Monday, August 25 (airport drop off, Washington, DC): I peeled my eyes open a little past 6:00am this morning, which seemed entirely too early! Luckily Ranetta spent the night and she carted me to Reagan National Airport to meet Neal Oliver and Nate Casaday. A few weeks ago Neal, Nate, and I "met" via email and decided to share a rental car down to Norfolk, Virginia.

Nate and I were waiting at Avis car rental for Neal. When Neal pulled up with the Ponitac Vibe station wagon, I wasn't too confident all of our crap would fit, but Neal assured me that we could do it. Well, to my surprise, he was right. We managed to smash everything into that little car (lol!), said our goodbyes to folks, and started our journey to our port of call in Norfolk. Neal was driving like a crazy man so we made it down about an hour earlier than we originally anticipated.

I think seeing the MV Explorer ship for the first time was absolutely the most exciting experience. Before I left people kept asking me if I was excited, and I was to some degree, but seeing the ship sealed the deal! This is it. I am here. Really, is this MY LIFE (?@#!&%$*) right now—WOW!

Nate, Neal, & I walked up the gateway to dump our luggage and proceeded to check in. All the ship crew had crisp white uniforms on and as we walked through the gateway onto the ship, I felt like I was in a Star Trek episode. The reception area looked spectacular—super high tech/exotic. After the reception area, I walked down a long hallway to my cabin. I opened my cabin door and was so, so, so thrilled to find a window; hopefully a window will alleviate any seasickness. Although my cabin is small, it's enough space to make this my home for the next four months. Over the next few months I'll be living in cabin 3108, on deck 3, on the Baltic Sea.

Tuesday, August 26 (orientation & training, Virginia): Today went by really fast. I learned a ton about Semester at Sea…met more of my colleagues…chatted with the captain & crew for MV Explorer…unpacked my things…and attended training sessions until 10pm. The captain pulled away from port at 7:30pm, so Cindy Zomchek stopped training so we could go out of deck and watch our first departure. It was pretty cool to watch the ship pull off for the first time. In an effort to control any possible seasickness, I popped a few dramamen pills as we sailed away.

Wednesday, August 27 (orientation & training, sailing to the Bahamas): One word: SEASICK!!!!! Ugh, not a cute look for me. I was holding on for dear life all day and really struggled to sit up or stand up. Everyone kept saying, "You'll get your sea legs."

Cindy was so kind to me throughout the day as she continually told me to take care of myself; this translated into me sitting on the back deck looking at the horizon to balance my equilibrium. Around mid-day Dr. Milt gave me a patch for seasickness and that seemed to help later in the evening. Unfortunately I missed big chunks of training because I couldn't hold down any food or stay awake. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to have such a negative reaction to the sea, and, for one moment, I thought "dang, what did I get myself into?"

Thursday, August 28 (meeting, arriving to the Bahamas): I am feeling 80% better today…there were a few times today when I had to step away to get some fresh air. Thankfully I'll have a few hours of relief because we arrived in the Bahamas, so the ship is parked (lol, a sure way to cure any seasickness!).

Cindy allowed us to get off the ship for two hours, and then we had to return for the parent's reception. I enjoyed meeting the parents…their students are ready to board…they'll be on the ship in just a few hours and we all have a lot of work to do to prepare for students arrival tomorrow morning. Although I missed opening the halls at UMD, tomorrow morning I have to be up and ready to welcome students by 7:15am.