language barrier. We will arrive in Hawaii early at around five o’clock and can disembark at around eight in the evening.

We took the exam this morning and I was shocked at how many of the questions I knew without a doubt. Of course there are always a few that get you. In the end I did receive an A, but not high enough. It is a good thing that they are not doing anything special for those students with 4.0s because it would be disappointing to be so close but not close enough. I guess that in the end I know how hard I worked and with all of the pressure of traveling and interrupted courses by port stays it is surprising that I did as well as I could have hoped. Three A’s and a B+ are nothing to be upset about, but a B+, if only I could have gotten one more question right. Oh well, I did see the world though, that’s what this trip was really all about.

It feels very good not to have anything awaiting us after Hawaii. I cannot wait to pack, lie on the deck, and relax. Of course journaling is a must, and I know that as we near the end that you are still patiently awaiting our tales.”

Little time to worry, but rather quite content, we pulled into the harbor in Hawaii. Oahu is absolutely beautiful. And while it would be hours before allowed off the ship it is comforting to know English is spoken, currency is the US dollars, VISA is accepted and the American flag has been hoisted at the front of the ship.

After two and half hours we have been cleared to disembark, immigrations a rather smooth procedure rendering my hope of an equally speedy disembarkation in San Diego, although customs could take invariably longer.

Heather writes, “We cruised into Honolulu Harbor at around four, passing through immigrations and leaving the ship around seven. The city is beautiful and there is this amazing little shopping area right next to the terminal with great restaurants, trees dangling with white Christmas lights and the trunk of palm trees wrapped in colorful twinkling bulbs. Several hula dancers and drummers greeted us at the dock and the Aloha Clock Tower was decked out in lights and enormous wreaths. It was simply beautiful but also a shocking change from the last three months. I wanted to cry with the emptiness of the streets and the cleanliness of the city. Everything is immaculate. We walked around the shops, purchasing two peanut butter buckets, think really big peanut butter cups, and of course some leis. We also passed a cute little shop, the Ukulele Company and I know that dad would go crazy if he could see all of the beautiful wood tones. We returned to the ship after an hour and went to bed for our tour tomorrow.”

The pier is just remarkable, and for an island celebrating Christmas the decorations are tasteful and augment the appeal, rather than detract with gaudy plastic candy canes or large Santas. Colorful lights are wrapped around palm trees, so perfectly I can only claim to be in paradise. After walking around the shops nearby purchasing a peanut butter bucket, not a peanut butter cup, but a bucket, we boarded the ship for much needed sleep before a full day in the tropical warmth.

Some clarification on the bucket, then. Mmm, Mmm, good. Imagine a Reese’s peanut butter cup enlarged at least six times or more filled with creamy peanut butter. That should be all the clarification necessary. And while selecting our chocolate treats we also purchased a Hawaiian exclusive beanie baby. These Ty toys, so cute, are difficult to stop collecting even years after your withdrawal from the mass hysteria. With palm trees on a light blue pattern, the small bear was just too cute, and too perfect of a souvenir to pass up. He can sit with the Washington D.C. exclusive and they will be the best of friends.

December 1, 2005
Honolulu and Pearl Harbor

Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

Our trip left at seven-thirty for a short drive to Pearl Harbor. We have learned a lot about dissonant heritage and dark tourism in our anthropology course and thinking back Megan and I have avoided contact with any such permutation – Cu Chi Tunnels, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, the War Remnants Museums in Vietnam, and Hiroshima in Japan. Somehow it seems different on US soil. Even the fact that this is the United States of America seems mind boggling because it is so much like a tropical paradise.

The Arizona Memorial stood like a white bridge in the middle of the harbor stark against the blue Hawaiian sky. We leaned over the rail to see the gun turrets covered in algae and coral, little sergeant major fish the only officers still roaming the ship. It is so hard to imagine how this happened, and even more shocking that many of the ships were recovered. As we left the memorial black oil bubbled at the surface. We are told that the Arizona still leaks over two quarts of oil a day and that it cannot be pumped without the risk of igniting the fuel. It seems even more real standing in the white memorial with the names etched on the walls that over one thousand men were entombed aboard the vessel. I read the back of my ticket, each detailing an officer lost during the battle. Mine came from the USS Utah, the first ship hit by the Japanese, and Megan’s from the USS Enterprise.

Megan writes, “We departed early for Pearl Harbor, our tour bus of thirty-four reminding me of the same group from Kobe to Kyoto on the eight-hour nightmare. Mostly adults, it was nice to spend time with so many of them, Betty and Bob included. At Pearl Harbor we waited patiently for our number to be called so the ferry could transport us to the memorial.

A video was viewed and after leisurely walking around the complex and peeking into the gift shop we departed for the site. Groups only receive fifteen minutes on the platform and nothing, not one bag, can be brought into the area. With camera in hand, bags left on the bus, we strolled silently across the white platform, looking into the blue water to see the hull of the Arizona covered in barnacles and surrounded by sergeant majors. It was so amazing to look right into the water, the shallow harbor a perfect resting place for the ship. Black dots of oil and large swirls of rainbow slick surrounded the vessel still oozing more than two quarts of the liquid a day. And while they have attempted to remove the oil products from within the hull, it is merely too dangerous to do so as the diesel could explode with one small ignition.”

