Current Coordinates:  09 48.51 N 086 29.70W

Sailing ever closer to the Central American mainland I was glad to hear that we are now less than twelve hours away from our next port of call at Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica.  While not the official embarkation point listed on our itinerary – a last minute change dictated that we berth a twenty mile journey away from the main city of Puntarenas.

A slight setback in a country as lovely as this one.

Originally the name “Costa Rica” itself churned up childhood memories of a Chricton induced night tremor of an island a mere 120 miles off its coast.  I can still imagine pictures of lush tropical vegetation; beautiful lakes and rivers; and thousands of genetically engineered dinosaurs run amuck.

While we will thankfully be landing nowhere close to the fictional Isla Nublar –  the images of a Central American tropical paradise still fill my head with wonder and excitement at the opportunity of exploring such a beautiful land.

Costa Rica will mark the first opportunity where I’ll be able to use some Spanish on this voyage.  Compared to the other languages that I normally butcher while in port – I’ve at least had several years of experience learning this one.

Albeit during high school.

Hablo espanol muy malo

During our cultural and logistical pre-port tonight we learned about the variety of enriching experiences offered to our shipboard community.   Everything from kayaking and canoeing to snorkeling and hiking.   Truly a welcome respite from the seeming endless journey of the Pacific crossing.

I was also relieved to hear that compared to our previous port of Japan the exchange rate for Costa Rican colon currently trades at 500 to $1USD.

Which means that we can easily avoid three dollar cokes and hundred dollar cab rides.

A Central American country which previously relied heavily on its domestic industry of banana plantations: Costa Rica has since moved away from its industrial roots and now calls tourism its most profitable industry catering to hundreds of thousands of visitors on an annual basis.

No surprise as my friend Ant who had previously visited bragged about the great beaches, the fabulous surf, and the warm tropical sunshine.

Which means…

Dos dias de pura vida

TL;DR now less than 12 hours away from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica; only experience with Costa Rica before was reading Jurassic Park set 120 miles off the coast; first time I get to use Spanish on this voyage even though I speak it badly; a lot of outdoor trips kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling, and hiking; favorable exchange rate of 500 to 1; looking forward to a great 2 days in port; pura vida

Current Coordinates:  11 17.13 N 091 28.09 W

This voyage has been marked by many milestones: countries visited, borders, crossed and lessons learned.

And while these are all considerable achievements there have been other – less conspicuous titles earned as well.

The intramurals sports program was one of my biggest responsibilities during this voyage encompassing hundreds of teams and the same amount of competitors.   A program that never would have been successful without the help from my two work study students: Skyler Scoggan and Alexis Medina.  Two students who put in long hours at the court even with tests, papers, and finals looming on the horizon.

But they pitched in their fair share and more as they refereed competitors who routinely battled it out on the sports court everyday at sea from 17:00-20:00 (5pm-8pm).

And while there have been many games both won and lost encompassing all emotions from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory: today sadly ended the end of a long intramural season.

I thank these teams for their participation; their determination; and their hungry “never-say-die” spirit.

And then there are those teams who never showed for their games.

For them I offer no recognition.

But there were a select few.  A tawdry collection of individuals who can truly claim the title of VICTOR that I would like to recognize.

You’ve sweat; you’ve bled; and you gave it your all.

Whether you passed a basketball or threw a cornhole bag…. You are now all CHAMPIONS.

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Basketball: Team “Off Constantly”
Cornhole: Team “America”
Dodgeball: Team “Benne Flikkerz”
Ladderball: Team “Kirsch”
Ping Pong (Lunch Singles League): Michael Bluestone
Ping Pong (Doubles Tournament): Team “SASterbaters”
Soccer: Team “Ken Bowers”
Volleyball: Team “Scared Hitless”
Washers: Team “Purple Cobras”

TL;DR today marked the end of the intramurals season; intramurals was one of my biggest responsibilities; hundreds of teams and hundreds of competitors;  couldn’t do it without work studies Sky or Alexis; recognizing the champions in each of the leagues: basketball, cornhole, dodgeball, ladderball, ping pong, soccer, volleyball, washers

Current Coordinates: 12 54.60 N 097 22.04 W

Exchanging salutations with all of the guests shuffling past the glass doors of the main dining room – each was given a single champagne flute filled with the tinted bubbly liquid.  Each guest wearing their finest formal wear as they greeted one another: a sea of strangers now untied as friends at the end of the voyage.

