I just uploaded 2 pictures to my facebook (practically used all of my internet time) so go and look at them! I can't put any on my blog until I get to port, but there are plenty to come. I wrote a VERY long blog post yesterday and the internet shut down and I lost everything I wrote, so I will give more of an update tomorrow after my 2 tests.

Short update:
We are 3 days away from Spain.
We saw land yesterday morning; it was just an island owned by Portugal. First land I have seen in a week!
I have gotten a very nice tan so far.
The food hasn't gotten any better, so I am beyond excited to get off the boat and eat in Spain.
I am loving this trip so far!

xoxo

Day 3

I can already tell that this trip is going to fly by. Its already been three days and I feel like I just got here. I keep thinking about the idea that I am on a ship in the middle of the ocean, literally, the middle. So crazy to really think about. After class yesterday, I went and laid out on the deck and was just amazed at how beautiful the ocean is. The closest land is hundreds of miles away, and it feels like you could look forever and only see the ocean. Pretty amazing! Its going to be hard coming home to Waco, Texas after living on a boat sailing on the ocean for 2 months. Sorry to say Texas, but I don't miss you one bit right now!

Here is what my days are looking like while I am on the boat:

7:00 am-wake up and get ready for class
7:30 am-breakfast
8:00 am-Meditteranean Civilzation course
9:20 am-Global Studies course
10:45 am-Controversial Issues in Psychology course
12:00 pm-lunch
1:00 pm-work out
1:45 pm-lay out/swim/socialize on the deck (homework?)
5:30 pm-dinner
Nightime-homework/meet people/hang out/games/etc.

So as you can see, my mornings are pretty busy, but the rest of my day is free to relax and enjoy having nothing to worry about except my three classes. I really odn't think too many things could beat this experience...and I haven't even made it to Europe yet and I'm already saying that!

One negative though...the food! Its not that it tastes awful, its just that we eat basically the same exact thing at every single meal! You will ALWAYS find some sort of potatos, whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner. Then there is always rice and salad. Usually decent tasting bread. And lastly, some strange looking meat. So far, I have basically been a vegetarian because the meat is just not too appealing! By the time we get to port I'm probably going to be starving. I can't wait to try all ot the food in each country, its going to be wonderful!

I must say, I am pleasantly suprised at how well these sea sick patches work. I have felt a little dizzy a few times, but haven't gotten motion sickness at all! And let me tell you, this boat is VERY rocky. Walking down the halls can often be a challenge and everyoen is always grabbing only the rails. If you don't, you look like you can't walk straight much like someone who has had to much to drink! Its actually pretty funny watching everyone walk around that way. I've been told when I get off the boat I am going to feel really weird and walk funny since I have been on the ship for so long!

Whoever is following this blog, please email me! I'd love to hear from my friends and family at home. I posted my email a few days ago but I'll tell you again, its: ancrowder@semesteratsea.net

I hope to hear from some of you soon and I will keep this blog updated as best I can. Pictures will be coming in a few weeks, probably when I am in Croatia!

Sending Mail!

If you want to send me anything by mail whle I am gone, follow this link and all the directions are on the website.

http://www.semesteratsea.org/current-voyage/overview/staying-in-touch.php

Day 2

Good morning from somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! I just finished eating breakfast and am now just waiting for orientation to begin. We have an all day orientation to learn everything about the boat, the program, rules, and all that fun stuff. Hopefully its more fun than it sounds.

 

Classes begin tomorrow so I am excited to meet my professors and see what the classes are going to be like. It looks like all of the classrooms are very small so its going to be a very different experience than taking classes at Baylor! I'm taking three courses: Global Studies, Controversial Issues in Psychology, and History of the Meditteranean. They all should be really interesting classes!

 

I am a little sea sick right now. The boat rocks A LOT and I feel like I am going to fall over a lot of the time when I am walking. I have sea sick patches that I'm using that are definitely helping but I can't help but feel a little queasy when the boat hits rough patches. My room is at the very very front of the boat so its especially rocky in there. Fortunately, I don't spend much time in there and I have friends in nicer rooms where I can hang out!

 

Time for me to go to orientation, I will update you all soon!

 

 

 

Day 1

I have finally boarded the MV Explorer, my home for the next two months! The ship is amazing and full of really wonderful staff. My room is...small to say the least, but thats okay, I don't intend on spending much time in it anyway. (I'll post a picture of it later, its definitely not whats in the pictures on the SAS website!) Besides the tiny room though, I am loving being on the boat. We set sail at about 5 pm and will be at sea until June 27th when we arrive in Barcelona, Spain. It was beautiful leaving the port in the Bahamas and everyone was out on the decks taking picutres. Right now we are sailing along at a speed of 21.1 knots (no idea what the means, but I know its pretty fast).

I just got my shipboard email account, so if you would like to email me/me to send you more personal updates, just shoot me an email so I have your address. I'm not really able to access my old account so I have no email addresses except my moms!

My email is: ancrowder@semesteratsea.net

Unfortunately I can't post any pictures until I get into port, but I am taking lots so they will be up soon enough!

And it begins

We are in the Bahamas right now! I am sharing a room with 5 girls and so far we are having a blast. We spent today relaxing on the beach and in the pool at our hotel. The beaches are beautiful here and I'm getting a nice tan (much needed!). The girls in my room and I are all getting ready to go to dinner in a little while at Senor Frogs. There are a ton of SAS students going tonight so I am excited to go and hang out and meet everyone!

Were hoping to have a better dinner experience than we did last night...let me explain. We were flipping through a travel guide book that suggested to go to a restaurant called Twin Brothers. We asked the conceirge about it and they told us we should go and how to get there. After taking a bus to the restaurant, we went inside and asked to sit on the deck. The host led us upstairs to a deck that overlooked the lovely street (actually creepy street) and sat us on the "deck" where we were the only people up there. We started looking at the menu and were excited to try their "famous" daquris, but no one ever came to take our order. About 30 minutes (maybe more) later, we still hadn't been helped, or even seen a single sole who worked at the restaurant. We decided we were tired of waiting so we all went downstairs and asked to be sat at a table down there, where other people were. And once again...nobody ever came to our table! Frusterated, we decided to try the restaurant next door...bad idea. A man at the front of the restaurant led us upstairs to a table on  a deck with 2 other tables with people. We sat down relieved to see servers around. Hoping for a yummy frozen drink, we all wanted to order a daquari. The waitress came to take our order though, and told us they didn't even have them! At this point, we were all frusterated with the Bahamian hospitality and service and decided to leave and go to Atlantis Resort where we would PAY for good service. Finally, we ended up going to a great restaurant and having good food and great drinks AND good service!

Lets hope for a better experience tonight!!

I get on the boat at 8:20 am tomorrow morning and I can't wait to meet my roommate and get settled on the boat. This is definitely going to be an experience of a lifetime.

Miss and love all my family and friends in the U.S.! I'll post my email address on here as soon as I get it tomorrow.

And the packing begins...

Its finally here... I leave for Semester at Sea in 4 days!! Hard to believe its already time to begin this amazing experience. I will be flying out of LAX on the evening of June 14th and arriving in Nassau, The Bahamas the next morning around 9:00 a.m. I will spend two days there staying at the Sheraton with friends, and then board the MV Explorer on June 17th at 8a.m.!  From there, we will set sail for Barcelona, Spain, and be at sea until our arrival in Spain on June 27th. I'll be updating this during that time hopefully, so check back and see whats giong on onboard the boat!