1/13

Nothing really exciting happened yesterday… I finally got up early enough for breakfast, which was fantastic. I’ve never been a big breakfast person, but eating something other than pasta was really nice! I had this awesome pastry that looked like a cinnamon bun, but was actually filled with chocolate chips.

Anyways, I sat with some lifelong learners from Washington, who are originally from Denmark. Even though conversations over meals are more about getting to know one another, I find it really interesting to talk to these older individuals who love to learn and travel.

I finished classes at noon and won’t have those classes again until Thursday. It was weird to hear my professors say: “well I’ll see you all after Hawaii.” I got lunch with a group of friends and I sat with different people, like I’ve been doing every day. My friend Andrea and I sat and played cards and talked all afternoon. Finally dinnertime rolled around, and we I ate with a small group of friends and two professors. We talked about all the different ports we are traveling to and what to watch out for. I know for sure I’ll be experiencing some major culture shock in all of the ports.

As the day went on it started to clear up. I was getting sick of the constantly cloudy days. But I was able to watch the sunset and lie on the pool deck and look at the stars. Remember the planetarium field trips from elementary school? That is what it felt like as I looked up at the stars, it was a really awesome experience.

Then what is known as “pub night” started, which is the point in our day when we are allowed to drink. It is basically a big social event and a great way to meet people. I sat with a group of guys (two of them live in the room next to me), who I got to know and we all played a game of cards.

The most exciting thing that I have to report is from the Dean’s Memo… There is a section called rumor control, which stated, “Dean Tom will neither confirm nor deny that the Dalai Lama will be joining our voyage.”