Hilo and Honolulu!

Am I really getting college credit for this? Hawaii is amazing, especially Hilo!

Hilo is located on the big island. I have never met nicer people than the people of Hilo. It is normal for people to wave at you when they are driving, any other city would find that weird. People would always stop and ask if you need a ride, and it would be perfectly safe! We accomplished so much on the first day. We saw Akaka falls, which was an extremely tall and beautiful falls. Then we went to the Aluaha Nuts factory, and then we went to a black sand beach. I went back to the ship to prepare for the luau and decided to call some people from back home. While on the phone and looking out of my cabin window, I could see sperm whales jumping in the distance! There were so many sperm whales because we were in Hawaii during sperm whale birthing season. I was in astonishment that this sight was pretty much my back yard! Then we went to a luau, which wasn't anything special. The luau itself and all the dancing and food was amazing, but since it five hours long! It included a tour of the University of Hawaii-Hilo, which is fine but the tour guides thought we were perspective students or something, not really realizing that we were all already in college. After the luau was probably one of the most amazing nights I have every had. We hired a guide to take us to the volcano at night. She took us to this area where there use to be more than 200 houses but they were all destroyed by the lava. It was really eary and makes you really respect the destructive power of nature. Off in the distance was the volcano spouting out lava. It gave off a spectacular red glow which reflected off the clouds and made a really great view. After that, our guide took us to these geothermal springs where we all went swimming. It was so relaxing and the stars covered the sky. The next day we went scuba diving. We entered the ocean through a fresh water river. The sensation is such a weird feeling where the salt and fresh water mix. It will be really cold one second and the next it will be really warm and your vision would get blurry when it mixed. We saw many sea turtles, one which had a fin bit off, we are guessing from a shark.

In Honolulu, my friends and I rented a hotel room on Waikiki beach. We rented surf boards and went surfing all day, I caught five ways! I am now so sore, especially my ribs, from all the paddling you have to do while surfing. We went out to a club at night where many of Semester at Sea students were hanging out. The next day we just chilled on the beach all day. I guess we weren't in Honolulu long enough because we really didn't see much. Hilo was definately better.

In all honesty, I am learning many things while at port. I learned much about culture, Hawaiian history, and I learn about myself. I am getting allot out of this, and we are only at the first port! We left Hawaii now, and the United States, so I won't be seeing any land for about ten days, 11 if you want to get technical (we are going over the international date line so there is no February 2nd on this ship, someone has their birthday on that day, so I guess we miss it?). Japan is going to be amazing!

Land!

It has seem like forever since we have seen any signs of land, but a couple of days ago we saw birds! Albatross I believe they were called. They were following our boat wait for our boat to scare a few flying fish so they could dive down and eat them. Then today was our second sign of civilization, a cargo ship! It has seem like forever since we have seen any signs of civilization! We have seen nothing but miles and miles of blue ocean. Then came new types of birds, the likes of I have never seen before. And then whales! Yes thats right, I saw whales! I was reading my book that I need to read for one of my classes (Typee by Herman Melville) and I was reading it on the deck when in the faint distance you could see 3 whale spouts. I could not actually see the whale, but the whales spouts at a distance was a nice refresher that we were getting close to land. And as soon as there was few moments of sunlight, a mountain appeared on the horizon, it was Hawaii! The atmosphere about this boat is completely different as us college students try and figure out what we are going to do once we get to port. I signed up to do some scuba diving with some of my friends I made on this boat, and we are going to a black sand beach and hopefully see an active volcano. Unfortunately, we are in Hilo for only one night, and then we are off to Honolulu. I can't wait to set foot on solid ground! The seas are calmer finally.

In other news, my work study is not at all what I expected it to be. It looks like my duties as a programming assistant in academic success keep expanding and each day I have to be more and more flexible and I am constantly adapting to what they keep telling me I have to do. I now am in charge of the port events committee, which means I have to record and broadcast a short news broadcast in the boat. I have no film experience and no video editing experience so I am going to have to quickly learn. I didn't expect this to suddenly be part of my duties, but I guess I have to learn. The work is definitely doible and they aren't overworking me so I have no complaints, I am just hoping my committee and I can make this program work and work well too.

