Understanding Gravity

As I glance out the window I am amazed at what I see. The rolling hills of white caped waves rock what I call home, school, entertainment center, restaurant, etc. After leaving the first port, I am began to take notice of how unique this opportunity really is. The last few days have been extremely influential in the realization of my surroundings. Trying to recover from the fast pace of my Shanghai experience I went to bed early, unfortunately never to fall asleep. The major waves turned me right out of my bed! There is no danger by our presence amongst these currents but they can make things quite comical. Simply put, nothing actually stays in place. You place a glass on the table and it ends up on the floor; your closet doors refuse to stay shut; and walking down the corridor results in bumps and bruises from the "attacking"
railings and walls.

On board life has been picking up these days. Clubs and activities are beginning to be planned and everyone is eager to partake. I have joined a soccer team as well as student voice. I have sat in on the many discussions around the ship as well as have helped to plan the logistics of my AFPs. Life is pretty busy but at times a bit monotonous. Now that the weather has warmed I have been spending my days outside. It easy to get distracted by the lounge chairs on the deck and the social atmosphere that this ship encourages.

As for the daily routine, about which some of you have been asking, we rise for breakfast between 7 and 9. Breakfast closes promptly at 9, to the dismay of many of the students. Classes run from 8:30-10:10, 10:20-12:00, then break for lunch, 2:30-4:10, and 4:20-6:00, which is shortly followed by dinner. It's funny how we adapt to new routines. My stomach has definitely been trained to be hungry exactly at the correct times (as well as sometimes in between meals). The food on the ship is actually much better than I anticipated. We have a decent variety but I sometimes find myself with the same things over and over. I am still getting used to the wait-staff in the dinner room. These men are so meticulous and clear our plates for us. In fact, it would be insulting to them if we cleared our own trays. They are incredibly nice and I am trying to come up with ways to repay them for their kindness. The entire crew of the ship is amazing! They work so hard and I don't really feel like I deserve it. I guess it's just something I will have to get over.
Pre and post port days usually include lots of discussion, security briefing, cultural exchanges, and itinerary reviews.

The rest of the day is filled with homework, activities, and socializing. The atmosphere on the ship is incredibly accepting. Of course there are affinities and people naturally gravitate toward one another, however, I could walk up to any table and eat dinner with them and it wouldn't be a problem. Everyone tries to mix things up a bit, which is extremely welcoming.

I hope that gives you all a better understanding of my daily activities. It's wonderful to hear from home and how you are all doing. Thanks for the updates. I off to do some reading in the beautiful sunshine. Much love to you all.