The next day, Thursday, January 9th, 2014, was full of Faculty and Staff orientation meetings. Unlike Gary, who was faculty, I had no responsibilities. The ship was hosting a TEDx event in the afternoon at 1pm and then a Parent Reception later that night at 7pm. I began to get familiar with the ship.
 |
| Glazer Lounge on Deck 7 where faculty, staff, families and Life Long Learners have a quiet place to work |
 |
| View from Deck 5 Balcony - Port of San Diego |
The thought of "sailing off" to Ensenada, Mexico that night was exciting. But I was also dreading how my body might react to the rolling and pitching of the ship. Gary, a two time veteran of Semester At Sea, expected to experience sea sickness during the first few days. As someone who gets car sick on Highway 17, I had absolutely no doubt that I would be miserable without some assistance. So I had prescription patches. I had ginger tablets. I was prepared! The instructions on the patch said "don't cut", but the ship's doctor said "definitely do cut in half or even quarters" especially if you are not a 200 pound 6 feet tall man. Luckily, we left at 11pm, and apparently, when lying down, the effects aren't too bad at all.
 |
| View from Deck 5 Balcony - Morning in Ensenada, Mexico |
 |
| View from Deck 7 - Morning in Ensenada, Mexico |
 |
| View from Deck 7 - Morning in Ensenada, Mexico |
We woke to a different landscape - Ensenada, Mexico - industrial, quiet. All anticipation was for the 600 additional passengers - undergraduates and Life Long Learners - who would board the ship that morning. While I was in our cabin with the sliding glass door to the balcony open, I thought I heard Gary's voice. Looking out, there he was, in the midst of the boarding line, welcoming and chatting with every single student and Life Long Learner. I got out my telephoto lens...
 |
| The excitement of the new passengers ready to start an the voyage was infectious |
 |
| The Pilot Ship accompanies us out of the Dock |
After dinner that evening, in the twilight, we set off for Hawaii. It was Friday, January 10th, 2014. The crossing would take us a week. We would dock in Hilo, Hawaii at 8am, Friday, January 17, 2014.
The adventure was just beginning...
No comments:
Post a Comment