is that you get to lay out and get tan on your breaks! I have a break
from 0915-1045, and from 1200-1355 so I've been going up to deck 7 to
lay out! I started the book A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks, and
am actually almost done with it! Nothing makes me happier than reading
a good book while laying out, especially when I am surrounded by the
ocean! Classes have been slightly boring since all I do is take notes
in all of them on my computer, so it's nice to have a little break
from it. And I am ghostly pale right now, so I am hoping to get a
little color before arriving to Turkey on Wednesday!
P.S. tomorrow is Sea Olympics and Taco Night, woooo!!!!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Straight of Gibraltar
We are officially through the Straight of Gibraltar! Yesterday we
passed through the Straight and were able to see some amazing scenery!
There were very high mountains/rocks and we were very close to land.
We used this time to refuel the ship which took a very large ship to
do. The waves were very rough and rocky but I'm doing okay! We are now
through the straight and entering into the Mediterranean sea. Turkey
here we come!!!
passed through the Straight and were able to see some amazing scenery!
There were very high mountains/rocks and we were very close to land.
We used this time to refuel the ship which took a very large ship to
do. The waves were very rough and rocky but I'm doing okay! We are now
through the straight and entering into the Mediterranean sea. Turkey
here we come!!!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
My Time in Morocco!
Casablanca and Marrakech Morocco.
We arrived in our first port of Morocco on Sunday morning. Kelly,
Kelsey, and I set off to spend the day in Casablanca checking out the
sites. First, we went to the fish market for our marine biology class.
It was slightly uncomfortable because it was just us three girls (no
guys came with us) and the fish market was all men so everyone was
staring. We quickly left that area grabbed a cab, and went to the
Hussan II Mosque which is the second largest mosque in the world. It
was absolutely breathtaking; I've never seen such detailed tiling in
the architecture.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Unlike Other Study Abroad Programs
I am currently on Deck 7 of the MV Explorer 'studying' aka tanning and
looking out at the beautiful ocean. Everywhere I look is water; I
can't see land anywhere! It's so weird to think that this time
tomorrow we will be in AFRICA! My quiz went well this morning in
Marine Bio and I finished my essay for Law and Society so the rest of
the day will consist of relaxing, hanging out, a pre port meeting
tonight, and packing for Morocco!!!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Struggles
So earlier it was reported that the toilets toward the front of the
ship weren't working....and it just happened to our toilet! it started
overflowing and we didn't know what to do! Guess we'll see what
Crisbon has to say in the morning.....
ship weren't working....and it just happened to our toilet! it started
overflowing and we didn't know what to do! Guess we'll see what
Crisbon has to say in the morning.....
Life Aboard the MV Explorer!
Hi!! So I'm still in catch up mode for my blog so I apologize and I will try to stay on schedule in the future. Here's a recap to the best of my memory of the past five days on the MV Explorer!
Tuesday, June 18th: Orientation Day. From 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00 we had orientation meetings in the Union. They told us important info on procedures and academics and staying out of trouble and what not, but it was a very tiring day. The main news I remember learning about was the status on our trip to Istanbul. As many of you know, the citizens of Istanbul have been protesting their government for the extreme way the police treated their citizens while they were engaging in non-violent protests. Unfortunately we will not be going to Istanbul as planned due to all the riots currently going on. Semester at Sea deemed it to be too dangerous to bring five hundred something American students there, which I completely understand, but am still a bit disappointed about since I was looking forward to this city a great deal. Instead, after Antalya Turkey, we will be going to the Greek island of Crete for a couple of days! And then we will travel back to Turkey to the city of Kusadasi. I had originally had a field lab for Law and Society in Istanbul, but it has been rescheduled to take place in Athens. Also, the field program I was looking forward to most (Cappadocia hot air balloon) was based out of Istanbul, but I believe they are still trying to make it work and will just have us fly from Kusadasi to Cappadocia instead. I am HOPING we will still be able to go because I am SO excited for this trip! Main points to take away from orientation: We are on a SHIP, not a boat, we live in a CABIN, not a room, and they are called DECKS, not floors. So then after orientation we ate dinner, which always consists of pasta, salad, some meat, and potatoes. I would be fine eating just the salad, however they only offer two salad dressings and they are very unusual! To be honest, I am already kind of tired of the food because it's the same thing everyday. We then attempted to get our email set up and then went to another sea meeting.
