First Day at Sea!...A Rocky Ride

The first day at sea was jam packed with a number of seminars and activities for our orientation. It was probably a good idea that we didn’t have classes that day because living on a boat definitely took some getting used to…

 

Sea sickness- So I pretty much feel like I am tipsy/drunk all day because you feel like you are constantly swaying back and forth. You don’t even notice the boat is moving until you start walking somewhere and somehow end up stumbling or hitting something that you don’t remember even being close to. Like I have run into some walls and poles…and even some people haha because you end up walking zigzagged through the corridors. Whoever though to put up railings lining every wall of the ship was either the smartest or the most evil person ever. When it gets really rough you basically have to hold onto the rails or at least be touching a wall to keep your balance, but those railings also stick out and have sharp corners, so to me they are dangerous. I’m definitely going to leave the ship with some bruises. The rocking hasn’t made me physically sick though; it’s just funny. I really want to just sit and people-watch to see everyone stumbling around. Haha.  

 

We had orientation pretty much all day, which involved sitting through multiple lectures/discussions about safety, how to use the library and computer services, processes for the field programs in each country, and meet and greats with the professors. This was a good idea, but they should have picked a better location for all of these programs to take place. The Union (called “the U” onboard) is a large auditorium, which would have been used for theatrical shows or bingo nights on a normal cruise, but is instead the largest classroom on the ship. It’s at the very front of the boat, on the 2^nd highest deck of the ship which equals the most turbulent part of the ship. We had to be in there ALL DAY LONG and the movement was ridiculous. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster while I was sitting in my chair. To avoid a headache I really just had to sit there with my eyes closed for a while. When a large wave would hit the boat you could hear it, loud! Things would start shaking- like the ceiling tiles, hanging stage lights, and the crystals in the extravagant chandelier in the center of the room. Every time they dismissed us for a meal or free time I swear the waves got worse. As soon as we would start to stand up a huge wave would come and everyone just kinda almost fell on top of the people in front of them. The speakers had to hold onto the podium to keep their balance while giving the presentations. People were leaving the seminars left and right because it was making them so sick. One of my friends actually passed out at dinner and had to go to the infirmary. 

 

Later that night we had a kind of involvement fair where we learned about student activities on the ship. Some of the clubs/activities include: yearbook, student event planning, intramural sports (volleyball, basketball, soccer, ping pong), career building, tutoring, working/playing with some of the kids on the boat, and some other interest groups. Apparently there will be a Sea Olympics at some point, so I’m excited about that. I might try to play some soccer and tutor for the lower level Spanish courses. I’ll probably submit some of my pictures to the yearbook as well.

 

We all just went to sleep after all of the orientation programs because classes started the next day, and breakfast is only served from 7:00-8:30am on the dot- so you have to get up if you want food before 11:30. At that point the time difference was just that we were two hours ahead of eastern time so when it’s 1:00pm there it’s 2:00pm here. Every night before we arrive in Spain we lose one hour, and that’s one precious hour of sleep time- not cool.