Good afternoon friends!
We are officially 18 hours away from landing in St. Petersburg and I could not be more excited! It should be an excellent port and we have been receiving a ton of great information about Russian history and culture. Today is a No Class day on the ship and I am planning on attending a basic Russian language class to prepare me for my trip to St. Petersburg.
My itinerary is pretty full for St. Petersburg, at least for the first two days. Tomorrow I have a city tour and a masterpieces of the Hermitage museum scheduled and then the night will be spent at the Mariinsky ballet. I have heard that the ballet will be Don Quixote, which is a classic in the ballet world. Thursday night I will be taking a cruise along the river to see St. Petersburg at night. Currently, Russia is celebrating the "White Nights," as the sun does not set until around 1 AM. So literally, the skies are bright until then. Should be fabulous.
Just to bring everyone up to speed, we departed Bergen on Friday. Our last day in Bergen was actually one of the most fun, as my friends David and Marco had met a local Norwegian while they were out shopping. His name is Ivan and he is a law student at the University of Bergen. Ivan and his girlfriend Charlotte met us in town on Friday and we had lunch at a small cafe. We stayed at the cafe for a good three hours and it just fascinated me how much Norwegians know about the U.S. political system, what's happening with the presidential elections and just basic foreign policy. I was slightly embarrassed at the fact that they were very eager to engage in conversation about some tough topics and to talk about McCain/Obama stances on issues, and I really could not contribute anything. And the fact that Norwegians speak perfect English. For me, it made me intrinsically feel very American-centric in my views. Norwegians are very interested in American politics because they realize that they have a global impact...I challenged myself to think about when was the last time that I stopped to think about another country's (besides Iraq) foreign policy and the ramifications it has for Americans. Just food for thought. And by the way, Norwegians are very, VERY pro-Obama.
Okay, enough for the whimsical ponderings, we had a fabulous time eating lunch and then Ivan showed up some very cute areas of Bergen that we had not seen yet. After walking around for a bit, it was time to head back to the ship for dock duty, in which all of the RDs work the gangway area of the ship as students arrive back. We do a variety of things such as greeting, helping security search bags, crowd control, etc. Everyone needs to be on the ship 2 hours before we set sail; if they are late, they receive what is called "dock time," which means that when we arrive in the next port, they stay on the ship for a set amount of time, which may have ramifications if they signed up for trips through the field office. Everyone was back on time, so no dock time yet. The RDs keep hearing that the most troublesome port will be St. Petersburg due to the vast amounts of open-aired vodka gardens. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it's smooth sailing...no pun intended.
Saturday and Sunday at sea were pretty regular, as students had class. I have been working on getting things ready for the Sea Olympics, which is one of the signature events on the ship and consists of each "sea" competing against each other in a variety of athletic and academic competitions.
Nothing much else to report other than that for now, but I will be writing more as we get to St. Pete. I am so very excited (and very tired--we have lost another 2 hours), so I am hoping to be awakened and refreshed by the time that we arrive. Thanks for reading, hope everyone is doing well and I will send more photos soon!
If you haven't checked out facebook, I have placed a ton of pictures on there. I am having some trouble uploading to blogspot, so check out facebook for some fabulous photos!
Love you!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bergen, Days 2 and 3
Bergen has been an absolute blast, if I do say so myself. I have been so busy out and about since I got off the ship; I feel like the only time that I am on the ship is to sleep and eat breakfast. I will pick up where I left off after my last blog, in which I was getting ready for my hike up to Mt. Floein yesterday. Oh my gosh, it was spectacular! For those of you who get a hardy chuckle out of the fact that I was leading a hike, I was not the trip guide, I simple had to make sure that the group showed up and stayed in tact. There was no way I could have led this hike by myself.
I woke up around 7 AM yesterday morning and got ready to go. The hiking group met at 8:30 AM. There were 89 people scheduled to go on the hike; of course some students were unable to rise and shine for the trip. The trip started out with a chat with our guide, Erik. Erik is a retired school teacher, who leads hiking excursions April through September just for fun. He was born and raised in Bergen and loves talking about it. After a walk through downtown Bergen, we boarded the Funnacular, which looks like a subway car, and works like a cable car, only its on a track that goes up the side of Mt. Floein.
After getting off the funnacular, we traversed over to the small gift shop so I could pick up some postcards. I love you all and sorry that you all are not getting a postcard from Norway--between stamps ($2/stamp, USD) and postcards ($14/11 postcards), it pretty much wiped out the Norwegian kroner that I thought would last me the entire time we were here. After getting postcards, I met up with the group and we started the hike up to Mt. Floein. Describing the views that I saw yesterday in words does it no justice. You simply have to look at the pictures and just imagine it in 3 D and in more vivid color. It was just fabulous; and a great work out! We made a couple of stops along the way and saw some great lakes, naturally made springs and waterfalls and just spectacular views. Erik our guide definitely took the group off the beaten path and when all was said and done, we hiked for an hour more than originally planned. Studnets were anxious to get back, as many had made plans to go to the town of Voss, which is an hour away from Bergen and was hosting Extreme Sports Week. Several students had signed up to sky dive and do white water rafting.
After finishing our hike, my friend Marco and I headed into town for some lunch. After making a few purchases at the local 7-11, which is not the typical US 7-11, these 711's have great food options and many locals go there on their lunch break.
After lunch, we walked around town and took some beautiful photos of the city. We went back to the ship and met up with the rest of the RD group for dinner out. We ended up eating at a delicious Thai restaurant--the shrimp pad thai was fabulous--and walked around the city. It was absolutely beautful and Norway truly is the land of the midnight sun. I cannot get over how clean and beautiful the city is and how there is virtually no crime and no poverty. I would feel completely safe walking around by myself, but from what I have been told, St. Petersburg will offer a starkly different contrast to this luxurious Norwegian fishing town.
Today was a good day; I was able to sleep in and catch up with folks that went out last night. Apparently the students were all out in full force, but I had no desire to go out since a beer runs anywhere from $10-15.
Megan, Marco, David, Justin, Shauhin and I met up to head back into town. Megan, Shauhin and I set up camp at a great coffee shop named Pygmalion and watched the locals and wrote out postcards. After finishing our coffee, we went exploring deeper into the city. We met up with the rest of the group for dinner at the same Thai restaurant, and then went to a local hangout, Dr. Livingston's for a beer (I gave in and had 1 while I was here) and watched the soccer match between Spain and Russia. The European Cup is currently happening in Europe, and it's like the biggest thing going on in the news right now, so the game had huge implications as it was the second semi-final game. After chatting with some locals, we left Dr. Livingston's and went to Sjoboken Bar, where we heard live music was playing. Well live music was playing alright, but it was all Bruce Springsteen songs. :)
Megan and I headed back to the ship and here I sit getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Bergen and we leave for St. Petersburg tomorrow night. Love you all!