Wednesday, June 19th: Happy 21st Birthday to my friend Dom from UD!!! Today was the first day of classes. I have marine bio from 08:00-09:15, Architecture of the Mediterranean from 10:45-12:00, and then Law and Society from 13:55-15:10. Marine Bio was very interesting and I really enjoy my professor. Architecture is in the Union, where the rockiness of the boat is UNREAL. Halfway through class I wasn't feeling great so I left for my cabin, took a 15-minute nap, and then came back for the end of class. Law and Society seemed like it would be very interesting. I received a lot of reading homework for all three classes, but that's expected when you are taking 9 credits worth of classes in a matter of 20 days. I believe I took three naps this day as the seasickness was starting to kick in. Meals are kind of difficult because the two dining halls are only open during certain hours. Breakfast is from 07:00-08:30, lunch is from 11:30-13:30, and dinner is from 17:30-19:30. Being that I have an 8 am class, if I want breakfast I must get it before my class, which is a little difficult. The nice thing is that my classroom is literally 30 seconds away from the dining hall. I think my favorite thing out of what we've been served so far is the fish. I'm trying to stay away from the pasta and potatoes since I'll be feasting in the ports on the exotic cuisine, but it is a little difficult when that is all there really is to eat. The campus store opened today and I bought a blanket (the ship has been really cold at night), a postcard of the MV Explorer to hang in my room, a long sleeved shirt which has all the countries and their flags that we will be going to on it, a pink SAS sweatshirt, a SAS blue t shirt, and a little SAS bear. Everything was basically sold out by the end of the day so I'm glad I got this stuff when I did. At night, Shannon, Kelly, Kelsey and I just hung out in our cabin attempting to do homework. The sea sickness was so extreme at that point that I couldn't stand on the floor without running for the bathroom or back to sitting on my bed. I then showered (very difficult without a door on a rocking ship) and then went to bed. I've been lucky in the aspect that once I lay down to go to sleep, I sleep through the night without waking.
Thursday, June 20th: This morning I only had time for coffee before Marine Bio. After class I went back to the dining hall to work on this blog and get some more coffee. However, being that it is not eating hours, they took away the coffee mugs! I then asked the coffee bar if I could have just a cup (they charge for their coffee) and they denied me so then I bought a tumbler from the campus store (overpriced of course) and used it to get my coffee fix. This tumbler will come in handy though because it's 16 ounces compared to the itty bitty size coffee mugs they give you at meal times. I know I will use it every day I'm on the ship for coffee, and will also have it as a souvenir after my time at Semester at Sea. I'm currently in the dining hall facing the ocean as I type this rocking up and down. It's so crazy to me that there is no land around us anywhere; all I can see is ocean. It truly is beautiful. I always feel so at peace when looking out at the water, it makes me really grateful for this opportunity. I spent the rest of the day in my classes, napping, and having a movie night with the girls.