I am also surprised at the talent on this boat. They held a coffee house last night with an open mic, I expected nothing of it. I was actually heading up to pub night with some of my friends because that is where everyone hangs out at night, but to get to the deck where pub night was being held we walked by the open mic and what I witnessed was truly spectacular. This girl played guitar and it was amazing! She wrote her own songs and had a really amazing voice. I took a video of one of her songs, can't wait to show it. Then one of the professor's daughters, who had to be at least 13, read some of the best poetry that I have ever heard, and I don't even like poetry! They were all her own work. Then these two students played my favorite song from "The Flight of the Conchords" about the most attractive girl in the room, it was hilarious! There were some more great singers and pianist and guitarist as well, I was truly amazed. I didn't even make it to pub night!

We haven't even reached land yet and I am already starting to feel like I am a changed person. I have met some truly amazing people and have made some friends that I know that I will have for life.

Hilo, Hawaii tomorrow! Honolulu the next day!

Why the rough seas?

I know I said I wasn't going to update again until Hawaii, but I thought there was a need to explain why we are experiencing such bad weather. Here is an excerpt from the Dean's memo that we get everyday:

Weather Update: Why is it so Rough?
The MV Explorer has diverted from its planned route to Hawaii to avoid a massive storm that is still pummeling the West Coast of the United States. The storm slammed the West Coast yesterday with hurricane-force wind gusts, large hail, and torrential rains. Although we have avoided the worst of the storm, we continue to experience rough seas generated by one of the most powerful low pressure systems since record keeping began in the 1800s. The Captain is using the stabilizers to reduce the effects of the seas, and is maintaining moderate speed since we are on track for our arrival in Hilo. At present, Hawaii is experiencing good weather.

In short, it is getting impossible to do anything! So what do we college students do? We turn a negative till a positive of course! Tonight was probably my funnest night so far on the boat. A bunch of my friends and I hung out on the deck hanging out and playing games. Whenever a big wave would hit, we would have sliding races to see who can get to the other side of the boat the fastest. My friend also took a video of all of us college students rolling across the deck because of the big waves. I can't wait to show you guys how intense this rocking has gotten.

Class, a balance act, literally!

I had my first two days of classes! Let me say, it is really difficult taking notes when the boat rocks so much! The swells outside are so big, 15-20ft! We actually had to divert out course 300 miles because of a major storm in the Pacific. If you want to track the progress of this voyage you can go to www.semesteratsea.org and go to current voyage. Last night was difficult to sleep because our nightstand detached from the wall and fell, drawers kept opening and closing, stuff even fell in the bathroom. These swells are huge! I forgot to secure my mouthwash in the bathroom and it fell of the counter, breaking the cap and spilling everywhere! During class, a girl fell out of her chair, after I found out she was alright everyone laughed, I think she was quite embarrassed. I almost fell in one of my classes, I had to catch myself on the table. We always hang on deck after class and play cards, while sliding on our chairs from one side of the ship to another. These waves are crazy! Every little chore you think is difficult, suddenly becomes a difficult task. Try balancing food on a plate while the boat rocks, try running on a treadmill when the boat moves from under you even simply walking upstairs become difficult! I have a work study on the boat that pays for part of my tuition, and the office I work at is high up on the boat and in the front of the boat, basically the worst place to be in a boat rocks this much. Everything is always falling in that office, I had to make signs today and couldn't even cut the paper straight because the boats intense rocking.

I find myself liking the limited internet a little. I realized how much free time I have without the distraction of the internet. All I can do is email people, which by the way if you want to email me it is vemccormack@semesteratsea.net. I will respond.

