We leave in 10 days. Not that we're counting or anything.
Friday, December 26, 2014
10 Days to Go
On Christmas morning, my beautiful daughter presented me with this painting of our ship. Her brush strokes captured the essence of adventure and wanderlust -- a voyage on the high seas. She even churned up the waves a bit, something I'm sure we'll experience crossing the Pacific for three weeks in January.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Getting ready...
So it's T-minus 30 days, and we are full of emotions about our trip around the world. Some (of the maternal variety) can hardly sleep we are so excited! Checklists and guidebooks haunt my dreams. Tripadvisor forums call me by name. This is my dream come true.
Some (of the paternal variety) are anticipating this trip with eagerness as well. Kerry will be footloose and fancy free come January 1, and he's looking forward to family fun for four months. He thinks of things I don't: setting up international cell phone plans, calling credit card companies, and getting a plumber to come out before we leave. I'm grateful for his attention to detail and enthusiasm for adventure.
Some (of the curly blond variety) are excited but unsure of what to expect. After all, four months is a long time, and they have neighbors and friends they will miss terribly. What if Snowmaggedon happens while we're gone?! But... the ship has a ping pong table, and that is about all Austin needed to hear. He's got his game on, and he's ready to play. Charlie is looking forward to the famed "Taco Night" and the sport court on deck.
We will be gone January 5 to May 4. While we aren't entirely sure how this blogging thing will work at sea, we hope to update our adventures on this blog from time to time. If you would like to follow our journey, feel free to sign up. Until then, the packing list calls...
Some (of the paternal variety) are anticipating this trip with eagerness as well. Kerry will be footloose and fancy free come January 1, and he's looking forward to family fun for four months. He thinks of things I don't: setting up international cell phone plans, calling credit card companies, and getting a plumber to come out before we leave. I'm grateful for his attention to detail and enthusiasm for adventure.
Some (of the curly blond variety) are excited but unsure of what to expect. After all, four months is a long time, and they have neighbors and friends they will miss terribly. What if Snowmaggedon happens while we're gone?! But... the ship has a ping pong table, and that is about all Austin needed to hear. He's got his game on, and he's ready to play. Charlie is looking forward to the famed "Taco Night" and the sport court on deck.
We will be gone January 5 to May 4. While we aren't entirely sure how this blogging thing will work at sea, we hope to update our adventures on this blog from time to time. If you would like to follow our journey, feel free to sign up. Until then, the packing list calls...
"Why aren't you going to any interesting countries?"
Where exactly do we go on the trip?
We first fly to San Diego, then take a bus to Ensenada, Mexico, where the ship is docked.
From there, we sail to Hilo, Hawaii, to refuel for the day.
Then we sail 2 weeks to Japan. We'll visit two ports there, Yokohama and Kobe.
Then it's on to Shanghai and Hong Kong in China.
Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam is next. We will do a side trip to Cambodia.
We'll visit Singapore on Chinese New Year.
Then we sail to Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar.)
We cross the Bay of Bengal and arrive at Cochin, India.
We'll stop in Mauritius for a day to refuel.
Then we head to Cape Town, South Africa.
Next up is Namibia.
Then we sail up the entire coast of Africa to Morocco.
Finally, we end up in Southampton, England.
As one friend remarked, "But why aren't you going to any interesting countries?"
Semester at WHAT?
How is it that a homeschooling family with three young kids joins UVA's Semester at Sea program for 500 college students? The answer is a bit of a journey.
It began in January of 2014 on the night of the National Championship game between Auburn and Florida State. Kerry, an Auburn grad, had friends over and was gearing up for the big showdown. In the first quarter, our doorbell rang, and it was Frank, our couchsurfer from China, arriving for the first time. Frank was introduced to American football in grand style. But while I brought him up to speed on our passion, he was bringing me up to speed on his. You see, he had just gotten off the ship with Semester at Sea. He had stories and photos and experiences that would knock your socks off.
While Frank showed me pictures on his laptop and described the adventures he had in 16 countries around the world, I moaned, "Oh, Frank! If only I had known about Semester at Sea when I was in college!"
He said, "You can go on Semester at Sea as an adult! They're called Lifelong Learners."
I said, "But I have kids!"
He said, "There are kids on the ship! Some Lifelong Learners bring theirs, and so do professors."
I said, "But I can't afford it!"
He said, "Just call!"
And so began my foray into Semester at Sea. Once the football game was over and life got back to normal, I snuck off and called Semester at Sea to just ask some questions. Surprisingly, the cost wasn't as much as we thought, particularly for the kids. I cautiously approached Kerry.
To make a long story short, things worked out much quicker than I imagined. Kerry was surprisingly open to the trip. He loves to travel, and having a "home base" on the ship appealed to him. Also, his job was wrapping up at the end of 2014, making a January 2015 departure very convenient. Then we were able to rent out our house to friends, helping with the cost of the trip and the care of our pets. And the timing was perfect -- we would miss the winter months and come back in time for azaleas in the spring.
Here we are nearly one year since that BCS game when a couchsurfer walked into our life and changed it forever. Thank you, Frank, for launching us on the adventure of a lifetime!
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