11 Highlights from 11 Days at Sea

Kelley and me with our new Japanese friend Rina

Our Captain's dinner

MIX-MATCH PARTY!!

Kevin and I on Deck 7

Suzie, Emily, and I watching us leave port

1. YOGA AT SUNSET: In an effort to make the boat feel like home, SAS offers lots of exercise classes. My friends and I have come to love doing yoga on the front of the boat. The class is always right at sunset, which makes it so pretty and peaceful. Not to mention it is quite a challenge to balance and stay centered when the boat is rocking from side to side but that makes it fun. It has also been a great way to meet new friends on the boat.
2. MIS-MATCH DANCE PARTY: Mid-week everyone was getting a little boat fever so SAS threw us a dance party in the union. The theme was miss-match clothing and everybody just put on a little of everything from their closet. It was a little cheesy and middle-schoolish, but we just had fun with it and it turned out to be a great night to laugh about.
3. FORMAL DINNER IN THE CAPTAIN’S DINING ROOM. On the ship for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries you can make reservations for a more formal dinner in the captain’s dinning room. However, we all decided we couldn’t wait for someone’s birthday to roll around, so we decided being sick of the dining hall food was reason enough. So we all got dressed up (I think this was the first time I wore something other than sweats on this boat) and enjoyed a fancy dinner. The captain’s dining room is a small little banquet room with 5-6 tables and one large one where the captain and his crew sits. At the dinner, they serve you champagne and a delicious four-course meal. It was so good, but it made returning to the cafeteria food the next day difficult.
4. RINA, OUR JAPANESE INTER-PORT STUDENT: As a way to prepare us for the countries we are visiting, SAS brings on international students from all the countries to travel to the ports with us (i.e. Rina got on in Hawaii, but gets off in Japan) and help us learn about their culture. I was lucky enough to get to know our Japanese student, Rina. She came to all of my classes and spoke on what Japan was like and answered all of our questions. She was so nice and spoke English so well. I learned so much from her, like in Japan they never tip it is seen as rude and women never tan because to have really white skin is seen as very beautiful. Most of all though, I learned we are a lot more alike than different, we are still both college girls who like fashion, music, and to have fun.
5. SOUTH AFRICA SERVICE PROJECT: My favorite professor on this ship is my sociology teacher Toni Zimmerman. She is a professor at CSU and she is such an incredible teacher, I look forward to her class everyday. So when I heard she was getting a group together for a service project in South Africa I signed up. Basically, Toni received a donation to give to the Home from Home foundation that supports orphanages in the townships of South Africa (poor area where the blacks live). She wants SAS students to decide what to spend the money on and then spend the day at the orphanages handing out the gifts and playing with the children. I am beyond excited for this project!
6. GLOBAL STUDIES TEST: now ordinarily I would never put test on my list of highlights, but under the circumstances I thought it would be appropriate. Global Studies is the class that everybody on the ship takes. It is like a college level geography class that goes over all the countries we are going to visit on our voyage. The teacher for it is great and we have done cool things like hear a debate on China vs. the US from our visiting Chinese professor and one of our American professors (p.s. China is going to take over the world). Anyways last night was our first test and all day the captain had been warning us that we were going to be hitting bad weather, AGAIN. So sure enough we go through the worst of it right when we are all taking the test. We hit one big wave that literally knocked everyone out of their chairs and tables flipped over. It was quite a sight. I can definitely say that is the most unique test I have ever taken, got to love life on a ship.
7. TALENT SHOW: to drum up some more fun, SAS put on a talent show for us. Turns out we have quite a talented boat. I was blown away by how many people packed their guitars, flutes, and violins. We had everything from stand up comedy to blue grass bands to just people singing along to their guitar. It was surprisingly entertaining and now has made a few kids on the boat mini-celebs.
8. SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT: As you might have seen on the SAS website, the theme of our voyage is sustainability. So in addition to many seminars on global warming and overpopulation, our GS professor is having us do a project on sustainability around the world. My group is making a documentary on the sustainability efforts of every country we are visiting. I’m going to be using my Flip to get some good video for it. I’ll try and post the finished version too!
9. SUPER BOWL: Finally something American! Because we are 18 hours ahead of the US we all woke up at 8:00 a.m. Monday morning and packed the union to catch the superbowl. The captain slowed the ship way down and no one was allowed to use the internet so all the bandwave could go towards the satellite. It was a little spotty but so fun. I think we all enjoyed the commercials more than the game because we have all forgotten about American restaurants or t.v. shows! Great win by the Saints!
10. INTERNATIONAL DATELINE: We crossed the international dateline on February 3^rd and lost a whole day. It was a weird feeling going to bed on February 2^nd and waking up on February 4^th. Also our route has us gaining an hour almost every night too which has been great but so hard to constantly remember to keep turning my clock back. Consistent time is going to be such a strange thing to get use to again when I get back to the U.S.
11. JAPAN: Finally tomorrow we will be reaching Yokohama, Japan. I am so excited to see this incredible country. I am traveling with friends up to Tokyo and then back down to Kyoto and Kobe. Hopefully I will be able to find someone who speaks English : )

