Sarah At Sea

I’m back!

After a harrowing journey, I finally made it to Athens and surprisingly have internet. Spending 2 days in an airport was not ideal, but I am surprisingly awake for 6 in the morning. Lesson learned: never fly internationally out of Sioux City, Iowa. Sadly I decided it would be a good idea to get sick before coming here, and got an eye infection on top of that but hopefully all will clear up and I will be feeling better soon. I am feeling much more homesick than I expected to, and I hope this goes away once we get on the boat. We are leaving Athens on Thursday and will be exploring more parts of the country after that. It is definitely a challenge to get back into the block plan swing of things, and since I missed the first day of class I feel extremely behind. Also, homework? I almost forgot what that looked like. It is also extremely challenging to think clearly with this massive headache! Yikes. I will try and update this more regularly if we have internet connection along the way, because it is a great idea in theory but on SEA it was virtually impossible! I am going to go catch up on some homework, but kalimora (good morning) to everyone!

I am writing this on our second full day in Tahiti, and I am hoping to post it tomorrow if I can find an internet connection. It is Februrary 1, and I am sitting in the library on the boat. I don’t even know where to begin describing the things we have done and seen, but I think the beginning might be the best option. We touched down in Tahiti around 11:11 PM Tahiti time in the midst of a rainstorm, and proceeded to catch a taxi to the boat. Upon arrival we found our bunks, learned how to use the heads, and were told to go to sleep. Of course we were all too tired and hot to climb into our tiny coffins, and we went up on the deck to try and cool down.

·      After a fitful night of sleep, we awoke bright and early for orientations and time to go to the market. I will not bore you with details of the orientation, because I feel as if the stories about sailing and learning the ins and outs of the boat will be much more exciting than hearing about how we have to be careful about finicky toilets and brush our hair on the deck in order to avoid a mess.

·      The market is something that words cannot adequately describe, but I took many pictures of the hustle and bustle that will be posted upon arrival in Hawaii. It is a colorful and vibrant place that is two stories high. Flowers, pearls, jewelry, fish, home-cooked food, clothing, and Monoa oil and just a few of the options available for purchase. All of the vendors were so friendly and talking to them brought up many interesting life stories. The communication barrier is a little tough to get around, but a few people in our group speak French which helps so much. We have been back to the market many times, and I have found something new each time.

o   We start our watch groups tonight, and I am on from 11:00 PM-12:00 AM, which is one of the best shifts. I can still go to sleep at an adequate time. We have woken up at 6:00 AM every morning, but this will soon change when we get into the system of watch schedules. The watch schedules are 7 AM- 1 PM, 1PM – 7 PM, 7 PM- 11 PM, 11 PM – 3 AM, 3 AM -7 AM. It is a  lot to take in, and I am not excited to be woken up at strange hours of the night. Although I have a feeling that night watch is going to be a peaceful time to get some thinking done.

·      There are so many more things that I am forgetting to mention, but my tired mind is at a loss for words. I think I might try and get a little nap in before my watch goes on, but I will try and write more before I post this! If not, so much love to all of you. I’m truly missing everyone so much and would give anything to be able to talk to all of you. XOXO.

I finally got an internet card, and am trying to cram all that that I need to do into an hour. I have been trying to conduct interviews for our research project, and the success has been subpar. I was supposed to have an interview today, so I woke up early and was stood up. We then went on a bus tour of Tahiti which was so unbelievably beautiful. The island itself is wonderful, and all of the people here have been so friendly to us. We went to a church by Teauchpoo (spelling is awful, but it is pronounced CHO-POO). It is a wave that is famous for surfing. We ate a traditional Tahitian meal, which was intimidating but most of it tasted really good. We then jumped into the ocean and swam around. So refreshing and a lovely break from the boat. We went to James Cook’s memorial site, which was also the site of Tahiti’s only lighthouse. It was the place where he came to observe the Transit of Venus, which will be appearing this year unfortunately after we leave.

