A Ship Is My Home
An excerpt from my personal journal…
Well, we are 25% through the voyage. Where did it go? If you count the Bahamas, we arrive in our fourth port of call tomorrow. I figured I would write an entry in here on a more personal note than what I have been writing about beforehand. Since the beginning of day 1 we have been told how this will be a changing experience, a benchmark if you will, in our lives. As I sit here and write this, I am beginning to see the reality of this statement. While at dinner last night, a group of friends and I were discussing whether we have accepted and realized what we are actually doing. I remember Tony saying, “Has this really set in to you guys yet? I mean, we are on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, and we go to Africa tomorrow.” He’s right. The past few weeks I have been taking that statement and many other similar ones so literally. Think about it. I live on a ship. There is nothing around me but the beautiful blue sky and ocean. Nothing. That aspect really begins to set in to me when I sit out on the deck and look out. It is just me and the ocean. So peaceful, so right, and so damn cool. The past few ports I have thought to myself, “Hey we get to Brazil tomorrow, cool. Hey we get to Africa tomorrow, should be fun.” I don’t believe this. I am hitting 2 continents in 3 weeks that I have never been to, and most people don’t ever get the chance to see. Once I think about it and take away the literal aspect of it, this boggles my mind. Maybe I still can’t believe I am living this amazing journey in my life. Whether I take this experience too routine at times, or I think about how crazy this actually is, I still remind myself how lucky I am. I don’t want it to ever end. There are 75 days left in this voyage, and it doesn’t seem like enough. I know it will come fast, and that is why I am going to live every minute of it like it was the last. I have made lifelong friends here. I am sailing with 680 of the most intelligent and outgoing students of our country, and it is fascinating. Of course, there are some people who make me wonder how they got here, but I still am amazed at the amount of great people I have met so far. I not only live in a confined environment with them, I experience the world with them. I travel the world with some of the greatest and most amazing people I have ever met, and I don’t think life can get any better than this.
I have had the opportunity to meet an amazing man this past week. During our sailings from port to port, we have special guests join our voyage. Sailing with us from Brazil to South Africa is a man by the name of Dennis Brutus. Dennis is famous for being a political activist, and a major fighter against apartheid. He was arrested many years ago in South Africa during a protest about racial inequality, and was imprisoned on Robben Island. Those of you who know your history know that Robben Island is famous for one of its prisoners, Nelson Mandela. Dennis was imprisoned with Mandela, and they ‘broke rocks together’, as he described it. When Dennis was let out of prison and exiled from South Africa, Mandela invited him back in 1994 after his own release from prison. I had the pleasure of talking with Dennis Brutus extensively about his time in prison and his fight against apartheid. His book, Poetry and Protest, will be released February 16, and I was lucky enough to listen to him read a few excerpts. I hope to obtain an autographed copy when we arrive in Cape Town and I can buy one. Dennis Brutus really is a unique and fascinating individual, and he shows through his life stories how one person really can make a difference in this world.
For those of you wondering about the logistics of the families of professors and staff on this voyage, most of the families are sailing with us. Most professors have brought their wives or husbands, and those who have younger children have brought them as well. There are 8 kids on this voyage who are the sons and/or daughters of professors. They range in ages from about 8-16, and they are called, “The 8 wonders of the world”. They are pretty cool kids, and have surprisingly adapted themselves well to a college type environment. They eat dinner in the dining hall with us, swim in the pool with us, and just hang around with us. They receive schooling on board by one of the teachers. I am sure these kids are getting one hell of an experience.