Tonight the community and crew hosted the voyage’s Alumni Ball in celebration of the end of the semester.  A formal dinner dance made to commemorate not only the end of a journey but to simultaneously rejoice in the newfound connections that we’ve all forged with one another.

And as the theme of our program encompasses recognition of other cultures: tonight’s formal was appropriately Bollywood themed as many in attendance strutted in their finest silk suits, jibbas, sarees, and shirts.

A rainbow of colors filling the ship’s hallways in festive patterns of black, white, orange, green, and red.

As the litany of colors flocked towards the main dining room we were all treated to some of the finest food that we’ve had in a long time: Tandoori Chicken, Vegetable Pate, and Curry Stew.

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My only regret is that I didn’t have more of it – but as soon as the dinner ended:  all flocked to the union to see the world premiere of the SAS Fall 2011 Lip Dub at Sea: now called “SeaDub” for short.  A culmination of weeks worth of work compressed into the span of just a ten minutes showing off the program, the ship, and most importantly the students.

As the festivities of the night moved to the deck 7 pool area for the after dinner dance – I walked through the crowd. A sea of faces.  Once unfamiliar and foreign: now friends and colleagues bonded together from our months spent abroad.

A bittersweet mix of feelings filled me in saying goodbye to Williama: Sea Council (student government) representative as well as aspiring student affairs professional; “2 cool 4 pub night” the Trivia at Sea season champions; and the Program board who were responsible for a multitude of successful events aboard the ship including the coffeehouse series, talent show, and Amazing Race.

Snapping picture after picture in an attempt to forever immortalize my memories with these students I was routinely thanked for the time I had spent with them and the energy that I had dedicated to the program: it truly made their voyage.  But in reality I was the one who felt more enriched.

As someone who depends on students as both a source of energy and inspiration: I couldn’t have done it without them.

And as the moon rose into the star filled sky in the backdrop of the dance party many realized that in a few weeks they would change from being SAS students to SAS alumni.

And when we finally debark in Ft. Lauderdale we will all change from a shipboard community back to individuals:

scattered against the map of the world.

TL;DR official last day of class; alumni ball hosted at the end of the voyage; formal event held on the ship; theme was Bollywood; dinner was Indian themed and was the best that we’ve had in a while; premiered the “SeaDub” tonight; dance party on deck 7; snapped pictures with students who impacted me the most;  Wiliama, 2 cool 4 pub night, and program board; sea of students who inspired me; soon they will become alums; and we will all be scattered against the map as individual

Current Coordinates: 14 43.97 N 104 43.14 W

This: the last day of November marks the imminent end of the academic semester.  Tomorrow: as we welcome the month of December aboard the MV Explorer – it seems that everything will shift into overdrive for the remainder of the voyage.

Well at least from the students’ points of view.

Papers will need to be written, projects completed, and final exams taken: all while hours fall off the clock as we sail east.

Just like our colleagues on our land campuses: we will soon be offering a fond farewell to the fall semester as we dutifully prepare for the spring semester beginning months from now.

The reality sinks in for me as I write my transition report: trying to cram a seemingly vast ocean of knowledge into a trim ten pages.

But with the coast of the Mexican mainland slowly creeping into view on our map – we are all glad to be sailing into warmer waters.  The arch of our course on the ship’s map reporting the length of our journey from our last port of Hilo.

The fine curve representing our traversing of the Earth’s surface.

And while the sun doesn’t hang in the sky for as long or as brightly as it had when we were at the equator – it still serves as a solemn reminder of the rapidly diminishing sunshine and temperature back home.

For the first time in this voyage I heard Christmas music echoing down the hall from one of the many iHomes that litter the ship.  Which reminds of me of a time of year spent Christmas shopping: usually in wake of the post Black Friday rush.  Most likely in a crowded parking lot – at one of dozens of New Jersey malls.

What a culture shock it will be to trade the tropics in a few weeks time for the cold and chilly climate of the northeast.

Coming home from a completely alien location to the calming familiarity of the holiday season.

What a culture shock it will be when this voyage ends: when in a few weeks we will wave goodbye to our friends and colleagues… and then eventually the year 2011.

TL;DR the last day of November; semester draws to a close; writing transition report sinks in for me; off Mexican mainland now; curve of our course indicates traversing the earth’s surface; heard Christmas music for the first time today; culture shock trading this for back home; sad that will soon be waving goodbye to new friends; then goodbye to 2011

Current Coordinates: 16 36.95 N 113 50.49 W

“…3….2….1…” I heard over the PA system as the numerals blared loudly from the white metallic grill above my head.

