h a w a i i

Seeing land for the first time in 8 days was absolutely crazy. I’d so gotten used to seeing nothing but open ocean for over a week, it was sort of jarring to see land (especially when it’s h a w a i i). It’s actually quite comforting being constantly rocked by the waves every day, but we were all so super excited to see Oahu! 

My friends and I got up early and made our way to Deck 9 Forward to watch the ship dock. We were called by our seas (basically our halls) to go through immigration (our first stop was in Mexico so we had to go back through immigration to re-enter the US). We made it through immigration quite quickly, and then we waited. My program was the last to be called, so I enjoyed a nice morning with cell service checking in on everything I had missed in the last week. (Funny enough, it wasn't a lot. One of the many beautiful things this voyage has taught me so far is that the world still turns even when I’m not technologically connected to it—magical). Finally at 1100 we were called to leave the ship! The rest of the day featured me swaying back and forth as if I had never left. I have a funny feeling I’m going to be swaying when I come home for a bit. 

I spent the day on a North Shore Adventure. Our first stop was the Dole Plantation, and I had the BEST pineapple ice cream called Dole Whip. Not only was it my first meal since I left San Diego that wasn't on ship food, but it was dairy. free. I know. I know. It absolutely made my day. Then we went to a local food truck for lunch! I tried Passion Lilikoi juice and ate a ton of rice and pineapple. After that we went to a few beaches known for surfing, saw a few places movies were filmed, and finished the day at the Byodo-In Temple! We got to ring a giant bell that warded off evil spirits and brings peace to whoever rings it. After that we headed back to the ship and started making our way to Japan! 

Mahalo, Honolulu. I am so thankful to have been in Hawaii for a sweet day. I still cannot believe this adventure is real and am so excited for the rest! 

Aloha, 
Lar

semester at sea!!!

"I wanna see the world, I wanna sail the ocean
I wanna know what it feels like to never come back again

I wanna feel the waves crushing down on heartache
I wanna find the key to the sky and never come back again

I wanna wake my soul, climb the highest mountain
I wanna write my name in the clouds and never come back again." 

—Austin Plaine, Never Come Back Again

•••

WOW, only three more days until embarkation! Last night my family and I walked down to the pier in San Diego and got to see the boat in person for the first time, and it did not disappoint. It's absolutely HUGE. It just made me all the more excited to live on it! There are nine decks filled with cabins, classrooms, a library, two pools, a lounge, a snack bar, a couple restaurants, and enough room left for me to share this experience with 670 other students from around the world! 

So to explain, I will be living on a ship for four months traveling to four continents, eleven countries, and thirteen port cities. We begin in San Diego, and from there embark in Ensenada, Mexico. From there we travel to Hawaii, Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, and disembark in the Netherlands! In each country I'll have 5-6 days to do my own exploring to learn more about the history, language, and culture of each country!

While on the ship I will be taking four classes—Global Studies; Current World Problems; Women and Development; and World Interdependence with a focus on Poverty, Inequality, and Policy. Each class has a field program where I will have class in a certain country on a certain day. Each day on the ship there are also activities, movies, clubs, and extracurriculars I can join. I cannot believe I get to actually participate in this program.

I am so incredibly excited to embark on this adventure and share it all with you! 

— Lar