I woke up around 7 AM yesterday morning and got ready to go. The hiking group met at 8:30 AM. There were 89 people scheduled to go on the hike; of course some students were unable to rise and shine for the trip. The trip started out with a chat with our guide, Erik. Erik is a retired school teacher, who leads hiking excursions April through September just for fun. He was born and raised in Bergen and loves talking about it. After a walk through downtown Bergen, we boarded the Funnacular, which looks like a subway car, and works like a cable car, only its on a track that goes up the side of Mt. Floein.
After getting off the funnacular, we traversed over to the small gift shop so I could pick up some postcards. I love you all and sorry that you all are not getting a postcard from Norway--between stamps ($2/stamp, USD) and postcards ($14/11 postcards), it pretty much wiped out the Norwegian kroner that I thought would last me the entire time we were here. After getting postcards, I met up with the group and we started the hike up to Mt. Floein. Describing the views that I saw yesterday in words does it no justice. You simply have to look at the pictures and just imagine it in 3 D and in more vivid color. It was just fabulous; and a great work out! We made a couple of stops along the way and saw some great lakes, naturally made springs and waterfalls and just spectacular views. Erik our guide definitely took the group off the beaten path and when all was said and done, we hiked for an hour more than originally planned. Studnets were anxious to get back, as many had made plans to go to the town of Voss, which is an hour away from Bergen and was hosting Extreme Sports Week. Several students had signed up to sky dive and do white water rafting.
After finishing our hike, my friend Marco and I headed into town for some lunch. After making a few purchases at the local 7-11, which is not the typical US 7-11, these 711's have great food options and many locals go there on their lunch break.
After lunch, we walked around town and took some beautiful photos of the city. We went back to the ship and met up with the rest of the RD group for dinner out. We ended up eating at a delicious Thai restaurant--the shrimp pad thai was fabulous--and walked around the city. It was absolutely beautful and Norway truly is the land of the midnight sun. I cannot get over how clean and beautiful the city is and how there is virtually no crime and no poverty. I would feel completely safe walking around by myself, but from what I have been told, St. Petersburg will offer a starkly different contrast to this luxurious Norwegian fishing town.
Today was a good day; I was able to sleep in and catch up with folks that went out last night. Apparently the students were all out in full force, but I had no desire to go out since a beer runs anywhere from $10-15.
Megan, Marco, David, Justin, Shauhin and I met up to head back into town. Megan, Shauhin and I set up camp at a great coffee shop named Pygmalion and watched the locals and wrote out postcards. After finishing our coffee, we went exploring deeper into the city. We met up with the rest of the group for dinner at the same Thai restaurant, and then went to a local hangout, Dr. Livingston's for a beer (I gave in and had 1 while I was here) and watched the soccer match between Spain and Russia. The European Cup is currently happening in Europe, and it's like the biggest thing going on in the news right now, so the game had huge implications as it was the second semi-final game. After chatting with some locals, we left Dr. Livingston's and went to Sjoboken Bar, where we heard live music was playing. Well live music was playing alright, but it was all Bruce Springsteen songs. :)
Megan and I headed back to the ship and here I sit getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Bergen and we leave for St. Petersburg tomorrow night. Love you all!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Voelkommenn! I'm in Norway!
So a glorious thing happened at 6:00 AM Norwegian time this morning (midnight for my friends back on EST), we arrived in Norway! Hooray! Tokken tak Jesus! Translation: Many thanks, Jesus!
Last night was a flurry of activity on many fronts. A lot of the RDs had programs or meetings happening, followed by a pre port lecture, which every passenger on the ship is required to attend. At the pre port meetings, information, logistics and information about the field program are announced. There was definitely a buzz in the Union last night as I think everyone on the ship was bouncing off the walls and ready to see our first port of call. One thing that I am having a hard time adjusting to is the fact that since I left Columbus, we have gained 6 hours; which normally wouldn't be a problem if it is drawn out over the course of many days, but when you add to the fact that we are so far north that the sun does not set until 3 AM, your internal clock gets a little out of whack. I didn't get to sleep until about 1 AM and then awoke just before 6 when the sun rose to catch my first glimpse of Norway.
We first saw Norway a little after 6 AM this morning and what a sight. There were students everywhere outside on the ship, craning their heads to catch a glimpse of land amidst the vast ocean that we had transcended for the last nine days. I was a little surprised at my reaction to seeing land--it was a mixture of relief and disbelief in the fact that it felt like our trip was finally underway and that we had reached our first destination.
Norway at sunrise was beautiful. We encountered many tiny, uninhabited islands, followed by larger clusters of islands, nestled in the nooks and cranies of densely wooded hills. It was really something to behold...it felt almost otherwordly as you could feel you weren't in the US anymore. We arrived in Bergen shortly after 8 AM, and a few of us enjoyed a nice breakfast in the dining room when we finally docked. At about 8:15, a diplomat from the U.S. Consulate in Oslo came aboard to give a diplomatic briefing about U.S./Norwegian relations. And I found out a lot of fascinating things about our friends in the North.
First of all, Norway is the most expensive country that I have ever been to and collectively, one of the most expensive in the world. The country as a whole enjoys a great amount of wealth due to their vast oil empire (only Russia exports more oil each year) and fishing and seafood markets. Norwegians are extremely smart in the fact that they set up a Petroleum Trust in the 1960's right after the oil was discovered in the north. The trust does a lot of investing in multi-national, global companies to prepare for the future. The Norwegians still have a Royal Family, although they are more figure heads and have no real governmental authority. The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haaroken is pretty cute, but has a pretty scandalous wife, who has a child out of wedlock with a convicted drug dealer....pretty scandalous stuff over here in the land of fish and fjords.
Norway has been under Danish and Swedish rule and was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. After the war, the Allied Forces freed the southern part of Norway and the Russians freed the northern area. Norwegians are an extremely wealthy people and as such, take care of their people cradle to grave. There is state assistance available to anyone who currently is unemployed, there is subsidized day care and college tuition, and get this ladies--Norwegian mothers get an entire year of maternity leave--and men get up to 2 months of paid paternity leave. Unbelieveable!
Norway is also home to recent refugees from Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, which has been an adjustment for the Norwegians.
