Tuesday, January 29, 2008

January 29, 2008 En Route to Salvador, Brazil

Craig's List

Due to some technical difficulties, we did not make our monday deadline and this posting will be in a couple of parts, starting with Craig. 

We successfully completed orientation for staff and faculty and welcomed approximately 650 parents on board for a wonderful reception, welcome, and ship's tour.  My take is that without exception, parents were very pleased with the facilities on board.  Frankly, many were surprised at the ship's condition and  also all of the learning support built into the vessel.  I found it interesting to note that $2.1 million in scholarships is given annually to support participants in Semester at Sea.  80% of costs to run this program are connected to ship operations with a good portion of that going towards fuel.  Talk about a gas bill--two years ago, ship fuel was $160 a ton.  This year they budgeted for $350 a ton.  For the fall, 2007 voyage, the actual cost was $500 a ton.  Certainly the cost of petrol is a significant challenge in putting this program together.  Parents were introduced to our captain whose demeanor and personality make it easier for a parent to feel comfortable about their child sailing around the world on the MV Explorer.  While in Nassau, a sanitation inspection of the ship result in a 99/100 score, which is exceptional. 

On January 23, students and lifelong learners boarded the ship carrying with them over 3000 pieces of luggage.  Two pieces were initially lost in the process and both have been since discovered on board.  After a safety and lifeboat drill, we departed Nassau at 1700.  A rather large number of participants (including our family) experienced some minor seasickness.  With a small dose of meclazine and dramamine (for Eric), we were able to get ahead of this affliction and make it through the transition to sailing.  As I write this, we are leaving San Juan and sporting patches...just in case.  It is evident that everyone has their own way of managing seasickness and it is a matter of discovering what works through trial and error. 

The 24th and 25th were spent in orientation with students and making preparations for arrival in San Juan.  I also started the ritual of walking (on a treadmill), eating a full breakfast (hard to resist), meeting with the Captain and his senior staff (each day we are sailing) attending Global Studies class, meeting with our senior staff, eating lunch, making announcements at noon, catch up and assisting the shipboard community in the afternoon, dinner, and meetings, community colleges, or logistical and cultural pre-port meetings at night.  The days are long especially for a novice like me learning the ropes but we have completed many "firsts" so I look forward to greater efficiency as we progress through the voyage. 

During our three day stay in San Juan, we did a lot of walking around Old San Juan, explored two forts (El Morro and San Cristobal) on the World Heritage Site registry, completed a hike in the El Yunque rain forest, and went to the Luquillo  beach.  The people of Puerto Rico are very kind and tolerant of we gringos.  Generally, not strong fans of our President or their republican Governor.  Traffic congestion makes Interstate 4 look pretty good!  Considerable poverty contrasted with affluence in some parts of San Juan.  Big drug trade both illegal and legal- we heard between 50% and 70% of all pharmaceuticals in the U.S. are manufactured in Puerto Rico.  Strong gang violence related to significant illegal drug-related activity. Not surprisingly, general concerns in this commonwealth are the economy, growth and limited space in which to grow, and reduced corporate tax incentives that results in a stream of companies leaving Puerto Rico and moving to more tax-favorable locations.  A future visit is in order to spend more time in the rain forest and exploring more of the natural beauty of this place. 

Tuesday night is the first open bar night on the ship.  Students can purchase up to four vouchers per day when alcohol is being served (about 51 days of the voyage).  These vouchers can only be redeemed at a rate of two per hour.  All students are above the 18 year old drinking age.  It will be interesting to see what happens.... 

Next stop:  Salvador, Brazil  February 5.  Stay tuned! 
Craig

1 comment:

Craig said...

Great to hear from you! Happy to hear that you and the family are getting acclimated and finding your sea legs! Peace and prayers to all of you!