Friday, June 21st: Another normal day at sea, except that for the first time since we've been here THE SUN CAME OUT! We've been in sweatpants and sweatshirts (although some girls take time to get dressed up and wear dresses….HA)_ since Monday since it's been so cloudy and chilly! After Marine Bio and Architecture, we actually brought our laptops outside and worked in the sun; it was so nice!!! I noticed everyone gather to the starboard side of the ship so I went over to see what the commotion was. At first I didn't see anything, but then I spotted it! There was a whale moving through the water! I captured a picture of him blowing water through his blowhole! This was super exciting for me because it was the first animal I've seen in the ocean so far. It just confirmed for me how awesome of an opportunity Semester at Sea is, and how it is unlike any other study abroad program out there...it's way better! I then went to my Law and Society class where we were honored to have the US Ambassador speak to us. It was such an incredible opportunity to have someone so unbelievably important talk to us about the 9/11 attack and international affairs. We learned all about how the government responded to the 9/11 attacks and how they went to their alternate location with no windows everyday at 6am all the way until Christmas, where they decided to move the work day back to 6:30 am. I was in shock that someone so important took the time to board the MV Explorer from London to Morocco to share her expertise and intelligence with us and I am extremely appreciative of this opportunity! The rest of the day I have planned for dinner at 1800, Staying Healthy and Safe in Country meeting 1900-2000, Cultural Pre-Port meeting 2000-2100, and then drinks on the 7th deck until 2300. Unfortunately even though tomorrow is Saturday, I still have classes and my first Marine Bio quiz at 0800 and an essay due in my Law and Society course. So I'm off to take care off those now, but I'll update tomorrow before I arrive in Morocco on Sunday morning! Miss you all! Feel free to email me at leah.francis.su13@semesteratsea.org !!! Oh and here's some pictures from my cabin and the ship!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
My Time in London!!
Hello from the Atlantic Ocean! It’s hard to believe that I left exactly one week ago for this journey. I spent Friday through Monday morning in London, England! Unfortunately, it was very difficult to find Wi-Fi so I am a little behind with blogging and trying to catch up as much as possible. So here is a recap and I apologize for the length of this post!
Thursday, June 13: I ran into quite a few problems on Thursday while last minute packing and getting ready for the airport. The main issue was after I had laid out all the clothes I planned on taking, I realized I had filled all my bags and still had half my clothes to still pack. I was already at two carry on bags and a check in bag and being that our plane had an embargo I was freaking out! Luckily I got a hold of the airline and they said I could check two bags for $100 each way (while expensive, it was necessary). As I was packing, I tested out the ‘auto power off’ straightener I had purchased a while ago for the trip. I then realized it wasn’t actually auto turn off meaning I couldn’t bring it on the trip. My mom was a lifesaver and went out and found me an auto turn off one at target as I quickly finished up packing. I was all set and headed to the airport with my dad and my four bags.
He made me practice rolling/carrying my bags to the ticket counter where I quickly learned I over packed and that moving more than ten feet without stopping was impossible. In a panic I started pulling things out of my bags that I thought I could get by the next two months without. Looking back I’m a little upset I took out my black pumps and leather coat, but nothing I can do about that now. I said a very tearful goodbye to my dad and made my way through the security line. Everything went smoothly and I just made it to my gate as they started boarding. I sat in the last row in the plane and noticed that this airplane had three sections across of seats instead of just two sections. I made the mistake of forgetting to take my wristelet/iphone out of my carry on bag that was stored up above in the overhead compartments so I was unable to take pictures of the view during the flight. I sat next to a man who told me he worked for the government, which made me feel a little safer and also made me laugh to myself thinking about the airplane scene from Bridesmaids. I was absolutely amazed with the food the plane served us. For dinner I had hot chicken over rice, a side salad, a roll of bread, crackers and cheese, and a pastry dessert! I’m used to just having peanuts and a drink so I was blown away! In the morning for breakfast I had a banana and a muffin. The flight also offered complimentary movies, tv shows, and games. I played some Spanish games to familiarize myself with some vocabulary, watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother, and watched the movie Tangled. For the first time in my life, I was able to get my own bag down from the overhead compartment without anyone’s help!
Friday, June 14: After getting off the plane, I waited in the customs line for a very long time, but then finally made it to the baggage claim. I asked a worker how much it cost to rent a trolley and he gave me a confused look and told me they were free of charge. I then gathered my bags and waited to meet a couple girls I had been talking to through Facebook. Once we met up, we joined the other girls in our group and headed for the underground train station known as the Tube. This was the BIGGEST struggle I believe of my entire life. The four bags totaled to double my body weight and I had the hardest time maneuvering around the busy airport and station. Not to mention, I had to stop almost every ten feet to reposition my bags or to give my shoulders/hands a break. The Tube was extremely packed and other passengers were getting frustrated with all six of us girls and all of our bags. To make matters more challenging, we then were faced with two different flights of stairs, which we had to carry our bags up. This was absolutely impossible for me, so luckily locals saw the disbelief on my face and heard me repeat, “I refuse” many times, and offered to carry my bags up the stairs for me, which I happily let them. I know it could have been a bad situation where they took off with my bags, but I put trust in these kind strangers and it worked out! I was SO thankful for their generosity and kindness. We finally made it out of the Tube, but only to wander around Camden Town with no luck finding our hostel. We walked around a bit and finally found our hostel in what looked like a pub. We then carried the rest of our luggage up the three flights of stairs to our room.