Well I had my first two days of classes so I decided to write a little about each:

Global Studies- This is the class every Semester at Sea student is required to take. This class is located in the front of the boat and is a really bad place to be. This is also the class that the girl fell out of her chair. The professor probably has the funniest one liners ever. He is extremely enthusiastic about his work. Our final project is also very interesting, we have to make a teaching itinerary for high school seniors on the subject of our choice that has to do with sustainability. If your group gets top ten, you get a grant from the University of Virginia, I really want to win this.

Biology of Sharks- The professor is a premier shark biologist. I am actually quite surprised at the level of expertise and the prestige of all the professors here. The class probably has the best view, I always find myself gazing outside the window into the miles and miles of ocean. I can't wait to do a field directed practica with this professor to get hands-on with a shark.

The Sea and Human Imagination- I haven't taken a english class in the longest time! I have to read a book by Herman Melville called Typee. The book so far is pretty interesting. This class has given me something to do on what seems like so much free time, I just read the book out on the deck. I actually got pretty sunburn doing that. The professor is really down to earth as well.

Dating, Marriage, and Family- This is the class I almost fell in.  I don't know if I have an opinion on this class yet, it definately seems like allot of work and is a class I am not used to taking as an engineer. The professor seems nice though and her husband is an engineer so we do have something in common. The field directed practica also seem very interesting, they involve getting to know families of other cultures and doing community service. I would love doing something like that. I feel like out of all the classes, this one is going to open my mind the most.

Well thats my update for the past 2 days. I probably will not update again untill I leave Hawaii unless something significant happens.

Orientation

I just finished my first day out on sea! I mentioned yesterday that this boat rocks allot because of rough seas, but the seas are calmer today and the boat STILL rocks allot. It is sooo difficult walking in a straight line! I still have yet to get sea sick. I feel like I am going to have the best balance after this trip. Today was orientation, it was an extremely hectic day. We did get a big break where my roommate and I decided to play ping pong, let me tell you playing ping pong on a boat that rocks this much is very difficult. I feel like my lucky streak with random roommates hasn't run out yet because my roommate and I get along really well. We also had the involvement fair where I decided to sign up for an on-board family, which is pretty much a group of people that get together and are lead by one of the older people on the ship like the life long learners. I also signed up to critique resumes and to give interviewing advice to students. I figured that I have been to many career fairs and have wrote many resumes that I can pass on some of the knowledge I learned to the students. I also signed up for intramural volleyball, that should be fun in a rocky and windy ship.

 I also met many more people, I really don't know how I am going to remember this many names, I sometimes wished we had name tags. We had a trivia night and my team was probably the most obnoxious team, but I mean that in a good and funny way. My supervisor put me to work today in the involvement fair and I found that this work-study is a really great way to meet people.

I am very surprised by a few things on this ship. First of all, there is many families on the ship. I guess the professors bring their families, I met quite a few of them and they are all really nice. I guess their children take classes on the ship. I would have loved to been one of the children. Second of all, the service on this boat is not what I expected from a ship that is essentially a collge at sea. I guess I associate college with bad dorms that are dirty. On this ship, we have someone clean our rooms everyday and our bathroom. My bed is made every morning! Someone fills my drink and cleans my plates. I am not used to this kind of service but I know I am liking this allot.

Rough Seas!

I am finally on the boat and what an amazing day it has been! I had to shuttle out to the boat at 7AM and quickly move into my room because then I was put to work right away. I got a work study on the boat that pays for a big portion of my trip and I work in student life, specifically I work in academic success and I am the only student working in that department. My job today consisted is giving directions to people on the boat, mainly leading people checking in to the check in station. It was kind of funny that they put me in this position because I alone just got on the boat and had no idea where anything was except the check-in station! I had to lead all the student life people in an ice breaker of my choice, luckily I have the Step-Up program to thank for giving me ideas on some of the ice breakers.

I have met so many people today it is ridiculous! I feel like this is freshmen year all over again, no one knows anyone but everyone is trying to meet everyone! I have met people from all over and everyone is really cool. My roommate is pretty cool too and I know we probably won't have any roommate issues. There is also a cold front coming in which is bringing in rough seas. People have already gotten sea sick! I feel fine though, I guess I am use to boats. It is really funny watching people walk down the halls because no one can walk straight in these seas, if you didn't know they were on a boat you would think they were drunk or something!

