The Monotonous Routine of Traveling at Sea

Well all that Moroccan food I was raving about caught up with me, I have been sick with food poisoning for a few days now just about done with it. The inevitable as many told me happened, hopefully this will be my only encounter on the voyage, but after talking to my dad today he told me to be cautious of the food in Ghana as well. That's just part of the trade off I guess, see the world, eat the local food, see your toilet later on.

Ship life is back to it's mundane routine again. A Days are my time consuming days with Three Classes in a row starting at 10:45 and ending around 3:00, while B Days are Global Studies and homework... But still the days consist of Lunch at noon, classes, Lounging by the pool or due to crappy weather someones cabin/the piano lounge to read, then dinner at 5:30, then back to hanging out, maybe separate for an hour, but then hangout some more, watch a movie play cards, and then bed. Fun Fact for you, THE MV EXPLORER refuses to let anyone sleep in, by running their shipboard emergency drills for the crew at Nine O'Clock in the morning. They will apologize for any inconviences, but not move their drills to a more appropriate time like say 2 PM.

I have been reading this book called "The Town" and since we have minimal internet, No cell service, and no TV; I'm reading it at a steady rate and hope to be done with it soon, that to me is a shocker in itself since reading for fun is never high on my list. Not to sound like I am complaining, but being so limited to what you can and cannot do on the ship makes me long for just those times where I could get in my car and just drive or go out to dinner.

Needless to say the food on the ship makes me long for Outback's Cheesy Fries, Cafe Luigis' Antipasto, Pizza Bagels from N&Js, a Buffalo Chicken Wrap from the Snack Bar at NC, Gold Fever Wings from the Nines, Pizza Skins from Unos, and a Margarita's Gringo Burger with Bacon and Chipolte Mayo! And a supermarket where I can get snacks, milk, and stuff to make my own food. I know I'm traveling around the world having real cuisine that I will never have the opportunity to have again and I want comfort food. But when you eat pasta and salad with bananas and rolls for almost a month the next McDonalds in port looks like a great option too.

Ghana is only days away and I am pumped to see this country, I have some great trips planned out including at trip to Africa's Rainforest, a trip to see the slave castles and dungeons which comes highly recommended, and then a Habitat for Humanity trip where I will have the opportunity to give back with a service project which I am excited to be a part of. I'm ready to get off this boat and mix up my routine and do some fun things and meet some cool people. It's fun doing the SAS sponsored trips because it takes you away from the people you are with on a daily basis and mixing yourself with people you may not speak to regularly. My group of friends has made some new friends from our trips to Spain and Morocco: Ryan, from Seattle; Jake and Carly, both from Boston; and Mandi and Gail, from Michigan and California.

Well until Ghana it looks like the routine sticks,

Ed