Life at sea, take two

So I wrote one of these earlier today, but the free e-mail ate it and didn’t even leave any crumbs behind, so I’m giving it another shot. This time, however, I’m being smart and typing it in Word first.

Semester at Sea has officially begun! Orientation is over (and boy am I glad! It was so boring and most of it I already knew... although no one else seemed to know it all - I guess I over-researched just a bit) and classes have begun. The ones I had today seem good - World Lit is like the other two I’ve taken, although I won’t have any SparkNotes to help me out, and Zen Buddhism is like Barney McGrane take two, although a little less spaced out (I think he just did a few less drugs than Barney). Global Studies, however, is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Half the students are in the class together - there are 672 students on this voyage. Yeahhhhh, my largest class to date has probably been 30 students at most. We’ll see. Tomorrow I have the class I’m most excited for, Travel Writing; I’ve already had the teacher for World Lit though.

We spent most of today bunkered in Puerto Rico - I don’t know if there’s a difference between bunkering and docking, someone let me know! Anyways, we couldn’t get off because of classes and how short of a stop it was which was lame, but I got to watch us pull in past Old Town San Juan as I was eating breakfast on the deck. Too cool. And since it is US territory, I got to make some phone calls home. It hasn’t been long at all, but it was already nice to hear familiar voices and talk instead of e-mailing. It was also nice because it meant the first day of classes was free of motion (although there were lots of test safety alarms that interrupted). And after last night, it was much needed. I can’t even begin to explain how much we were rocking. It was incredible and nauseating, but Dramamine helped. Those darned pressure point armbands didn’t, though! They were so tight that I still have marks on my wrists from them, and I took them off this morning. I actually think it might have bruised. I don’t care if they do help, I’m not putting them back on.

The ship is fabulous. A little less over-the-top than your typical passenger cruise ship, but still elegant. Another difference is the cafeteria style dining rooms and classrooms. But the service is equal. We get brought drinks and have our plates cleared for us; our room steward, Jesse, makes our beds and cleans our room every day. It’s a little strange to be waited on when you’re in school, but they’re so nice you feel like you’re insulting them if you don’t let them do their job.

Just as a reminder, my free e-mail is MAHelme@semesteratsea.net; it seems to come in on the hour, which is really nice. I’ve already signed up for NYTimes headline updates (I’m still in shock from McCain’s VP pick - by the way, the ship is arranging to have the debates recorded and sent to us on DVD, which will be so nice). But aside from the national news, I want your news! I don’t want to just talk at you through this blog, I want to talk to you! And you can also feel free to comment on here - I get sent the comments so I can keep up with it.