The High Seas

August 29, 2010

Hi Everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to add a new post… I’m only allotted 120 minutes of internet for the entire voyage and blogspot is not necessarily one of the free sites offered.  Plus the past days have been so hectic that I didn’t even start journaling until today.  I have an international plan on my cell phone which gives me free internet access on my phone, email, and BBM but it doesn’t work too well in the middle of the ocean… The best way to reach me is through my SAS email account: apmathies@semesteratsea.net  Although I’m not always at my computer, it is another good way to get in contact with me if you would like ☺  

Anyways back to my adventure.  The last two days are almost a blur, consisting of a lot of meetings and getting to know people.  There are 608 students and almost 60 of those students are from USD! So I never feel too lonely.  The seas are starting to get rough, but I haven’t felt seasick yet (knock on wood!) and we’re supposed to hit a hurricane either Monday or Tuesday.  Other than that it has been great!  During our orientation the other day Archbishop Tutu came and spoke to us for a few moments.  He was amazing.  His energy is contagious and his views of us students on the voyage honestly brought tears to my eyes.  He is so optimistic and knows that each one of us can make a difference and will make a difference in this world.  I am so thankful to have him on this voyage and cannot wait to have the opportunity to sit down with him (my first goal is to finish his book Made for Goodness before speaking with him).

On another note, I had my first two classes today and each professor was very interesting.  It’s funny since most students on this voyage are not used to how small the class sizes are but I am so lucky they are similar to my school with about 30 students in each class! It makes it so much easier for me to learn.  My first class was Global Environmental Politics (aka The End of the World) where we will discuss issues such as sustainability, global warming, famine, and poverty.  The professor, Dr. Zachary Smith, used to do consulting work with the United Nations and also held discussions with the government of the Soviet Union about environmental issues before the fall of the Iron Curtain.  Pretty interesting.  My second class was Global Studies, a course everyone on the ship has to take.  It is very similar to an Introduction in Political Science course, making it both interesting and a little easier for me.  Last but not least, I’m signing up with a friend of mine to teach a Yoga Flow class on the ship! I practiced yoga a lot over the summer so hopefully with both of our knowledge we can make the class work out.  The hardest part is how much the ship moves around… so we will see how it goes ☺

Peace and Love,
Amanda

Pre Voyage Thoughts

August 25, 2010

I can’t believe its finally happening.  Ninety days traveling around the world at the age of 20, it seems absolutely surreal, am I right?  I first heard about this trip in Junior High from my parents, talking about all the amazing study abroad options colleges have to offer.  That day I learned about Semester at Sea I knew I had to go.  Now, after years of waiting, it is here.  I spent my entire day yesterday running last minute errands and finally around 9 o’clock I decided to pack.  Needless to say life has been quite chaotic the past few days.   Packing my life away for the next 3 and a half months was a little difficult for the indecisive Mathies that I am.  But now my journey begins. 

I have traveled many times in my life, going to what I believe are exotic places, however, I have never been close to any of the countries I will be visiting in the next few months.  I can’t help but scream with excitement in my head; I AM LITERALLY TRAVELING AROUND THE WORLD!  But with that said I’m still not sure what to expect.  Studying abroad in Jamaica last summer allowed me to see life very differently.  Everything about Jamaica was different and I loved it.  The simplicity, the lack of time, the respect, the happiness, all truly affected me and I am so happy that I was able to experience it.  Jamaica opened my eyes to life in a small place as described in Jamaica Kincaid’s book, A Small Place.  It is a place that has been through colonization and then left on its own.  A place that has been through more tragedies than I can even fathom.  A place where towns that have been affected by natural disasters are yet to be repaired, even though it has been over fifty years.  People come to this place to experience their dream vacation in paradise, yet many who actually live in this place are just trying to survive in their own backyard.  Jamaica is a small place very similar to Kincaid’s Antigua, and I have learned to acknowledge these facts and use them in understanding the people and area I am traveling in.

Many of the countries I will be going to are going to have these ‘characteristics’ of a small place but I am ready.  I’m not sure, necessarily, how prepared I am or what really to expect, but I could not be more excited.  Like I said, this is absolutely surreal, but it’s happening and I cannot wait. 

Staying in Touch

Sending Mail to the Ship

Important Reminder: Mail to those aboard ship should be addressed as follows:

MV-Explorer - Fall 2010 Voyage
ATTN: Name of Recipient 
Port Agent Address (from list below)


Currently the U.S. Post Office recommends sending international mail at least two weeks in advance. Please keep in mind that mail service in other countries may vary. Letters should be sent Airmail only. Please do not send any mail to the Institute for Shipboard Education or to the University of Virginia to be forwarded. Do not enclose currency in the mail.

Please do not send packages to the ship - Excessive duty is charged in some countries. In many instances, packages are not delivered to the ship. Packages may be held in customs, or at a local post office, and the recipient aboard ship is never notified. If you send packages, you do so at your own risk.

Please note: The agents listed below are not contracted by the Institute for Shipboard Education, but by the ship's management company. Therefore, the Institute cannot assume liability for the actions, or lack thereof, taken by those listed below regarding receipt and delivery of mail and faxes.

