Ship sets off in 9 days

I haven't even started this journey and I already don't want it to end

What I am bringing (unfinished)

Packing List

Adapter and converter-1

Address book-1

Anti-maleria pills-90

Airborne- 2

Athletic shorts-1

Baby powder-1

Bandana (yellow)- 5 a SAS student identifier

Bathing suit-3 (2 Tankinis and a one piece)

Belt-1

Body spray- 2 kinds

Bras- 5 (One sport and one strapless)

Brush-1

Camera-2 (one underwater disposable)

Camera charger-1

Camera battery-2

Camera memory- 5 (2 and 4 GB)

Cold medication-10 pills

Copy’s of passport

Credit card-1

Cross-body bags-3

Deet spray- 1

Deoderant-2

Dresses-3

DVD’s- 3 or 4

Fancy Dress-1

Febreeze mini-1

Female products

Finance book-1

First aid kit-1 small

Flats-1

Flip-flops-3 pairs

Folders- filled with travel info, flights, in country health info and more

Games- deck of cards, left right center and uno

Hairties- 20
Hair straightener- 1

Headphones-2

I-phone-1

I-phone cord-2

Jacket-1

Jeans – 6

Laptop-1

Laptop cord-1

Light sweater-1

Long sleeve shirts- 2

Magnets-24 (they stick to the walls)

Makeup- foundation and mascara for dress up

Melatonin- 30

Mom’s cow-1

Money- 1s (200) 5s (20), foreign currency

Nail clippers and file-1

Notebooks-4

Passport- 1

Pens and pencis- 5 each

PJ pants and shorts- 3

Post it notes-1 pad

Q-tips- 100

Razor-2

Scarf-2

Sharpee-1

Shirts- 7

Shorts-1 (I don’t have any good ones -.-)

Small notebook-2

Sneakers- 1

Socks- 11 pairs

Sunscreen- 2 mini tubes and one larger bottle (30 and 50 spf)

Tanks-5

Tide to go stick-1

Tee shirt- 7

Travel case with travel sized items(lotion, shampoo, conditioner, razer, deodorant, loofa, soap)

Travelers diarrhea pills-1

Travel size blanket and pillow-1

Toothbrush and paste- 1

Towel-1

Tums-1

Underwear- 20

Yellow fever certificate

1 LL bean rolling duffle

1 suitcase with detachable small backpack

1 Multi-day backpack

Stay in touch!

One week left: What I want to take away from SAS

I am excited.

I am nervous.

I am tired.

I am ready!

My life has changed a lot over the past few months, but in many ways it has prepared me for an experience of which I can focus on myself.

What I want to take away from SAS:

A new look at other cultures

Travel knowledge

Self Discovery, maybe find a new passion

A new look on humans

Have exciting travel stories to tell

Meet some amazing new people

Take in everything new I learn

Stay away from technology (other than blog updates, schoolwork and family contacting)

Stay within my budget

and

Have a trip I will never forget

Let the packing begin

I have all my luggage, now time to start packing soon!

I decided that on top of bringing my purple rolling duffle I will bring my orange suitcase because attached is a small backpack which will be helpful for small trips!

Also bringing the green multi-day hiking backpack :)

8 days!

ONE MONTH

ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH, ONE MONTH. 
On this day in one month I will be flying to California to start my journey and go to Disneyland with my dad (the ship leaves the 9th, but I leave the 6th for Cali). 
ALSO my mom and a family friend is most likely meeting me in Europe after SAS (Almost official as of yesterday)! 
So much excitement :)

The idea that I am leaving so soon comforts me because I have literally been waiting a year for this trip.

ALSO
My Visas are paid for

soooooo

I only have to get my physical done, and I am off to see the world

Getting back on track. A productive day

With SAS, comes work that some people don't think of: example filling out paperwork at your home institution so they know you wont be back next semester.

Today I:
Filled out paperwork for Oswego, so they knew I was leaving.
Gave financial aid a copy of my schedule and bill

Need to Do:
Physical Exam (Med prescriptions for Maleria)
Send a copy of Yellow fever certificate
Pay for my Visas... THEY ARE FINISHED AT LAST!

THEN I GO ON THE SHIP AND TRAVEL THE WORLD

Funny thing is:
because I am one of the first people from this school to do this, everyone in the office knows me and asks how the process is going

Distractions like this really help with the emotional stuff I am going through, its been just over a week and everyday is still an emotional battle

I know it will just take time...
time move faster

Semester at Sea couldn't come any sooner and at better timing.

Stress.

I know I should have known it was coming. But you can never really know until you feel it.
Really need lots of support right now and help.
I post a lot about SAS but its because I am trying to help keep myself excited through the nerves.
Trust me, I am so nervous about this that it makes me shake, sometimes sick, and unable to sleep.
The good and the bad.
The finances and the planning.
I know once I am on the ship, I will be able to finally take a breath of air.
But for now, It's a daily "job" because this is a once in a lifetime experience
and I want to make the most of it.

So I guess I am just saying, positive energy my way... really helps me get though this process
 because trust me, I am borderline terrified of what is coming up in January.

