January 15, 2011
Greetings from the Caribbean! I’ve spent the past 4 days on a ship! Everything’s pretty exciting. You even have to relearn how to walk! I thought I was getting used to the ship’s rocking last night but then I realized we had stopped for fuel. We were in San Juan but not allowed to leave the ship. I’m staying in a deck four cabin near the back (aft) of the ship on the starboard side (I think). It’s pretty small but since I couldn’t pack much to start with there is plenty of storage space. The view is gorgeous.
I’ve learned to use sunscreen for sure. Got a little pink the first day I tried to lay out by the pool. There are a few lobsters walking around. Kinda funny.
We’ve had two class days so far. One A day and one B day. They alternate every day while we’re at sea so we have classes even on weekends but no class at all while we’re in port. I’m taking Global Studies, Travel Writing, Global Ethics, Human Impacts on Coastal Systems, and Foreign Approaches. Global studies is required by everyone on the ship. It’s going to be a lot of work sadly but probably useful in preparing us for all of the countries we’re going to. Travel writing shouldn’t be terribly hard but I think it will definitely help to improve my writing (as you can see I need). Global Ethics is going to be really fun. The Coastal systems class covers a lot of topics I’m already familiar with from my previous environmental studies and marine science classes but the new perspectives and field experiences should be really useful. In foreign approaches we get to read a lot of novels set in the countries we’re visiting or written by natives of the country or sometimes visitors. PF Kluge is my professor for both English classes. He’s the writer in residence at Kenyon College and quite a character.
Tomorrow morning we arrive in Dominica, our first port of call. Very excited, even though I have no plans for the first day there.
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