Okay, now on to my day.
My friend Megan suggested that we get off of the ship to have our first taste of Norwegian coffee. We got off the ship quite easily, as we were far behind the rush of students bolting down the gangway after the all-clear had been given at 9:00 AM. We headed into the downtown area of Bergen from the pier, and just soaked in the sights. I still can't believe that as I am writing this I am actually in the country of Norway. Pretty amazing stuff. The country is just a feast for the eyes--rolling green hills to the north, cute little cobblestone streets and pastel-hued shops and restaurants, and of course the fabulous waterways in the town of Bergen. My camera was not able to do justice to the images that I saw today. The weather for the majority of the day, was overcast, chilly and drizzled rain, but by the end of the day, the temperature had perked and made for a beautiful sunset that I watched from the ship. Megan and I were able to find some exciting side streets in Bergen and wanted to find an authentic hole-in-the-wall cafe and just soak it in. We snapped some pictures along the way and came across a fabulous coffee shop and just took in the experience.
After coffee, ($5 a cup) we checked out some cute shops in the fish market area of the city and then headed back to the ship, where I had to meet Marco and our adopted Semsester at Sea grandma, Leah. S@S has a fabulous program that pairs lifelong learners on the voyage with students as a mentor/mentee/companionship piece of the voyage. Well Leah, who is a spitfire from Manhattan, wanted to adopt some students, so Marco and I both volunteered to help out. It was a nice thing to do because I miss my own grandma, and she was a joy to get to know. We got Leah off the ship and headed into Bergen so she and Marco could get their first glimpses of the city.
We ended our walk in Bergen's famous Fish Market Area. Tents are set up all along a cobblestone street area and vendors peddle goods, anything from seal skins to Norwegian-made sweaters ($200 US and up). The US dollar is not so good in Norway; $1 USD=5 Kroner. Just to give you an example of expenses, a meal of chicken McNuggets and fries at McDonald's in Bergen (yes, we actually had students eat there, cost close to 100 Kroner, which is almost $20 US). The fish market is a feast for the eyes and the appetite, and for anyone who loves seafood, it's quite a treat. Boxes of iced fish, fileted fish, sushi, fish burgers, crab legs, crab sandwiches, open faced salmon and shrimp sandwiches, lobster rolls, whale burgers, reindeer burgers, you name it, they make it at the fish market. After some perusing and some conversation with two Norwegian fish mongers (who speak 10 different languages including Russian, Flemish and Arabic), we settled on salmon sandwiches, which consisted of fresh, raw salmon on a bun. That's it, no fluff, no fuss, and all for 15 Kroner. Marco and I ran into some students along the way, who were in the midst of purchasing whale burgers for lunch. I was the only one brave enough to have a bit, and honestly, it wasn't too bad. It tastes a lot like beef jerky and has a tough jerky-like texture. And yes, it's legal to eat whale in Norway, as they do not hunt endangered species of whale off the coasts.
After hanging out with Leah and getting some gelato, we browsed in some shops, where for $3, I could pick up one post card! I am heading out tomorrow to buy some to send out. It's been awful being unable to communicate with folks!
On our way back to the ship, we were constantly running into students and hearing how excited they were. Some went on a variety of tours today and others will start tomorrow. A large group of students headed to Oslo, the capital, tonight, which is an eight hour train ride away. The RDs and the TAs went out to dinner in Bergen this evening and ended up at a fabulous Indian restaurant--I know, Indian food in Norway may not immediately sound tasty, but it was fabulous--and it was a great haunt for people watching. After our dinner, we walked into town a little bit more and then headed back to the ship, where we enjoyed a drink on the ship and enjoyed the sunset on the 7th floor deck of the boat.
Tomorrow should be a great day as well. I am headng off to bed in a minute to get ready for a hike that I am leading up to Mount Florien tomorrow. Should be fabulous and apparently is quite scenic for pictures, so I will be sure to include those as soon as I get them uploaded. After that, we are going to head into the heart of downtown, which is past the fish market and do some shopping and I would love to find a little cafe and write out some postcards.
It was great that I was finally able to talk to Brian tonight, for the first time since I left Halifax and it was wonderful to hear his voice. I love you, honey!!!
Alrighty, more to report from Bergen tomorrow. Have a great evening, I am signing off and off to bed!
Tonight's Norwegian vocabulary lesson:
Hvor er toaletter? Where is the toilet?
Tusen Takk for hjelpan. Thanks for helping.
God tur! Goodbye!!!
Last night was a flurry of activity on many fronts. A lot of the RDs had programs or meetings happening, followed by a pre port lecture, which every passenger on the ship is required to attend. At the pre port meetings, information, logistics and information about the field program are announced. There was definitely a buzz in the Union last night as I think everyone on the ship was bouncing off the walls and ready to see our first port of call. One thing that I am having a hard time adjusting to is the fact that since I left Columbus, we have gained 6 hours; which normally wouldn't be a problem if it is drawn out over the course of many days, but when you add to the fact that we are so far north that the sun does not set until 3 AM, your internal clock gets a little out of whack. I didn't get to sleep until about 1 AM and then awoke just before 6 when the sun rose to catch my first glimpse of Norway.
We first saw Norway a little after 6 AM this morning and what a sight. There were students everywhere outside on the ship, craning their heads to catch a glimpse of land amidst the vast ocean that we had transcended for the last nine days. I was a little surprised at my reaction to seeing land--it was a mixture of relief and disbelief in the fact that it felt like our trip was finally underway and that we had reached our first destination.
Norway at sunrise was beautiful. We encountered many tiny, uninhabited islands, followed by larger clusters of islands, nestled in the nooks and cranies of densely wooded hills. It was really something to behold...it felt almost otherwordly as you could feel you weren't in the US anymore. We arrived in Bergen shortly after 8 AM, and a few of us enjoyed a nice breakfast in the dining room when we finally docked. At about 8:15, a diplomat from the U.S. Consulate in Oslo came aboard to give a diplomatic briefing about U.S./Norwegian relations. And I found out a lot of fascinating things about our friends in the North.
First of all, Norway is the most expensive country that I have ever been to and collectively, one of the most expensive in the world. The country as a whole enjoys a great amount of wealth due to their vast oil empire (only Russia exports more oil each year) and fishing and seafood markets. Norwegians are extremely smart in the fact that they set up a Petroleum Trust in the 1960's right after the oil was discovered in the north. The trust does a lot of investing in multi-national, global companies to prepare for the future. The Norwegians still have a Royal Family, although they are more figure heads and have no real governmental authority. The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haaroken is pretty cute, but has a pretty scandalous wife, who has a child out of wedlock with a convicted drug dealer....pretty scandalous stuff over here in the land of fish and fjords.