Guess who Just booked their flight to New Delhi (Taj Mahal) and Varanasi for while I am in India?

Day 1 (03/06/2013):

• Catch flight to New Delhi (see link above)

• Stay overnight in Delhi at Hotel Classic Diplomat ($96 split between 7 people)

Free pickup from airport, breakfast, can fit 7 people LEGALLY.

http://hotels.eglobe-solutions.com/classicdiplomat/booking/detail

Day 2 (03/07/2013):

• Half hour drive to the train station, catch 08:40 train to Agra (~$15), arrive 11:30.

http://www.cleartrip.com/trains/results?from_city=New%20Delhi&to_city=Agra&class=1A&date=6-3-2013&adults=1&children=0&male_seniors=0&female_seniors=0

• Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, maybe during sunset?

http://tajmahal.gov.in/ticketing.html (with audio tour guide)

http://www.agramagic.com/tajmahal_agratour.html (with normal tour guide)

Prices arn't listed but I will shoot them an email

4 hours

• A couple hours of free time?
• Catch overnight train to Varanasi (departs 23:30, arrives 11:55)

http://www.cleartrip.com/trains/results?from_city=Agra&to_city=Varanasi&class=1A&date=6-3-2013&adults=1&children=0&male_seniors=0&female_seniors=0

~$20

Day 3 (03/08/2013):

• Arrive in Varanasi
• Check into hotel (Rahul Guest House), it's right on the river ($61 a night)
• Evening bizzare walk and Ganga Arati (~$20 per person)

~3 hours

http://www.varanasimagic.com/evening-bazaar.html

• Whatever you want after that

Day 4 (03/09/2013):

• Dawn boat ride and old city walk ($20-$30 depending on how many people we have)

~3 hours

http://www.varanasimagic.com/dawn-boat-ride.html

• There are a couple of other tours here, maybe the rest of the day should be freetime though?

Day 5 (03/10/2013):

• Catch flights back to New Delhi and Cochin (see links above)

I have classes! woohoo

On WED I got to register for classes! Here is what I will be taking! :)

All of these have specific field labs of which counts for 20 percent of our grade and is a full day experience related to the course!

ANTH 23203 Anthropology of Religion 
 Time: 1540 - 1655 (A days)
Field Lab: In this field lab, we will visit a Zen Buddhist temple, Kencho-ji, in the town of Kamakura, one of the main centers of Zen practice in Japan since the 13th century. Kencho-ji is the headquarters of the Rinzai sect and Japan’s oldest Zen training monastery. We will receive a short introduction to Zen practice and participate in a session of zazen sitting and walking meditation for approximately three hours. After exploring the exquisite temple complex, we gather to discuss the experience over dinner in a traditional Japanese restaurant. This Field Lab experience gives you ample opportunity to relate your experiences to a variety of course topics.

EVSC 2050-5013 Introduction to Oceanography (Section 1)
Time: 0925 - 1040 (B days)
Field Lab: Earth’s primordial force oozes beneath your feet as we step lively over the lava from the world’s preeminent “hot spot.” This is where Hawaii is growing as molten rock rises to the surface and expands the island. Looking to the Northwest we see the volcanic history of this hot spot recorded in stone in the many islands of Hawaii reaching across the Pacific Ocean.  After exploring the volcanoes we will cool off in the Pacific to search for marine life of the reefs. 

ANTH 3590: Race, Class, and Gender

Time: 1415- 1530 (Bdays)

Feild Lab: When the South African government established itself in the 1990s, it put into place a strong gender equity program based on the concept of gender mainstreaming. Every bill that comes before the government is reviewed to assess its impact on gender. Participants will visit the Commission for Gender Equality situated at the House of Parliament in Cape Town. There we meet with officials who are engaged in this work to learn about what issues are seen as most important and what the government is doing to address them.  After lunch, we have the opportunity to meet with faculty and/or students at University of Cape Town for a discussion about race, class and gender in South Africa. The field lab is designed to give students insights into South African history that shaped current race, class and gender constructs and about the intersectionality of race, class, and gender oppression as it affects various segments of the South African population in a variety of ways. This program emphasizes present efforts to identify and tackle the enormous problems that are the legacy of apartheid and neocolonial economic structures.

RELG 1559-1013 Religions of the World (Field Lab Morocco Day 1)
Time: 1250 - 1405 (A days)
Field Lab: We will visit sites associated with each of the three Abrahamic religions: The Hassan II Mosque, the Cathedrale Sacre-Coeur and the Museum of Morrocan Judaism. This will be an opportunity to study the architecture and worship space of these three faiths as well as the history of how they have interacted in Northern Africa.

If you wish to look into what I will be doing :

http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2013/courses/

 and then click on the course, the syllabus will pop up :)

My thoughts...

A Entry about my thoughts as SAS gets closer!

As I continue to talk more and more about Semester at Sea and continually prepare for it. I have literally 1,000 things going through my mind. I figured this would be the best place to place them to look back later and also. it's less public then my Facebook. Keep in mind that this is my "Therepy" entry in a way to get all of the thoughts running in my mind out of it. Some aren't pressing but are still on my mind.