“When I get older / I will be stronger / they call me freedom / just like a WAVIN’ FLAG” starts blasting throughout the ship.  The footfalls of hundreds of shoes, sandals, and flip flops create a dull rumble through the floor as everyone scrambles to their positions.

“T-minus seven minutes!” I exclaim to the group of student around me – the air filling with silent energy.

At 6:50 our small assembly scrambles into position in the narrow hallway.  Eric and James lift up Jenna between them.  Hananh and I stand on opposite sides holding my USA flag in front of us.

The door at the end of the corridor opens and we hear “…he’s coming!”

The lens turns to us.  We begin walking forward – singing in cadence with the lyrics of the chorus:

“…they call me freedom / just like a WAVIN’ FLAG!”

All the while smiling broadly at the ludicrousness of it all.

A couple of weeks ago the voyage’s official videographer: Andrew Centofante approached the shipboard community with an idea.  A music video encompassing the entire ship.  A lip dub.

Somewhat confused at first – he rightly interpreted my furrowed brow as a need to provide more info.  But after viewing the sample lip dub video of “Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night” by the Black Eyed Peas.  Then it all began to make sense.

A Lip Dub: essentially a music video where the cameraman records one long take.  No cuts. No edits. The only movement is him as he traverses a space. Done in time with a song where the people on screen sing along with the lyrics – but where the audio is dubbed over with the original song.

It’s tough because in order for it to be a Lip Dub it needs to done in one take – but that’s also what makes it special too.

So the shipboard community set out on this project.  A video tour of the ship to K’Naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” involving everyone on board: students, faculty, staff, lifelong learners, officers, and crew.  A ten minute video that would show everyone back home what our floating campus is like – as well as the spirit of our entire community.

So today – after weeks of hard work, planning, and preparation by the Andrew and the communications team.  The time had finally arrived.  Lip Dub Day.

And while my sea – the Arabian Sea – had a meager turnout we transformed what could have potentially been a disastrous situation into a positive one as we gathered whatever flags we had and whoever we could find to fill our assigned space on deck 7.

After our faithful videographer ran through our section of the hallway we quickly followed him around the corner and back out the door on his journey towards the after section of the ship and his final destination at the stern where everyone on board had gathered for one huge community shot: a diverse pallet of colors, nations, ethnicities, creeds, ages, and ideas.

We prepared for three takes and three takes is what we got – weeks worth of planning fulfilled in just one afternoon hour.

An entire ship, an entire community, and one awesome lip dub at sea.

THE Semester at Sea LipDub Ship Tour

TL;DR lipdub day at sea; an idea brought to us by our videographer Andrew Centofante weeks ago; essentially a music video in one long take as he tours around the ship; selected K’Naan’s Wavin Flag as the song; Arabian sea didn’t have much turn out but we made it work; just a couple of seconds on screen; then gathered at the aft of the ship for one big community shot at the end of the video; three takes and it was all over in an hour

Current Coordinates:  17 46.42 N 120 41.61 W

15’ x 7’

I know.  It doesn’t sound like a whole lot of space – but it marks the boundaries of my only sanctuary.  The only place that I can call my home.

After living in an NYC apartment at least I can say this space is better furnished and (for the most part) isn’t surrounded by screaming neighbors.

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My cabin is the only private place I can go to relax – the only place that I can really call mine.

Most of the time it is a bedroom – a place to recharge after a long day.  Other times it is a study – a place to reflect and write.  Yet more often than not it is an office – one of the only places where I can get work done: in peace and solitude from the community just outside my door.

Sometimes it is the place where I feel my best – a place where I can honestly get stuff done – both personally and professionally.

Because at the end of the day there is no commuting home.   No convenient buffer zone between the office and the apartment.  Just a trip down to deck four and cabin 4133.

4133 IS my home.

Home to a full sized bed – really just two twin beds disguised through creative use of sheets and a comforter.

Home to a stocked “pantry” – mostly just junk food: sometimes the only comfort for the roughest days at sea.

Home to a hot shower – a simple but oh so necessary amenity.

Home to a closet of clothes – producing a comically finite combination of clean wardrobes.

For our days at sea: cabin 4133 is the home for me.

My only private space.  The room that I call my own.