Afterwards we drove around the city to see some of the Polynesian palaces, though it was disappointing to remain on the bus as we drove past, even at the national cemetery for those lost during the war.

Upon our return to the pier, we left with Jen to purchase some souvenirs, though we were unable to return to the ukulele store. I really wish that we had gotten dad one, especially since he did not get an Afri-can or a drum, and no shrunken heads either. Okay, so that was never an option. We had lunch at a fancy little restaurant outside with pineapples carved on the chairs and table legs. Megan and I ordered a barbeque honey chicken salad with brown sugar walnuts. Fantastic! Later we did a little more shopping and returned to the ship to change for dinner. Once again we disembarked with Jen for dinner, a quick stop for leis to wear on our night out, and we found ourselves eating bruschetta, Hawaiian pizza (the authentic kind) and key lime cheesecake. Oh, it was so good. Then it was back to the ship around nine o’clock and watching as we pulled away for our final five-day trek to Sand Diego at ten thirty.

Excerpt from Megan’s Journal:

Several of the survivors have been added back into the innards of the vessel since their death, deciding to join their fallen comrades. This process surprised me but nevertheless I was touched by the friendship and devotion they have for each other.

After Pearl Harbor we visited Peach bowl Cemetery, unable to step off the bus onto to lush green lawn. Then it was onto King Thibaw’s Palace for a photo stop and back to the ship by one o’clock.

Heather and I, along with Jen, a student much like us, went to lunch on the pier, the restaurant decorated for the holidays. Heather and I ordered chicken salad, a mix between a green leafy salad and the mayonnaise blend of chicken salad. Augmenting the sweet flavor of the chicken were red peppers and brown-sugar roasted nuts.

Our meal was followed by shopping, some T-shirts and leis and back on the ship for an hour or so. We decided to meet Jen again for dinner, heading for the “Du-Claw” equivalent. The three of us decked in our leis soon found this restaurant had become ideal for many other SASers already seated in large groups. We opted for a quiet table overlooking the waterfront, sharing bruschetta, Hawaiian pizza, and a key-lime cheesecake for dessert. The key-lime cheesecake was awesome.

The three of us walked around a bit more after our meal, taking a photo with a hula statue, even pretending to mimic her choreography in a pose of our own. We attempted to stop at the music store, hoping to inquire about a ukulele for Dad, unfortunately we never made it to the shop as we leisurely strolled through the complex admiring Christmas decorations and the feel of the islands kissing our skin. Somewhat disappointed we boarded the ship, swiping our card one last time in the machine. I headed to deck 7 just in time to capture the horn on video from my digital camera, a task Heather has endeavored for some time to obtain. Of course, we would always be unprepared for its signal and this last horn from Hawaii will be a perfect memory.”

December 2-4, 2005
No Finals and Packing
Excerpt from Heather’s Journal:

As I have already explained we have absolutely no finals, so we have slowly begun the process of packing, and writing on deck six in the warm sun. Basically we have a five-day vacation before we arrive and we definitely deserve it.

Packing is going very well, though we are waiting for a few things to dry before we can add them to the piles of folded clothes. We had our last laundry day and sent everything we had worn, even some of the t-shirts that we had bought in port and decided to wear on the ship. Crossing our fingers that everything would come back undamaged, we were greeted with the largest stack of hangers and every single item pressed to perfection, not one wrinkle, stain, bleached spot, or run in colors. What a relief. I have no idea what to wear on our arrival. I am debating between a red Semester at Sea t-shirt, easy to see, or perhaps a bright pink “I Climbed the Great Wall” t-shirt. Oh well, not to worry. I will figure it out. We plan on attaching letters to our red Maryland Terp towel, probably H & M so that it will be easy to spot us anyway.

Megan writes, “As we have prepared optional papers instead of finals, the Study Day was spent journaling, organizing some photos and beginning to pack. We loose two more hours before San Diego and it is such a relief to be finished, finished, finished, with classes. How many students at home can say they have completed a semester? Now before you accuse us of a pleasure cruise, remember BABs and our everyday at sea classes.

On the 4th we will eat dinner with Professor Smyth and his wife. He requested a meal with the two of us and it will be lovely to sit and chat, especially since classes are over. At a home campus this might feel awkward, but the community aboard the MV Explorer goes so far beyond the teacher-student relationship. You see each other on good days, bad days, during adventures into foreign countries, and wearing bikinis on a catamaran on Ille. Mauritius.”

Professor Smyth has asked us to join him and his wife for dinner, an odd request if we were on a land based campus, but certainly not unusual here. It should be fun. Tomorrow we will swap pictures with Betty and Bob and we will have one more family dinner before the end. That’s all for now considering we are all caught up. We will continue to post small portions of new information, though are biggest fans will be flying down on the sixth.

Megan writes, “Tomorrow we will get together with Betty and Bob for a photo swap, we promised to bring a photo of Mom and Dad so they can be on the look out for them at them at the pier. Perhaps we will also play our cruise video from January. There will also be one more family dinner before our arrival in San Diego. I hope to finish most of the packing today and then be able to work on organizing the photos a little more. Japan has not been labeled entirely and Hawaii not even downloaded. Some of the editing has begun and we are entirely finished with Venezuela, Brazil and nearly South Africa and Mauritius. I suppose this task will take some time once we return home but I would love to have it nearly ready for those anxious to see the photos.

Counting down the hours…”

See ya soon!