This all came about after a night wit my dad at an Aunts house this weekend, I really got to thinking about all of the emotions I am having. At first it was only excitement and nothing else. But now that I have had some time I realize some of my true motives for going on SAS and my feelings.

First thought:
How much this experience will change me. Almost more importantly, how I will feel after the trip. When you do something once and a lifetime that no one else you know has experienced. I can't imagine what my viewpoint on the world will be...

Second thought: 
I also can't help thinking about how I will tell people about SAS... I know from experience  how it is when you go on trips, you come back, say "it was great", maybe say some great experiences but then people usually begin to not care and you have to stop talking before you sound snooty. I figure it'll be better for people to just read my stories then to tell them, because then I hate feeling like I am boring people. Also I suck at telling stories, my mind goes to too many places at once.

Third thought:
I can't wait to be emerged in a different experience. I want this to be an escape from reality almost. I do not think the whole trip will be perfect, but I truly believe that I will be able to take some good "me" time. Away from those I love, It'll be hard at first but it'll be good to spend unable to contact them (easily). I have never had a time in my life where I have been away long enough or spend time on me. I spend too much time in my life trying to please others, which is int always bad but I need time to reflect on myself and what I want out of life.

Fourth thought:
Making friends.

Fifth thought:
Money
It's always been such a big deal in my family. I hate asking people to help me too, so I will probably have to take out some loans to pay for some things. I know it is work it in the end though.

Six thought:
Keeping track of schoolwork while preparing. 

Seventh thought:
Things I want to do while I port, making sure I make the most out of the trip.

Eighth thought:
I keep thinking about what attracts me to SAS so much, I think there are a couple of things that have influenced me

1) My desire to see and experience new things
2) My feeling of being a lone/self-reliance. I have become much closer with my mom over the past few years which has been great and lifted loss of stress off my shoulders as well as making me feel so much better about my life and the direction it's going in, my dad (the one I have lived with the past few years until this summer) has recently moved 13 hours away... not to mention my 3rd parent (grandpa) and my 2 sister and best friend.
It has been hard feeling as though I am alone, i know they would both be there for me in a heartbeat but I guess this just comes with growing up. I just never thought I would have to travel so far to see my dad, while still in college. I miss having a home to go to that I'm completely comfortable in, that I have lived in for a lobg period of time. I miss Guilderland ( sorry for the but of a rant)I have so many feelings towerd this, which are not  really related to SAS so I wont get into it, but I think their leaving has given me a even stronger "self-reliant" attitude toward life. It's sad but you really cannot rely on anyone but yourself for anything. If you do you'll most likely be disappointed.



Last thought for tonight:
wishing I knew people going

That's it for tonight.

I watch this video at least once a week. It's amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pA_I2GrwpQ

I love that they lip-sing in different languages and do it all around the ship :)

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3

This is me testing to make sure I will be able to make posts from my email :)

Pre-work for Semester at Sea

Let me start by saying that there is SO much work to do before you leave. I hope this helps future SAS'ers in getting ready for their voyage(s). Semester at Sea sends their participants a 30 page packet describing what to do before you leave. It can be intimidating but if you take it one step at a time, it is not bad. Here is sort of a "timeline" as to what the SAS process is like in general...

Beginning "Getting Ready": 

The application process.
Acceptance.
Paying the deposit.
Applying for scholarships


The long horrific waiting period: 

Depending on how far in advance you apply, this time range varies.
For me, I applied in March for the Spring 2013 voyage. I received the huge packet at the end of August, so my waiting took what seemed like forever.

The rush to get things done:

Once I had the necessary information, I had to act quick because many of these things have to be done within a few months of the voyage.

1) Visas.

For my trip, I had three to fill out. You first fill out a main form for a company that will process them (Travisa).  Then you must take your time and fill out each country's Visas and double checking all of the information as you go along. This processes takes many hours, and when you finish it feels so good. Then you print all of the forms out (some country's want 4 copies... idk why) and gather them together with your passport, passport size photos and other forms SAS asks you to send with it for overnight shipping.
I am currently waiting for the documents to arrive at their office and to be processed so I will know soon what else needs to be done.

Mine will be $562.00 for three of them, they have yo pay for the Visa shipping too (included in the 562)

2) Medical forms.

This means seeing a normal doctor for a physical and then a travel doctor to get a yellow fever vaccine which is not covered by insurance so it'll cost 200 dollars. blah

All of this has to be done by November.

3) Paying the Bill. (Due in October)

23,750 total.

4) Flights and hotel bookings.

All of these things take a good chunk of time and money, but if you stay patient and take tings day by day, everything should go smoothly and work out in the end.

I hope this helps a bit, I will post more when I have more things to do.

The beginning process, getting ready for Semester at sea 2013

Just setting up a page to record my travels and experiences while doing semester at sea. I will warn you now, I have horrible spelling and punctuation skills. Don't mind them too much. I hope to post lots of pictures too!