TL;DR 15 feet by 7 feet are the dimensions of my cabin; not very big but the only private space to myself; serves as a bedroom, study, and office; sometimes the only place where I can get stuff done; home to a big bed, pantry, hot shower, and clean clothes; cabin 4133 is the home for me

Current Coordinates: 18 54.06 N 129 51.32 W

“Oh. Hello.  How is your grandfather?”

I said robotically to the girl standing next to me while simultaneously hugging her – a necessary paternal statement in order to start a conversation in this culture.

She returned my hug and asked “How is your uncle, is he well?”

Just then an Alpha conspicuously wandered through the door: surveying the rest of the people in our group before making a casual circle of the room.

Each person from my own Beta culture was all huddled around each other – excitedly playing their own card game and shuffling poker chips between one another.

The Alpha woman watched us exchange our tokens and stood by wanting to enter the conversation – but stayed at a cautious distance: silently judging our interactions.

So she stood there – quietly critiquing the numerous transactions taking place… before she was recalled back out from the room.

Tonight my friend and colleague Thais Boucherau led us in a cultural immersion simulation called Bafa Bafa in which one “culture” called the Alphas and another called the Betas were created from a group of students and administrators who came out for the workshop.

After randomly breaking up into the two sides we each took to our own separate classrooms and started the quick 15 minute process of learning about our new “cultures.”

As an Alpha I was taught that interaction and conversation was an important value of our society; that we were a patriarchy – a faux pas to start a conversation without acknowledging an elder male family member; and that while we played a simple card game for poker chips we were mostly interested in our interactions with one another and less about financial gain.

The people of the Beta culture however held different and dissimilar values as they were a community who placed a high significance on trading and commerce; of acquiring wealth and recognition through exchanging a series of “commodity cards”; and a society that while everyone started at equal social rank: the most successful traders were the ones who were most highly valued.

The rest of the night was then spent shuffling between societies: each room containing its own separate culture.

As if we were visitors to a foreign land.  Visitors interacting with the locals but at the same time maintaining their own cultural identity.

Does this sound familiar?

On a visit from my Alpha homeland to the Beta culture I was greeted by one woman at the door who excitedly looked at the cards in my hand and exclaimed “GaMa! GaMa!” – which I animatedly repeated with the same emphasis as we traded colored cards.

Excited to have learned the local language I then went around to others in the Beta community exclaiming “GaMa! GaMa!” – only to be disappointed that no one else wanted to trade with me.

Only later on during the debrief did I learn that “GaMa” was Beta language for “Gina wants Two.”

While both a horrible and hilarious language gaffe – it served as a valuable lesson of ignorant communication in a culture.

However mine was not the only critical error as others shared what their viewpoints were of each others’ culture: which originally started as negative while we identified the main differences between one another.  Characteristics that we would later call “weird” and “disturbing” – but whose actions were rooted in the values of our people.

A conversation which carries direct correlations to our times in port: visits to countries and cultures that while only lasting a few days carries with it lasting impacts for both ourselves as well as our foreign hosts.

Only when we brought our differences to the forefront did we connect the dots with the similarities between our two very distinct societies: we both valued communication, interaction, and an exchange. Whether that be physical property or personal anecdotes.

And while the conversation did take its twists and turns it overwhelming achieved the goal of producing many learning moments: times when specific connections were made between our own culture and identity as Americans compared to our role as students and visitors in foreign lands.

Hopefully creating a sense of understanding, awareness, and empathy.

Valuable lessons.  And a valuable skill set when travelling abroad.

Lessons that we can use not only for the remainder of our journey – but also for the rest of our lives.

TL;DR cultural immersion workshop tonight called BaFa BaFa; split up into two groups: Betas and Alphas; Betas value trading, commerce, and personal gain; Alphas value patriarchy, conversation, and social interaction; was in the Alpha group and attempted to communicate with the Beta group using their own language; said the wrong thing when I was there; most embarrassing; but similar to us when visiting foreign ports; common learning outcomes; focused first on the negative differences instead of the positive similarities; powerful skill set especially when travelling abroad

Current Coordinates: 19 28.71 N 137 27.3 W

Gathering all of my gear and taking one final spin in front of the mirror I headed out – my cabin door slamming behind me.  With walking stick in hand and a backpack filed with all of the sundries I would need for a day on the trail.

Except for today we were still at sea – potentially thousands of miles away from the nearest speck of land in the vastness that is the Pacific Ocean.

