The Final Countdown

I cannot believe that this time next week, I’ll be waiting in line to board the MV Explorer, my home away from home for the next 3.5 months! I’ve been so busy getting everything ready to go…but have yet to put a single thing in a suitcase! I have, however, created quite the pile of STUFF to pack in our guest room. To name just a few of the items:

200 crisp $1 bills
48 packages of peanut butter crackers
42 packs of gum
36 magnets
30 anti-Malaria pills
20+ GB of photo storage
20 pairs of socks
15 cords and adapters
6 bars of soap
5 travel guidebooks
4 textbooks
4 credit/debit cards
3.5 months of clothing
3 USB flash drives
1 poster-sized map
1 sleeping bag

...and everything must fit into 2 large duffle bags! Less than 50 lbs. each (thank you, Delta)…wish me luck!

Although I am forced to leave a lot of things behind, I’m very much looking forward to having fewer distractions for a couple of months. Traveling on the ship, especially, will force me to power off my phone, keep me from obsessively checking Facebook and instead, allow me to focus on meeting new people and experiencing the new sights, sounds, smells and tastes with my full, undivided attention. Internet access is pretty limited on the ship, so I will update the blog as often as I can…but don’t be discouraged if nothing new appears for a week or so at a time…keep checking back! Also, I will have a new Semester at Sea email address that I will share when I get on board.

What an exciting time...I can't believe that after a year of planning, it's finally here! It seems like yesterday that I was leaving for my freshman year at Penn, and now we're Juniors! Good luck to all my friends leaving for (or already abroad in): Belgium, New Zealand, Italy, Jordan, France, England, Australia, etc...can't wait to swap pictures and stories! (And Alyss, you get a personal shout out - hold down the fort in Philly, ok?)

Next time you hear from me, I’ll be writing from Halifax, Nova Scotia!