Thursday, May 14, 2015

When Your Ship Sails Away


And so it ends.

I began planning for Semester at Sea in January of 2014. For an entire year I researched, read, studied, compared, reserved, and planned for our trip.  I watched documentaries about the Vietnam war.  I read stories of survival during the days of the Khmer Rouge.  I read part of Nelson Mandela's The Long Walk.  I bought Pepto Bismol, headlamps, ear plugs, water bottles, shampoo, peanut butter, antibiotics, sunscreen, and way too much chapstick for some reason.  But most of all, I dreamed.

I dreamed of what it would be like to visit the dark ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  I dreamed of finally setting foot in India, a place I had always longed to visit.  I dreamed of facing a great white shark in icy waters. I dreamed of pho soup in Vietnam, temples in Myanmar, and red sand dunes in Namibia.  I dreamed of life on a ship -- high waves, sunsets, seasickness, and weeks without any land in sight.  I dreamed for an entire year before I ever even packed my bags to go.

In many ways, my dreams came true, often better than I imagined.  I saw where the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, but I also saw Sadako's tiny paper cranes she folded with her dying hands.  Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom moved me to the core with their grand and beautiful shapes.   I crawled through the Cu Chi tunnels not alone, but with Viet Cong sympathizers, who also happened to be my friends.  I ate dumplings in Shanghai, with a dear friend who had spent Christmas with us years before. I climbed Lion's Head in South Africa at sunset watching Cape Town twinkle below my feet.  I worshiped with blacks and whites on Easter Sunday in Namibia.  I ate sublime curries and paratha on the coast of India while the warm breezes ruffled my hair.  My dreams came true and then some.

While seeing the world was better and more wonderful than I imagined, another surprise along the way made my trip unforgettable: the people.

Traveling on a ship with 900 people is crazy fun.... particularly when you're an extrovert.  The first day I came on board, I was on page 12 of a new book.  A few days later,  Sydney asked what page I was on.  I said,"I think I'm on page 8." She said,"You're going backward?!" I never read another page.

Kerry asked me one day, "Do you even remember how to read?"  He mocked what he did not understand.  You see, when you're an extrovert whose normal days consist of homeschooling 3 children, and you have a chance to be with 900 adults every single day from morning until night, this is no time to read!


The community on the ship was just as important to us as the countries we were visiting.  This is what sets Semester at Sea apart.  You are traveling with fascinating people who share an interest in growing, learning, and enjoying the world.  The same people with whom I ate, played Scrabble, worked out, discussed issues, worshiped, and traveled became my friends.  Lifelong friends.  You don't go through such formative experiences together without forging bonds. We became family.

As my friend said, "I didn't forget that we saw the world, but we saw it together. And that's what made it so special."

And now Semester at Sea is in the rear view mirror. 

As I was opining about the end of this dream, something important occurred to me. Our whole family went on this trip, and we all came home. It could have been different. With a few short-lived exceptions, we were all healthy and able to participate in all aspects of the trip. We had nothing lost or stolen. The one bag the kids forgot (in a car rental place in Cape Town) contained only bathing suits, a $4 beach towel, and a couple of t-shirts. Indeed, it could have been very different.

And while some might call it good luck or say the universe was smiling on us, I believe there was something else in play.  God.  He was with us every step of the way. He sent us out, guided us, protected us, led us, and brought us home. 

One of the last nights on board, when the ship was plowing through the waters off the coast of Spain, I couldn't sleep.  I was trying to figure out how one goes back to grocery shopping and doing dishes after sailing around the world.  And I was scared.  Scared of my dream being in the rear view mirror.


Then God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice, though I wouldn't put it past him. God reminded me that the same One who guided my steps all the way around the world, isn't going anywhere.  He's going to keep guiding me at home, in my neighborhood, and maybe (hopefully) to some far flung place again one day. God will still be my constant horizon even when I'm on land.  And with that important thought, I was finally able to fall asleep.

