My boring introduction

So.

This'll be my official Semester At Sea blog (I'll always hate that word, and shall forever type [and even say] it in italics).

I'll do my best not to ignore this little piece of the web I've saved for myself. I hope I don't somehow manage to be the only person able to travel around the world and keep a boring journal. I'll set up and link a flickr account as well.


First, some information:

What it is:
I'll be traveling via ship around the world as part of a study abroad programme. The programme is through the University of Virginia (previously, it was sponsored by Penn State, I believe). I, along with approximately 670 other students, will eat, sleep, and attend classes on a "floating university" while we travel from country to country. On the days while we're at sea, we'll be in class. When we dock, we're cut loose to travel and explore.

Here's a picture of my campus, the MV Explorer:

When I leave:
We set sail from Nassua, Bahamas on 04.February.07 on the MV Explorer. I haven't bought my plane tickets yet. I haven't booked a hotel. We'll take care of that in a couple of days.

Where I'm going:
Depart from Nassau, Bahamas: 04 February
San Juan, Puerto Rico: 07 February - 09 February
Salvador, Brazil: 17 February - 21 February
Cape Town, South Africa: 02 March - 08 March
Port Louis, Mauritius: 15 March - 17 March
Chennai, India: 25 March - 29 March
Penang, Malaysia: 02 April - 05 April
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: 09 April - 14 April
Hong Kong: 17 April - 18 April
Qingdao, China: 21 April - 22 April
Kobe, Japan: 25 April - 29 April
Honolulu, Hawaii: 07 May
Arrive at San Diego, California: 14 May

I still have to get my visas for a couple of the countries. I'll be going up to NYC (again) to get my South African visa printed, and then apply for my visa to China. After those two, I'll have to attempt to apply for a Tourist Visa for Japan at the end of this month. This is because Tourist Visas expire 90 days from the date of issue for Japan. If I applied a few weeks ago when I was up there, it would have expired before I even hit Kobe.

What I'm studying:
This is my schedule as of right now. I got all of the classes I wanted. Maybe I'll change my mind when I get onto the ship. Who knows. The cost of my tuition will not fluctuate depending on how many courses I take, and the professors on board are top notch, so, I may take advantage. Then again, I may keep it to a minimum so that I can devote as much time as possible to relaxing and exploring whenever we dock. The schedule is divided into A days and B days. Every day we sail is either an A or a B day. They switch back daily and forth depending on what the last day was. If we dock the day after a B day, the day after we set sail again shall be on an A schedule.

TITLE - FACULTY - DAY - TIME
Global Studies - Prof. Christie - AB 0920-1035
Mysticism and Religious Experience - Prof. Salisbury - A 0800-0915
Gender, Class, Race-Ethnicity and Social Change - Prof. Rudolf - B 1045-1200
"Masculinity" & "Femininity": Close to Home and Around the World - Prof. Zimmerman B 1415-1530
Music African Ensemble I: African Drums - Prof. Strand - B 1545-1700

Alright. I'm tired, so this entry is over. Toodles.