Norway has been under Danish and Swedish rule and was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. After the war, the Allied Forces freed the southern part of Norway and the Russians freed the northern area. Norwegians are an extremely wealthy people and as such, take care of their people cradle to grave. There is state assistance available to anyone who currently is unemployed, there is subsidized day care and college tuition, and get this ladies--Norwegian mothers get an entire year of maternity leave--and men get up to 2 months of paid paternity leave. Unbelieveable!
Norway is also home to recent refugees from Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, which has been an adjustment for the Norwegians.
Okay, now on to my day.
My friend Megan suggested that we get off of the ship to have our first taste of Norwegian coffee. We got off the ship quite easily, as we were far behind the rush of students bolting down the gangway after the all-clear had been given at 9:00 AM. We headed into the downtown area of Bergen from the pier, and just soaked in the sights. I still can't believe that as I am writing this I am actually in the country of Norway. Pretty amazing stuff. The country is just a feast for the eyes--rolling green hills to the north, cute little cobblestone streets and pastel-hued shops and restaurants, and of course the fabulous waterways in the town of Bergen. My camera was not able to do justice to the images that I saw today. The weather for the majority of the day, was overcast, chilly and drizzled rain, but by the end of the day, the temperature had perked and made for a beautiful sunset that I watched from the ship. Megan and I were able to find some exciting side streets in Bergen and wanted to find an authentic hole-in-the-wall cafe and just soak it in. We snapped some pictures along the way and came across a fabulous coffee shop and just took in the experience.
After coffee, ($5 a cup) we checked out some cute shops in the fish market area of the city and then headed back to the ship, where I had to meet Marco and our adopted Semsester at Sea grandma, Leah. S@S has a fabulous program that pairs lifelong learners on the voyage with students as a mentor/mentee/companionship piece of the voyage. Well Leah, who is a spitfire from Manhattan, wanted to adopt some students, so Marco and I both volunteered to help out. It was a nice thing to do because I miss my own grandma, and she was a joy to get to know. We got Leah off the ship and headed into Bergen so she and Marco could get their first glimpses of the city.
We ended our walk in Bergen's famous Fish Market Area. Tents are set up all along a cobblestone street area and vendors peddle goods, anything from seal skins to Norwegian-made sweaters ($200 US and up). The US dollar is not so good in Norway; $1 USD=5 Kroner. Just to give you an example of expenses, a meal of chicken McNuggets and fries at McDonald's in Bergen (yes, we actually had students eat there, cost close to 100 Kroner, which is almost $20 US). The fish market is a feast for the eyes and the appetite, and for anyone who loves seafood, it's quite a treat. Boxes of iced fish, fileted fish, sushi, fish burgers, crab legs, crab sandwiches, open faced salmon and shrimp sandwiches, lobster rolls, whale burgers, reindeer burgers, you name it, they make it at the fish market. After some perusing and some conversation with two Norwegian fish mongers (who speak 10 different languages including Russian, Flemish and Arabic), we settled on salmon sandwiches, which consisted of fresh, raw salmon on a bun. That's it, no fluff, no fuss, and all for 15 Kroner. Marco and I ran into some students along the way, who were in the midst of purchasing whale burgers for lunch. I was the only one brave enough to have a bit, and honestly, it wasn't too bad. It tastes a lot like beef jerky and has a tough jerky-like texture. And yes, it's legal to eat whale in Norway, as they do not hunt endangered species of whale off the coasts.
After hanging out with Leah and getting some gelato, we browsed in some shops, where for $3, I could pick up one post card! I am heading out tomorrow to buy some to send out. It's been awful being unable to communicate with folks!
On our way back to the ship, we were constantly running into students and hearing how excited they were. Some went on a variety of tours today and others will start tomorrow. A large group of students headed to Oslo, the capital, tonight, which is an eight hour train ride away. The RDs and the TAs went out to dinner in Bergen this evening and ended up at a fabulous Indian restaurant--I know, Indian food in Norway may not immediately sound tasty, but it was fabulous--and it was a great haunt for people watching. After our dinner, we walked into town a little bit more and then headed back to the ship, where we enjoyed a drink on the ship and enjoyed the sunset on the 7th floor deck of the boat.
Tomorrow should be a great day as well. I am headng off to bed in a minute to get ready for a hike that I am leading up to Mount Florien tomorrow. Should be fabulous and apparently is quite scenic for pictures, so I will be sure to include those as soon as I get them uploaded. After that, we are going to head into the heart of downtown, which is past the fish market and do some shopping and I would love to find a little cafe and write out some postcards.
It was great that I was finally able to talk to Brian tonight, for the first time since I left Halifax and it was wonderful to hear his voice. I love you, honey!!!
Alrighty, more to report from Bergen tomorrow. Have a great evening, I am signing off and off to bed!
Tonight's Norwegian vocabulary lesson:
Hvor er toaletter? Where is the toilet?
Tusen Takk for hjelpan. Thanks for helping.
God tur! Goodbye!!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
It's Not Easy Being Green
...literally. We have now been at sea for a week and the rough waters of the North Atlantic have officially met with the ship. The waters have been very rocky today, and all I have to say is thank goodness I am not a student sitting in class today. For those of you keeping track of days, while students are sailing on the ship, class is scheduled, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Well, we are less than 48 hours from Bergen and the closest land mass distance-wise to us right now is Ireland....hooray! We will be bypassing the U.K. and Ireland. There are several large white caps out in the water today; and I will be honest, I am ready to burn my clothes. I did not pack a lot of warm clothing items, so I have been recycling my outfits for the last 10 days....oops! I think in my mind, I wrongly thought that Norway would be "chilly" not so much "frigid."
Anyway, last night was the staff/student talent show, which was pretty cool. It was great to see there is a ton of talent on the ship; it was pretty fun. Yesterday afternoon started out fabulously sunny and warm, and everyone was laying out. It felt like MTV Spring Break had invaded the ship. But it felt great and I saw some dolphins yesterday, but they were too quick for me--by the time I picked up my camera, they had disappeared, but man, they were leaping out of the water yesterday!
Alright, I am sure as you read along, you realize I have nothing new to report, but when we land in Bergen, I will be full of information!
Later gators!