And as if to underscore his point, just one day before we docked in Southampton, England, we saw the most vibrant double rainbow I've ever seen. It was so close, it looked like you could reach out and touch it.  But the most amazing part was that you could see it so perfectly in the water, it looked like a complete circle. A giant, glowing, vibrant rainbow circle welcoming us to England, our final port of call.  It was so spectacular, they even made an announcement on the loud speaker, urging everyone to go to the back of the boat to see it.


When I saw it I immediately thought of the description of heaven and the throne of God.  Revelation 4 says: "There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby.  A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." And to further complete the picture, it says, "In front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal." I'm telling you, that rainbow almost brought me to tears.  It felt like a glimpse of heaven, a foretaste of another circular rainbow by a crystal sea.  

Yes, God will be with me every step of the way. And with him, the end of one adventure just means the beginning of the next one.


P.S. I want to say a special thank you to those of you who followed our journey these past four months.  By reading our blog and looking at our pictures, by commenting and letting us know you knew where we were, you gave us a great gift. We knew you cared.  Even in the middle of the sea, we felt connected to you.  Thank you for remembering us. 





Monday, May 11, 2015

Ah, our Last Port of Call -- England

Jolly Old England

Our last port of call was closest to home in many ways, but we came to England with new eyes.  Austin's first words as we entered a shop were, "Can you bargain here?" Sydney asked if we could drink the water.  Charlie wanted to know the exchange rate and was disappointed to learn one dollar only equals .66 of a British pound.  Indeed, when he checked the price of a chupachup lollipop, it was a whopping $1.50!  He said sadly, "The good ole days are over." Yes, gone were the days of 1 rupee lollies.

We were met in London by our wonderful friend, Samantha Evens.  We first met Sam in 2009 when Kerry and I hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.  Sam was in our group of trekkers, and we bonded at the end in the brown waters of Aguas Calientes.  Four years later, when we were visiting Petra in Jordan, Samantha facebooked me to tell me she was in Israel.  The next day we met serendipitously in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  That was the first time we met her boyfriend, Jake. The next year, Jake brought Sam to Washington, DC, as a surprise for her 30th birthday, and we spent an amazing week together.  So, it was fitting, that just one year later, we would meet up with Sam and Jake in London and get to stay with them in their adorable new house.

The first thing we did was go up the London Eye to get an overview of the city.  London is truly massive and beautiful.  We then walked over to Westminster Cathedral and then to a wonderful Mexican restaurant for our first real guacamole in four months!

Sam and Jake live in Crystal Palace which was the site of the Great Exhibition in 1851 where an enormous glass structure was built.  The palace is gone today, but the neighborhood still sits on top of a sprawling hill overlooking London with beautiful homes, gardens, and a wonderful park that goes for miles.  We spent some time navigating the park's maze and racing to the center. Kerry won.  After a tasty burger at traditional pub, we headed to the British Museum. 

The treasures of the British Museum looked surprisingly familiar to us.  After all, Britain colonized nearly half of the countries we visited on our trip.  In the museum, we enjoyed the best of the whole world under one roof.  The only consolation of this plunder was that these treasures might have been destroyed if not amassed by the British.  Now they will live on forever.  We recognized many of the beautiful artifacts from around the world:  masks and drums from Africa, jade combs from Japan, Chinese vases, Indian sculptures and paintings, even Roman mosaics like those we just saw on the ground in Morocco.  The kids were also mesmerized by the mummies from Egypt, even tiny cat mummies!

On our way home to Crystal Palace, we stopped at one of Sam and Jake's favorite Indian restaurants.  Oh, our tummies were so happy to taste authentic curries and naan again! 

Our last day in London included a wonderful Beefeater tour of the Tower of London. (Or, as Sydney noted, if the Beefeaters became vegan, they could be called Bee Feeders.)  With the buzz of the royal baby about to be born, we surveyed the place where so much British history has taken place.  All of us were mesmerized by the Crown Jewels.  Even the boys stood in awe of the giant egg-shaped diamond in the king's scepter!