Our room was nicer than what I was expecting from everything I heard about a hostel. There were four bunk beds for eight people total and all the sheets were surprisingly pink! The shower was a bit of a struggle because the water turned off every 15 seconds, so you constantly had to turn it back on, but besides that I was very impressed with the hostel! The pub downstairs was a lot of fun as well and it was nice not having to leave our hostel if we just wanted a quick drink. We went to the Camden Eye for dinner, where I ordered my first British fish and chips, which was great! We learned that you do not tip the bartenders for drinks. Afterwards, we walked around the Camden area, and also went to another pub. Every place we went that served alcohol would ID only me as I walked in. I find this funny because the drinking age is 18 there and I just celebrated my 21st birthday in the US about a month ago. We soon realized that most pubs/restaurants have both an upstairs and downstairs, which I found very interesting. We went back to the pub and just hung out the rest of the night getting to know each other. Unfortunately our friend Kelly got pick pocketed on our way back and had her iphone stolen. Also, one of our friend’s luggage was lost in her connecting flight. Fortunately, I did not ruin into any of these problems.
Saturday, June 15th: So my roommate Shannon is from Cincinnati and she was scheduled to fly out from there to her connecting flight in Detroit. This would have been the same flight I was on going to London. The Detroit flight left at 10, and her flight from Cincinnati ended up being delayed due to all the storms and would not arrive to Detroit until after our plane had already taken off. The airline rescheduled her flight to leave the next day and to arrive instead on Saturday. When we woke up in the hostel Shannon had arrived and we all got ready for our day of sight seeing. We went to the tube and took it to downtown London. First we went on a double decker bus and then hopped off to see the London Bridge and the Tower of London.
At this point the weather was absolutely beautiful and the skies were bright blue. We then took a ferry down the river where we were given a sight seeing tour. It was FREEZING on the top of this ferry. I packed expecting Mediterranean weather and London was nothing like Mediterranean weather. I struggled all day in just a short sleeve shirt but it all worked out. We then wandered around trying to find a place to eat and asked two police offers for their suggestions. They were very funny and tried to the ‘American accent’. Afterwards, we ate lunch at a cute little pub downtown called The Clarence.
I ordered the ‘Ploughman’, which basically was a make your own sandwich and salad. Afterwards, we took pictures in the famous red telephone booths and in front of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (although we learned the name Big Ben is actually the bell inside, not the name of the tower). We then took the bus to Buckingham Palace where it started down pouring on us. We then had to wait about 20 minutes for a bus to take us back and we waited it out on the steps of a building trying to find cover. Finally, we got on the bus, then the tube, and made it back to Camden. After relaxing in our hostel for a while, we went to a pub down the road I believe was called Camden Tower, and ordered delicious pizza. As soon as I went up to the bar, the bartender said, “You’re so American it’s painful.” I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this, but then he was friendly. On our way we stopped at a convenience store and bought some alcohol to save money since drinks were expensive at the pub. I thought my wristlet was stolen here and called out this news out to my friends. My one friend Brianna then ran up to this group of locals and demanded they give my wristlet back (none of them understood what a wristlet was) when I realized my wristlet was around my wrist. Oops! Haha at least I know my friends have my back! We then hung out getting to know each other more in the hostel and then went out to the pub ‘The World’s End’. My friends back home will understand the significance of this haha but I managed to take two shots! One tasted like sour apple and the other one tasted like peaches. We had fun talking to the locals and learning about London.