Me, LeeLee, Rynn on the beach in Honolulu

Tessa, Suzie, Emily, and me at our nice dinner in Honolulu, Hawaii

Hanging out at the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu

Loving that yummy Luau food, NOT!

This is the MV Explorer parked in the port at Hilo, Hawaii

Aly and I hanging out at the rocky beach in Hilo, HI

LAND! All the students walking to the beach in Hilo

My roommate, Martha "Katie" Pendleton

The Crew all together for Aly's birthday

HAWAII

Our first stop came and went so quickly. I can hardly believe I am back on the boat sailing away from the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. I had so much fun getting to travel with my new friends and relaxing by the beach. In our first port, we overwhelmed the little town of Hilo, HI. All 600 students raced off the boat and into the cabs that took us to Robertson beach where we laid out on the lava rocks, swam in the ocean, and even rescued a sea turtle. Later Aly and I decided to take a stroll around town, which turned into a 4.5-mile hike back to our port. We got to see the whole town of Hilo. Tons of little beach houses scattered about, all with hammocks and surf boards on their front porches. Everyone was so friendly and no one seemed to be in hurry, such a peaceful way of life. After our adventure we boarded the buses for our Luau put on for us by the students of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. They took us on a tour of the University, taught us to make leis out of Hawaiian Tea leafs, and all 5 of their cultural groups performed native dances for us. We all left a little hungry though as real Hawaiian food is not a cuisine I want to try twice. The next day we stormed the local Walmart and stocked up on needed snacks and stuff. Then it was off to Honolulu.

Honolulu was quite a change of pace from sleepy Hilo. I could hardly believe what a large and bustling city it was. I spent the morning at the Alamoana mall with some girlfriends then met my roommate, Katy, and her parents for lunch at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Later we laid by the beach and people watched. Honolulu attracts some very interesting people. That night I met up with some other girlfriends and we treated ourselves to a nice restaurant on the beach. The next day we headed for the beach again and attempted paddle boarding. Because we were beginners they gave us long boards to use. Getting up was quite a challenge and on a few occasions the instructor had to chase after my paddle. Opps. Still we had a great time. It was so fun to get to hang out with everyone off of the boat. It all went by so quick but the best part was finally being able to use our cell phones again. We all had to readjust all over again back on the boat.

Now it is 11 days to Japan and lots and lots of school : (

LAND!!!

After a long 7 days aboard the MV Explorer we will finally be reaching our first stop, Hilo Hawaii! To say the ship is excited is an understatement. When I was walking along the deck today I noticed a large group of people gathering along the side of the ship. I went over only to discover all the commotion was about another boat visible on the horizon. We have been so isolated out in the vast Pacific Ocean for so long, the idea of an outside world is thrilling.