Well, we are less than 48 hours from Bergen and the closest land mass distance-wise to us right now is Ireland....hooray! We will be bypassing the U.K. and Ireland. There are several large white caps out in the water today; and I will be honest, I am ready to burn my clothes. I did not pack a lot of warm clothing items, so I have been recycling my outfits for the last 10 days....oops! I think in my mind, I wrongly thought that Norway would be "chilly" not so much "frigid."
Anyway, last night was the staff/student talent show, which was pretty cool. It was great to see there is a ton of talent on the ship; it was pretty fun. Yesterday afternoon started out fabulously sunny and warm, and everyone was laying out. It felt like MTV Spring Break had invaded the ship. But it felt great and I saw some dolphins yesterday, but they were too quick for me--by the time I picked up my camera, they had disappeared, but man, they were leaping out of the water yesterday!
Alright, I am sure as you read along, you realize I have nothing new to report, but when we land in Bergen, I will be full of information!
Later gators!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Toekken! (Hello in Norwegian)
Greetings to Everyone from the North, North Atlantic! We have been out to sea since Sunday evening and let me tell you….it’s freezing! Unlike my predecessors who enjoyed equatorial climates and conditions, it has been pretty gray and overcast since we left Halifax. I have been told that the nearest land to us right now is Greenland, which is over 700 miles away. We are ahead of schedule and the captain has informed us that there are some storms up ahead, which should make for a rocky next couple of days. I will keep you posted. We are currently 5 hours ahead of EST, and are looking to gain an hour on Saturday and one on Sunday, so by the time we get to Bergen, we will be 7 hours ahead.
I know that all of you have been asking for pictures and I promise that is on my list of things to do in the very near future. I have been snapping away and have some pretty good ones thus far. However, a lot of students and faculty have spotted whales and dolphins swimming alongside the ship, and I have yet to see one, so I am hoping that before we get to Bergen I can get a National Geographic-like shot.
The last few days have really been students adjusting to ship life. We have had some sea sickies, but over all they are doing pretty well. I had my first “Sea” dinner last night, and about 45 students showed up, which I thought was a pretty good turn out. All of them seem pretty cool and I look forward to getting to know them more. We have had a few folks that indicated they are already homesick or don’t feel like they fit in, so in some ways, it’s freshmen year all over again. But hopefully once we start getting into ports, they will enjoy it more.
Wednesday night, I was invited to the Captain’s Dinner, which was pretty cool. It was a 5 course meal with the captain and his chief officers. I was seated at the Chief Engineer’s table, and he is a pretty suave Italian dude named Mario. The dinner was really delicious and lasted until 11 PM; it consisted of leek soup, salad, smoked salmon, filet mignon and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I think that the wait staff is under strict instructions to fill up every wine glass that was less than half full as well. But don’t worry everyone, I behaved myself and was the model of couth J
Yesterday was a pretty busy day as I finished up putting together the intramural and group fitness schedules. The students are really craving activity aboard the ship, as some are starting to realize that their class loads are pretty rigorous and demanding. The students take class on Saturdays as well while we are at sea. We had a faculty and staff reception with the captain and his officers last night and then the RDs and the Teaching Assistants went to Speciality Dining last night. Speciality Dining on the ship is pretty cool—for $25 you can pay to have a five course meal and a glass of champagne in a private dining room…..so after eating well for two days, going back to regular cafeteria-style food today was a bit rough L
Not too much else to report for now. Although, the RDs are performing some hits from the musical Grease at the talent show tomorrow night; should be a hot mess and I can't wait. I didn’t have a chance to email Kate, but my grad student from last year is getting married today, so Kate, I am sending best wishes to you and Zach today and will be thinking about you this afternoon!
Pictures will be on their way in the very near future! Love you all….can’t wait to see land! Only three more full days at sea until Norway.
Love me!
I know that all of you have been asking for pictures and I promise that is on my list of things to do in the very near future. I have been snapping away and have some pretty good ones thus far. However, a lot of students and faculty have spotted whales and dolphins swimming alongside the ship, and I have yet to see one, so I am hoping that before we get to Bergen I can get a National Geographic-like shot.
The last few days have really been students adjusting to ship life. We have had some sea sickies, but over all they are doing pretty well. I had my first “Sea” dinner last night, and about 45 students showed up, which I thought was a pretty good turn out. All of them seem pretty cool and I look forward to getting to know them more. We have had a few folks that indicated they are already homesick or don’t feel like they fit in, so in some ways, it’s freshmen year all over again. But hopefully once we start getting into ports, they will enjoy it more.
Wednesday night, I was invited to the Captain’s Dinner, which was pretty cool. It was a 5 course meal with the captain and his chief officers. I was seated at the Chief Engineer’s table, and he is a pretty suave Italian dude named Mario. The dinner was really delicious and lasted until 11 PM; it consisted of leek soup, salad, smoked salmon, filet mignon and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. I think that the wait staff is under strict instructions to fill up every wine glass that was less than half full as well. But don’t worry everyone, I behaved myself and was the model of couth J
Yesterday was a pretty busy day as I finished up putting together the intramural and group fitness schedules. The students are really craving activity aboard the ship, as some are starting to realize that their class loads are pretty rigorous and demanding. The students take class on Saturdays as well while we are at sea. We had a faculty and staff reception with the captain and his officers last night and then the RDs and the Teaching Assistants went to Speciality Dining last night. Speciality Dining on the ship is pretty cool—for $25 you can pay to have a five course meal and a glass of champagne in a private dining room…..so after eating well for two days, going back to regular cafeteria-style food today was a bit rough L
Not too much else to report for now. Although, the RDs are performing some hits from the musical Grease at the talent show tomorrow night; should be a hot mess and I can't wait. I didn’t have a chance to email Kate, but my grad student from last year is getting married today, so Kate, I am sending best wishes to you and Zach today and will be thinking about you this afternoon!
Pictures will be on their way in the very near future! Love you all….can’t wait to see land! Only three more full days at sea until Norway.
Love me!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Getting Ready for Norway
Greetings friends! I hope that each of you are doing well and thanks to all of you who are following my adventures in Halifax. I have not been keeping on my blog as much as I would have liked, but we are officially on our way to Bergen, Norway. We are expected to arrive in port next Tuesday, June 24th. So for now, we are sailing the North Atlantic, where the water temperature is a very chilly 39 degrees. Life has been pretty busy the past four days, packed with lots of training/information/orientation/work and preparation
All 583 students arrived safely and soundly to the ship, although due to weather problems in New York, the captain had to push our departure time back two hours as there were students en route. When we sailed off last night, 31 students are currently sailing without any luggage; hopefully it will arrive safely in Norway. They all seem very excited and it was really great to meet them. I officially have 80 residents from all over the country, and so far, so good!
