I just love those mornings that we don’t lose and hour of sleep, and today was one of those. I still managed to miss breakfast because I slept in. I think it was a pretty good choice because I woke up feeling rested and ready for the day.

Global studies talked about the Dark Ages and then had a guest lecturer tell us more information. It was pretty interesting and more relevant to things that we will be seeing and witnessing.

Drawing was pretty slow today because we worked on the most general work possible having to do with values. Basically shading in squares to learn how to do values. I think I did pretty good at this!

Religious studies was more "review" which was good to get the information. The fact that I have convinced her to let me use my computer really has made a difference. Im actually able to take the notes. It will make studying much easier.

After class I got my place over by the pool and then laid out for a bit. We were supposed to be passing land around 2:00pm so I went to the front of the ship. After hanging out there for like 20 minutes, they told us that it would be another 90 minutes till we would see land. So I went back to the pool to hang out for awhile. The sun was very strong and felt very good.

Then all of a sudden, a mountain was in sight. It was very exciting to see land! The mountain was part of Africa, I had just set my eyes on Africa for the first time in my life. So it was time to head to the front of the boat with my camera! I tried to take as many pictures as I could, but it was a very hazy day so it was hard to get pictures. Eventually, while I was standing there we could see Spain on the other side. So when I looked to my right there was Africa and when I looked to my left there was Europe. It was an amazing thing to see. We will be stopping in Gibraltar on the way back so I decided not to stay out there until then(which was about 2 hours away)

I went back to the pool to lay out for a bit more, but I couldn’t stay out for long because of the wind. As we were going through the strait, it got very very very windy. While I was standing on the front of the boat, I had to hold on to the railing because it was  so strong. The wind made me feel really really sticky from the ocean water in the wind.

So I decided to take a nice shower. After I got out, I looked out the window and saw a huge mountain in Africa so I took a picture through my window. Then I saw dolphins from my window!!! The dolphins out here are like 1/3 the size of normal dolphins. They are so small and cute! Its just a really amazing thing to look out of my bedroom window and see dolphins!

It was then time to relax and watch a movie before dinner. I had already finished all of my homework so I could really just relax. I watched Taken which is based in Paris and is about men stealing young women and forcing them into a prostitution ring. Its so strange how I always watch these movies right before I travel. Doesn’t seem the smartest, but maybe it makes me more aware and conscious in these countries. I watched Hostel right before I went to Amsterdam a few years ago… But it was a really good movie!

Then I had "dinner," which I didn’t really eat because it was gross. But then my group for Religious Studies had to meet with our professor in the dining hall. It was actually pretty fun to sit down and talk with her. I told her the story of my little dog breaking his leg and having to put a condom on his cast. She thought it was the funniest thing ever and could not stop laughing!

Next I went upstairs to get a pizza, which was quite tasty.

And then it was time for the explorer seminars. I hadn't attended any of these yet so it was an interesting experience. I really don’t like the union! But learning about all the fun places to see in Barcelona from a local was great. And then learning about safety was good as well. Learned about a few things that I hadn't thought of which will be helpful while traveling abroad.

After that it was time for bed because we would be losing another hour of sleep. So I went back to the room and watched a few episodes of the first season of Sex and the City with Lindsay. Its such a fun show!

Sleep was much needed with only 1 day left till Barcelona!!!!!

Today was a very mellow day on the ship. We lost and hour of sleep so I woke up pretty tired. Outside of the room was our list of SAS trips that we had gotten from their process. That also meant that the field office was open and we could go sign up for any extra spaces that were available on SAS trips and FDPs. So I raced down there and was surprised by how few people were down there. I was able to sign up for the hike that I wanted to do in Turkey, as well as a trip to Pompeii and a city orientation in Naples. All things that will be great experiences.

Next was global studies, which was the most boring class thus far. Prof Bowler didn’t really teach us anything after the first 15 minutes of class. I stopped paying attention and worked on finishing a book for my religious studies class.