Sunday June 16th: Today was the day where we had to go back to the London Heathrow Airport to the Hilton hotel there where SAS check in was. While most of the girls in my group took the Tube, I absolutely refused to put myself through that again. So Brianna, Shannon, and myself called a cab. It only cost 20 pounds per person too so we got a great deal!!! The best part about the cab ride was the driver. He shared with us so much valuable information and drove us by such amazing sites, it was like a tour in itself. We found out he once had Paris Hilton, and the actor who played Dumbledore in his cab. We learned that in the UK if you were sentenced to ‘life in prison’ it meant that maximum you would be there for 25 years. I found this astonishing, especially if a 20 year old committed mass murder, he would be a free man at the young age of 45. So we checked into the hotel where we saw a ton of SASers in the lobby and waited for a couple hours until we could get into our room. The rooms were only supposed to have two people in them, however we fit six. Around dinnertime we went in a large group of SASers to the Oxford area via the tube.
We didn’t even realize it, but our friends all wore American colors which we found really funny. We ate dinner at an Italian place and got drinks (finally a pub had mixed drinks) afterwards. We then jumped back on the tube, hung out in our hotel room, and then called it a night.
Even though I’m writing this a week later, I will cut this post off here and continue with Monday through Thursday (life on the MV Explorer!) in my next post. Thanks for reading! :)
Thursday, June 13: I ran into quite a few problems on Thursday while last minute packing and getting ready for the airport. The main issue was after I had laid out all the clothes I planned on taking, I realized I had filled all my bags and still had half my clothes to still pack. I was already at two carry on bags and a check in bag and being that our plane had an embargo I was freaking out! Luckily I got a hold of the airline and they said I could check two bags for $100 each way (while expensive, it was necessary). As I was packing, I tested out the ‘auto power off’ straightener I had purchased a while ago for the trip. I then realized it wasn’t actually auto turn off meaning I couldn’t bring it on the trip. My mom was a lifesaver and went out and found me an auto turn off one at target as I quickly finished up packing. I was all set and headed to the airport with my dad and my four bags.
He made me practice rolling/carrying my bags to the ticket counter where I quickly learned I over packed and that moving more than ten feet without stopping was impossible. In a panic I started pulling things out of my bags that I thought I could get by the next two months without. Looking back I’m a little upset I took out my black pumps and leather coat, but nothing I can do about that now. I said a very tearful goodbye to my dad and made my way through the security line. Everything went smoothly and I just made it to my gate as they started boarding. I sat in the last row in the plane and noticed that this airplane had three sections across of seats instead of just two sections. I made the mistake of forgetting to take my wristelet/iphone out of my carry on bag that was stored up above in the overhead compartments so I was unable to take pictures of the view during the flight. I sat next to a man who told me he worked for the government, which made me feel a little safer and also made me laugh to myself thinking about the airplane scene from Bridesmaids. I was absolutely amazed with the food the plane served us. For dinner I had hot chicken over rice, a side salad, a roll of bread, crackers and cheese, and a pastry dessert! I’m used to just having peanuts and a drink so I was blown away! In the morning for breakfast I had a banana and a muffin. The flight also offered complimentary movies, tv shows, and games. I played some Spanish games to familiarize myself with some vocabulary, watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother, and watched the movie Tangled. For the first time in my life, I was able to get my own bag down from the overhead compartment without anyone’s help!
Friday, June 14: After getting off the plane, I waited in the customs line for a very long time, but then finally made it to the baggage claim. I asked a worker how much it cost to rent a trolley and he gave me a confused look and told me they were free of charge. I then gathered my bags and waited to meet a couple girls I had been talking to through Facebook. Once we met up, we joined the other girls in our group and headed for the underground train station known as the Tube. This was the BIGGEST struggle I believe of my entire life. The four bags totaled to double my body weight and I had the hardest time maneuvering around the busy airport and station. Not to mention, I had to stop almost every ten feet to reposition my bags or to give my shoulders/hands a break. The Tube was extremely packed and other passengers were getting frustrated with all six of us girls and all of our bags. To make matters more challenging, we then were faced with two different flights of stairs, which we had to carry our bags up. This was absolutely impossible for me, so luckily locals saw the disbelief on my face and heard me repeat, “I refuse” many times, and offered to carry my bags up the stairs for me, which I happily let them. I know it could have been a bad situation where they took off with my bags, but I put trust in these kind strangers and it worked out! I was SO thankful for their generosity and kindness. We finally made it out of the Tube, but only to wander around Camden Town with no luck finding our hostel. We walked around a bit and finally found our hostel in what looked like a pub. We then carried the rest of our luggage up the three flights of stairs to our room.
