Big Bertha and her travels.

You should have seen me lugging my large 67 pound suitcase down the stairs of the Hostel. I call her “Big Bertha”. Thank god she is now all unpacked. Anyways, our walk to the port at 11:00am was a solemn one. It was me, and the three other guys that stayed in my room that night, Danilo, Robert and Tyler, as mentioned in the last post. I didn’t know when Bo was leaving but assumed he was going to make his way. As we were walking toward the never-ending line at the port, someone, small and skinny, came running towards me…Erika!!! It was so nice to see her. I hadn’t talked to her since Saturday. She looked all official in her Semester at Sea gear and special lanyard given to Work Study students. I can’t express how happy I am that we are doing this together. We chatted for a bit and she was quite happy that I was there, with luggage in hand. (So many people have lost their luggage on this trip thus far…can’t imagine the stress for them. I wouldn’t know what I would do without big bertha.) Erika gave me and the others our name tags and we were on our way to waiting in an hour long line to board our future home.

Our home: The MV Explorer! What a luxurious sight! I’m sure to have a blog all about the features of the boat, but lets just say that it includes a gym, a spa, a salon, a pool, a bar, a piano lounge, a mini-theater, a souvenir shop, a bookstore, a library, a basketball court, two dining halls, a health center, a counseling center, several classrooms, and I’m sure more that I have forgotten to mention. I hand over my passport to the authorities of Semester at Sea (They better keep it safe) I receive my ID and head on the boat. (In my ID I look like a drag queen. I hate it! And what’s worst, they have the same picture in glass so that everyone can see!) I go to my room which is on the fourth deck (4043) and what do I find, or rather who, Bo! the same Bo from the Hostel and a night out in Halifax, is going to be my roommate for the next 67 days! Out of about 150 guys, what is the possibility that we would be roommates!? I’m so happy! Our other roommate, Kevin, is also fun to be around. We seem to be all be the same type of person which is always reassuring in a living situation. (Not that I don’t try to get along with everyone) The three of us have been having fun together, exploring the ship and talking etc.

Back to my room! I’m in love =) It is so cozy with a large window overlooking the sea. I am sleeping in a bunk bed, (and it folds…so cool) it comes with a gorgeous view outside that window so I don’t mind. In the room, there is a small desk, 2 dressers, a mini- frig, a television that shows our positioning during our trip, our very own, clean bathroom, a small glass table, two chairs, two closets with many compartments, all with ambient lighting, room service, and our very own lifejacket! Jealous!? I’ve never lived so good! They even do our laundry! =)

After admiring the room, and after lunch the three of us came back to unpack. I didn’t bring enough pictures and I’m bummed. Bo has a flag of Colorado which adds some color to our ever so beige room. After situating everything in its place and pushing “Bertha” underneath the bed, we were ready to go, but first, a Life Boat Drill! UGH! The process was a tedious one and tiresome. We were all pooped. Let’s hope those drills remain just that though. After the drill it was time to disembark from Halifax. We reconvened with Erika and her roommates and headed to the 6th and 7th decks of the ship to wave goodbye to the shore. Erika had intentions on videotaping but had some ditsy trouble as usual! We solved her simple issues and am excited to show you some of her footage soon.

After an exciting departure we all headed in to eat dinner. Oh the food! Well I think it is good. Tacos for lunch, and pork chops and pasta for dinner, and mousse for dessert. It is, once again, luxurious. Ha ha ha, but honestly we ate dinner next to the window looking out on the sunny blue sky and the Atlantic ocean, how many people get to do that!? And it isn’t like college where you have to get your own drinks and drop off your own dishes, they do that for you too! I can’t get over the treatment. After dinner we all ( Me, Erika, Bo, Kevin, Erika’s roommates Shannon and Kate) decided to explore the boat! It was a fun time, but some people experienced sea sickness. I didn’t though! Phew. Kevin is using the patch this time and is going to see how it goes after that. They offer free sea sickness medication on the boat, meaning I didn’t have to buy it, Damn!

Amidst that all, My mother called me. I don’t know how she did since we are international without an international plan, but I guess a mother always finds a way. Nevertheless, It was beyond nice (oh wait! my mother just called me again, while I am writing this. The service is basically non-existent so I couldn’t hear her) to talk to her and tell her I was on the boat! She was excited. I miss her! It is only going to get harder…

Also amidst all that we had some introductions the faculty and staff aboard the ship, they were funny and seemed to be full heartedly invested in this voyage which was nice. I also went to Erika’s room. She wouldn’t even let me look at her protein bars, what a dork! Her room is basically the same as mine, except it is all the way down by the engine of the boat, which isn’t comforting for an already disturbed sleeper. Ha ha ha. I wish her luck. I actually just called her about 20 minutes ago and she was trying to do just that. It was 10:30. Ha ha ha.

A great living situation, great treatment and service, great people, and my best friend equals an incredible time! One week until we arrive in Spain. . Most likely I won’t be recapping on tomorrow, it is a full day of orientation and will probably be a bore, but we’ll see.

I’m at sea!

-Michael-Anthony

P.S. I can’t believe it!