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.