Our room was nicer than what I was expecting from everything I heard about a hostel. There were four bunk beds for eight people total and all the sheets were surprisingly pink! The shower was a bit of a struggle because the water turned off every 15 seconds, so you constantly had to turn it back on, but besides that I was very impressed with the hostel! The pub downstairs was a lot of fun as well and it was nice not having to leave our hostel if we just wanted a quick drink. We went to the Camden Eye for dinner, where I ordered my first British fish and chips, which was great! We learned that you do not tip the bartenders for drinks. Afterwards, we walked around the Camden area, and also went to another pub. Every place we went that served alcohol would ID only me as I walked in. I find this funny because the drinking age is 18 there and I just celebrated my 21st birthday in the US about a month ago. We soon realized that most pubs/restaurants have both an upstairs and downstairs, which I found very interesting. We went back to the pub and just hung out the rest of the night getting to know each other. Unfortunately our friend Kelly got pick pocketed on our way back and had her iphone stolen. Also, one of our friend’s luggage was lost in her connecting flight. Fortunately, I did not ruin into any of these problems.
Saturday, June 15th: So my roommate Shannon is from Cincinnati and she was scheduled to fly out from there to her connecting flight in Detroit. This would have been the same flight I was on going to London. The Detroit flight left at 10, and her flight from Cincinnati ended up being delayed due to all the storms and would not arrive to Detroit until after our plane had already taken off. The airline rescheduled her flight to leave the next day and to arrive instead on Saturday. When we woke up in the hostel Shannon had arrived and we all got ready for our day of sight seeing. We went to the tube and took it to downtown London. First we went on a double decker bus and then hopped off to see the London Bridge and the Tower of London.
At this point the weather was absolutely beautiful and the skies were bright blue. We then took a ferry down the river where we were given a sight seeing tour. It was FREEZING on the top of this ferry. I packed expecting Mediterranean weather and London was nothing like Mediterranean weather. I struggled all day in just a short sleeve shirt but it all worked out. We then wandered around trying to find a place to eat and asked two police offers for their suggestions. They were very funny and tried to the ‘American accent’. Afterwards, we ate lunch at a cute little pub downtown called The Clarence.
I ordered the ‘Ploughman’, which basically was a make your own sandwich and salad. Afterwards, we took pictures in the famous red telephone booths and in front of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (although we learned the name Big Ben is actually the bell inside, not the name of the tower). We then took the bus to Buckingham Palace where it started down pouring on us. We then had to wait about 20 minutes for a bus to take us back and we waited it out on the steps of a building trying to find cover. Finally, we got on the bus, then the tube, and made it back to Camden. After relaxing in our hostel for a while, we went to a pub down the road I believe was called Camden Tower, and ordered delicious pizza. As soon as I went up to the bar, the bartender said, “You’re so American it’s painful.” I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this, but then he was friendly. On our way we stopped at a convenience store and bought some alcohol to save money since drinks were expensive at the pub. I thought my wristlet was stolen here and called out this news out to my friends. My one friend Brianna then ran up to this group of locals and demanded they give my wristlet back (none of them understood what a wristlet was) when I realized my wristlet was around my wrist. Oops! Haha at least I know my friends have my back! We then hung out getting to know each other more in the hostel and then went out to the pub ‘The World’s End’. My friends back home will understand the significance of this haha but I managed to take two shots! One tasted like sour apple and the other one tasted like peaches. We had fun talking to the locals and learning about London.