We have been busy in all of our classes preparing for our arrival to Hawaii. We have been learning about the history of the Hawaiian culture and the native Polynesians who have been there for over 2000 years. I have been actively participating in the Hula club at night led by some local Hawaiians aboard the ship. I am very excited for my big debut at the lu’au on our first night in Hilo. And let’s be clear, this is no five-star hotel’s wimpy attempt at a luau, no, this is the real thing. The University of Hawaii’s cultural center is putting on a real, traditional lu’au for us complete with lai making, a smoked pig, and lots and lots of hula! Should be a lot of fun! As for the rest of the time in Hilo we plan to take a tour of the University, lay by the beach, and stock up on American goods, as this is our last stop on U.S. soil for a very long time.

In Honolulu we have decided to just embrace what we truly are, tourists. My travel companions and I have booked a hotel on Wakiki Beach where we will be surfing, paddle boarding, swimming, and playing lots of beach volleyball. The weather is suppose to be nice and I think it will be a well deserved break from the seven days straight of school we just had (It felt so weird going to classes on a Saturday and Sunday!!). Most of all though I am excited to eat real food again, served at a restaurant!!

Well that is my agenda. I know I have been promising pictures but the ship's intranet is a little complicated and slow so I am hoping once I am on land again I can put up all my pictures and videos for you all to enjoy.

ALOHA

SHIP LIFE

AHOY EVERYONE!

The voyage has officially begun. We sailed out of Ensenada, Mexico late on Sunday night (got to love Mexican time) and are headed for Hilo, Hawaii. Life on a ship is an adjustment but also a lot of fun. Everyone on the ship is so friendly. (Notice how I called it a ship and not a boat, the MV explorer takes their nautical language very seriously, “Ships carry boats, boats can’t carry ships” is a favorite phrase of the staff’s. In fact, when you ask for directions around the ship, they only give it to you in appropriate terms like starboard, port, bow, and stern. It took some getting use to).

Our first day was all orientation and boat drills. Our captain is from Croatia and we can barely understand his accent, which made our first boat drill in our lifejackets quite interesting. However, I learned two important rules, #1 it must be silent at all times during a drill EVEN when your friend looks hilarious in her bright orange life vest and is making fish faces at you, and #2 when they say head to your mustard station they do not mean the condiment bar in the lunch room but rather the platform by the lifeboats (the crew member told me not to feel bad it was a common mistake).

THE SHIP: When we arrived in Ensenada via shuttles everyone was looking out the windows trying to spot our boat. In the port there was a glorious beast of a boat with almost 15 decks and a beautiful bow with a huge pool. We got all excited until someone pointed out the Carnival cruise line logo on the top of it. Darn, turns out the tiny little tugboat looking ship next to that one was actually ours. But once aboard, it was clear that little old MV Explorer was once a glamorous cruise line. In fact the library has the appeal of an old casino, the lecture hall reminds one of a show theater, and the cafeteria probably once was home to a five star restauraNT. The food on the boat is good; it’s very American and always seems to consist of chicken, potatoes, bread and some kind of pasta. Not the healthiest but I figure if I over eat on the boat it will be balanced out by the starvation I plan to endure in the ports. Also, we are quite spoiled, as there is an amazing kitchen staff that clears your plates and refills your drinks at all the meals. But eating was the last thing on my mind the first few days because anything I ate ended up, as JMart likes to say, “fish bait” off the back of the boat. Nothing could have prepared me for the seasickness I felt the first night out to sea. I swayed from wall to wall on my way to the doctor’s clinic where he gave me patches, pills, and even a dorky little wristband to wear. I felt kind of pathetic until I noticed all the other green-faced students in line behind me. In fact, at our orientation on the morning of day 2, everyone was doing the “Mari Ann,” (head rolled back, eyes closed, and mouth open) because the rolling of the ocean made us all so drowsy. But I am proud to say now at day three I have finally gotten my sea legs and am able to move about the ship without clinging to the railings.

MY CABIN: yes mom, my cabin is tiny! BUT all my stuff did fit and there is even room for my roommate to have one whole drawer to herself, jk. The storage in our room is actually great and I find that I am almost never in my cabin anyways . The hardest part is actually taking a shower. The boat rolls so much and with the slippery ground, you can imagine how difficult it is to remain upright. We also have an old fashion cord phone in our room where we can call all the other cabins. It was so hard getting use to using that instead of just texting someone “where r u?” but the worst is when they are not in their cabin, which is often the case, and you have to circle all the decks looking for them.