When sending mail please mark "MV Explorer - Fall 2010 Voyage" on the first line and "Attn: Participant's Name" on the second line. The Port Agent's Address (from the list below) should be written on the subsequent lines.

PORT	ADDRESS OF PORT AGENT	SUGGESTED AIRMAIL DATE
Cadiz, SPAIN  Phone: 34 956 276 112 Fax: 34 956 276 766	Perez Y CIA S.L.  C/ Ecuador, 2 11007 Cadiz, SPAIN	August 21
Casablanca, MOROCCO  Phone: 212 61 29 8894  Fax: 212 22 48 4793	LASRY MAROC S.A.  30 Avenue des Far  20000 Casablanca, MAROC	August 27
Takoradi, GHANA  Phone: 233 22 300 894 / 5 Fax: 233 22 202 989	HULL BLYTH Seatec House / PO Box CO 214 Akosombo Road TEMA, GHANA	September 8
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA  Phone: 27 21 419 8660 Fax: 27 21 413 0290	JOHN T. RENNIE & SONS 19th FLOOR No.1 Thibault Square 8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA	September 20
Port Louis, MAURITIUS  Phone: 230 202 7399 Fax: 230 208 5814	Ireland Blyth Limited Shipping Operations Department No 8 Dr Ferriere Street Port Louis, MAURITIUS	Sept 30
Chennai, INDIA  Phone: 91 44 252 12032  Fax: 91 44 252 43813	J.M. BAXI & CO 3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex  4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai  Chennai 600 001, INDIA	October 8
Singapore, SINGAPORE  Phone: 65 6885 0510  Fax: 65 6272 3850	SINGAPORE V.SHIPS HANSEN                         10 Hoe Chiang Road # 24-01  Keppel Towers  Singapore 089315, SINGAPORE	October 18
Ho Chi Minh City, VIET NAM  Phone: 84 8 6261 9602 Fax: 84 8 6261 9603	HO CHI MINH CITY CONTINENTAL CO LTD                 55 Le Quoc Hung street Ward 12, District 4      HOCHIMINH CITY, VIET NAM	October 20
HONG KONG CHINA Phone: 852 2786 1155  Fax: 852 2744 3240	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES (HK) Ltd.  Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor Nº 3 Lockhart Road  Wanchai, Hong Kong - CHINA	October 28
Shanghai, CHINA  Phone: 86 21 6323 1350  Fax: 86 21 6329 1519	PENAVICO SHANGHAI  3/F 13 Zhong Shan Road (E 1)  Shanghai 200002, P.R. CHINA	November 1
Kobe, JAPAN  Phone: 81 78 391 3046  Fax: 81 78 391 3105	KOBE INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES   Kenryu Bldg, Room 502 6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku                                  KOBE 650-0024, JAPAN	November 5
Yokohama, JAPAN  Phone: 81 45 201 6991  Fax: 81 45 212 1614	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES 2F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg  36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-005, JAPAN	November 8
Honolulu, HAWAII  Phone: 1 808 599 8604  Fax: 1 808 599 1950	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES 521 Ala Moana Blvd Suite 256  Honolulu, HI 96813	November 19
Hilo, HAWAII  Phone: 1 808 599 8604  Fax: 1 808 599 1950	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES 521 Ala Moana Blvd Suite 256  Honolulu, HI 96813	November 22

Time Aboard Ship

Based on Eastern Standard Time - the time on the ship is ahead EDT by the number of hours listed below:

• Spain(+6 hours)
• Morocco (+4 hours)
• Ghana (+4 hours)
• South Africa (+6 hours)
• Mauritius (+8 hours)
• India (+9.5 hours)
• Singapore (+12 hours)
• Viet Nam (+11 hours)
• Hong Kong (+13 hours)
• China (+13 hours)
• Japan (+14 hours)
• Hawaii (-5 hours)

Fall 2010 Itinerary/Calendar

Destination	Arrive Depart	Day	Date	Time
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada	Depart	Friday	August 27	1700
Cadiz, Spain	Arrive Depart	Saturday Wednesday	September 4 September 8	0800 2000
Casablanca, Morocco	Arrive Depart	Friday Tuesday	September 10 September 14	0800 2000
Takoradi , Ghana	Arrive Depart	Wednesday Saturday	September 22 September 25	0800 2000
Cape Town, South Africa	Arrive Depart	Sunday Friday	October 3 October 8	0800 2000
Port Louis, Mauritius	Arrive Depart	Thursday Friday	October 14 October 15	0800 2000
Chennai, India	Arrive Depart	Friday Wednesday	October 22 October 27	0800 2000
Singapore	Arrive Depart	Sunday Monday	October 31 November 1	TBD TBD
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam	Arrive Depart	Wednesday Monday	November 03 November 08	0800 0600
Hong Kong / Shanghai, China	Arrive Depart	Thursday Tuesday	November 11 November 16	0800 2000
Kobe / Yokohama, Japan	Arrive Depart	Friday Tuesday	November 19 November 23	0800 2100
	(Cross International dateline, add one day)
Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii, USA	Arrive Depart	Friday Monday	December 3 December 6	0600 2000
San Diego, California, USA	Arrive	Monday	December 13	0800