Sunday June 16th: Today was the day where we had to go back to the London Heathrow Airport to the Hilton hotel there where SAS check in was. While most of the girls in my group took the Tube, I absolutely refused to put myself through that again. So Brianna, Shannon, and myself called a cab. It only cost 20 pounds per person too so we got a great deal!!! The best part about the cab ride was the driver. He shared with us so much valuable information and drove us by such amazing sites, it was like a tour in itself. We found out he once had Paris Hilton, and the actor who played Dumbledore in his cab. We learned that in the UK if you were sentenced to ‘life in prison’ it meant that maximum you would be there for 25 years. I found this astonishing, especially if a 20 year old committed mass murder, he would be a free man at the young age of 45. So we checked into the hotel where we saw a ton of SASers in the lobby and waited for a couple hours until we could get into our room. The rooms were only supposed to have two people in them, however we fit six. Around dinnertime we went in a large group of SASers to the Oxford area via the tube.
We didn’t even realize it, but our friends all wore American colors which we found really funny. We ate dinner at an Italian place and got drinks (finally a pub had mixed drinks) afterwards. We then jumped back on the tube, hung out in our hotel room, and then called it a night.
Even though I’m writing this a week later, I will cut this post off here and continue with Monday through Thursday (life on the MV Explorer!) in my next post. Thanks for reading! :)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Here Goes Nothing!
THE DAY HAS ARRIVED!!! I am currently airport bound and could not be more excited. Today was unbelievably stressful being that I left all my packing to the last minute, but everything worked out! I originally thought I could fit everything in two duffels and a backpack..that didn't work so well. It'll be interesting to see how riding the tube from the Southampton airport to London will be with a duffel bag on each arm, a suitcase, and a backpack, but that's all a part of the adventure right? Not to mention my bags barely close now, so coming back with souvenirs should be interesting. Regardless, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL AND ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!!!! I'll update my blog as soon as I can. I can always be contacted by email at leah.francis.su13@semesteratsea.org and can be messaged/called for free through the app Viber while I am in port. LOVE YOU GUYS!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Packing List!
I somehow have to pack everything that will get me through these next ten weeks in just two duffel bags and a backpack..I don't know how I'm going to do it!! I have such an overpacking problem it's not even funny..so let's hope this works out! Here's what I'm thinking for my packing list so far:
CLOTHES
5 bathing suits
8 pairs of shoes (black wedges, nude wedges, black pumps, black sandals, blue sandals, black flip flops, nude flats, tennis shoes)
5 pairs of socks
5 pairs of running shorts
3 pairs of regular shorts
2 pairs of jeans (blue and white)
1 pair yoga pants
1 pair sweatpants
2 pair yoga capri cutoffs
2 sports bras, 3 regular
Lots of dresses
Lots of tops
Lots of v necks
Lots of t shirts
Tanks/jerseys
2-3 long sleeve shirts
2 sweatshirts
1 hoodie?
2-3 zippies
Scarves
Rain jacket
Coat?
Hats
TOILETRIES
Shampoo (big, medium, and small size)
Conditioner (big, and small size)
Beach towel
Make up (eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, bronzer)
Back up makeup
Brush (2?)
Tooth brush/toothpaste
Handheld mirror
Colored headbands
Clips
Black ponytails
Contact solution
Extra contacts
Glasses and case
Q tips
Chapstick
Necklaces
Hanging organizer
Jewelry/Watch
Cosmetic bags
Straightner and proof it's auto-turn off
Lotion
Perfume
Razor/razor heads
Body Wash
Makeup Remover Pads
Deodorant
Nail polish
Nail polish remover
SCHOOL
3 subject notebook
Binder with all my info
Pens/pencils
Lilly Agenda
Marseilles Architecture textbook
Lonely Planet Mediterranean book
Marine Biology textbook
Laptop
Laptop Charger
Kindle
Kindle Charger
Post its
Journal?
USB drive
DOCUMENTS/MONEY
Copies of both debit cards, both AAA travel cards, passport, driver's license, birth certificate, medical history packet, credit card paperwork filled out
Euros, Dirhams, British Pounds, and Turkish Lira
(254 EUR to pay Paris hotel upfront)
Small USD bills
MISC.
