School Update

Concentrating on the ship is harder than it seems. Our days are filled with classes and then optional seminars, friend time, pool time, work out time – whatever you choose. So “finding” the study time is hard when you’re easily distracted. You’d be amazed at the things you find to occupy your time. I do like the fact that they offer a range of things to do. In the trans-Atlantic crossing we were given the opportunity to express interest in creating groups and then came the time for sign-ups. Awesomely, while at sea they’ve been consistent with keeping up with meeting, and keeping students on email lists informed.

Being on a ship also allows for the unique opportunity to get to know the people leading discussions as well as talking to your professors in a casual setting outside of the classrooms. All of them, at least my professors have been really open to talking to students. They always want to know about your in port experiences as well as if you were able to connect their classes to your in port experiences, which you’re able to do a lot of the time as many of the classes are directed to reflect a specified country.

Classes are a bit difficult not only due to the level of distraction – but because of the fast paced nature of the entire voyage. Of the 66 days we’re on this journey only 23 of them are actual class days. So, as you can imagine – there’s no room to not keep up with assignments. I’ve been able to keep up for the most part. Receiving A’s and B’s to my surprise thus far which I’m stoked about. It really helps when you like the professors as well as the classes. For both of my smaller lectures the teachers make sure you’re engaged and alert. Today for example, in my Anthropology class my Prof. was like “alright, you all look asleep – or half way to dead.. GET UP LETS SING!” We were all pretty much thinking the same thing.. “yeah right, no way are we singing” though we should have expected that she’d make us do that because we’ve already done the hokey-pokey in her class (no joke). As she kept asking what we wanted to sing – someone shouted HAPPY BIRHTDAY as it was her birthday on the 19th. [Mind you im a bit behind on my blogging as I have just written about Croatia and have yet to write about Greece]  ANYWAY.  She accepted the Happy Birthday request and made us walk in a single file line, out the class room, out onto the deck and around the dining all singing Happy Birthday Dr. Ehlers. People sitting around were wondering what the hell was going on as we all shamefully marched around the deck with Dr.Ehlers laughing at us in the back of the line. We were all awake for the rest of her class, that’s for sure.

Now that the trip is already half over, it’ll be hard to say goodbye to amazingly engaging teachers and classmates alike. We’ll see how happy I am about the professors come finals time though. HAHA :)