We then stopped off at Borough Market for the best street food we've ever tasted!  We enjoyed German bratwurst, Chinese gyoza and fried udon noodles, Indian aloo gobi, and French chocolate cookies.  Come to think of it, you don't have to go around the world... just go to London!  We topped off our day with a visit to Shakespeare's Globe Theater and the Tate Museum of Modern Art, where we analyzed the Picasso and Dali paintings.  Sam treated us to a delicious barbecue before we played a rousing game of Loot and went to bed.

Saturday morning we headed north to Oxford where we met our dear friends, the Ramsden family, at the Turf Tavern for a great pub lunch and a lovely tour of Oxford.  Michael and Anne have lived in Oxford for years, and they gave us an insider's look at this magical place.  My favorite stop was outside a church where it is said C.S. Lewis worshiped.  As you walk out of the church doors, there is another door across the way with a lion's head knocker.  On either side of it, are two gold fawns carved into the wood. And just to the right is an old black streetlamp.  It is said that this was the inspiration for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Who knows?  (Photo compliments of Caroline Turner.)

After an obligatory stop at Bob's Cookies and Moo Moos, we headed to the famed Blackwell's bookstore for a break.  All five of us plopped down in a nook with books in hand to read for an hour or so.  I guess I didn't forget to read after all!  Austin said, "This is so fun.  Can we stay here a long time?"

We stayed near Oxford with our wonderful friends, Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing, and their boys.  Frog is the vicar of the Latimer Minster church in Beaconsfield, which we visited on Sunday morning.  The Minster meets in a tent on acres and acres of farmland.  Cherry and apple trees bloomed nearby.  Baby chicks including one named Cluckleberry Finn, huddled under their mother, Pickles.   Little lambs came running when we stopped by their pen. It's an amazing place of natural beauty, with life everywhere you look.  The Life continues in the giant yellow and red tent, where you are met by welcoming Brits offering home-baked sweets.  In this place, God is worshiped and praised with vibrant music and cogent, relevant teaching from his Word. I loved every minute we spent there.


After church, we enjoyed a delicious English chicken and leek pie, then headed to the red clay tennis courts to hit some balls.  It turns out the Orr-Ewing boys are tennis wizzes, and the youngest who is just 6 years old, ran me ragged! He is amazing to watch.

We had a lovely dinner with Frog and Amy and some friends of theirs, enjoying lasagna outside on the patio with Eton's mess for dessert.  This is a mixture of fresh meringues, whipped cream, strawberries, and raspberries.  Amazingly light and delicious.

Our final day in England, Frog treated us to a proper English breakfast of bangers (sausage), bacon butties (bacon sandwiches), fried eggs, and broiled tomatoes.  A brisk walk took us to the town of Gerard's Crossing, which was lovely with the springtime sun shining on lilacs and new green grass. Alas, it was then time to head to Heathrow for our final departure of our grand adventure. Thankfully, we got one last Semester at Sea fix, as we ran into Connor Smith, and his mom, Darcy, who had missed their flight to Iceland.  We had just enough time for a quick lunch together before we boarded our flight and headed home to the United States.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Thoughts from the Final Days on the Ship

We are finally home, but here are some thoughts I wrote down in the final days on the ship:


As I think about the MV Explorer, and the fact that this is the last time the ship will be used by Semester at Sea, I thought I’d share some interesting facts about the ship, particularly as we prepare to say goodbye.


The walls and doors are all made of metal, so you use magnets to hold everything up. No tape is allowed. The doors are also fire doors which means that they are unbelievably heavy. When the ship rocks, I find them almost impossible to open. It is a superhuman feat of strength just for Austin to get in his room.

