The end...

The Ambassador's Ball was so much fun. We all dressed up and ate filet mignon (and salmon) and had a big dessert bar. Everyone looked beautiful and the music was horrible on the dance floor. Then we stalked everyone dancing on the tv screen in our room which was even more fun. I don't have much to say because the last few days have been crazy and tomorrow is our last day. It has been a mix of packing and emotions and I am all blogged out. See you all very soon...

Me before the Ambassador's Ball in my dress made in Vietnam :)

Brit & I

Costa Rica

Yesterday we arrived in Costa Rica, and instead of docking in Puntarenas, we had to tender from Port Caldera. Puntarenas only has two spaces for ships to dock and I guess the two that were there were regulars and had preference. So anyways, we had to take the lifeboats to shore, and Savannah and I were on an SAS trip to La Paz Waterfall Garden. We didn't realize it was over a 2 hour drive there, but when we arrived it was all worth it. The first thing we did was get a buffet lunch there, which was delicious. They had a mix of American food like pizza and hot dogs, and also Costa Rican food including the most delicious sweet plantains! After that I had to run to the store to get batteries because my rechargeable ones surprised me by not being charged. I got to see monkeys, hummingbirds, and butterflies! The hummingbirds flew so quick and near my head, and one of the butterflies sat on my shoulder. It was so much fun. We also got to see some huge waterfalls. I stood under a few so I got soaked but got some good pictures :) The day was one of my favorites - I really was in awe of all of the nature around me. That night Sav and I had planned to meet the rest of the girls to go out, so we took the tender when we got back to the dock. We were almost at the ship, and they told us we weren't allowed to get off and had to turn around because it was so rocky and would be dangerous. When we got back to land, there were buses to take us to to Puntarenas (the ship would be arriving there at about 10:30 and it was 6:30 at the time). Sav thought maybe the girls were already off the ship and were going to meet us, so we decided to wait for the next group of buses. Well, we realized the girls were still stuck on the ship, and the next bus didn't come for an hour and a half. There were some MAD people. I found it pretty funny actually and just added another experience to the trip.

The next day we woke up early and all 10 of us had breakfast. We went out to the pier and met with a few different tour guides, and ended up splitting into groups of 4 and 6. My group went to go feed white-faced monkeys and these little coati animals. They were both so cute! The monkeys were adorable and took the banana out of our hands and ate it right next to us...I love monkeys :) We also saw a toucan there! Next we went to go see all the crocodiles under the bridge. Apparently the deciding factor of whether a crocodile will be male or female is the temperature of the nest, which I didn't know and found very interesting. Our guide was saying some people were worried about global warming and what that would do to the sexes. After that we went to a little rain forest/nature reserve and saw all kinds of fruit trees (papaya, mango, banana, etc.) and nut trees (cashews, almonds). We found out that cashews come from a fruit and in each fruit is only one cashew nut, which is what makes it expensive. It was beautiful there and very relaxing. By the way, I did not see ONE tarantula the entire trip around the world! In fact, I only saw one small spider about the size of a quarter that was bright orange and actually really cool! I am a lucky girl :) So anyways, after that we ate lunch at a small outside restaurant on the beach called Fiesta de Mariscos (Party of Seafood). We got a platter that 4 of us shared with enough to feed everyone for only $5 each! It was delicious...shrimp, crab, logastinos (not the right spelling, but small lobsters), calamari, mussels...it was so delicious! After that we walked along the beach and saw a beautiful scarlet macaw. Our guide told us there are only 600 left in the wild in Costa Rica! We also stopped at a small stand on the side of the road to get sugar cane juice freshly made. They put the stalk through a little hand machine right in front of us and the juice poured out. It was a little strange at first, but with a little lemon juice it was pretty good. Our guide and driver were so nice. Our guide is actually from Canada, and has lived in Costa Rica with her husband for 2 years as a tour guide and English teacher. That was the funny thing...before I knew that I mentioned I was interesting in teaching English in Costa Rica to get better at my Spanish, and she was excited and said that she's the one who hires English teachers at her school! I got her business card. Our driver (name is pronounced Ro-here...but is spelt Roger!) did not speak any English. It was so much fun conversing with him! I told him in Spanish that I had taken the language for 5 or 6 years but never got to practice and I really liked too. He kept talking to me and told me the key was to practice practice! He talked to me throughout the day and was so friendly, we both were able to communicate with each other and I think he was happy that I was trying. He told me at the end that I was muy simpatica y muy bonita lol After we finished our guided tour, I walked along the beach to look for souvenirs at the different vendors. They were all so nice! I really love speaking in Spanish, it makes me really excited when I can communicate with them. One of the guys spoke some English so we were going back and forth and he would speak in only Spanish sometimes to help me to practice. Sometimes I would say a word and wouldn't be sure if it was right, and he would tell me I was and then ask me what the word is in English because he didn't know. It really was a lot of fun - I would love to become fluent.

