Notes from the Sea

My journal from time spent in Hawaii & our long stretch at sea!

Jan 12

Hawaii (quick pit stop)

I worked the gangway on Deck 3 and had a blast! I played music and danced for 3 hours straight. It was so much fun! If you have to work and watch everyone leave the ship without you, it might as well be enjoyable.

I was on duty for the second half of the day, which means that I was free from 2-7pm. I first found a local Walmart and shopped for a few things before walking the streets and stumbling upon a market, convenient store to buy guava strawberry juice, and ended up renting a bike for $3 to give myself a mini tour of the area.

I facetimed with Chris and Priscilla who were home with their 3 day old baby, Xavier. My favorite part of the day would have to be journaling in a park with the sun setting on my face and without time as a factor.

We set sail again late at night during our first cabin party. The other RDs, our bosses, and I met up in a cabin and shared beer and wine, some stories from the day, and our fair share of laughs about the students who keep us on our toes.

I was able to facetime with Jeremy but that won’t last long since I disconnected my cell service and the time difference will become farther and farther apart.

Jan 13

Using the day to recover, the only thing I had to do was present an alcohol orientation to my sea at 8pm. We met, took roll, went through the presentation, and then I gave announcements on a few upcoming events. The big event for students is tomorrow. We will begin evening beverage service. This is where students can check out a card that will allow them to purchase up to two alcoholic beverages on each night that beverage service is being offered. While this is a big hit for some, it’s not for others. I couldn’t even tell you which nights had beverage service throughout my voyage as a student because I never participated.

Jan 14

First beverage service for students and it was crazy. They pay $4 per drink and can only buy two in the hour. With 200+ students in line, this was chaotic. I am hopeful that students will see it is not worth it and will find something else to do. Plus, as an RD, the crew security team wants us to stand around and watch students drink their beverage. We have to enforce rules like to bags, backpacks, and water bottles in the deck. This is because previous voyagers have been sneaky and hid alcohol in their rooms and at the next beverage service combined all four drinks only to drink them quickly in order to feel the effects and get buzzed.

Ironically, I transitioned from beverage service to an event where I hosted and moderated a panel discussion on Spirituality. We had six panelists who represented Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. There were approx. 30 people in attendance and I chalked it up as a victory. Especially because the program started at 10pm after beverage service.

Jan 15

Easy day! No programs, just planning. And a workout for myself. I have been really good about going to the gym and I am hopeful that I will be able to keep it up. The food is decent and served at set mealtimes. So, I am eating regularly but do treat myself to snacks in my cabin on a semi-regular basis. I could definitely cut the snacks and be a-okay.

The other thing that I am noticing is that I wake up gradually to the sunshine in my cabin. Alarms haven’t been necessary. It’s probably because we continue to gain an hour almost every night!

Jan 16

Lost day! We went from Tuesday, January 15 to Thursday, January 17 with the blink of an eye. We’ve been gaining hours so inevitably we had to give back a day. Time travel is so crazy!

Jan 17

I had two great accomplishments today. The first was convincing myself to go to the gym to complete one mile and finding my stride early on, finishing at 3.5 miles in 35 minutes of consistent running! A few days ago I was very sluggish on the treadmill and reminded myself that fitness is gained on the hard days. So today when it felt easier than I was expecting, I smiled knowing that I had fought through a tough day and landed on a day like today. And that felt really good!

The second victory was in the creation of a bulletin board and flyer that I have been working on behind the scenes for a few days. We have some creative student assistants who I collaborated with to create a bulletin board centered around sexual assault awareness and bystander intervention. It looks really good and with a few final touches tomorrow, it will be done. In addition, I finished a flyer for what might be my biggest day of programming while on board. With a Study Day in 2 days, I have planned a Wellness on the Water day where members of the chipboard community have volunteered to lead sessions on all things Wellness. The first event starts at 07:00 and the last one ends at 23:00.

Lastly, to top things off, our Dean of Student Life (Oscar Felix) bought our team grilled chicken sandwiches and a drink in the Fritz Lounge. The Lounge is only open to Faculty, Staff, and Life Long Learners so the space is quite nice and very exclusive.

Jan 18

A normal day at sea with a few highlights. We had our Sea Olympics Prep Rally where all of the seas met in the Kaisersaal Union, competed in the first event of the Olympics (trivia, and we did not win), and then met as the Baltic Sea to make our banner, practice cheers, and sign up to compete in a variety of events.

