Semester at Sea – Spring 2007 (Alex Song) On a ship, traveling around the world, at 20 miles an hour

Apparently there was a security vulnerability present on the software I had running to host my pictures. Until I can get that resolved, I’ve had to disable the software to prevent further attacks from being launched from my server. I’ll see if I can find another place to host my pictures.

In other news, ship life has started to become reality, and much more bearable. I’ve gotten over my illness and I’m keeping busy with all the extra-curiccular activities I’ve signed up for (such as Vicarious Voyage, where we exchange letters with a K-12 classroom in the USA…I got a 1st grade classroom in Mass.) as well as all the readings and homework. I’ve also realized that the lulls between Puerto Rico/Brazil and Brazil/South Africa are the two longest on the entire voyage…after South Africa, we won’t go more then 4 days without hitting the next port. That’s keeping me happy. Plus, I still have my 21st birthday to look forward to in a little over a month, but it’s not such a big deal anymore, being on this trip. I can drink in any of our port countries, and I’m not allowed to carry a firearm onboard anyways, so the 21 bonus isn’t much of one. For me, it means ice cream cake and cookies onboard.

We’ve been skirting the coast of Brazil for the past couple of days, according to our in-room real-time map, but we haven’t been able to see any actual land itself. The only clue that we’re near land are the birds that have started flying alongside the ship. I’ve been tracking the ship’s movement through some mapping software and it seems we passed the city of Recife sometime yesterday. I don’t know much about it other than the fact that my software says it’s a major city (population over a million) and that we didn’t pass close enough to get cell phone coverage. The thing I know for sure is that we’ve halved our speed down to 10 knots, meaning we’re on schedule and very close to port.

Last night, as I was “retarding” (that’s how The Voice stated it) my clock back one hour, I realized that at exactly the same time I wake up on the ship (0700) is exactly the same time I’d be going to bed at home (0200). I also can’t wait to talk to my mom. Only two weeks into the voyage and I’ve changed that much already. Wonder what I’ll be like by the time we hit San Diego.

Oh yeah, this is also my first time in the southern hemisphere.

Things I miss:

• being able to get a meal anytime I want
• late classes
• being able to leave voicemails and text messages
• being able to find/contact people easily (via cell phone)
• TV
• friends/family
• hard alcohol (the ship only serves domestic beer and wine)
• a fast internet connection
• not being sick
• my bed and pillows
• driving my car

Hard to believe I’m actually counting down the days until I get home. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was counting down the days until SAS and all the countries I’d be visiting…now that I’m here, I just wanna be home. Just gotta tell myself it’s just a bit longer than a quarter at BCC..

I’ll happily take your long emails and requests for phone calls.

Even with my classes, clubs, and other extra-cirricular activities I’ve tried to busy myself with, it still seems like I have so free much time and seems like I don’t know anyone to share it with. The “stoplight dance” is tomorrow (to celebrate Singles Awareness Day) and I don’t really feel like participating. It seems like it takes so much energy to be social on the ship that I find it easier to stay busy being alone….weird, eh? Of course, this may be just because I’m sick.

I’ve been on the ship for almost 24 hours now. It’s been okay, I suppose. Either it still hasn’t “hit” me yet, or I’ve truly lost my sense of enthusiasm, but I’m not like “weee I’m here!”.

My cabin is located on the 2nd floor, the lowest ones available for students. It’s also located towards the aft. According to my roommate Dave, it’s the best place to be to minimize the feel of the rocking motions of the ship (which I’m getting used to…by walking into things). Unfortunately for me, it’s the furthest from the ship’s services/classrooms/people I know (we’ll get to this soon), and it’s towards the end of a dead end hallway.

I also can’t remember anyone’s names. I’ve probably shaken hands with a couple hundred students already, but unless they have a noticable physical attribute or were from the Facebook group, there’s no way I’m going to remember them. It kinda sucks when people are like, “Hey Alex,” and I can only respond, “Hey…….you.” Classes start tomorrow and I start my field excursions on Wednesday when we dock in San Juan, Puerto Rico, so I’ll start to know at least those people.

Pictures to come when I get a fast, stable internet connection. I have limited internet minutes onboard and the satellite connection is unbearably slow. I’ve also lost the USB cable for my dSLR, hopefully I’ll be able to pick one up in Puerto Rico.

My family used to travel around a lot when I was a kid. While I was in second grade, we lived in Boca Raton, where I first experienced temperatures in the triple digits, and where I first started getting lazy cause it was “too hot to do anything”. I woke up a few minutes ago, turned off my room’s air conditioner, and stepped out onto my porch.

Whoa! It’s hot and sticky, and there’s ants all over the floor – just like Boca. I’m suddenly flooded with images of my Dad and I fishing on West Palm Beach, us kids stirring up a bee’s nest next to the playground at school…and just how damn hot it is. Today’s outfit: t-shirt, shorts, and flipflops. At 10 in the morning. Outside.

So last night I paid $12 for a burger and $11 for a long island made by a bartender that looked exactly like 50 Cent. Tourist traps man…. Connected to my hotel lobby is a small little mall with upscale shops like Gucci, Cartier, and Versace. I can’t imagine who who want to shop during their stay here – there’s too much to do! Right now, I’m having a hard time deciding my first activity of the day: breakfast, the Mayan Temple water slides (there’s one with a 60 foot drop with a tunnel that passes you through a shark-filled lagoon), lazy river ride (ride an inner tube down a relaxing current), or “The Dig” exhibit. Actually, now, after reading LeeAnne’s blog, I want to go snorkeling.

Should I bother showering, knowing that I’m going to start sweating as soon as I step out of the hotel?

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!

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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.