That night I went out with all of the girls to have dinner at this place called Kimbos that was recommended to us by our guide. It was delicious! I got a place of rice (with a lot of cilantro!) and huge shrimp for $5! And I also got a strawberry daquiri which was delicious. Once it got passed ten they put the dance lights on and turned the other lights off so we all danced for awhile. Some of the girls wanted to stay, but I left with a couple of the other girls so I could get a few hours sleep. It was a great night - we were the only Americans there!

The next day, yesterday, we woke up early again from breakfast and left to go on a canopy tour - zip lining! I was pretty nervous at first but it was so much fun and really not scary at all! I am so glad I went. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful view! The three days in Costa Rica went fast, and now I am back on the ship for just a few more days before the trip is over :( Last night Brit and I slept out on deck for a few hours (and Tori came out a little later), but when the ship started moving again when we left the port it got pretty cold so we decided to go in at 3am! The Ambassador's Ball is tonight so I will write about that tomorrow and post pictures! Remember that tomorrow I am going through the Panama Canal so if you want to see me, look for me on deck 7 near the pool when we are going through the Miraflores Locks at 8:30 til about 10. ..The link is below in one of my older blogs. I guess that's all for now, I am tired of writing blogs! You will hear it in person soon if you are interested :)

100 Days at Sea

100 Days since the voyage began and a week left. I will be waking up in Costa Rica about 6 hours from now to see the sunrise. Today has been pretty relaxing...went to the gym, hung out with my friends outside, and I just watched Elf which put me in the Christmas spirit. Just wanted to say... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! :)

Post Finals & Panama Canal Info

I am officially finished with exams. I took my last 2 today, and I am putting all school work behind me - I have 10 days left of the trip of a lifetime. Where has it gone?

Below is information sent to us about the Panama Canal. If you want to watch us go through on Thursday, December 11th, check out the link at the end:

The canal consists of artificial lakes, several improved and artificial channels, and three sets of locks. An additional artificial lake, Alajuela Lake (also known as Madden Lake), acts as a reservoir for the canal. The layout of the canal as seen by a ship passing from the Pacific end to the Atlantic is as follows:
•       From the buoyed entrance channel in the Gulf of Panama (Pacific side), ships travel 13.2 km (8.2 mi) up the channel to the Miraflores locks, passing under the Bridge of the Americas
•       The two-stage Miraflores lock system, including the approach wall, is 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) long, with a total lift of 16.5 meters (54 ft) at mid-tide
•       The artificial Miraflores Lake is the next stage, 1.7 kilometers (1.0 mi) long, and 16.5 metres (54 ft) above sea level
•       The single-stage Pedro Miguel lock, which is 1.4 kilometres (0.8 mi) long, is the last part of the ascent with a lift of 9.5 meters (31 ft) up to the main level of the canal
•       The Gaillard (Culebra) Cut slices 12.6 kilometres (7.8 mi) through the continental divide at an altitude of 26 metres (85 ft), and passes under the Centennial Bridge
•       The Chagres River (el Río Chagres), a natural waterway enhanced by the damming of Lake Gatún, runs west about 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi), merging into Lake Gatun
•       Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by the building of the Gatun Dam, carries vessels 24.2 kilometers (15.0 mi) across the isthmus
•       The Gatún locks, a three-stage flight of locks 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long, drop ships back down to sea level
•       A 3.2 kilometer (2.0 mi) channel forms the approach to the locks from the Atlantic side
•       Limón Bay (Bahía Limón), a huge natural harbour, provides an anchorage for some ships awaiting passage, and runs 8.7 kilometres (5.4 mi) to the outer breakwater
Thus, total length of the canal is 47.9 miles (77.1 kilometres).
For the EXPLORER the Panama Canal transit will continue as follow:

Starting canal Transit 06:20 hrs

Mira Flores locks
Arriving 0830hrs
Departing 1000hrs

Pedro Miguel                                    
Arriving 1100hrs
Departing 1130hrs


Gatun locks
Arriving 1530hrs
Departing 1810hrs
ETD Cristobal 1900  hrs

Canal lock size
Initially the locks at Gatun had been designed as 28.5 metres wide. In 1908 the United States Navy requested that the locks should be increased to have a width of at least 36 metres which would allow for the passage of US naval ships. Eventually a compromise was made and the locks were to be constructed to a width of 33 meters. Each lock is 300 metres long with the walls ranging in thickness from 15 metres at the base to 3 metres at the top. The central wall between the parallel locks at Gatun has a thickness of 18 metres and stands in excess of 24 metres in height. The lock gates are made from steel and measures an average of 2 metres thick, 19.5 metres in length and stand 20 metres in height.
The maximum dimensions of a ship that can cross the Canal are: Length: 950 feet (289.6m); Beam: 106 feet (32.31m); height: 190 feet (57.91m); Draught: 36 feet 6 inches (12.04 m).

