They call this a Ship, Not a Boat.

My "semester" at Sea is now 2 weeks in & I'm already swept away with the intensity of the experience, people, all the lessons to be learned and the impending imprint this will leave on my life. Despite my stream-of-consciousness below, I am grateful and thankful to be offered this journey AGAIN!

If only to be honest with myself, I must admit that I was a bit hesitant to re-board the MV Explorer for a second time. By 'hesitant', I really mean 'thoughtful', 'aware', and 'considerate'. My experience last summer was unbelievably memorable &.... intense...Almost too intense for me to ever want to replicate it. The people, the memories, the emotions and the life-lessons all culminated into a thrilling but emotionally draining summer. In other words, I loved it!! and it was exactly as it should have been. But, somewhere in me, I was almost convinced that SAS memories should simply remain memories and I should move on with my life.

All that said, I was hyper-aware that my expectations would be high (and therefore I could easily be let down), several key people would not be traveling with me this time (thus I would be left open to the possibility of not finding similarly important friendships), there would be very little actual pay involved again (but the experience is priceless) and since I was partly hired to be the 'experienced' one, I could easily fail on knowing all-things-medical onboard. All of  this meant that the newness & wonderment of 'the first time' wouldn't be there. And, admittedly so, after all the thrills and travel my life has seen in the last ten years, this exact wonderment might be what I would subconsciously need.

Another aspect of my hesitancy was not knowing how I'd react or what I would think or how I would work- on a full ship, a contained space!- with almost 1,500 people in my face (or that was my fear of how it would feel). Not to mention, be in a position where 'everyone knows my name' (think Cheers), which would mean there would be so little anonymity. These points felt extremely emphasized after spending a year so remotely, so intensely ... so solo! Looking back, I learned deep, hard, wonderful lessons of what it meant to be in this world on my own; Was I crazy to immediately jump from one extreme to the other?

Ultimately, all this meant that agreeing to this voyage was a bit of a personal gamble.

Yet, somewhere amongst all my over-analytical thoughts, I couldn't let myself pass up the opportunity. In my weathered journal from last year, there lives a list ( I heart lists). I refer to this list often to keep myself on track. Soon after I was offered the position again by Dr. Chris Tonozzi, I opened my journal and there lie my answer. 'To do a Full Semester voyage with Semester at Sea'. So here I am: albeit sooner than I ever thought, but nonetheless excited and so glad I listened to my journal and not my head.

Only 17 Days into the trip and with it means 17 new things  ...

Dr. Milt

1. The community onboard is already tightly forming and the ship is now the 'home' I look to. As Dr. Milt Waldron eloquently taught me: "Even if you never left the ship & there were never any countries to visit, this would STILL be the best experience of your life."
2. ALREADY (really?) I have formed some real connections with a some interesting people....mostly students, which is quite satisfying because it means there is a strong possibility of mentoring during the voyage which deeply thrills me.
3. I'm learning to play poker (Texas Hold 'Em style)! (My ultimate goal is to combine this with drinking scotch on the rocks...just to remain classy, of course.)
4. I've already made a complete ass of myself by acting as a terrible rapper and an uncoordinated flamenco dancer in front of the entire shipboard community. The goal was to portray a 'fun' Medical Team; somehow-luckily, we've persuaded the majority! (i think)
5. I'm pretty much convinced that having my own cabin on this voyage (unlike the last) is all I needed for my mental health.
6. I'm adjusted better than I ever thought I'd be. There definitely have been moments -- moments where I have hidden in my cabin for hours at a time dreaming of Mississippi ... i.e. my bed, my dog, the garden, my family, not traveling. The first of these moments was the first time I realized how little room I gave myself for the situational change from remote Australia to jam-pack ship. I now am much kinder to myself and learned I needed to leave room to hibernate in the beginning. But I am OK. And happy.
7. I got to spend 1.5 weeks sailing the Atlantic with Dr. Milt Waldron, the MD I worked with last summer. In some strange, unforeseen way, he is like my grandfather. And, since I never really had one, I love the relationship.
8. I've been in 3 countries in 2 weeks.
9. When I landed in Spain, it meant I had completed my 7th crossing of the ocean in the last 1.5 years! (boat & plane, Atlantic & Pacific)
10. I've now spent 17 days of my life living with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. crazy. 
11. Classes are some of the greatest joys of my day: Childbirth & Fetal Abnormalities, Drawing, Global Studies & now I'm also considering adding Travel Writing.
12. I'm really excited that I'm here! Despite the drowsy, sea-sick, long voyage across, I've hit my stride and feel happy and comfortable in this role.
13. My old passport is retired and my new one is officially open for business.
14. Potatoes and pasta at every meal = eating Vegetarian on SAS = +++ kcals!
15. Some of the people who surround me daily: 20 year vet of Secret Service, a multiple-times recipient of Fulbright Fellowships, multiple Peace Corp volunteers, a whole family from Madrid, a guy knighted by the King of Spain, an expert on Cantonese Opera, a guy who quit his job/sold everything he had in Tokyo and is now traveling for a year around the world, a spine surgeon, a mother-daughter team, professional actresses/actors....and that is just a few! I'm so inspired and impressed.
16. Do I really need my bed made everyday by the cabin stewards?
17. I have yet even more reason to love my short hair: Life is so much easier when you live on a windy boat!

Tutu Welcomes Students Fall 2010 from Stephanie Holcombe on Vimeo.