TravelStream™ news feed for member danaann on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/danaann en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:59:59 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/danaann/semester_at_sea/1138676340/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/danaann/semester_at_sea/1138676340/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/danaann/semester_at_sea/1138676340/tpod.html Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:59:59 -0500 Adventures Abroad: A Collegian Staffer Goes Global. Welcome to my Travel Blog!

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Nassau, Bahamas

Welcome to the Bahamas!

Considering I've been welcomed to this country more times than I can count by the kind Bahamian people, I want to personally welcome you to the Bahamas. I am currently "on vacation" at The Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island.

When we were driving from the airport along a road that was next to the ocean, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the beautiful water. Being a first timer in the Caribbean, the turquoise water and pastel-colored buildings along with a very friendly and talkative cab driver who was telling us how we had to go to clubs like Waterloo and Senor Frogs while we were here. Inside of the rickety van, I was sitting on a seat that was missing half of its stuffing. Calypso music was playing in the background. I did some research and found out that Calypso originated in Trinidad and spread to other islands. The style of calypso is very interesting; singers improvise on any theme, especially poking fun at politicians and their shortcomings. In the song I heard in the cab, the singer was singing about Osama bin Laden, and it made me laugh just hearing that name in a song on the Bahamian radio.

After arriving at The Atlantis and checking into my hotel room, I met my roommates I would be sharing the hotel room with for the next four days: Alicia from San Diego State University, Amber from the University of Maine, and Ashley from the University of Michigan. The view from our room was the beach, however the roof of the hotel got in the way of it being a really spectacular view.

We then began exploring the massive hotel. Outside the Beach Tower hotel, there were massive sea turtles in a large tank. We walked over past the Royal Towers and the Casino to find another tank near the Royal Towers that had the largest sting rays I've ever seen, Some of them were all black, some brown with white spots- but they were probably four feet long. Although it was dark, I was amazed at the Royal Towers that were lit up. I explored the lobby and the famous indoor shark tank. My roommates and I then went to the casino for dinner at Atlas, a restaurant in the casino. While the dinner was nice, the service was a lot slower than what we come to expect in the States. We all concurred that it would be difficult to adjust to the slower pace of life in the Bahamas.

The Bahamian people seem friendly. Today I found out that it is considered rude if you do not say hi to someone when you pass them - anytime you pass someone walking most often that person makes eye contact with you and says hello.

Being here in the Bahamas is surreal. I still can't believe this is actually happening to me and I am going around the world after a short vacation in the Bahamas. I board the ship on Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. Until then, I plan on enjoying my time in this beautiful hotel. Tomorrow morning I am swimming with dolphins!
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Welcome Daily Collegian readers to my blog!

I have created this blog as a supplement to the columns that will be appearing each Monday on the opinion page of The Daily Collegian. I hope for it to be a more intensive account of what goes on in the 11 countries I visit. I will be posting pictures to accompany the blogs, which will offer you more insight on what I actually do and see. I encourage you to read my blog to complement your experience with the weekly column. In this blog I will talk about my adventures in port as well as life on the ship.

This past week has been extremely hectic. I have somehow managed to pack four months of items into two suitcases. Although I have just a few more things to pack, I have purposely spent the week gathering my things and buying everything from Dramamine to school supplies, and I'm not even sure if I got it all yet. Tonight, my family is throwing me a "Bon Voyage" party, so that will give me an opportunity to say goodbye to my family and friends in the Pittsburgh area.

Two of my wonderful Penn State friends visited me yesterday and that meant so much to me. I will certainly miss my friends-especially my wonderful family at The Daily Collegian. Missing a semester of the Penn State experience will be tough. I am so fortunate to go to such a wonderful university.

Saying goodbye is one of the hardest and most challenging things I think life presents us. So I must raise the question, how does one go about saying goodbye to family and friends when going abroad for four months? With less than 18 hours before I depart, I still don't know the answer to this question. Fifty days ago, I was ecstatic to go on this voyage. The last thing on my mind was how much I'd miss my dear family and friends. I am staring blankly at my cell phone, not sure whom to call first. How do I go about saying goodbye to my best friend/little sister? What will it be like to not have a television, AOL Instant Messenger or a cell phone to use at my leisure?

A few nights ago I attended a Semester at Sea sponsored dinner called "Welcome Back Fall 05/Bon Voyage Fall 06." The purpose of this dinner was to meet alumni and professors that reside in the Pittsburgh area who have experience with the program. I also met a few students going on the Spring '06 voyage, but most of the students who attended the gathering were students fresh off the boat from the Fall '05 voyage. Many of them were clad in Semester at Sea sweatshirts, t-shirts and some were still rather tan from the four months of incessant sun. But it was their excitement and stories that touched me the most - how they cried days before docking in San Diego, Ca. because they didn't want to say goodbye to those they had grown to call family. They were so excited to be reunited again and shared slide shows of pictures with each other. I was thinking to myself, will be me in four months!

It made me realize at the end of my journey I will be faced with the similar challenge of saying goodbye to friends with whom I will be living in quite close quarters. Saying goodbye may be an important part of life and one of the many challenges from which I have no doubt we benefit. It commences a new experience that may be around the corner and celebrated our good fortune of meeting people that have touched us in some way.

Tomorrow at this time I will be checked into my hotel at the Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. I will be spending four days in the Bahamas before I board ship on Jan. 19. I am excited to go swim with the dolphins and go to the pink sand beaches, but more importantly learn about Bahamian culture.

So let this journey begin. I invite you to experience this with me. Please check back every two days for a new entry. Thank you for reading and here's to what's to come.
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