Live Cameras
These live cameras show operations at the Miraflores & Gatun Locks, as well as other points of interest in the Canal, can be accessed on the internet at:

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

This is written by my ship neighbor from his digital story just played on Sea TV. This is more true than I can say...

"When you see me cross over that line -
I may not look any taller, but I've grown.
I may not seem any smarter, but I've learned.
I may not act any different, but I've changed."

T-6 Days until Costa Rica

Today was my last day of classes on-board the MV Explorer. Tomorrow morning I have my first exam in Global Studies, and then 2 days after that, I have my last 2. Then I will have 2 days to rest and Costa Rica on December 7th! The first day I am going to La Paz Waterfall Garden which has of course, waterfalls, but also hummingbirds and butterflies. The second day I don't have any plans so maybe I'll check out the beach with my friends, and the last day I am going on a canopy tour...zip lining. I'm pretty scared since I don't really like heights or fast moving things, and I will be zipping through the trees hundreds of feet above ground. A group of something like 10 of us are doing it so kinda got conned into it...let's hope my real fear doesn't come into play...spiders!
Yesterday I went on a bridge tour...a tour of all the navigation systems and met with a lot of the crew who handles the ship. I even got to sit in the captain's chair :) Besides that, that's all that's new for me...back to studying I suppose..

After I turned my computer off, I realized being that it was Thanksgiving, I wanted to right some things I am thankful for:
My parents, my sister, all of my family, my friends from home, my new friends I have made on this trip, this amazing opportunity I have had these last 3 months, the opportunities ahead of me, my education at my college ...the list could go on, but what better way to spend Thanksgiving than to be traveling around the world?

Honolulu, Hawaii

Today I spent Thanksgiving in my home country...in the state of Hawaii :) We arrived this morning at about 8am and had to go through U.S. customs to get off the ship (we probably got off for the day around 9:30-10). Prior to this, I had woken up with my roommates to watch the sunrise (which was beautiful...one of the only sunrises we have been able to see coming into port because of weather), and also to have breakfast. While I was sitting at the table, one of the head kitchen staff came over and asked my name. When I told him he responded by telling me I had a surprise that evening. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked him a few questions (none that he would answer) and because I had no clue, I guessed that maybe it was something for the Ambassador's club I'm in. Anyways, that's part one of that story. We all got off the ship, 10 of us total, and we took a taxi to Waikiki beach. It was gorgeous and PACKED! You would probably never know it was Thanksgiving! ...Except for the snack shack near us that had a Thanksgiving lunch. So what did I do today? I ate a whole Thanksgiving meal - turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn, and pumpkin pie - out of a take-out container - sitting on the beach in Hawaii. It really was a memorable experience, and while different than any other Thanksgiving I have ever had, I really loved it. By the way, I decided today that I do in fact like pumpkin pie. A few of my friends took surf lessons today...I decided not to because 1) I wanted to call my family, 2) I wanted to relax, and 3) I am really not all that coordinated. It was about 85 degrees today and I went swimming and bathed in the sun. I realized that after going in the ocean today, I have been in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans...who wants to come to the Arctic? :) And as for the continents and my all 7 goal...I have North America, South America, Africa, and Asia down. Europe I hope to move to in the next year or two, Antarctica my favorite and only sister has already promised to go (someday), and Australia, well I'll make it there too. I don't know why I ever came up with that goal but I've had it since I was a little kid and it just stuck...I better start saving. So after the beach, we went to where other than...Walmart. Everyone had to pick up a few things, and after that, we came back to the ship in time to get the hour of free internet promised if we got back before 6 (a lure to make us not miss on-ship time). They had a "special Hawaiian dinner" tonight, although really it was just like all other food we have ever eaten on the ship, except with pineapples. It was fun though, and after dinner, I realized my special surprise was from my mom ...a chocolate cake that said Welcome Home Lisa! ...Back in the states today for the first time since August 27th. Myself and 8 friends shared it, and with the little bit left over, I gave two pieces to a nice girl I know and her friend. Thanks Mommy :) It was a really great day...very relaxing and a lot of fun. While I do miss my family, my friends from home, and my boyfriend, I will see them soon, and I couldn't have asked for better people to spend my Thanksgiving away from home with...

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I love and miss you all!
One port to go and I'll be home for Christmas...you can count on it :)
P.S. Please play Christmas songs for me...106.7 and 94.9 has them on all the time now!