The students had a lot of ship orientatino all day today, so while they were reviewing some academic information, my friends David, Marco and I all snuck off the spa for a little "treat" to ourselves :) It was definitely worth it; Doug, you were so right!
Seas
Each Resident Director is in charge of anywhere from 62-88 residents. While in housing lingo we would typically place students on a “floor,” they are on a “sea” while on the ship. I have the Mediterranean and that’s pretty sweet considering we will be cruising around the Atlantic in late July-early August.
New Lingo
Front of ship=bow
Back of ship=aft
Starboard=right side of the ship
Port=left side of the ship
I figured out today that my room is on the port side of the ship and I have a gorgeous view.
So today, as I previously mentioned, was all business. There is a great deal of information to ingest in such a small amount of time; I would liken it to Hall Director training condensed into two solid days. That’s it—the students arrive on Sunday to board…I just can’t believe it. Our work study students arrived this evening and I was very pleased to see a familiar and smiling face. Amanda Werling, who worked as a RA last year, is joining us for the summer voyage. I also got to meet two of my residents, who are also in the work study program.
During orientation on Thursday, we found out some exciting news about trips that several faculty, staff and students have signed up while in port. I took advantage of purchasing some trips back in May and am pleased to announce that I am going to be BUSY! Staff and faculty can also serve as Trip Leaders and Bus Leaders for various trips. The bonus to that is that you get your trips for 50%--what a steal J Thus far, I have signed up to go on a hiking trip to Mt. Flørein in Norway, a cycling trip in Belgium, a ballet performance, Hermitage museum and city tour in St. Petersburg, a two day trip to Rome, and a two day trip to the site of Troy and Gallipoli in Turkey. I am pretty excited as I get to serve as trip and bus leaders for some of these adventures, which is fantastic! More spending money for me! I will keep you posted as these dates pop up throughout the summer. I will also be including pictures in the very near future. I have not gotten a lot of use out of my camera, just yet, but I think that will quickly change.
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
All 583 students arrived safely and soundly to the ship, although due to weather problems in New York, the captain had to push our departure time back two hours as there were students en route. When we sailed off last night, 31 students are currently sailing without any luggage; hopefully it will arrive safely in Norway. They all seem very excited and it was really great to meet them. I officially have 80 residents from all over the country, and so far, so good!
The students had a lot of ship orientatino all day today, so while they were reviewing some academic information, my friends David, Marco and I all snuck off the spa for a little "treat" to ourselves :) It was definitely worth it; Doug, you were so right!
Seas
Each Resident Director is in charge of anywhere from 62-88 residents. While in housing lingo we would typically place students on a “floor,” they are on a “sea” while on the ship. I have the Mediterranean and that’s pretty sweet considering we will be cruising around the Atlantic in late July-early August.
New Lingo
Front of ship=bow
Back of ship=aft
Starboard=right side of the ship
Port=left side of the ship
I figured out today that my room is on the port side of the ship and I have a gorgeous view.
So today, as I previously mentioned, was all business. There is a great deal of information to ingest in such a small amount of time; I would liken it to Hall Director training condensed into two solid days. That’s it—the students arrive on Sunday to board…I just can’t believe it. Our work study students arrived this evening and I was very pleased to see a familiar and smiling face. Amanda Werling, who worked as a RA last year, is joining us for the summer voyage. I also got to meet two of my residents, who are also in the work study program.
During orientation on Thursday, we found out some exciting news about trips that several faculty, staff and students have signed up while in port. I took advantage of purchasing some trips back in May and am pleased to announce that I am going to be BUSY! Staff and faculty can also serve as Trip Leaders and Bus Leaders for various trips. The bonus to that is that you get your trips for 50%--what a steal J Thus far, I have signed up to go on a hiking trip to Mt. Flørein in Norway, a cycling trip in Belgium, a ballet performance, Hermitage museum and city tour in St. Petersburg, a two day trip to Rome, and a two day trip to the site of Troy and Gallipoli in Turkey. I am pretty excited as I get to serve as trip and bus leaders for some of these adventures, which is fantastic! More spending money for me! I will keep you posted as these dates pop up throughout the summer. I will also be including pictures in the very near future. I have not gotten a lot of use out of my camera, just yet, but I think that will quickly change.
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Just call me Captain Biebs--I'm ready to sail!
Greetings from the MV Explorer!
I am hoping to get these blogs up tomorrow, so please bear with me as I try to figure out internet on the ship.
Today was a great day! I started my day by sleeping in my super-comfy bed. I rolled out around 9 AM and started my first exploration of the great province of Nova Scotia. For anyone who has not been here, Halifax is absolutely gorgeous. The weather was not so cooperative today, but the images are just beautiful. I imagine that it’s pretty comparable to fishing/harbor towns in the northwest region of the U.S. I jaunted down to the pier and the first thing that emerged from the mist was the MV Explorer! And let me tell you what, this cruise ship is HUGE. I stared at it in wonder for a few seconds before snapping some pictures. I kept walking down the pier area just to take in the sights. The views reminded me a lot of back home in Marine City, where you can see Canada on the other side of the St. Clair river. To get to Halifax, you have to take the Angus McDonald bridge over the Halifax Harbor (which leads to the Atlantic Ocean), so when you look over the water while in Halifax, you see the city of Dartmouth and a very cute little island in the middle of the water and contains one house and a lighthouse. It was charming.
After further exploration, my stomach got the better of me and I went to find some food. After getting some yogurt at the local grocery store, I was headed back to the hotel when I noticed a Tim Hortons! Hooray!!! Folks, let me tell you, they are on every city block in Nova Scotia. After devouring a delicious chocolate chip muffin and some hot cocoa, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the day’s festivities.
After checking out of my room promptly at noon, I had some time to kill before boarding the ship, so I sat in the lobby and read the Canadian national newspaper, the Globe and Mail. When the clock hit 1:15, I grabbed my bags, headed out the back door of the Westin and voila, I was at the cruise terminal in a matter of two minutes (and mind you this was walking in polka dot wedges) and boarded the ship!
My first stop was the Pursers Desk, where I received my ship ID. Once I received my ID. The Shipboard ID is very important as it is used to purchase items on the ship. Also, anytime I leave the ship or board the ship, I have to swipe my ID to be granted access on or off the ship. After getting my ID, I turned around to the Student Life desk and there was the whole Resident Director crew. There are eight of us total: Megan from Iowa, Kat from Indiana, Justin, Shauhin and Marco from California, and Laarni and David from New York. All good folks. I think that we are going to have a blast! Justin, Marco, David, Laarni and Kat all boarded in New York, so they had become my ship experts.