ROOMMATE:The first day on the ship I was walking along the narrow hallways to find my cabin and meet my new roommate. I began to notice there were name tags placed on all the doors. When I got to mine it read 4131 Nicole Hemstad & Martha Peddleton. MARTHA!? Needless to say I was a bit nervous when I opened the door, but to my dismay she was not there. So I went upstairs and joined some of my Boulder friends for lunch. We sat at a big round table and I introduced myself to the two new people sitting with them, Katie and Lee. We all began discussing our new roommates. So I chimed in “Ya you guys will never believe this, my roommate’s name is MARTHA! She is going to be so weird huh?” Everyone got really quiet at the table and looked down at their plates. Then “Katie” the new blonde girl at the table began laughing and extended her hand, “ I’m sorry I guess I should have fully introduced myself, I’m Martha Katie Peddleton. Martha is a family name, I usually just go by Katie.” I thought seriously about jumping off the side of the boat, but I just began apologizing over and over instead. Katie was so nice about it, she said she gets that all the time. But oddly enough that was not the most ironic part of all of it, turns out Katie goes to the University of Colorado too and is an Alpha Chi Omega with my other high school friends on the boat (hence why she was at the lunch table with all of them in the first place). She is really nice and we get along great. Now we laugh about our awkward first meeting and tell everyone our story.

So far it has been a lot to get use to boat wise, but I have met so many fun new people from schools from all over. CU has the most students on the boat, but I didn’t know a lot of them so it’s fun meeting new CU people as well. Everyone is so friendly and we have a lot fun just sitting out on the stern of the ship enjoying our beautiful ocean view. So sorry Dad and Nancy, not homesick yet : )

Hope all is well back on land and I hope to post more later.

Love, Nicole

p.s. we calculated that a typical flight from Denver to Hawaii takes about 5 hours so in the in the 180 hours it is going to take us to get to Hawaii by boat, we could have flown there and back 18 times!! Hope that gives you an idea of how slow a boat moves. But as our dean likes to say “IT’S ALL PART OF THE EXPIERENCE!”

Setting Sail

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow begins my BIG ADVENTURE cruising around the world on a boat. I will be spending almost four months studying abroad and visiting some of the most amazing places in the world. The MV Explorer (the boat) has 650 college students from schools all over the US traveling on it, as well as 40 American professors teaching a multitude of subjects. I'll be studying subjects like Anthropology, Modern History, and Global Business. I will be attending class while sailing on the boat, but when we dock in the various cities we are free to explore. My adventures will include surf lessons in Hawaii, camping on the Great Wall of China, touring the Taj Mahal, a safari trip in South Africa, and a crazy rafting ride along the Amazon in Brazil.

I am hoping to update this blog with pictures and stories once a week, so check back often. Below you can find a schedule of where I will be over the next few months.

• Jan. 17: Depart San Diego
• Jan. 25-26: Hilo, HI
• Jan. 27-28: Honolulu, HI
• Feb. 9-11: Yokohama, Japan
• Feb. 12-13: Kobe, Japan
• Feb. 16-17: Shanghai, China
• Feb. 17-21: Beijing, China
• Feb. 21-23: Hong Kong, China
• Feb. 26- Mar. 3: Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Mar. 11-13: Chennai, India
• Mar. 15-16: Cochin, India
• Mar. 23-24: Port Louis, Mauritus (Africa)
• Mar. 31-Apr. 4: Cape Town, South Africa
• Apr. 11-14: Accra, Ghana
• Apr. 21-25: Salvador, Brazil
• May 5: Arrival back in US (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

I would love to hear from everyone while I'm away. You can email me at: nlhemstad@semesteratsea.net

You can track our voyages at: semesteratsea.org

I can't wait to begin this incredible trip. Hopefully the pirates don't find us!

See everyone back in the states May 5th!

Love,

Nicole