Today 607 students boarded the ship. It was controlled chaos as the students and parents tried to drag huge bags and suitcases through the security check. There are 4 students who have not had their luggage delivered yet, but we think it may be in someone else's cabin by mistake.

Today we worked out in the ship's gym since it was docked and still for a change, then we showered up and headed to the Citadel. We climbed up a beautiful grassy hill to get there. We didn't actually go inside but we took some pictures and saw a nice view of Nova Scotia. We had a great lunch that we thought of as our "last land meal" for the next 7 days, and then we hit the grocery store to stock up on snacks because that is what we are really going miss. This way we can have a little bite at night and won't get in the habit of eating the fatty pizza with the students.

We finally sailed away from Halifax at 5:00pm and it was so exciting to see all of the students out on the decks. Their parents could not see the ship from there so they had all gone to a public park that was on the ship's route out and they were waving from a distance. It was really neat to see them feel as excited as we had all felt just a few days ago.

Tonight we had an opening meeting with all the students where they introduced the faculty and then they had their "sea" meetings which are like their dorm meetings.

We have met some really lovely people so far and I feel like we these are people that we will be in touch with for many years after this voyage is over.

Fun Facts:

-Restrooms in Nova Scotia are called "washrooms"

-"Traditional Poutine"is French Fries with gravy and cheese (no, we did not eat them)

Oh, and P.S., we are running from Hurricane Danielle!! Luckily, we are on one of the fastest passenger ships in the world, but this means more rough waters are ahead as we travel from Nova Scotia to Spain. Hold on to your lunch!