California, Mexico, and now, The Pacific Ocean

It's been five days since I left home and it feels like 20 days worth of events have happened. On Friday afternoon I arrived in San Diego. The flight, though nearly 6 hours long, has a beautiful view almost the entire way. I saw everything from farmlands to the Rocky Mountains, to the deserts of Sierra Nevada. It was just breathtaking to see from the sky, and I hope seeing the Rockies from ground level is near in my future. (After Semester at Sea, of course.) When I arrived in San Diego, it felt like I was already in another country. Of course, everything was in English and the airport looked like any other I've been too, but as soon as I stepped outside, the sun was shining and the palm trees were blowing in the wind. Beyond that, majestic mountains and canyons lines the roads and the shore. I spent all of Friday and Saturday with family friends, the Hoffmans, and we spent my birthday on Saturday driving leisurely down the coast. I saw the waves, stepped in the Pacific for the first time, smelled the salt, and listened to the seals basking on the rocks below. I couldn't have asked for a better January 16th!

 

Sunday began the excitement of driving to Ensenada to board the MV Explorer. I woke up from my 8:30 shuttle, and was overwhelmed by the huge number of students preparing to leave California. The two hour drive though the border an onward was probably my first humbling experience. I was shocked that in just a few miles, the entire landscape could change so drastically. The mountains and ocean were there, but they were sparsely lined with trailers, convience stores, and too many abandoned construction projects. Illegible graffiti lined every wall of the gated communities, and the run down shacks were interspersed with well cared for houses. On arrival in Ensenada, Corona billboards lined the road and beyond a giant Carnival cruiseliner sat our little baby, the MV Explorer. Though it looked smaller than life from the outside, inside this ship is like heaven. Aside from the constant rocking and swaying, its perfect. The crew is more than friendly, the faculty and staff are more than loving, and the students are certainly more than excited to meet each other.

 

Today begins my second day of class. It will be a full day, but classes just don't feel like work yet. Yes we have pages and pages of reading each night, but inside the "classroom" (converted cocktail lounges), learning isn't viewed as a task that must be completed, but more of an opportunity to get as much as possible out of fellow students, the professor, and lifelong learners.

 

I don't want to drone on for too long, but our current position is 22 degrees, 26 minutes North, 127 degrees, 20 minutes West. Five days til Hawaii!