But you wouldn’t know it from looking at me: safari shirt and cargo pockets bulging with bug spray and sun block – camera and notebook.

No, today my colleague and Dependent Children Coordinator: Kristin Hannah asked me to come and speak with all of the children aboard.  A gaggle of about twenty pint sized kiddies anywhere between five and fourteen years old – all sat around me in a semi circle on the deck of the main dining hall.

Wanting to fill the children’s’ time with fun – but educational activities; Kristin thought that it would be a good idea if I came and talked about my wilderness experience.

And since I roam the ship on a daily basis constantly looking as if I am about to lead a safari: I agreed and packed my bag ready to show the kids… exactly what I bring with me on a day hike.

Assuming the shape of a starfish who had grown to ten times its normal size and sprouted a blue baseball hat: I stood before the crowd – arms spread.  Out before the open gazes and inquisitive ears and asked:

“Who can tell me something about my clothes?

After going through a seemingly thorough spiel on why boots are important – I zipped off my pant/shorts combination to show them how to easily re-layer clothing during changing weather.  A move that created ooh’s and aah’s from the crowd.

Who thought my wardrobe could be so fascinating.

Knowing that straight up lecturing in front of adolescents is as good as a death sentence: I thought that as much show-and-tell as possible would be useful as I started to rummage through my pack.  Pausing before pulling out each item: I asked the children to guess the next most important item I would bring on a hike – and rewarded them by passing around my water bottle, poncho, first aid kit, flashlight, and all important pocket knife.

And through the course of showing kids how much fun making a makeshift sling out of a bandana is – I made sure to cover some basic wilderness safety.

A call back to a time – not so long ago – when I was a camper at Rodney on the banks of the Chesapeake with the counselors always repeating ad nauseum:

“Remember that if you get lost: hug a tree.  And stay in one place.”

But a day in the wilderness is not the same without the age old problem:  “What do I do if I get lost and have to sleep out there?”

“Well children – that’s a good question.”

Hoping that nothing had changed significantly since I had been on the receiving end of this very same lecture – I expressed the priorities of survival in the wilderness: Shelter, Water, Fire, Food.

Shelter from rain and wind; Water – because you can’t last long without it; Fire for warmth, signaling, and cooking; and finally Food for when your supply of GORP eventually runs out.

It was honestly a lot of fun sharing with the kids: it reminded me of my most fond memories of long weeks spent at summer camp.  Hiking, swimming, and the good old bug juice.

I hope that at least now the kids will be ready…for whatever awaits them at our next port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Trivia Answers:

ROUND 1

FAMOUS FIRST LINES
Answer: In the Beginning

MOVIES
Answer: Meeko

POP CULTURE
Answer: 9

TELEVISION
Answer: Legend of the Hidden Temple

ROUND 2

LLC TEAM
Answer: Remi Nagata

OUR NEXT PORT
Answer: 1522

LANGUAGES
Answer: Flight of Death

SPORTS
Answer: Tug Of War / Backstroke (Swimming) / Rowing (Crew)

HALFTIME (Celebrity)

Answer: Molly Ringwald

ROUND 3

FAMOUS EMILYS
Answer: The Dixie Chicks (Dixie Chicks)

CURRENT EVENTS
Answer: Toontown (Unverified)

HARRY POTTER
Answer: A Turtle

FADS
Answer: A. 1950s and B. 1970s

BONUS ROUND
Answer:  Posh Spice (Victoria) / Scary Spice (Melanie B) / Ginger Spice (Geri) / Baby Spice (Emma) / Sporty Spice (Melanie C)

ROUND 4

OUR LAST PORT
Answer: Vowels: A, E, I, O, U / Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W

SPORTS
Answer: 108

FOOD
Answer: Coney Island

FAMOUS LAST LINES
Answer: King Kong

FINAL ROUND

LLC Team
Answer: Dave Eng

EMILY ROBINSON
Answer: New York

TL;DR got dressed in safari mode with backpack and hiking stick to talk to the dependent children about the wilderness; funny when the ship is in the middle of the ocean without any wilderness in sight; talked about my clothing; pant shorts gained some ooh’s and aah’s; show and tell for the items in my backpack; poncho, first aid kit, pocketknife, flashlight; covered shelter, water, fire, food as priorities for survival; a lot of fun with the kids; hope that they will now be prepared for their hikes in the future

Current Coordinates: 19 50.44 N 154 2.16 W

Last week at the Shipboard Auction I donated an item: “Be Dave Eng at Trivia Night.”  Truly a commodity of debatable value – it was nevertheless bid on and won by one of our students: Emily Robinson.

