Monday, January 12, 2015

At Home

Today was the first day I felt like I was home. Maybe it's because when I went outside, a blast of warm, moist air met me at the door.  For a Miami girl, that feels like home. Every nautical mile, we're getting closer to Hawaii. Even the water -- sometimes grey, sometimes navy -- looks brighter and more cobalt.
 
Yesterday the seas were choppier than usual. White caps rode the waves, and the wind was up. Interestingly, though, the ship didn't pitch and roll as much as when the sea was calmer but with bigger swells. 
 
I've got my sea legs now. I hardly notice the constant motion, the times we walk side to side in the halls as the ship tilts, the way we engage our core to stay straight and not spill our drinks in the dining hall. This lifestyle is becoming second nature. I keep forgetting we're going to get off the ship and visit countries!!
 
Ship life has a rhythm to it. Every morning Kerry and I work out in the tiny gym. I'm always amazed at the number of people exercising before dawn. There is a real culture of fitness on the boat.  A group of us have started a 7-minute workout by the pool in addition to our other exercise.
 
At breakfast as a reward for working out, we choose from omelets, French toast, bacon, pain au chocolate, fresh fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, bagels, and juice. We eat out on the back deck overlooking the frothy turquoise ribbon of the ship's wake. I shudder to think how we will cope with going back to cold cereal at our kitchen table.
 
After schooling in the morning, there is free time in the afternoon. Yesterday the kids made a grand discovery-- a girl from the national Ping Pong Team of Colombia is on board!!! There was great rejoicing. Maria is on a ping pong scholarship in the US. (Who knew?) Austin is overjoyed and hopes to have many ping pong clinics.
 
Last night (Sunday) we had a church service for anyone who was interested. About 10% of the students showed up. An Econ professor who is also a minister spoke. Next time they hope to have some guitars and other music.
 
At 9:00 pm, we had trivia night in the big "Union" room. About 400 students showed up. We divided into teams of 8-10 and answered trivia questions about sports, entertainment, etc. Do you know the name of Don Quixote's horse? We didn't. Do you know Taylor Swift's middle name? We didn't. Do you know the 7 seas? We missed the Arabian. Needless to say, our team (the Sailing Tacos) didn't win.
 
Today we had a student from University of Alabama help tutor Sydney and Charlie in physics because I didn't understand the chapter in their physical science book. This girl was a physics major hoping to teach high school, and she did a bang up job. Even I understood! After the kids were done, she said, "I'm from Alabama, and we say, 'Roll Tide.'"  Without missing a beat, Charlie looked at her and said, "We say, 'War Eagle.'"  That's for you, Evans Rice. :)

Day after tomorrow is Hilo, Hawaii.  First land in 6 days.  
 

2 comments:

  1. This is great, Michelle! The adventure, your family, and of this fantastic writing is all making me wish I along with you! It's fun to be tracking your adventures for a change! Keep us post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing trip!!! Eager to know when you will be cruising from Mauritius to Cape Town, then along the west coast of Africa. A couple fun books to read would be Skeletons on the Zahara about 12 American sailors shipwrecked on the west coast of the Western Sahara in 1815, and The Pirate Hunter, the true story of Captain Kidd. But I'm glad you are going south from Cochin, India to Mauritius and avoiding the east coast of Africa. That is Captain Phillips country, not safe for kids!! If you are near Ghana, you should tell your crew to stop at the Elmina Slave Castle, or else Goree Island in Senegal.

    ReplyDelete