Nassau was a short stop and fairly uneventful. The worst thing that happened was the Eagles lost. The best thing was that we returned to a warm climate. We were able to board on Sunday. Faculty and staff were already on board. Students boarded Monday. Our room is very comfortable; bed is larger than a queen, small balcony, plenty of storage space, even for our mini bar, purchased in Nassau, and all of the barware that we brought along. Bathroom is good for one at a time. Ship service is extraordinary. Our room is made up daily with towels as needed, bed made for us, laundry done on request. Our steward already noticed that we need a bigger ice bucket. She fills it for us twice daily. Meals have been good and certainly there is risk of weight gain as many choices are always provided and we make no effort other than to get to one of the dining rooms. We have managed a bit of exercise on treadmills and bikes though not as much as at home for me.
On Tuesday we were able to see the inauguration live; it was a moving experience, quite literally since we were crossing the Atlantic, to see it with hundreds of people, especially to see the students’ enthusiasm for hope and change. That evening we enjoyed a champagne toast and a few words from our Dean. His theme for the voyage (this is not a cruise) is UBUNTU, people are people through other people. He promotes Desmond Tutu’s values, a frequent visitor to the ship and a great program supporter. We also have heard from the Academic Dean, who, as all good UVA faculty do, quotes Thomas Jefferson frequently and without criticism. As UVA students, which we all are now, we follow the UVA Honor Code. Tristan and Elizabeth can detail that for you.
Meeting the Life Long Learners, Faculty, Staff and families has been wonderful. We have had several LLL gatherings so we know our whole group already. Only four males and one is 15 years old so only 3 of 14 are adult males, all traveling with spouses, spouses with short leashes as the student population mirrors the LLLs. There are only 27% males 0f the 730 students. Young girls in bikinis may be viewed at all daytime hours sunning themselves on Deck 7. Conversations flow easily, especially in the Faculty/Staff/LLL lounge where we have daily happy hour from 17:00-18:00. We know most of the 35 SAS staff by now too. Faculty is charming, well traveled, friendly, and very knowledgeable in their subjects. Most have family aboard, faculty family connect constantly with LLLs, making our group larger and more diverse. There are about 15 dependents on board. The youngest is 10 months; the oldest is 17. One staff member is dedicated to school aged children’s activities, education and entertainment. The school aged dependents are being home schooled by their parents and others and/or working on the books and assignments they brought with them or directing their own studies via internet.
Most interesting family: the music teacher, mostly techno music, his wife, the dance teacher, and their 2+ year old son, accompanied by two grandparents who are nannies for the boy. Very cute, they keep him on a harness which is necessary as he gets away quickly on this huge ship.
Meeting students is very easy. Some have already assessed this to be a great group, active, involved, open, and enthused. I would agree. I probably meet 5-10 students per day. Meeting students began at the bar in the Atlantis in Nassau. We will be part of the extended family program and will have about 6 students in our extended family. It will be up to us to decide what to make of that. Some students already asked us to adopt them and we have requested four in particular. We will know in the next few days who are in our family. I am looking forward to this as you can imagine. We will try to have a regular dinner together maybe weekly, something that always brought us together at home. We have some more ideas for our shipboard family too.
Classes are going to be very interesting because the professors are so good. Global studies is daily at 9:20. This will give a history of each port on the itinerary as well as current information to prepare for visits. Visiting faculty add to the content. A partial voyager, onboard until Spain and an expert on Spain, will speak for three sessions. He will also give an informal evening session on Dining Out in Spain. He is a previous SAS Dean. In addition to Global Studies I am taking Sex, Lies and Ninjas, the story of the China’s First Great Empire, Foreign Policy, and Drawing. The China teacher lived in China and talks about the history like it happened yesterday. Foreign Policy teacher is sarcastic, very funny and not a Bush fan. He taught Global Studies on Tara and Gabe’s voyage. Hog is taking a Calendars throughout History, professor and his wife are in the cabin next to ours, Physics for Mariners, Sergio, the Italian professor requires a sextant, and Lost and Found, on early Pilgrimages and Exiles. Reading and assignments are extensive and fortunately optional for us. There are numerous informal sessions, including the ship photographer offering sessions on digital photography and swing dancing.
Delightful moment - sitting in the faculty lounge this evening, listening to Bob playing guitar and singing for us, sharing a drink with new friends, while seeing a rainbow out the front of the ship. This trip promises to be amazing. Have not seen land for days. -- Lisa
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