So after that I met with Emily and gave her a few tips and pointers on writing trivia questions: I left the entire process (including the playlist) up to her.

So tonight was the night she claimed her prize – tonight was Trivia at Sea Part 7: Emily Robinson style – with twenty questions including everything from the Spice Girls to Harry Potter to both challenge and stump the shipboard community.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of playing pub style trivia before – here is the run down:

There are four rounds with four questions each.  I announce the categories at the beginning of the round and then ask the questions.  You can wager a varying amount of points per question based on your knowledge of the category.

I play a song between each round in order to give teams enough time to come up with their answer.

In addition there are the picture, half-time, bonus, and final rounds that allow teams opportunities to increase their score.  Highest score of the night wins. That’s it.  I just ask that you cap teams at 5 people and you don’t cheat (i.e. use the internet).

Tonight we had 23 teams and about 115 students, faculty, staff, and lifelong learners come out and play with the championship going to the student team “Miki Mouse Club” breaking “2 cool for 4 pub night’s” four week winning streak!

And as the semester draws to a close: tonight was the voyage’s last ship wide trivia night with the season’s championship going to the always consistent “2 cool for 4 pub night!” Congrats!

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Here were tonight’s questions written by Emily Robinson for those playing at home.  I’ll release the answers in the next post.  Good luck!

ROUND 1

FAMOUS FIRST LINES
What are the first three words in the bible?

MOVIES
What was the name of Pocahontas’s pet raccoon in the Disney Pocahontas?

POP CULTURE
Michael Jackson was one of how many children?

TELEVISION
What 1990’s children’s game show took place in a jungle?

ROUND 2

LLC TEAM
Which LLC has had a meal with former James Bond actor Roger Moore?

OUR NEXT PORT
What year did the Spanish settle Costa Rica?

LANGUAGES
What does “Vol De Mort” mean in French?

SPORTS
Name two sports where participants move backwards most of the time in attempting to win.

HALFTIME (Celebrity)

10pt Clue
Born on February 18^th 1968, this actress started her career at age five in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland – then when she was twelve starred her first T.V. series.

6pt Clue
She starred in her first breakout role in 1984 and recently in 2010 this actress published her first book entitled “Getting the Pretty Back.”

4pt Clue
This actress known as the greatest teen star of all time now currently stars in the ABC Family T.V. series “Secret Life of the American Teenager”

ROUND 3

FAMOUS EMILYS
Which popular country band has a member with the name Emily?

CURRENT EVENTS
The new section of Disneyland just opened. What is it called?

HARRY POTTER
In the Harry Potter series this boy, broke his wrist in his first flying lesson and has a pet toad. In the Spanish translation his pet is not translated as a toad. What animal is it translated to in the Spanish version?

FADS
In which decades did these two fads reach their height? A. The beat generation and B. Bra Burning?

BONUS ROUND

Name all five (5) Spice Girls and their real names for a total of ten (10) points.

ROUND 4

OUR LAST PORT
There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet, what are they?

SPORTS
How many stitches are on a major league baseball?

FOOD
Where was the hot dog first put on a bun?

FAMOUS LAST LINES
In what movie were these the final words: “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes, it was beauty killed the beast.”

FINAL ROUND

LLC Team
Which LLC’s father is from Trinidad?

EMILY ROBINSON
Where was I born?

Credit for Format: Paul Ryan (Hamilton) & Doug Chiarello (Colgate)

TL;DR Emily Robison claimed Shipboard Auction prize of being Dave Eng at trivia night; gave her some pointers on how to write questions but left it largely up to her; she created the playlist and made questions; 23 teams playing tonight and about 115 participating; winner went to Mikki Mouse Club; end of the season – the championship went to 2 cool 4 pub night

Current Coordinates: 19 44.10 N 155 4.38 W

Unable to find an adequate night’s sleep once again: I inelegantly stumbled out of bed this morning as “The Voice” of Laurie Casteen blared over the PA that the ship had been cleared and that we could all begin disembarking.

Hopping into my pants and pulling my shirt over my head I half jogged out the door to meet up with my friends Christy and Ed who I planned to share the day’s adventures with on our bright and sunny Hawaiian Thanksgiving.