Thankfully, drawing class was much better. We got to go outside to sketch today and all we had to draw was a chair. I was able to do that and enjoy the beautiful day.

Religious studies was interesting, because we did a "review" of what we had learned thus far. But I don’t feel like we have actually learned anything so far so it was a day full of information that is important to know.

After class I decided to head up to my room and take a nap. I ended up sleeping until dinner time. Then I went to have some dinner and then I went back to my room to watch a movie and go to bed. I decided it was a good idea to try and catch up on my sleep since I have been so tired.

That’s all I have to say about today because I spent most of it sleeping. We should see land tomorrow!!!

I made it to breakfast this morning! I just love having cereal and cold milk. Its like a treat to wake up to! I sat down for breakfast at a table by myself. I like to eat fast in the morning and its hard to do that if you have people sitting with you. But then this old woman came over to my table and sat down with me. She is one of the lifelong learners on the ship. Her husband came over and joined as well. They are both from Atlanta, Georgia. They told me stories about their granddaughter who not only did Semester at Sea, but also likes to travel for fun. He told me a story about the granddaughter getting left in morocco in the middle of nowhere. I said that she sounded very adventurous, but he called her a "damn fool." It was really fun having them sit with me and share stories!

So I went down to the piano lounge, just like any other morning, and found myself a seat. This morning however, it sounded like there was a woodpecker, a very very very large woodpecker pecking away on the boat. Turns out they are chipping away paint that has rusted on the ship. The workpeople are standing out there with picks hitting the sides of the wall. It seems somewhat stupid to me,  because they are just going to paint over it again. You would think that they would do that during a time when no one was on the ship, but I guess they want to annoy everyone!

Global Studies was interesting and has been a surprisingly good class.

Drawing today was really fun because we went to the Union to sketch the interport lecturer, Grandma the Clown. It was very different trying to draw a figure compared to the shapes and inatamant objects we have been drawing so far. He did some really interesting poses as well.

Religious studies has been a really slow class so far. I don’t really feel like we have done anything in the class itself. I have learned a lot from the readings and such, but not from the class itself. I don’t think she realizes how fast this voyage is going to go by. 

Today was a beautiful day outside so I decided to take full advantage of it. I got my swimmer on and headed out to the pool. Of course the rest of the ship had the same idea as me. EVERYONE was outside. All the chairs, lounge chairs, and most of the deck space was taken. I found myself a little space and got my tan on. It was great sitting outside today because there was so many people out it was easy to meet people. I meet twin girls from Los Gatos that go to school at Sonoma State. I actually hit it off pretty well with them and Im sure we will be hanging out a bunch.

After a full afternoon of laying out it was time for dinner. We went in to eat and was surprised at how good the food was. They had pot roast which is on of my favorites. They also had really good fresh fruit, peaches and pears, so I put a bunch into my bag to save for later. Then it was time to shower and do some studying before the Global Studies Map Quiz.

The quiz was defiantly an interesting experience to take because there were 5 people using this tiny tiny little table with a scantron  test. It was nice and easy just like I was expecting it to be.

My mouth is feeling so much better, that it makes it so much easier to socialize. I met up with the girls that I met earlier to hang out on the pool deck, eat some snacks, an watch the sun set. Then we headed down to their room just to hang out. It was getting pretty cold outside. We took their picture off of the wall to read the things on the back, and there was even a photograph. Its really fun to see what people have written.

To understand what I'm talking about a little better I will explain. There are pictures/artwork in each of the rooms hanging on the wall. It’s a tradition for students to take down the photo and write advice and notes on the back. You do it at the end of the voyage. A lot of the messages tell you to sneak on booze and where to hide it, but sometimes there are really interesting things on the back. Ill write on this blog what I decide to write on the back at the end of the voyage.

We were to lose another hour that night so I decided to go back to to my room and head to bed around 12. Of course Lindsay and I ended up staying up for a few hours chatting and sharing pictures. It was a great bonding experience.

Hopefully I didn’t get to burnt in the sun today!!!!