After a quick ship tour led by Justin, Kat took me to my cabin—by the way, I have a porthole—and I had some time to unpack. After unpacking, we had shipboard orientation at 4 PM (or 16:00 hours) with the Institute for Shipboard Education. We were introduced individually, and it was pretty cool to see how many children and spouses/partners were on board. We were also able to meet our captain and the part of the vessel’s crew. Some interesting facts that we found out about our students is that they total 583 from over 200 different colleges and universities. The top three schools sending students are the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado-Boulder. The most popular major on the ship is business administration, followed by undeclared. And the most staggering statistic of all—73% of the students are female and 27% are male. Watch out, boys!
After our orientation, we had a light reception and then dinner. After dinner, the RD crew and some of the Teaching Assistants went off the ship and headed down to the waterfront area for some ice cream at Cow Ice Cream…pretty cute place. After walking the pier, we went to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and then headed back to the ship. We all gathered later for a drink in the faculty/staff lounge and that it when I called it a night. We start training at 8 AM tomorrow morning, and for those of you who know me, I am not so much a night person, so that’s going to be a bit rough.
That’s all from today’s adventures, but it’s official…I am on the ship!
I am hoping to get these blogs up tomorrow, so please bear with me as I try to figure out internet on the ship.
Today was a great day! I started my day by sleeping in my super-comfy bed. I rolled out around 9 AM and started my first exploration of the great province of Nova Scotia. For anyone who has not been here, Halifax is absolutely gorgeous. The weather was not so cooperative today, but the images are just beautiful. I imagine that it’s pretty comparable to fishing/harbor towns in the northwest region of the U.S. I jaunted down to the pier and the first thing that emerged from the mist was the MV Explorer! And let me tell you what, this cruise ship is HUGE. I stared at it in wonder for a few seconds before snapping some pictures. I kept walking down the pier area just to take in the sights. The views reminded me a lot of back home in Marine City, where you can see Canada on the other side of the St. Clair river. To get to Halifax, you have to take the Angus McDonald bridge over the Halifax Harbor (which leads to the Atlantic Ocean), so when you look over the water while in Halifax, you see the city of Dartmouth and a very cute little island in the middle of the water and contains one house and a lighthouse. It was charming.
After further exploration, my stomach got the better of me and I went to find some food. After getting some yogurt at the local grocery store, I was headed back to the hotel when I noticed a Tim Hortons! Hooray!!! Folks, let me tell you, they are on every city block in Nova Scotia. After devouring a delicious chocolate chip muffin and some hot cocoa, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the day’s festivities.
After checking out of my room promptly at noon, I had some time to kill before boarding the ship, so I sat in the lobby and read the Canadian national newspaper, the Globe and Mail. When the clock hit 1:15, I grabbed my bags, headed out the back door of the Westin and voila, I was at the cruise terminal in a matter of two minutes (and mind you this was walking in polka dot wedges) and boarded the ship!
My first stop was the Pursers Desk, where I received my ship ID. Once I received my ID. The Shipboard ID is very important as it is used to purchase items on the ship. Also, anytime I leave the ship or board the ship, I have to swipe my ID to be granted access on or off the ship. After getting my ID, I turned around to the Student Life desk and there was the whole Resident Director crew. There are eight of us total: Megan from Iowa, Kat from Indiana, Justin, Shauhin and Marco from California, and Laarni and David from New York. All good folks. I think that we are going to have a blast! Justin, Marco, David, Laarni and Kat all boarded in New York, so they had become my ship experts.
After a quick ship tour led by Justin, Kat took me to my cabin—by the way, I have a porthole—and I had some time to unpack. After unpacking, we had shipboard orientation at 4 PM (or 16:00 hours) with the Institute for Shipboard Education. We were introduced individually, and it was pretty cool to see how many children and spouses/partners were on board. We were also able to meet our captain and the part of the vessel’s crew. Some interesting facts that we found out about our students is that they total 583 from over 200 different colleges and universities. The top three schools sending students are the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado-Boulder. The most popular major on the ship is business administration, followed by undeclared. And the most staggering statistic of all—73% of the students are female and 27% are male. Watch out, boys!
After our orientation, we had a light reception and then dinner. After dinner, the RD crew and some of the Teaching Assistants went off the ship and headed down to the waterfront area for some ice cream at Cow Ice Cream…pretty cute place. After walking the pier, we went to the grocery store to stock up on snacks and then headed back to the ship. We all gathered later for a drink in the faculty/staff lounge and that it when I called it a night. We start training at 8 AM tomorrow morning, and for those of you who know me, I am not so much a night person, so that’s going to be a bit rough.
That’s all from today’s adventures, but it’s official…I am on the ship!
Leaving for Halifax!
Today, to say the least, was quite an adventure. I am here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, writing this blog from the comfort of my bed at the Halifax Nova Scotian. Folks, if you have never stayed at a Westin, holy cow, I am a believer! It is so fabulous…..the bed, the bathroom, the flat screen LG TV mounted to the wall….wow! I board the MS Explorer tomorrow at 2 PM and the hotel is only two blocks from the cruise ship terminal. I could not tell if the ship docked this evening or if it will be arriving tomorrow morning, but I am hoping to get out tomorrow (if I can get out of this bed) and do a little exploring, because honestly, I’m not sure when I will be in Nova Scotia in the near future.
So let’s recap the travel day. It started out with a delicious breakfast of angel food cake straight from the bakery at Kroger. And it was pretty great. The good folks at Student Affairs IT paid me a visit this morning to do some last-minute work on my laptop and then it was time to say goodbye to OSU for the summer. I stopped by to say goodbye to Scott Boden, my former supervisor, who very kindly passed along 5 euro so I can buy some Diet Coke in Europe (or Coke Light as they call it in Europe). Thanks Scott, I’m sure that will get me a couple of cans J
Next, Brian and I stopped over at Morrill Tower to say good bye to Semester at Sea alumni/future bridesman for the Biebuyck/Tomlinson wedding, Doug Eck. I ‘ll admit, at this point in the day, I am getting pretty nervous….but that’s how I usually work; I get excited, then I get really nervous, then I am over it (at this point, I am 99% over it, 1% nervous). Said goodbye to Doug and then headed on over for the Last Lunch at Cap City Diner. Brian and I had a great lunch and then headed over to Port Columbus.