Peanut butter continues to be the most popular staple on the ship. Any time kids get tired of the 3 P's (pasta, potatoes, and pork), they head to the 4th -- creamy peanut butter, usually on a banana.

The hot dogs at the pool bar may be the best thing I've ever tasted. Or perhaps I am just tired of the 3 P's.

On the ship, our children have gotten very used to being college students. One night we couldn't find Austin, and we all looked high and low for him around the ship. It was about 10:00 p.m. when a student walked down the hall and said, "I just saw Austin at the pool bar." The pool bar at 10:00 p.m.? When we got there, he was sitting on a bar stool eating a hot dog. I said, "Buddy, what are you doing!? It's way past your bedtime!" He looked surprised said, "What?  I was hungry!"  He's going to have a hard time adjusting to no 10:00 buffets, no late night hot dogs, and no ID cards to swipe when you want to buy a candy bar. I was so worried about the kids getting cavities on this trip, I called their dentist from Morocco to set up an appointment.

The Internet was so bad at sea, we were often in a virtual news blackout. Word of events like the earthquake in Nepal and rioting in Baltimore would spread through the student body by word of mouth, since we often had no way to access them online. At the end of the voyage, Al Jazeera news was on the TVs in our rooms, which helped keep us up-to-date.

I discovered I love college kids. Kerry does too. We often eschewed the "private parties" for faculty, staff, and lifelong learners in the lounge to spend more time with the students. Our favorite haunts were the ping pong table, pool deck, pool bar for smoothies and fries, and the piano bar for Scrabble and chess. (The letter of the day is obviously "P.")



While we had wonderful family adventures in the different countries, our children actively avoided us on the ship. With the exception of homeschooling in the mornings, they spent their days galavanting with their friends and the college students on board. Charlie often played ping pong or worked out with the most buff (buffest?) guy on the ship. They often did push-up and pull-up workouts together. Sydney bonded with two darling students, and the three could be seen painting nails and laughing with music playing in the background. Sydney painted all the flags of each of the countries on their nails, much to their delight. Austin loved to play tricks on the college kids -- prank calling them, and knocking on their doors and running away. But he won their hearts when he started the snack food delivery service to their rooms.

All this meant that we didn't see our kids very much at all. Not that we're complaining! It was just a funny turn of events. On the very last day of the trip, I was talking with a good friend of mine, a student, when Charlie came up. The college kid had no idea Charlie was my son because he had never seen Charlie with me the entire trip! Oh well. At least I'm not a helicopter parent.

Many of you have asked about my playlist at sea. Just kidding, no one has asked. But in case you're interested, here it is:


Go Light Your World by Chris Rice
The Broken Beautiful by Ellie Holcomb
Fix My Eyes by for King and Country
Oceans by Hillsong
Greater by MercyMe
God's Not Dead by Newsboys
Because of Your Love by Paul Baloche
My Lighthouse, Joy, and Praise Like Fireworks by Rend Collective
Before the Throne of God Above by Selah
The Great Day by Michael W. Smith
Fireblazin' and I Feel So Alive by Capital Kings

If you want to listen to it, just find a quiet place and close your eyes. Or better yet, get on a ship, sail out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean, then go out on the seventh deck at sunrise and lean on the railing so you can see the ship cutting through the waves ... then listen to it.

Everyone has been saying goodbye for days. Writing in people's journals. It's very high school, and very old school. I know we'll all cherish the notes. Kerry and I enjoyed writing personal letters to the students, professors, and others who have touched us. One couple got engaged in Morocco, and we've had such fun following their journey together.

Semester at Sea may be the hardest program to describe. It just doesn't fit into a neat category. It's not just a trip. It's not a study abroad program. It's not just for college students or retirees or even children. It's for everyone, and anyone who participates finds they are not the same at the end that they were at the beginning. Semester at Sea changes you.

I won't get too mushy here. It's just a blog for goodness' sake, but I'm sure I'll have deep cathartic thoughts as the days go by.