Insert CHINA here

So, I've given in. I have to move on with this blog, but I still haven't written about my days in China. Hopefully, Kelly will soon email me her journal notes from our time there, and I can compile my own memories from my notes plus her memories. For now, though, I'm going to post my entries from the rest of the trip. So sorry.

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Voyage Day 1–Aug 29, 2008

We have officially started our voyage today. I stood in line to board the ship in the sweltering sun for around 45 minutes, finally getting on the boat that will be my home for the next three months at 11:30 am (eastern time). They took my passport and vaccination records, handed me an insurance card, ID card and sent me off to my room. My roommate was already in our cozy cabin, 4157. Her name is Kellie, and she is a senior in some school in New Hampshire, though she is from New Jersey like everyone else on the east coast. She commenced unpacking while I waited for my own luggage to be delivered. It's so weird to compare the amount of stuff I seem to need up in Boston to what I brought on this trip. I needed to pack appropriate clothing for 11 different countries, oh and the ocean. But I was limited to two bags of up to 70 lbs (mine were under 50lbs) plus one carry-on. While I was packing, it felt as if I would never have enough stuff. As soon as I checked my bags at the airpo...

Semana Santa - Las Fallas de Valencia

Stage 1.2 La Crema We woke up around noon on Friday. We immediately got into the car to drive into the city and see the last show of noise fireworks. They're set off at 2 pm every day for about two weeks before the Crema of the fallas . And they're supposed to have a certain rhythm to them. The plaza is always packed for the fireworks show, and especially for the last show, so we wanted to get there early. We worked our way through the crowd and squeezed into a small bar to get a breakfast of patatas bravas and calamari. Then headed back outside to see/hear the show . After the fireworks, everyone disappears from the streets and into the bars to drink until the crema begins. We walked a few blocks away from the middle of the city to try to find someplace where we could have a sufficient meal. Cote said he was going to buy us lunch because it was his saint's day. Saint's days are more important than birthdays here in Spain. I'm actually surprised he didn't h...

Lat:19° 47.6N Long: 069° 43.8W

Day 2 Wow. I thought it was crazy to have to get used to the motion of the train. But imagine if you were on a train 24/7–but it never stayed at a steady speed. The shifting of the boat feels like a train constantly speeding up and slowing down. We zig-zag through the hallways and rock to sleep at night. Today was a rather boring and exhausting day. We've been in orientation meetings from 9 am to 9:30 pm. I haven't seen Daniel since lunch. Oh well. I sat with Kellie and Kelly. Met a few more people. I just feel so worn-out from all the meetings. The boat's rocking makes me sleepy. I think the combination of those things makes it seem as though I've been on the MV Explorer for much longer than two days. Several people feel that way. But classes start tomorrow, so we can get into some regular kind of routine. Until Brazil that is. Speaking of which, I should check to see if Ricardo has emailed me back. That would be so fun if we could meet up. I went to sleep thi...

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