Semester at Sea - Spring 2007 (Alex Song)

I’ll be leaving for the airport in about 52 hours and just started packing. It’s amazing how much room a few days worth of clothing takes up…my suitcase is at capacity from clothes alone, not counting the 6 pairs of shoes (casual, boots, flip-flops, water boots, dress, slippers) that I’ll end up cramming into my luggage. Damn…I was hoping to leave some extra room for souvenirs. One can only hope that I’ll end up throwing away most of my clothes; From what I hear, India is pretty dirty and a lot of people end up throwing their shoes and clothing away afterwards.

Oh well…time to go turn in my last timesheet and check the pawn shops for a GPS receiver and wideangle lens.

Well, I’m officially in debt upto my eyeballs! I’d rather not disclose the amount, but let’s just say it’s been decided for me that I’ll spend a year working full time in order to pay this off. I’m planning on making this a lot quicker by switching to a higher paying job upon my return. I’d like to work in the IT industry, perhaps as a technician or a network/server admin. Even the most basic of techs make more than I do right now. I’d also like to get a crack at loss prevention - specifically for Macy’s or Nordstroms (I would LOVE the employee discount, not to mention writing reports all day and making arrests).

In any case, I guess it’s counterproductive to start planning my return already, when there’s other things to do. What I should be thinking about is how to utilize all the cool camera gear I just got. I went all out - Nikon D80, Manfrotto tripod, Hoya filters, Lowepro waterproof backpack - the works. I am definitely going to remember this trip for the rest of my life.

Anyways, now I’m broke and in debt - typical college student. Worth it? Hell yes!

Finally had a moment to install the blog. Here we go..

There’s now only 22 days left until I leave Seattle, my home for the past 7 continuous years. I’m constantly keeping upto date with the rest of the SASers through Facebook and MSN Group, looking for indy (independently planned trip as opposed to school organized) trips to join, getting packing advice from alumni, and just generally getting to know one another in advance.

I’m nervous as hell right now. There are so many forms to fill out, so many things to buy, so many things to do before I leave. I keep wondering if I’ve forgotten something, anything. This upcoming 3 1/2 month trip is the journey of a lifetime. Although it is impossible, I want everything to be perfect - it needs to be perfect to balance my life.

I’m a man of extremes, with anything I do, I strive to exceed normalcy. During much of the year, I work 50-60 hours a week between 2-3 jobs while taking a full courseload. During work, I work at an increased pace for the duration of my shift, choosing to take my lawful breaks in one big clump at the end. When I goto the gym, I complete the regimen set by my trainer and usually double that. Semester at Sea is my final break until I hit the biggest challenge of my life: 2 bachelors degrees, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate. This, of course, is intermixed with jobs, internships, and a career immediately upon graduation. For a guy that isn’t completely sure what he wants to do with his life, this is a lot. You might be able to see why I need as much relaxation as I can get from this trip.

Damn I can’t wait.