Brian stayed with me until I went through security. I will spare folks the details, but it was a tearful goodbye…I think I owe him a shirt for all of the eyeliner/mascara stains that now occupy the left and right shoulder area of his shirt. But you know what, folks. I seriously have the best guy in the world. Even up until the end, all he kept saying was how excited he was for me and how proud he was that I was doing this. He is pretty much amazing and I miss him already.
So here’s where the good Biebs’ moments pick up for the day. I arrive in Toronto safely and actually had a fabulous seat partner by the name of Judy McFadden. Judy lives in Toronto and was giving me the low down on Istanbul and Naples, since she cruised to those destinations in April. We were pretty tight during the flight and good old Judy gave me a hug as we parted ways at the customs check in at the Toronto-Pearson airport. A big shout out to Judy, my first friend made on my trip!
So as I am sailing through customs, feeling good, ready to board the last leg of the trip to Halifax, I notice that something is amiss. As I passed through customs, the young man grilling me looked at my carry on bag and asked if that was all that I was traveling with. I was a bit confused as to why he was asking this question, but just let it pass. Now as I am heading up the elevator to the floor where I pick up my connection, I notice a sign that reads, “Connecting Flight Baggage Check In.” My curiosity piqued, I asked an Air Canada rep what that meant exactly. Well, apparently in Canada, when you have a connecting flight to another province, you actually pick up your checked in luggage on the baggage carousel and then re-check them in at the terminal in which you flying. So I had to run to the Lost and Found office at Air Canada and get the attention of a representative, who then directed me to fill out some forms. Now I am sweating a little at this point, considering it was 6:15 and the flight to Halifax left at 7:00 PM. An Air Canada rep had to escort me back through customs and I had to explain to Canadian customs officials why I didn’t take my bags. I get down to the baggage claim area and there are my two bags going round and round the carousel all by their lonesome. Grabbing my bags, I skibbled on through, checked in my luggage and went through security again, and got to the gate as the flight was boarding.
The flight to Halifax was great; I got my luggage right away, got on the shuttle, and was whisked away downtown to the Westin, where I am currently writing this tome. Tomorrow morning will be an adventure-esque outing complete with photo ops and I am hoping to get sneak peak of the MS Explorer before boarding at 2 PM.
Love you all! I will be reporting from the Explorer very soon!!
So let’s recap the travel day. It started out with a delicious breakfast of angel food cake straight from the bakery at Kroger. And it was pretty great. The good folks at Student Affairs IT paid me a visit this morning to do some last-minute work on my laptop and then it was time to say goodbye to OSU for the summer. I stopped by to say goodbye to Scott Boden, my former supervisor, who very kindly passed along 5 euro so I can buy some Diet Coke in Europe (or Coke Light as they call it in Europe). Thanks Scott, I’m sure that will get me a couple of cans J
Next, Brian and I stopped over at Morrill Tower to say good bye to Semester at Sea alumni/future bridesman for the Biebuyck/Tomlinson wedding, Doug Eck. I ‘ll admit, at this point in the day, I am getting pretty nervous….but that’s how I usually work; I get excited, then I get really nervous, then I am over it (at this point, I am 99% over it, 1% nervous). Said goodbye to Doug and then headed on over for the Last Lunch at Cap City Diner. Brian and I had a great lunch and then headed over to Port Columbus.
Brian stayed with me until I went through security. I will spare folks the details, but it was a tearful goodbye…I think I owe him a shirt for all of the eyeliner/mascara stains that now occupy the left and right shoulder area of his shirt. But you know what, folks. I seriously have the best guy in the world. Even up until the end, all he kept saying was how excited he was for me and how proud he was that I was doing this. He is pretty much amazing and I miss him already.
So here’s where the good Biebs’ moments pick up for the day. I arrive in Toronto safely and actually had a fabulous seat partner by the name of Judy McFadden. Judy lives in Toronto and was giving me the low down on Istanbul and Naples, since she cruised to those destinations in April. We were pretty tight during the flight and good old Judy gave me a hug as we parted ways at the customs check in at the Toronto-Pearson airport. A big shout out to Judy, my first friend made on my trip!
So as I am sailing through customs, feeling good, ready to board the last leg of the trip to Halifax, I notice that something is amiss. As I passed through customs, the young man grilling me looked at my carry on bag and asked if that was all that I was traveling with. I was a bit confused as to why he was asking this question, but just let it pass. Now as I am heading up the elevator to the floor where I pick up my connection, I notice a sign that reads, “Connecting Flight Baggage Check In.” My curiosity piqued, I asked an Air Canada rep what that meant exactly. Well, apparently in Canada, when you have a connecting flight to another province, you actually pick up your checked in luggage on the baggage carousel and then re-check them in at the terminal in which you flying. So I had to run to the Lost and Found office at Air Canada and get the attention of a representative, who then directed me to fill out some forms. Now I am sweating a little at this point, considering it was 6:15 and the flight to Halifax left at 7:00 PM. An Air Canada rep had to escort me back through customs and I had to explain to Canadian customs officials why I didn’t take my bags. I get down to the baggage claim area and there are my two bags going round and round the carousel all by their lonesome. Grabbing my bags, I skibbled on through, checked in my luggage and went through security again, and got to the gate as the flight was boarding.
The flight to Halifax was great; I got my luggage right away, got on the shuttle, and was whisked away downtown to the Westin, where I am currently writing this tome. Tomorrow morning will be an adventure-esque outing complete with photo ops and I am hoping to get sneak peak of the MS Explorer before boarding at 2 PM.
Love you all! I will be reporting from the Explorer very soon!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bon Voyage!
Greetings everyone! Well, the halls are officially closed, I have moved apartments and my last day of official Hall Director duties was yesterday.....now on to the summer!! I just finished loading the Jeep,gonna watch my last hour of trash TV (aka Maury) and Brian and I are heading to lunch.
I will be arriving in Halfax tonight and will be boarding the MV Explorer tomorrow at around 2 PM. After that, it's lots of training and orientation to the ship before we depart on the 15th. Contrary to popular belief, I will be blogging frequently and will be posting PLENTY of pictures to capture the amazing experience :)
I will keep you posted throughout the week!!
Love you all!!!
I will be arriving in Halfax tonight and will be boarding the MV Explorer tomorrow at around 2 PM. After that, it's lots of training and orientation to the ship before we depart on the 15th. Contrary to popular belief, I will be blogging frequently and will be posting PLENTY of pictures to capture the amazing experience :)
I will keep you posted throughout the week!!
Love you all!!!
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