I’m sorry for the abruptness and the sporadicness of this entry, but I wanted so badly to describe all that we have been doing! The really cool parts will be happening where there is no internet, but I will make sure to write down the best parts. My internet is running out, but I hope you enjoy this and that all is well! So much love!

P.S. Please read the SEA blog, because I doubt I will have any more internet connection after this! Plus, the other kids in my class are much better writers than I am ;)

Today is the day. In less than 24 hours I will be landing in Papeete, Tahiti. We sail on the Robert C. Seamans for 7 weeks to the islands of Nuku Hiva, Kiribati, Tikehau, and lastly Oahu. I will be out of internet and cellular contact most likely the whole time I am gone, so sadly no more riveting blog posts unless I find an internet cafe in port. But luckily, the ship has their own blog, which you can find at this link : http://www.sea.edu/voyages. The correct blog will soon appear and someone from the ship updates it daily on what we are doing. 

Last night we drove to Omaha to settle in before the flight, but I ended up forgetting my computer (along with a few other key items) and dad had to drive all the way back to Sioux City to retrieve it. Little did we know at the time that I had also forgotten my thyroid medication, so I will be faring without it on the boat. I was already feeling extremely unprepared, and this was the frosting on the cake. 

Luggage issues aside, I am also an emotional wreck. I am yo-yoing back and forth between elation and dread, which is a weird feeling to have. I am SO excited to be reunited with all of my group, but am nervous about life aboard the ship, watch groups, and not getting enough sleep. Most of you know that I am a sleeping machine, and 4 hour shifts is going to be a challenge to get used to. I am also nervous about the sea sickness factor. It was something that never crossed my mind until our captain told us that some people NEVER get over their sea sickness. With my luck, that person will be me.

Other than the nerves and excitement at seeing my shipmates, I am also excited to be able to explore a part of the world I have never seen before, in a way that I might never get to experience again. I am extremely pleased with my decision for this abroad program, because it contains elements of adventure, skill learning, academics, and constant movement. Right up my alley. 

I am currently waiting in the Omaha airport for my flight, which will (ideally) take off in 20 minutes. From there I land in Phoenix, Arizona and make my way to Los Angeles, California. The group takes off together from Los Angeles at 4:00, and we land in Tahiti around midnight. Immediately we get ushered to the ship, learn how to use the heads, and crawl into our coffin bunks with our luggage. 

I am going to miss everyone so much, and am sad I did not get to say goodbye to everyone. But I will be back mid-April, and back in internet contact soon. I have to board my flight now, but this is me sending so much love to everyone reading this, and I will see and talk to you all so soon!

BON VOYAGE! Follow along at SEA.EDU! xoxo.

This will be my final post from Woods Hole, as we are packing up the house to leave. I am a little sad to say goodbye to this place but I know that it means we are that much closer to being on the boat.

The last week of class flew by, but we are done with our research which is a huge relief! Last night, to celebrate our last night here, we got together with our class and let off some steam. We ended up walking to the beach, jumping in the (freezing) water, and immediately jumping out. We booked it back home and jumped into a hot shower. So so so much fun, but it definitely ended up being a late night. We woke up this morning to a sandy, muddy, wet house. Well worth it I would say. 

Today is going to be full of traveling, because I have to drive to Boston for a 6:30 flight, and then have a few layovers and end up in Omaha. Dad is picking me up at the airport and I am so excited to see him, mom, and of course our crazy dogs! I should get to vacuuming up some of this sand, but I will write more later about pre-trip jitters and other exciting things like that.

Also—thank you to everyone who reads this and provides feedback! Tammy, the book list you sent me was great and I’m excited to read some of the books! I will most definitely let you know what I think of them! Bon voyage!