Bad news, the bandwidth on the boat is terrible and I can't upload picture to my blog! I will make sure to upload all of them when I get back!

Next time I will be in the continental United States is on the east coast. Hawaii here I come!

More of San Diego! And some thoughts as an Engineer on this trip

More of San Diego! And some thoughts as an Engineer on this trip
Originally uploaded by vic41234

San Diego is such an amazing city! I could definitely see myself living in a
city like this! We saw the wild seals and everything! Hre is some of the
pictures I took of the zoo of the pandas, mainly because Jessica is obsessed
with pandas. I have more pictures I promise. We also went to the Semester at
Sea reception and it is so surreal that this is all really happening!

I have quickly realized there are not that many engineers on this trip.
People have asked why I am doing this trip and how is this going to help me
with my career. People need to realize that engineering technology affects
the whole entire world. Everything that is made was somehow influenced by an
engineer. I want to go into the health care industry and help take part in
building machines that could save lives not just in the United States, but
to the whole world! Not every country runs like the United States, every
country runs differently and people and their different backgrounds are
drastically different. We cannot just assume that one technology will work
perfectly in every country. People might have different views on everything.
We need to break down these cultural barriers and work with other countries
so that the whole world improves. One of my goals is to do community service
in as many countries as I can, I want to see not just want the tourist sees
but the challenges that the common person has to deal with everyday. I am
not sure how Semester at Sea is going to change my life, but I know it will
help me grow and change my perspective of life. Nothing is better for an
engineer but to grow and see different solutions for situations.

Tomorrow, I board the boat bright and early at 7AM! This is my last post
from the continental United States!

Finally in San Diego!

I arrived in San Diego on the 13th, this city is just amazing! Packing for this trip has been so surreal! The boat was also in San Diego when we arrived so we got to see that too, and it finally hit me that I am going to be on a boat for four months! Today we went to the San Diego zoo (Jessica if you are ready this I did take pictures of the panda for you) the science museum, and iMax movie of Mt. Everest, the mall, Old Town, a bar at the top of the hotel, basically we accomplished allot today.

The San Diego zoo is just amazing! I was just impressed by the sheer size of the whole place. I was also quite impressed with how close you could get to the animals. My cousin and I also met this interesting character in the zoo with some amazing and inspirational stories. Frankly, I didn't believe any of this guys stories because some of the things he said were just way too unbelievable, but I really did want to believe him because his stories were amazing. He talked about how he walked 400 miles (yes you heard me right 400) with his daughter to some Swahili tribe village and a warrior tried to buy his daughter with his herd, that he use to be a CEO of the biggest company in Seattle, and he was president of two other companies, his son has a PHD in acoustic engineering and a minor in electrical and mechanical engineering and he also married an olympic gold medalist. He said he was also in a 3 month coma where he was pronounced dead, and he was in a coma because he was watching his daughter have surgery and he fainted and hit his head against some art piece in the surgery room? You can see why I am a little skeptical, but still even if the story is not true, his story was really motivational. By the way, if you want to meet this character, his name is Carl and he is a volunteer at the zoo in the insect section.

Semester at Sea Trips are Posted!

Today all the Semester at Sea sponsored trips have been posted and I am glad to say that I got all the ones that I really wanted. I am doing SAS sponsored trips in Vietnam, India, South Africa, and Brazil. These are the trips that I got (I also included the code for my fellow Semester at Sea students):

Vietnam (HCM12)- I am going to Cambodia to visit the temples of Angkor
India (CHE16)- I am going to the Taj Majal and Jaipur and I think it includes an elephant ride
South Africa (CAP19)- Tented Safari in Pilansberg
Brazil (SAL08) Group A- I am going on an Amazon boat ride where we sleep on hamocks on the boat.

Those are my trips and I just got even more excited! This is going to be the trip of a lifetime!