I am on the way to Hawaii. I have super Limited email and internet going on and it gets expensive if I go over the limit so I cannot really get on facebook so I will do all photos and stuff on here for now.

Here is a copy of my first email, I will send another tonight. I was just able to get into my address book, so sorry if you didnt get a copy!

MY NEW EMAIL ADDRESS, THE ONLY ONE I WILL PROBABLY CHECK, IS [email protected]

Hello Everyone,

This ship just left Ensenada, Mexico, at 6:15 PM [even though we were supposed to leave at 5 but there were customs issues or something but oh well. My roommate, Renae, and my friend Carson [that I met in the airport in Atlanta and rode the bus to Mexico with] & her roommate, Lydia, all went to the deck at 5 when we were supposed to leave to watch the ship go out. When we got to the front of the ship there were seals all over the place swimming and stuff and it was awesome. Then the sun started setting so I went picture crazy of sunset pictures and they're pretty cool. We went to dinner at 5:30 and had pasta and pork chops and the food is really good. For lunch we had tacos which were also pretty wonderful.

I seem to get lucky with roommates because Renae is really cool and even if she wasn't I would just hang out with Carson, but the four of us get along really well anyways. My room has a CLOSET & WINDOWS!!!! It is the craziest thing ever. It isn't a huge room but the way it is set up makes it look bug and it's really nice. Also, my pillow is hard which I am excited about cause soft ones make my neck and back hurt from sleeping on them. And yes, I do have my Blankie with me obviously; however, I actually really miss my Snuggie. I have walls that are magnets so I have a little picture collage set up by my bed that's cool and my name above my bed in magnets [the N wouldn't work so I have the Z sideways, in case anyone wondered]. We have a wipe board outside of our door that Renae brought with her that says "Simone and Renae hope to Sea you soon!" Pretty hilarious, I know. It was obviously my doing.

I want to come back to this area over the summer and go surfing because driving by the waves made me sad because they were amazing! If you do not have a passport I would advise getting one ;]. San Diego, CA, was neat but I was only there for a few hours to sleep and get on the bus so I will have to go back at some point. I have gotten a post card from CA & Mexico so I figured I would keep one from each place I go and get one big frame and put them all in it or something.

I am already unpacked and organized [I brought closet organizers from the dollar section of target that have saved my butt in the closet area]. I am currently on my bed listening to the playlist that Bobby made me, meaning right now I am listening to the Bee Gees. I have a room in economy above the engine so I can feel the boat moving but it just makes me sleepy which is nice. I haven't explored the entire ship yet, but so far it's cool and everyone is really nice. I started reading a book called "A Piece of Cake" that I got for Christmas and it is crazy but really good. The boat is leaving the port so it is rocking pretty well. I have to be up for a meeting at 8 and another one at 945 then I can go to sleep, but I would prefer to go now and skip them; however, I will be a good person and attend. We already had the muster station life boat drill where you have to wear your life jacket and look like a huge dork in case of an emergency [I like to call it a mustard station instead].

Carson's birthday is the first day we get to Hawaii so for her birthday she wants surfing lessons so that's what I am going to do. Then I am going to take her to a place I found that makes "surfer dinner" or "loco moco" [I think is what it's really called?]; Bobbymade it for me for dinner once and it was really good. It is hamburger meat topped with rice, scrambled eggs, and gravy. It is delicious and I found a place in Hawaii that is supposed to have the best so we will see if it is better than Bobby's. I actually kind of doubt it…

I have a Murphy bed above mine so I can have sleepovers in my room. Past SAS students take the pictures off of the walls in the room and write on them and I am in the same room that Carson's sister was in during 2008 so I found her message and took pictures of it and put my Mind Before Mouth and Bobby's Bag Man Designs stickers on the one in my room and the one in Carson's too. Some of the stories and advice on the back of the pictures is pretty useful actually. Room 3049 is supposedly the Love Nest and people put random things into the ceiling [last trip it was a karaoke machine] so that the next group of students find it and can use it. We haven't checked to see if that's true yet, but we will find out eventually.

I sent post cards from San Diego and Mexico to Drake and Mason's teachers at school so they can read them to the class since they are following me around the world. I have no clue how long it will be until they get them. The Mexico ones haven't been sent yet because I got them before leaving Mexico and couldn't find a place to send them from so they will leave Hawaii with the next batch. It was hard to find post cards in Mexico which seemed weird so they aren't the most exciting ones, but what can you do?

I don't think class starts until Tuesday soI am not really sure yet what else will be going on until then, but I guess we'll just have to sea. Ha ha ha. I am taking, in case you forgot, Biology of sharks, Identity development, Child development around the world, and Global studies. This is my free email. It is fairly slow but I can use it for free without cutting into my limited internet minutes so I can get anything here, but maybe do not send me chain mail or random things because it will take time to get through to the stuff that matters more. I will be able to check it every day and I will put photos on Facebook and www.offexploring.com/slprovence as often as I think it makes sense, so check there for pictures since I don't think the email does well with attachments.

:] Simone