90 Days at Sea

We had the Students of Service Charity Auction on our 2nd November 22nd. It went really great - about $5,000 raised between raffles and the silent auction ($630 went into the internet minutes raffle alone!). We raised $11,000 at the live auction! Bringing the total to $16,000 raised during the SOS auction. Below are the three organizations we are donating to, a third to each one, all donated in Kurt's name. The last one is a woman who is a victim of acid attack, whom we learned about at the beginning of the year and watch a video about (two of the people on-board have made a documentary with her) ...and she is going to get her surgery now!

Operation Hunger
Operation Hunger is an NGO whose mission is “to create partnerships between vulnerable households and caring people to combat malnutrition which, when suffered by children, undermines the nation’s health, education and economic potential.” The objectives are to improve the nutritional well being of the poor; promote the dissemination of knowledge about poverty and malnutrition in South Africa; improve existing facilities to reduce malnutrition in South Africa and to render financial assistance to develop such programs; cooperate with communities, organizations and authorities to combat malnutrition; publicize and promote the objectives via lectures, exhibitions, meetings, conferences, pamphlets, newspapers, books, leaflets, radio, television and films. Operation Hunger’s integrated development program includes locally-managed growth-monitoring programs, targeted food support, water supply, sanitation facilities, health/hygiene education, income generation and livelihood programs, agriculture and food production. 

YMCA Viet Nam and Agent Orange Children’s Center
The YMCA Viet Nam sponsors many community outreach programs, including a sewing center, school support and a Disabled Youth Center.  The Agent Orange Children’s Center cares for children who have been affected by dioxin, the chemical in Agent Orange.  Many of the children are severely handicapped with physical and mental disabilities. 

Acid Violence Victim Assistance
Chour Sreya is a young Cambodian woman whose life was forever changed when she was attacked with acid (Acid violence involves the deliberate throwing of acid into the face of another person - usually young women and children -  and is a form of violence that has been on the rise in Cambodia since the late 1990s). Chour Sreya was twenty years old when she was attacked by an unknown assailant. She was blinded by her attack, and now works to support her entire extended family as a “Seeing Hands” massage therapist for Cambodia’s Association for the Blind.

Any funds raised for Chour Sreya would be administered through a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Cambodian American Community of Oregon) that is actively working to assist Sreya in receiving reconstructive surgery in Cambodia so that – in Sreya’s words: “My daughter won’t be scared when she grows up and sees me.”


...2 days until Thanksgiving, but it doesn't feel like it at all! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy it with your family, friends, and loved ones. Miss you all and can't wait to see you soon!

November 22nd, second day

We have an MV Explorer channel and we just watched them update the date in the date and time properties from November 23rd to November 22nd again. Maybe silly, but I got really excited because I thought it was really cool :)

International Dateline ...the first November 22nd

Alright, so I finally understand the whole International Dateline time change thing. Right now, it is 2:30pm Saturday afternoon, November 22nd. On the east coast, it is 10:30pm Friday night, November 21st. We are 16 hours ahead. Tomorrow, for us it will again be Saturday, November 22nd. When it is noon here, on the east coast it will be 8pm Saturday evening, November 22nd. So now the east coast will be 8 hours ahead. To make up for the difference, as we continue going east after Hawaii, we will lose an hour until we reach the same time as the east coast when we land in Miami, Florida. To me this is very complicated, but it makes up the whole 24 hour spectrum - so there you have it.

Tomorrow is the charity auction that we are running for Students of Service so hopefully it goes well! ...And no classes :)

84 Days at Sea

I haven't done too much today, one class, a few meetings... We realized recently that we are going to lose a full 24 hours before making it back home. Right now we are 15 behind the east coast, and by the time we reach Hawaii, will be 19 hours behind. Hawaii is 5 hours behind the east coast, so when we have 2 November 22nd days, we will still be behind the east coast, and will lose another 5. I don't like thinking of losing 9 more hours!
Tonight was Kurt's memorial service. It turned out really nice. We passed out programs with his picture and biography as well as the events of the meeting. One of the professor's spoke, as well as one of Kurt's friends who did a religious reflection with one of my favorite verses from Ecclesiastes that I recommended (chapter 3), and Kurt's roommate, Vin. There was also a great slide show with pictures and people speaking about Kurt and saying their goodbyes. After, we went to deck 4, where Vin released a bouquet of flowers, and we all had a moment to say our goodbyes. 8/23/87-11/7/08
"To every thing there is a season, a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Besides Semester at Sea...

At Tokyo Disneyland!

My new do...see a difference?

Next to a mini lit-up Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower

Lucky cat...everywhere in Japan

Sunset over the city of Kobe