Sunglasses
Universal adapter plug
3 to 2 prong US plug converter
Sunscreen (2 big bottles, lots of little bottles)
Ibuprofen
Allergy medicine
Advil PM
Aloe Vera
First aid kit
Neosporin
Dramamine?
Granola bars
Gum
Crystal Light packets
Two water bottles
Tumbler
Ear plugs
Tide spot stain remover
Detergent
Clothespins to hang laundry
Dove soap bar for stains
AA batteries
Phone speaker
Phone charger
Phone flash charger
Headphones
Polaroid video camera
Extra backpack
Extra duffel suitcase
Crossbody purses
Toilet paper for in port??
Umbrella
Magnets for cabin walls
Pictures for cabin walls
Mini alarm clock
Mini locks for backpack and purses in port
Secret stash travel pocket
Dry erase board?
Febreeze?
Anti wrinkle spray?
Extra hangers for closet (10)
STILL NEED/ TO DO
Marine Bio book
Maxi dress
Confirm Paris plans
Returns
Computer/Set up email/Microsoft
Phone/Phone case
Bank to exchange currency
CLOTHES
5 bathing suits
8 pairs of shoes (black wedges, nude wedges, black pumps, black sandals, blue sandals, black flip flops, nude flats, tennis shoes)
5 pairs of socks
5 pairs of running shorts
3 pairs of regular shorts
2 pairs of jeans (blue and white)
1 pair yoga pants
1 pair sweatpants
2 pair yoga capri cutoffs
2 sports bras, 3 regular
Lots of dresses
Lots of tops
Lots of v necks
Lots of t shirts
Tanks/jerseys
2-3 long sleeve shirts
2 sweatshirts
1 hoodie?
2-3 zippies
Scarves
Rain jacket
Coat?
Hats
TOILETRIES
Shampoo (big, medium, and small size)
Conditioner (big, and small size)
Beach towel
Make up (eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, bronzer)
Back up makeup
Brush (2?)
Tooth brush/toothpaste
Handheld mirror
Colored headbands
Clips
Black ponytails
Contact solution
Extra contacts
Glasses and case
Q tips
Chapstick
Necklaces
Hanging organizer
Jewelry/Watch
Cosmetic bags
Straightner and proof it's auto-turn off
Lotion
Perfume
Razor/razor heads
Body Wash
Makeup Remover Pads
Deodorant
Nail polish
Nail polish remover
SCHOOL
3 subject notebook
Binder with all my info
Pens/pencils
Lilly Agenda
Marseilles Architecture textbook
Lonely Planet Mediterranean book
Marine Biology textbook
Laptop
Laptop Charger
Kindle
Kindle Charger
Post its
Journal?
USB drive
DOCUMENTS/MONEY
Copies of both debit cards, both AAA travel cards, passport, driver's license, birth certificate, medical history packet, credit card paperwork filled out
Euros, Dirhams, British Pounds, and Turkish Lira
(254 EUR to pay Paris hotel upfront)
Small USD bills
MISC.
Sunglasses
Universal adapter plug
3 to 2 prong US plug converter
Sunscreen (2 big bottles, lots of little bottles)
Ibuprofen
Allergy medicine
Advil PM
Aloe Vera
First aid kit
Neosporin
Dramamine?
Granola bars
Gum
Crystal Light packets
Two water bottles
Tumbler
Ear plugs
Tide spot stain remover
Detergent
Clothespins to hang laundry
Dove soap bar for stains
AA batteries
Phone speaker
Phone charger
Phone flash charger
Headphones
Polaroid video camera
Extra backpack
Extra duffel suitcase
Crossbody purses
Toilet paper for in port??
Umbrella
Magnets for cabin walls
Pictures for cabin walls
Mini alarm clock
Mini locks for backpack and purses in port
Secret stash travel pocket
Dry erase board?
Febreeze?
Anti wrinkle spray?
Extra hangers for closet (10)
STILL NEED/ TO DO
Marine Bio book
Maxi dress
Confirm Paris plans
Returns
Computer/Set up email/Microsoft
Phone/Phone case
Bank to exchange currency
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