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I’m on the ship, I’m on the ship, I’m on the ship!!

Okay, so I almost starting crying when I got into my room (room 2010) this morning. I just can’t believe I’m here. I’ve had a lot of moments like that lately.

I don’t even know where to start. I was smiling so hard today that I felt like an idiot. I was one of the first six people to board the ship this morning, mainly because me and my roommates at the hotel were the only ones who got up as early as 6:00 am. My luggage was impossible to carry too and since we were at the ship so early there was no one to help us yet. It was a scene…the group of us hauling along, dripping sweat, stopping to take breaks, yet so happy because we were finally boarding the ship. Oh and my room is totally in the basement, but I do have a window and there is so much storage space that it’s ridiculous.

So yeah I’ve been in the Bahamas for the last two days. How crazy is that?! I flew into the Bahamas with Carrie, this girl who is from the burbs of Chicago, and we have been hanging out the entire time. She’s very cool, which was a relief since I spent my Bahamas experience with her. We got to our shotty hotel and instantly we ran into dozens of SAS kids. The lobby was full. And of course I got stuck in the doorway because my luggage was impossible for me to carry and it was hanging off from all ends. All the kids who came with parents were at the $200 a night hotel…but no, we stayed at the $60 a night place and split the room between five people, only $36 total! So cool. But our room was pretty shitty…our shower curtain wouldn’t even stay up so we all took showers without it. The Towne Hotel rocked because it was so incredibly social. There were parties around the pool both night with booze just lying out and music blasting and the hotel didn’t say anything until it got late enough that people were complaining. I played it sober both nights for the sake that I don’t want to make a drunken first impression on people and I was already feeling pretty euphoric as I was in the Bahamas!

Carrie and I didn’t have too much, or anything, to do the first day so on two different occasions we walked down to the port street just to glance at the Explorer, the ship we’re on. We were jumping up and down like little girls and taking pictures of our new home which was in the distance.

Oh and all the girls we stayed with at the hotel were awesome. Now that I’m on the ship I haven’t seen too much of them, but while in the hotel we were all together constantly, and stayed up talking for quite a while too.

I’ve hung out with Carrie, the girl I came with, and this other girl, Kim, the most. Kim is totally a free spirit and constantly smiling; she makes me laugh every time I look at her, kinda reminds me of Brenda Houy.

So yeah, the Bahamas were awesome. We swam in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, walking almost two miles in the heat to get to the Paradise Island beach. I had so many moments where I just had to cheer out loud that I was in the Bahamas and relaxing on a beach for hours on end. Of course we all got stung by baby jellyfish at one time or another. Oh, and I got a mad sunburn too.

Today Carrie, Kim, a bunch of other girls, and I were prancing around town, buying pop and snacks to store on the ship, and it started pouring out. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen rain like this. The streets were flooding instantly and huuggge puddles formed. You couldn’t walk anywhere without hitting one. So we took off our shoes and ran through the streets barefoot…so cool…and dirty…but still, so much fun.

Time out. I’m totally having trouble typing this up. My roommate, Kathryn, keeps talking to me, but overall…I think that’s a good thing. She seems cool and I definitely think I’ll be able to share this tiny room with her. Then again, it is my first night on the ship.

I have so many mixed feelings right now, but I could best describe everything as “overwhelming”. I mean, I was just thrown on this ship with 650 other college students and every two feet I take I’m introducing myself to someone else whose name I most likely won’t remember. And on top of that I’m in such shock that I am traveling around the world, or traveling around “the fucking world” as Carrie and I like to say since it sounds even cooler. It’s just so amazing that I am on this ship at last and I can’t get over how blessed I am right now. When the ship left this evening and everyone gathered out on the deck to wave goodbye to their parents and the shore and what not…I couldn’t help but cry a little out of pure happiness. I am doing a Semester at Sea. This is probably the coolest thing I will ever do in my life and I just can not get over how lucky I am and that it is here at last.

Sorry, I’m just really pumped up right now. I’m overtired and stressed out too as all my close friends are in rooms across the ship and I don’t know too many people on my floor yet. But all in time.

Oh yeah, and I want to thank Allison for the awesome letter she gave me to read on the ship. It meant a lot…and so did the one hundred dollars. You rock.

I want to write more because I have so much to go on and on about, but I should probably hit the sack.

I’m doing really well and can tell that this semester is going to rock.

Much love.