Lesson Five: How To Treadmill in Zero Gravity

August 29, 10:00pm
We are officially at sea. The mild rocking and not-so-mild grumbling of the engines (I’m in the very back (stern) of the ship) is what I will be dealing with for the next nine days, until the ship gets to Salvador, Brasil, our first port. It is still so surreal: this is my life, this will be my next three months. One of the other BU girls is in the quad across from me! What with all the meetings and everyone not knowing each other, it’s a little bit like being a freshman. Lots of introductions that I won’t remember, although of course the important ones will stick. My camera is so amazing, its 24x zoom caught my family waving to me from Senor Frog’s just outside the port.

August 31, 10:07AM
After this I’ll be switching to military time, because that’s what we attempt to go by on ship, even though everyone just uses 12-hour anyway. No picture posts, it takes too long and wastes my internet. Check Flickr and I’ll make sure to try and comment so that you have stories and notes to go with the picture, like a sort of photo-blog. I have a kids’ blog too, unfortunately that is also going to have to be picture free, or at least picture infrequent, because the satellite internet is relatively slow here and I don’t want to waste my precious precious web minutes.
Had my first class today, Mental Illness Across Cultures. It seems like it’s going to be a really good class, but I’m also a psych nerd. 20% of our grade is going on service trips and practica, like visiting a group that teaches kids art and dance to keep them off the streets in Salvador.
I still can’t believe I will be living on this ship for the next three and a half months; it still feels like this will be a few weeks long and then back home. It’s weird to think that BU life is still going on, it’s like I transferred, but to a fun-house college where the walls move and your hallways sometimes smell like gasoline!
My room is basically the engine room. Anytime the ship is moving it grumbles and rumbles, varying in loudness according to our speed. Luckily I’m a good sleeper, it would definitely dislodge some. We (my roommate Jonnelle and I) are as far aft- that’s towards the back you unseaworthy people- as you can go. I actually like the room, and like what I’ve done with it decoration-wise better than I have for my rooms at BU.
There’s really nothing much to talk about because we haven’t gone to a port yet. We’re gassing up in Puerto Rico right now so I have occasional non-int’lly-roaming cell service- say goodbye to that shortly. The fact that this is school is kind of awesome, as I spent forty-five minutes yesterday watching the water and sitting on the “sun deck”.
Working out on ship is an adventure. No matter whether you are walking or running, you MUST hold on to the treadmill. I have pretty good balance, but my feet were wandering left to right to left with the rocking of the ship. The elliptical was even weirder because you’re not really walking or running at all. You can feel the rise and drop in pressure as you go over and under the waves, sort of like 50% underwater, 50% zero gravity. It is standard to see people wander somewhat drunkenly about the halls, holding on to walls on occasion.

I’ve babbled enough. Email me at laking@semesteratsea.net, because then I receive them for free!

Lesson Four: How To Freak Out When Your Hard Drive Crashes Hours Before You Leave

...yeah. Great timing, Mr. Macbook. Not only did you crap out right before I left for a trip, you crapped out the night before I left for a 3.5 month long trip, thereby ruining my organized packing list, my calm state of mind, and my french writing sample that I had not yet backed up. Good Start.

Lesson Three: How to Be Incredulous

I absolutely cannot believe I'm doing this. I can tell as many people as I want, get the shots, do the paperwork, but it still does not change the fact that it is difficult to fathom me, on a ship, living there and then getting off in ten countries that I've barely even considered actually visiting.
This trip fulfills not one but several life goals. I will be canoeing in the Amazon, tracking elephants in a Namibian Jeep, taking a high-speed train all over Japan, and standing on the Great Wall. There is so much history in so many places other than the small New England world I've known so far.
I'm excited to wake up, go outside and be greeted by nothing but ocean. I'm excited to not only learn and hear about but actually see firsthand the cultural, political and socioeconomic climates of ten very different countries. I'm excited to buy everyone's Christmas and birthday presents- if you want something from a particular country, make sure you tell me! Basically, I'm just really excited.
I'm sure I'll get a little scared once I am on the ship, sailing away from the comfort and ease of my "normal" life, and when it hits me that I won't see anyone I've previously known for 3.5 months, but right now? I'm loving the idea of an experience that is completely new.