Spilling out onto the streets of Hilo from the port it was clear that we were entering a ghost town.  Barely a mouse stirring from the ramparts of the closed shutters, shut windows, and locked doors – yet hundreds continued to pour off the ship.  Flooding the streets with pounding feet spreading out in all directions.

Heading towards the old town of Hilo we hiked our way to our first destination: the farmer’s market.  We heard conflicting information on whether or not it would be closed that day – but decided that we wanted to find out for ourselves as well as get some exercise on the way there.

A hike that would follow the lip of Hilo Bay west along the coast hugging the barrier between the ocean and the cloud swept mountains beyond.

Luckily for us the farmer’s market didn’t disappoint as many stalls were open: spreading their variety of wares before us.  Exchanging Aloha’s with the locals we made our way through the vendors enjoying the atmosphere of the variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

There was even one stall selling Hawaiian shirts.  Awesome.

But everywhere we went we always saw the same familiar faces from the ship.

I didn’t really know what else to expect – about 600 new people landed in town for the next eight hours.  A short shore leave before departing for another nine days at sea.

Where else were they all going to go?

Our target for the entire day had been Walmart but after asking some of the locals about it – they were unsure whether or not it would be open during the holiday.  Their own stores would have been closed had they not known about our ship pulling in.  But we decided to sojourn on in search for the truth – after all we wanted to sightsee.

But I didn’t want to risk being unable to resupply so after finding a local open grocery store I stocked up on the essentials:

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16 Cans of Coke
4 Bags of Cheetos
2 Bags of Trail Mix
2 Cans of Gatorade Powder
1 Bag of Oreos

Yes, vital supplies indeed.  Necessities due to the hit or miss nature of our cafeteria.

Also valuable bargaining chips when it came to the on-board junk food commodity market.

After re-packing my duffle with the numerous sundries – Ed donated some time on his cell phone for me to call home and wish the family a Happy Thanksgiving.  A strange concept for me as this has always been a holiday of lazily lying at home; consuming the errant turkey leg; and watching the dog show on network TV.  Not because I like dog shows – but because I was usually too food comatose to find the remote and change the channel.

But in a day filled with new things – I shouldered the now 40 lbs worth of groceries and continued our hike towards our crusade’s final destination: Walmart.  It’s blue roof beacon shining brightly as we approached it in a thickening drizzle.  Having purchased everything I needed I took the time to wander around such a familiar sight – taking comfort that I didn’t have to do some split second arithmetic in order to determine the price of something.

They take USD here.

That was just grand.

But walking around we were always seeing the same faces: students, faculty, and staff from the ship.  All on the same mission as us.  All of them with shopping carts filled to the brim.  Even the in-store McDonald’s was crowded: all of its seats full of Filipino crew members chowing down on a diverse variety of fried foods.

After discovering that there was not only a shuttle waiting for us outside – but a FREE shuttle back to the ship waiting for us outside we quickly gathered our purchases and joined our salacious and jaunty Hawaiian bus driver.  Sporting a brown size 5x Hawaiian shirt and RayBans his brown hands nimbly plotted us a course back to the docks.

Completely fulfilling the mental image of what I thought a Hawaiian dude should look like.

And while I would have liked some more time in port – this was one of my duty nights and I stood by: radio in hand for the next two hours prior to on-ship time.  Helping security sort through all of the students in the fray attempting to escape the now downpour of liquid sunshine deluging us.

Yes there were drunk students and yes I spent more time than I would like to admit in the medical clinic.  But while I have often dealt with a surprising variety of intoxicated students before: today’s happened to contain the most violent and malevolent yet.  Seemingly making up for their distance from home this year by consuming an amount of alcohol that could easily fell a hippo.

Fighting, yelling, pushing, and shoving – it was not a pretty sight by any definition.  Not the worst our voyage has ever seen – but somewhere in the top ten.

And as I sat in the medical clinic and felt the starting engine vibrations through the deck below I knew that:

…this was at least the most unique Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and to all a goodnight.

TL;DR half asleep got out of the ship as soon as I could; hundreds of people flooding the empty streets; not much open; walked west to the farmer’s market enjoying the view; it was open and the locals said that Walmart might be closed; stocked up at local grocery store in case; eventually made it to Walmart and it was open; saw so many students, faculty, staff, and crew there; all doing the same thing; took free shuttle back with awesome Hawaiian bus driver; was on duty so spent time in the drunk tank; most violent and malevolent yet; this was a unique Thanksgiving