I promised myself that I would not let myself have any negative experiences, and therefore that I would not post anything negative but I think that was a little ambitious. We are so close to the end of our shore component and I am wanting to be anywhere but here. We have to comb through the sources that we have been compiling for the last month and write annotations, which would be pretty easy if I had energy. Anytime I start to read a source I fall asleep, and I have developed a semi-cold that I feel getting worse and worse. 

Lack of sleep and lack of privacy are big factors defining the experience right now, and they are only going to be exacerbated on the ship. The weather is just starting to get better, but it was impossible to go outside this weekend and I absolutely can not stand being shut up in a house. I am hoping this feeling goes away, because it is definitely not a pleasant one! But I will be home in four days, and that should make everything better. It is going to be really hard to leave once I am home though :/

Robert C. Seaman’s (our sailing vessel for the next 7 weeks)

Again, it feels as if it has been forever since I have written a post, but this weekend was full of work and catching up on sleep. We had preliminary bibliographies due, and I had my presentation today. Although it was a little awkward, overall it was successful.

I finally went to West Marine and bought a knife with a marlin spike and a foul weather jacket that was not from the Salvation Army. It was on sale, and we got a discount for being SEA Semester students so I was pretty pumped.

The week ahead will be a weird transition from working on shore to working on the boat, with a much different set of resources available to us. I am currently compiling a list of things I am bringing, and I am trying to think of good, stimulating books to read while at sea. Everyone of course mentions Moby Dick, but I am trying to step outside of the Melville box on this one. My dad ordered a few books online, but if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! 

Anyways, we are having a communal dinner tonight within our house, and then dining potluck style tomorrow with all of our professors. In exactly seven days we will probably never eat all together until we get off the boat. It is so weird to think about, but I am really excited! I should get back to reading the sources I have found, but I promise I will be better about updating this within the next week!

It feels like ages since I have updated a post, but in reality it has only been a few days. Time truly does fly here, especially in “fourth week” mode (to adopt a CC phrase). I have a presentation over my project due Monday, along with three preliminary bibliographies. I’ve completed a large portion of them, but I still have many sources to read. I am really good at getting things done last minute, and I believe Sunday will be spent doing much of the work.

Today we had our Captain’s sister, Mary Edwards Bercaw, come to talk to us about Melville. She is a Melville scholar and has devoted her life to studying his work. Part of our reading is Typee, and it was fascinating to listen to her talk about Melville’s life and how his experiences led him to write the book. She is one of many interesting speakers we have had, and SEA semester does a great job of inviting speakers whose life work supplement the course perfectly.

One thing I am really excited for while being on the ship is not having a cell phone or internet connection. I feel as if I am so much more connected to my surroundings and myself when I am truly cut off. Although I will be sad not to write, it will be a great mental break from the world. 

I should get back to my work, but I will surely be updating a lot this weekend (and finally putting pictures up!) in order to further my procrastination!

The motivation to research is slowly dwindling as the exciting prospect of the sea quickly approaches. I am currently in the library, attempting to read the research I have collected, but this is not going as well as I had hoped. Instead of focusing on what I am supposed to be doing on shore, I am googling the places we will be going and thinking about the opportunities we will get to have aboard the boat. Although I know procrastination is bad, my head is so filled with other images that I am finding it difficult to think of anything else.

This past week I have been able to Skype with some of my favorite people, and made me slightly miss home and school. Although I know I made the right choice choosing this program, a small part of me wishes I was at school right now having fun with all of my friends and exploring all that Colorado has to offer. But the procrastination has also given me the ability to think in depth about my summer plans and what I would like them to entail. I have decided that after Greece I want to climb another 14er, disappear into the wilderness for an extended amount of time, go to Israel, ride my bike(s) a ridiculous amount, spend time with my family, and go on an unexpected adventure. I know that these all sound a little ambitious but I think they will be worthwhile and fun.

I should get back to research, but I will write more tomorrow! 

“For whatever we lose, it’s always ourselves we find in the sea” -E. E. Cummings