Mile 18: Embarkation

Around 1pm on August 21^st, I traveled to the Queen Elizabeth II dock and got my first glimpse of the majestic MV Explorer. It was massive. I mean, seriously. I had been on cruise ships before, and by all accounts this one was smaller, but it still seemed huge to me. I got my ID card, my lifeline on the ship, handed my bags to security, and climbed a million wobbly steps to Deck 5 (I hate wobbly steps!). I took the stairs down one floor to my cabin, 4086, to unload my hand luggage. Everyone was settling in so I unpacked a few things when my large luggage came and I was very glad to see my clothes again (I hadn’t opened the large bags since I left Houston). The room was huge, with a full size bed, a cute small couch, and a decent size window facing the water. The closet had plenty of space for all of my clothes but the rumors about the bathroom were true, it had the smallest shower I had ever seen. This would be interesting.

After unpacking my clothes, putting the bags under the bed and organizing my toiletries, I headed out to discover the ship. I was immediately lost. Some floors did not cross all the way through from the aft to the port side. The dining halls were on one end of the ship and the Glazer faculty lounge was on the other. Most of the faculty is situated on the 7^th deck (the high class, or godly rooms with walk-in closets and outdoor decks the size of my apt) and others were on the 5^th deck (with large sofas and respectable balconies) but I didn’t care to compare. I would have been happy to sleep outside on the pool deck if it meant I could go on this trip.  

There are two dining rooms, one faculty/staff only lounge (the nicest room on the ship if you ask me), one pool area (where you can feed your pizza and fries cravings for a small fee), one library, one computer lab (with two Indian tech guys for support, surprise, surprise!), one large lecture hall (the Union), 9 smaller classrooms (mine is the best one), one SAS clothing store, one travel supplies store, one piano lounge with bar (where you can get your chocolate fix), one reception desk, one activities desk, one wall full of pictures of every member of shipboard community, one gathering area (Tymitz square) and many many massively happy explorers, including me.

 

Every single face I saw was doing an internal happy dance. Most of us were new to the ship and Semester at Sea so we really couldn’t believe our luck. Around 4pm that afternoon, the faculty and staff were called to our first meeting. We introduced ourselves, got “orientated” and then headed to our first meal on the ship (I got lost again, shocker). I gave a short speech to the faculty about the Writing Center mission and hours (since I am the Director of the WC). The dean said, “nice job” afterwards, which was a nice pat on the back. After two days of walking and climbing stairs in both London and Southampton, my knees were swelling up slightly so I took two advil and went to bed early. The next day we would be in faculty meetings all day.

First Impressions:

·       The coffee is as bad as they said it would be

·       The shower is better than expected – I fit.

·       I’m pleasantly surprised to see the offerings at the salad bar – beets?!

·       The faculty are very educated, accomplished and widely known in their field. They also originate from many of the ports we are going to so I’m really looking forward to having conversations with them and learning as much as possible.

·       The Glazer faculty lounge is the prime location for constant coffee, conversation and some calm.

·       Everyone is nice. Like really nice. Time to make a good first impression.

The next few days were filled with tons of meetings where we learned about the safety procedures, the resources on the ship and the rules/codes for students. Students boarded the ship two days later and once they did, the energy changed again. There was a constant bustle everywhere I went and I couldn’t hear myself think anymore. But the flurry was contagious too - you couldn't help but want to be a part of it.

During the day, we headed back into Southampton to get our last fill of good coffee. I hung out with Ricki, her husband (Alex) and a new faculty member (Ruth) who is teaching travel writing on the ship. We grabbed lots of last minute items like breath mints and socks before returning to the ship for more meetings. The following day, I met the TAs who would be manning the Writing Center with me and we scheduled some orientation time. Thank god for Zoe, Richard, Jacqui and Jaime, they will really be running the center. Then, I gave a speech during student orientation to 600+ students about the writing center (very nerve-wracking). I had never spoken to so many at once but it was an easy experience because the TAs standing next to me for support. I told them that each and every one of them was a student of mine and I hoped to see them all in the writing center (so far, my message has been well received - the center is busy!). So many new faces in such a short time!

Finally, on Sunday Aug 24^th, the MV Explorer left the Port of Southampton. Students and faculty gathered on Decks 6 and 7 outside to wave to the passersby. The ship horn let out a large breathe and we pushed away from the shore. Here we go!

Embarkation: The start of a journey. But for us, it was the start of real change, the kind that you think about for generations to come, the kind that moves you before it even starts and you can feel its approach in the winds around you. I've been at the start of vacations before but this was different. Every individual on the ship knew that they would be altered in unfathomable ways in the next few months. There was anxiety, nervousness, curiosity, thrill, jubilation, and stimulation overload. But mostly, people were ready for a change - a massive upheaval of what they knew to be true and an everlasting education that would be the greatest gift they had ever gotten. Here we go for real.