The past week has been routine and monotonous, but fun. We had one day off from classes, and it was a great day. The night before that was an 80’s dance party, and the costumes people wore were hilarious, and sometimes a bit scary. The day after, when we had no classes, we just hung around and played games. In the evening they held an enormous barbecue on the pool deck, and the food was great. There was so much of it, and the displays were impressive. I think I even saw a pig head. Other than classes, homework, pub nights, watching DVD’s, and laying out in the sun and enjoying the wide open sea, it has been a pretty straight forward week. We have been preparing for South Africa, and we arrive tomorrow. I will be up very early to watch the sunrise and the ship pull into port. I hear this is the most beautiful port we pull in to, and I want to be up for it. I may even sleep on the deck tonight with a bunch of people, who knows. We are 7 hours ahead of you East coast people now. I am about to head to lunch, and you aren’t even awake yet. I will be out and about in South Africa the next 7 days, so expect to see an update around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Give me a little bit because I have a lot of field work I need to write up when I get back and we set sail. Goodbye for now, Africa tomorrow, and I still can’t believe it…
P.s. - I will not be staying on the West coast as I originally thought I may. Jimmy’s tour dates don’t work out for me, and he stops playing California the week before we dock. I plan to make many east coast shows this year, including the Florida and New England shows. If you went with me last year and want to go again, or didn’t get the chance to go and would like to, email me. It is difficult for me to keep on top of the tour, but I am doing the best I can, and will let whoever wants to go know which shows I will be going to. The East coast dates should be released soon. Fins up.
P.p.s – Random comments:
-This 70/30 girl to guy ratio is still pretty cool :-)
-My hair is growing back pretty quick, and I am quite happy about it.
-I love all my classes but History of Africa. Everyone agrees it pretty much sucks.
-I am glad I am missing the massacre of the SU basketball team.
-I saw a preview of the voyage DVD, and I am in it a few times. It is very nicely done.
-I am not homesick, but I of course miss everyone a little bit back home.
-We had taco day yesterday for lunch, and it was amazing. Taco day is very rare.
-Turning the clocks ahead and losing sleep almost every night is getting routine.
-There is a really large, really mean Russian security lady who pats you down ‘very thoroughly’ in port when you get back on the ship.
-The crew on this ship are some of the nicest, jubilant, and most hard working people I have ever met in my life. You really get to know them and become friends with them.
-The red hats are still going strong:
Well, we are 25% through the voyage. Where did it go? If you count the Bahamas, we arrive in our fourth port of call tomorrow. I figured I would write an entry in here on a more personal note than what I have been writing about beforehand. Since the beginning of day 1 we have been told how this will be a changing experience, a benchmark if you will, in our lives. As I sit here and write this, I am beginning to see the reality of this statement. While at dinner last night, a group of friends and I were discussing whether we have accepted and realized what we are actually doing. I remember Tony saying, “Has this really set in to you guys yet? I mean, we are on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, and we go to Africa tomorrow.” He’s right. The past few weeks I have been taking that statement and many other similar ones so literally. Think about it. I live on a ship. There is nothing around me but the beautiful blue sky and ocean. Nothing. That aspect really begins to set in to me when I sit out on the deck and look out. It is just me and the ocean. So peaceful, so right, and so damn cool. The past few ports I have thought to myself, “Hey we get to Brazil tomorrow, cool. Hey we get to Africa tomorrow, should be fun.” I don’t believe this. I am hitting 2 continents in 3 weeks that I have never been to, and most people don’t ever get the chance to see. Once I think about it and take away the literal aspect of it, this boggles my mind. Maybe I still can’t believe I am living this amazing journey in my life. Whether I take this experience too routine at times, or I think about how crazy this actually is, I still remind myself how lucky I am. I don’t want it to ever end. There are 75 days left in this voyage, and it doesn’t seem like enough. I know it will come fast, and that is why I am going to live every minute of it like it was the last. I have made lifelong friends here. I am sailing with 680 of the most intelligent and outgoing students of our country, and it is fascinating. Of course, there are some people who make me wonder how they got here, but I still am amazed at the amount of great people I have met so far. I not only live in a confined environment with them, I experience the world with them. I travel the world with some of the greatest and most amazing people I have ever met, and I don’t think life can get any better than this.