We also hosted our first SAS dance and it was so much fun. Seeing the voyagers enjoy themselves, without the aid of alcohol, was really satisfying. I enjoyed a margarita in the Fritz Lounge to end the night and was happy knowing that today was a good day.

I don’t want to forge the crowded gym or the beautiful sunsets! My slow mornings and comfortable clothes lifestyle won’t last forever so I am savoring it while I have it.

Jan 19

Wellness on the Water day, that’s what I call it. Students and Faculty would say Study Day! Throughout the day, voyagers had their pick of twenty different events ranging from fitness & exercise to meditation to financial wellness (traveling on a budget) to identity (through bracelet making) to reflection (coloring and arts and crafts). My favorite session may have been Journaling Your Journey where a colleague, Oli, facilitated a conversation on journaling practices and invited everyone to think outside the box when journaling by using it as a scrap book/thoughts. One technique she mentioned was to start with I am… and then finish the sentence. Or, start with Dear Kayla, and write a letter to my younger or future self. Some tears were shed and many smiles were formed as everyone took in the knowledge and practiced what we learned.

The day was jam packed and very well received! I do love a good pat on the back and feel that it is well deserved for this mass effort.

Our Student Life team was quite helpful and all hands on deck, which made the day much easier to manage. I finished the evening off with two margaritas and hamburger and fries.

Tomorrow I get to meet my extended family, am hopeful that I’ll get in another workout, and look forward to a few less busy days where I can enjoy slow mornings and maybe even watch a movie.

Jan 20

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I love slow mornings, especially on the ship. With a busy day yesterday, I woke up and had the pleasure of watching a movie from bed. I meandered to the gym, had a great workout, and then finished a few lose ends from yesterday (emails, took down signs, put things away).

And then I got to enjoy lunch, a lowkey afternoon meeting, and met my extended family. You are hearing words from a single mom of 5 college students. This program is amazing and one that I really enjoyed as a student. I signed up to be the parent, or mentor/friend, to a group of students throughout the voyage. I have 5 amazing students, all female (Abby, Steph, Lauren, Megan, and Alma). They are from all over the map and have solid plans for travel in Japan and China. We just missed one of their birthdays and have two birthdays in April so we will be sure to celebrate them in a special way. Ice cream cake on the ship is reallyyyyyyy good. So are the cookies. So, I have a feeling we’ll partake in both!

The only downside, if I can even call it that, is that the weather has been overcast and a bit cooler than previous days at sea. Japan will be cold so we have approached the point on this stretch where long pants are necessary and eating outside is not an option. When it’s windy, like today, the crew put the outdoor patio furniture away as a safety precaution.

We get another hour tonight so I will remain a calendar day ahead but when strictly thinking about hours, I am 6 hours behind PST and 8 hours behind CST.

Jan 21

I think I figured out my travel plans for Japan!

Day 1 – Osaka: eat good food, visit local market

Day 2 & 3 – Kyoto: visit temple, shrine, possibly shop

Day 4 – Duty (on ship)

Day 5 – Kobe: hike, People’s Square, shop at 100 Yen store ($1 store!)

Tonight, the Admin team hosted a reception for staff and faculty and I took full advantage of the free event. They had beer, wine, and champagne, along with appetizers. I got to talk with the Captain who is a Russian man of few words. I also got to spend more time talking with the Hotel Director (Siegi), Safety Officer (Alicon) and my favorite bar tender crew members.

Jan 22

Lazy days are okay, right? I felt full and heavy all day long. Maybe it was the reception from last night haha Anyways, today was a regular sea day with Global Studies, our Student Life Team Meeting, Evening Programs, and a few meals sprinkled throughout. I have been complemented a few times for my smile and generally happy demeanor to which I smile and think about how blessed I am for this opportunity and remind myself that, prior to coming back on SAS, I longed for slow mornings, beautiful sunsets, and a relatively stress free environment. Now that I’m here, I don’t want to forget that!

Jan 23

Just a regular day with lots of meetings and pre-port for our arrival in Japan. As an RD, I report for duty at 07:00 and have committed to waking up early to watch us pull into port for each country. So, to bed I go. I'll be up before the sun and plan to make the most of my time in Japan.