Sorry that was really lame. So I've been on the ship for approximately 2 days and the ship life is really great. This morning I woke up at 11:40, looked out my window and saw blue, calm sees and Sweden off in the distance.
I had signed up to work out at 12:00 pm so I went off an did that. I got an elliptical by the window and just stared outside the whole time. The gym isn't spectacular but it'll do. Its got spinning bikes, two treadmills, ellipticals and stair masters which are really more than enough. I went out onto the deck after working out and there was a beautiful breeze and the temperature was perfect. I can't wait to get a book and just chill out outside.
The ship is really just like a tiny little campus. We have a computer lab, library, dining halls, gym, bookstore, classrooms and a lecture hall as well as the clinic. You walk upstairs and are in the main part of the ship and walking around you see people you know everywhere (and that's saying something about the size of the ship considering I know like 10 people) and soon after I meet my professors I'm sure I will be seeing them around too.
Email has been a pain in the ass but honestly by complaining about it I know I sound like an ass because I'm here. On a ship. Traveling the world and all. (Love ya mom and dad). I do love to hear from you guys so please email me at maren.douglas.fa13@semesteratsea.org and if you have any tips for me for Russia they would be greatly appreciated!
I have mostly been working out and eating and hanging out in my room trying to get settled, I need to make an effort to get out there and meet more people.
We have a cabin steward who makes our bed and cleans our cabins every other day, I think his name is Ray and I've yet to meet him. Every person on the staff or crew is amazingly nice. They clear your plates for you and everything and one guy even took my water bottle and filled it for me.
Looking out of my window hasn't gotten old yet and I don't think it will.
Communication on the ship is interesting. Say you meet someone and you want to hang out with them later. Well you can either try and remember their cabin number and call them or try and spell their name correctly to email them. Hit or miss kind of thing. You really end up just seeing them around the ship.
I just finished with my first class, popular music, and I can see why you really leave this boat a global citizen. The classes are fully integrated with all of our ports. We learn popular music and we learn specifically the music in each port. This class particularly focuses on the cultural aspects of music and how people identify with music and the role it plays in each port included with its history. The class seems very cool overall and I am looking forward to it.
We had a mandatory lecture to attend at 19:00 and in the middle of it the captain announces that we are about to pass underneath the Øresund Bridge, the bridge that connects Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmö, Sweden. It's 5 miles long and really really pretty. So we all run out to the deck to see it and it's just freezing outside, I have jean shorts on but I didn't even care. I got some really great pictures I will post eventually but can't right now. As we were passing underneath the bridge the captain sounds the horn and I just thought it was a great moment, a special one so far.
I am back in my cabin now researching St. Petersburg and maybe starting some homework (maybe). Tonight is the first night with "beverage service" so everyone is doing that. They monitor what we drink, we can get two with dinner, three after and we have to buy a punch card ahead of time. I forgot to by my ticket by five, so no drinks for me.
It is kind of a teaser to be passing by Denmark and Sweden and not get to stop! It just makes me more excited to get to Russia.
Its 9 pm here and still light outside, which is weird but it's so pretty.
Didn't do much yesterday, I slept until 3pm, skipped most of orientation but met some people at dinner and just unpacked and all that jazz. The food is actually good in my opinion, some sort of white fish, salad bar, always veggies, pasta potatoes.. It is pretty standard but I like it.
That's all I have for you today, keep emailing me, commenting, I love it.
TTFN
No comments:
Post a Comment