Lesson Two: How to Receive Mass Emails From Me

So, If reading this blog is enough for you, disregard this entire post. However, if you'd like to receive a little bit more info from me about the places I'm going and things I'm seeing, send an email to lapetiteking@aol.com using the email with which you'd like to me reach you using the subject "email me!" or something to that effect.

Lesson One: How to Send Me Awesome Stuff

Seeing as I'll be absent from your part of the globe for about 3.5 months, I figured you might want to write me a letter or send me a copy of Cosmopolitan. If you so choose, here's how!

Important Reminder: Mail to those aboard ship should be addressed as follows:

MV-Explorer - Fall 2008
ATTN: Lindsay King
Port Agent Address

Currently the U.S. Post Office recommends sending international mail at least two weeks in advance. Please keep in mind that mail service in other countries may vary. Letters should be sent Airmail only. Please do not send any mail to the Institute for Shipboard Education or to the University of Virginia to be forwarded. Do not enclose currency in the mail.

Please do not send packages to the ship - Excessive duty is charged in some countries. In many instances, packages are not delivered to the ship. Packages may be held in customs, or at a local post office, and the recipient aboard ship is never notified. If you send packages, you do so at your own risk.

PORT	ADDRESS OF PORT AGENT	SUGGESTED AIRMAIL DATE
Salvador, Brazil Phone: 55 71 3241 4990 Fax: 55 71 3243 5633	OCEANUS AGENCIA MARITIMA Av. Estados Unidos, 555 7th Floor / Room 712 40015-010 Salvador, BRAZIL	August 24
Walvis Bay, NAMIBIA Phone: 264 64 201 2200	OCEAN LINER SERVICES The Maritime Building 2 Third Steer / PO Box 4 Walvis Bay, REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA	September 5
Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA Phone: 27 21 419 8660 Fax: 27 21 413 0290	JOHN T. RENNIE & SONS 19th FLOOR No.1 Thibault Square 8001 Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA	September 12
Chennai, INDIA Phone: 91 44 252 12032 Fax: 91 44 252 43813	J.M. BAXI & CO 3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex 4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai 600 001 Chennai, INDIA	September 30
Penang, MALAYSIA Phone: 60 4 2623 245 Fax: 60 4 2627 989	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES SDN 4th Floor Unit 4B Wisma Saw Chong Thuah 39-c, Pengkalan Weld 10300 Penang, MALAYSIA	October 8
Ho Chi Minh City, VIET NAM Phone: 84 8 823 1052 Fax: 84 8 822 0108	GENERAL FORWADING & AGENCY 5th Floor Osic Bldg. 8 Nguyen Hue Ave. D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIET NAM	October 16
Hong Kong, CHINA Phone: 852 2746 7312 Fax: 852 2744 3240	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES (HK) Ltd. Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor Nº 3 Lockhart Road Wanchai, Hong Kong, CHINA	October 23
Shanghai, CHINA Phone: 86 21 6323 1350 Fax: 86 21 6329 1519	PENAVICO SHANGHAI 3/F 13 Zhong Shan Road (E 1) 200002 Shanghai, P.R. CHINA	October 27
Kobe, JAPAN Phone: 81 78 391 3046 Fax: 81 78 391 3105	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES Kenryu Bldg, Room Nº 502 6 Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku Kobe-shi, Hyog-ken 650 0024, JAPAN	October 31
Yokohama, JAPAN Phone: 81 45 201 6991 Fax: 81 45 212 1614	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES 2F Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg 36, 4-Chome Honcho, Naka-ku Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 231-005, JAPAN	November 3
Honolulu, HAWAII Phone: 808 599 8604 Fax: 808 599 1950	INCHAPE SHIPPING SERVICES 521 Ala Moana Blvd Foreign Trade Zone Number 9 Suite 256 Honolulu, HI 96813	November 13
Puntarenas, COSTA RICA Phone: 506 440 2000 Fax: 506 440 0202	R. Smyth & Co S.A. 500 M. Norte del Super Santiago Rio Segundo Alajuela, COSTA RICA