First Day 8.31.05

Hi all,

So it’s my first real day on the ship right now. We are close to Cuba…and the ship’s a rockin’. Literally. I’m feeling slightly dizzy, but I’ve chowed down Dramamine, a ginger pill, and a malaria pill this morning.
The ship is amazing. If I told any of you that I’m not going on a cruise, I lied. This actually used to be a cruise ship, and they told us last night that it’s the fastest ship on the sea! Can you believe it?? I think they just said we were going 20 knots….whatever that means…haha. I just can’t believe the service we get here, because every morning a maid comes in and makes our beds, cleans our bathrooms and empties the trash. They also clear our meals when we are finished. Crazy. P.S. the food is excellent.
My roommate is great. Her name is Channelle and she is from Kentucky. Who would have thought: A white Jew from Orange County rooming with a black Catholic from Kentucky. We get along amazingly and have already shared lots of laughs.
A few thoughts on the Bahamas before I go back to the ship. My family and I arrived in the Bahamas on Thursday morning. We slept most of the day and went to a movie that night. Our hotel (the Atlantis) was incredible. It is apparently one of the biggest (if not the biggest) resort in the world. They had these fish tanks like you wouldn’t believe. Lagoons, pools, water slides, ocean, fish, fish, and more fish.
Stacy (my sister) and I made friends left and right. Our favorite person though, was Dan – the bellman. We hung out with him during our free time at night and some afternoons. He was the sweetest guy, and I’ll miss him.
One night Stacy and I went to this local club – The Waterloo. I hardly ever want to go out, so it was a good thing that Stacy forced me to. Walking into this place was a little scary as we were the only white people in the entire club. After a few minutes, and many stares, I felt more comfortable. It was really strange to be in the opposite role of what I’m used to. Being an obvious minority puts a different perspective on things. But this is just the beginning of my journey around the world. For the next 4 months I will be a minority everywhere I go. I’m sure I will get stared at and laughed at more times than I can count. And I’m so excited! I think it’s important to be put out of your element at least a few times in life, so you can really appreciate where you are from.
The rest of the Bahamas was relaxing. My sister and I ordered room service and watched a movie every night. Definitely my favorite part of the day J


Lessons from the Bahamas:
Don’t leave your money in your suitcase.
It’s good to feel uncomfortable sometimes.
Seafood is DAMN good.