I have had the opportunity to meet an amazing man this past week. During our sailings from port to port, we have special guests join our voyage. Sailing with us from Brazil to South Africa is a man by the name of Dennis Brutus. Dennis is famous for being a political activist, and a major fighter against apartheid. He was arrested many years ago in South Africa during a protest about racial inequality, and was imprisoned on Robben Island. Those of you who know your history know that Robben Island is famous for one of its prisoners, Nelson Mandela. Dennis was imprisoned with Mandela, and they ‘broke rocks together’, as he described it. When Dennis was let out of prison and exiled from South Africa, Mandela invited him back in 1994 after his own release from prison. I had the pleasure of talking with Dennis Brutus extensively about his time in prison and his fight against apartheid. His book, Poetry and Protest, will be released February 16, and I was lucky enough to listen to him read a few excerpts. I hope to obtain an autographed copy when we arrive in Cape Town and I can buy one. Dennis Brutus really is a unique and fascinating individual, and he shows through his life stories how one person really can make a difference in this world.
For those of you wondering about the logistics of the families of professors and staff on this voyage, most of the families are sailing with us. Most professors have brought their wives or husbands, and those who have younger children have brought them as well. There are 8 kids on this voyage who are the sons and/or daughters of professors. They range in ages from about 8-16, and they are called, “The 8 wonders of the world”. They are pretty cool kids, and have surprisingly adapted themselves well to a college type environment. They eat dinner in the dining hall with us, swim in the pool with us, and just hang around with us. They receive schooling on board by one of the teachers. I am sure these kids are getting one hell of an experience.
The past week has been routine and monotonous, but fun. We had one day off from classes, and it was a great day. The night before that was an 80’s dance party, and the costumes people wore were hilarious, and sometimes a bit scary. The day after, when we had no classes, we just hung around and played games. In the evening they held an enormous barbecue on the pool deck, and the food was great. There was so much of it, and the displays were impressive. I think I even saw a pig head. Other than classes, homework, pub nights, watching DVD’s, and laying out in the sun and enjoying the wide open sea, it has been a pretty straight forward week. We have been preparing for South Africa, and we arrive tomorrow. I will be up very early to watch the sunrise and the ship pull into port. I hear this is the most beautiful port we pull in to, and I want to be up for it. I may even sleep on the deck tonight with a bunch of people, who knows. We are 7 hours ahead of you East coast people now. I am about to head to lunch, and you aren’t even awake yet. I will be out and about in South Africa the next 7 days, so expect to see an update around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Give me a little bit because I have a lot of field work I need to write up when I get back and we set sail. Goodbye for now, Africa tomorrow, and I still can’t believe it…
P.s. - I will not be staying on the West coast as I originally thought I may. Jimmy’s tour dates don’t work out for me, and he stops playing California the week before we dock. I plan to make many east coast shows this year, including the Florida and New England shows. If you went with me last year and want to go again, or didn’t get the chance to go and would like to, email me. It is difficult for me to keep on top of the tour, but I am doing the best I can, and will let whoever wants to go know which shows I will be going to. The East coast dates should be released soon. Fins up.
P.p.s – Random comments:
-This 70/30 girl to guy ratio is still pretty cool :-)
-My hair is growing back pretty quick, and I am quite happy about it.
-I love all my classes but History of Africa. Everyone agrees it pretty much sucks.
-I am glad I am missing the massacre of the SU basketball team.
-I saw a preview of the voyage DVD, and I am in it a few times. It is very nicely done.
-I am not homesick, but I of course miss everyone a little bit back home.
-We had taco day yesterday for lunch, and it was amazing. Taco day is very rare.
-Turning the clocks ahead and losing sleep almost every night is getting routine.
-There is a really large, really mean Russian security lady who pats you down ‘very thoroughly’ in port when you get back on the ship.
-The crew on this ship are some of the nicest, jubilant, and most hard working people I have ever met in my life. You really get to know them and become friends with them.
-The red hats are still going strong:
posted by Mike Gilbert at 4:50 AM
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