Ship Life

Hey everyone!

I have a bit of downtime on our long trek from Morocco to Ghana so I thought I’d fill you in on a few more details about life at sea. Though I have so many interesting experiences within the countries we visit, living on the MV Explorer is an experience in itself and is definitely worth talking about.

It’s been pretty hot out recently so most of us on the ship have been spending a lot of time up on the seventh deck sunbathing and swimming. Today I spent a good part of the afternoon in the pool getting beat up by some of the professors’ young boys. All that the five, six, and eight year old boys wanted to do was chicken-fight in the pool. Though Luke, the six year-old I had on my shoulders for over an hour, and I were quite the chicken-fighting team, I was constantly struggling to not inhale the salt water. Strength was not an issue but the other two boys had young men supporting them who had a few inches of height on me. Luke and I held our own but had a bit of trouble when we got cornered into the deeper end. I would end up underwater without air until the rolling of the ship forced the water to the other side of the pool at which moment I could snatch a breath of much needed oxygen. Even though I was having trouble getting air, my eyes were burning, and my neck was aching it was a good time.

While we’re on the outside decks by the pool or at dinner we’ll often see a group of people rush towards the railing—somehow watching dolphins never gets old. It is pretty cool though, it’s a reminder that we really are in the middle of an ocean that other creatures really do inhabit. Though it seems strange that we would just forget we’re on a ship, when you go about with your daily life of classes, friends, etc. the fact that we’re in the ocean drifts to the back of your mind.

Another time we are suddenly reminded that we’re on a ship is when we have “muster drills” to prepare in case of a fire or other emergency that could occur on the MV Explorer. “Please report to your muster stations” calls everyone onboard the ship into action. I wish could somehow portray a British accent via text but unfortunately there is no good way to represent Captain Jeremy’s perfectly calm English voice in a blog. Just know that it’s the type of voice you would want to hear if someone had to tell you there was a serious fire on the ship—you’d almost think everything was going to be completely fine. With that said, muster drills are no joke. When alerted everybody has to quickly get to their cabin; dress in warm clothes, close-toed shoes, and a ball cap; put their life jacket on; and report to their designated muster stations (aka. our area that’s close to the lifeboats so we could abandon if necessary). At first we didn’t think it was such a big deal, but it’s the only time you’ll see the crew really serious. The first drill one student had flip-flops on so the crew chastised him and then hid him in the back of the crowd so Captain Jeremy wouldn’t see bare feet on his walk through. It started to feel a bit like Titanic the first time they told us “women and children in the front.”

As for clubs on the ship, I’m involved in the dive club, “Green Group,” and the group informally known as “I want to get a good job this summer” club. The dive club is just as it sounds—we’re planning trips while we’re in Mauritius and Hawaii. Thus far I’m the most experienced diver I’ve met certification wise. When people ask if I’m PADI and I tell them “yes, I’m a Rescue Diver” they’re always very impressed so that’s always a nice little ego boost.

As for Green Group, you can probably figure out what we do. Our goal is simply to raise awareness about environmental issues. We’re writing e-mails to our Senators to show our support for the climate bill that just passed the House and trying to encourage others to do so as well. I’m also going to be giving a seminar on “How Saving the Environment Can Peacefully Prevent Terrorism.” My presentation will be based on a chapter on ‘petro-dictatorships’ from Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded. I strongly suggest anyone who is at all interested to read Friedman’s book and particularly that chapter (Chapter 4) because it was truly eye-opening for me. Dad, I know of all people you probably think I’m crazy but just read that one chapter—I honestly think you will find it interesting. It may sound like I’m becoming a “fanatical liberal,” but for the record I don’t consider myself a liberal, just someone who is very concerned for the environment.

The other group I’m involved with—the “I want a good job this summer” club—is basically just a networking/tips on finding good internships and jobs group that meets every once in a while. Though it seems dorky I’ve already met some great contacts. As it turns out two people that I knew quite well already, one of my professors and a Life-Long-Learner friend from geography class, could really help me find a job in finance and/or environmental consulting. I was pretty excited to get to talk with these guys about their specific fields and they’ve already given me some great ideas and tips on how I might find the perfect summer internship.

A little more about life on the MV Explorer—there are several professors who really stand out and influence everyone, even those who are not their students. One man like that is our music professor on the ship who is the epitome of the absent minded professor. He can pick up any instrument and get lost in it—it’s so cool to watch him. During our cultural pre-port for Ghana he got up on stage and started doing some really cool drums, bells, etc that he learned when he was in a band with a bunch of Ghanaians. He then put some Ghanaian music on and started to show us some traditional Ghanaian dancing (this guy is very white, too). Soon the inter-port lecturer, who’s a professor from Ghana, got up and started dancing with him and not long after many students followed. It was awesome. Not to mention that Dean Bob had just rapped our entire lecture on Ghana’s culture because he was worried we were going to get too bored otherwise. The professors here are exceptionally outgoing, fun people—I guess you’d have to be to want to live with five hundred college kids on a ship traveling the world for a whole semester.

I hadn’t thought about it until recently but living on a ship for four months creates an immense sense of community. We do absolutely everything together. From breakfast, lunch, dinner, and “snack time” to class, meetings, and downtime, the same seven hundred of us are on the ship 24/7 oftentimes for seven days at a time. Seven hundred people may seem like a lot but when you spend literally your entire day every day for the majority of four months with your classmates, professors, and professor’s families you get to know the people really well. Two days ago there was a talent show and I realized how many little ‘inside jokes’ we had that the entire shipboard community was in on. It’s only been three weeks but I can already tell that when we get off the ship in San Diego it is going to be so hard to say goodbye to the extremely closely-knit society. I know this sounds really cheesy but I don’t think you can truly understand it unless you’ve been in the rare situation where your classmates and professors are the only people you actively have contact with for several months.

As we head for Ghana we’re approaching the equator quite rapidly. We are reminded of this every time we step out on the back deck into the extremely muggy heat. Though we stop in Ghana first, in a week from now we’ll be celebrating the actual day we make our equatorial crossing with “Neptune Day” festivities. I’m not sure exactly what this involves but I hear all of the guys, and even some of the girls, shave their heads. I heard something about kissing fish and then putting their guts on your head, too. The rumors make it sound like a cult ritual but luckily shaving one’s head is not required for females so I’m excited to see what other interesting rituals happen when the MV Explorer enters the Southern Hemisphere.

Will write back soon to fill you in on both Neptune Day and Ghana!

svc