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!
Friday, June 20, 2008
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!!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
T-Minus 40 days to go! Whoo hoo!
So can I tell you that I getting super pumped for this? It will be freakin' amazing! Below is the itinerary of our sailing adventures. I just turned in my pre-paid travel excursion forms, so hopefully I will get to go on some of the expeditions that I signed up for!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
So Where Am I Headed this Summer?
Hi Everyone! Welcome back to my blog, as I prepare for my Baltic Sea voyage. Many of you have asked about my intinerary, so please, feel free to use it and love it. I will be flying out to Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 10th of June. I report to the ship on the afternoon of June 11th for shipboard orientation and we set sail for Norway on June 15th. Please drop me emails--packages and letters are also welcome :)
Also, to find out more about the Semester at Sea program. check out their website at:
http://www.semesteratsea.org/summer-2008.php
Check back for some information on where to write to me! Later gators!
Also, to find out more about the Semester at Sea program. check out their website at:
http://www.semesteratsea.org/summer-2008.php
Check back for some information on where to write to me! Later gators!
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