Greetings from onboard the MV Explorer! After a long awaited and procrastinated update, I will attempt to describe some of the experiences I have had. I am taking 4 classes, Global Studies (which everyone has to take) as well as, Religious Studies: God Has ManyNames, as well as a Political Science course; Ethics and Human Rights and World Affairs and a Poetry class. The seas were rocky for the last three days; it wasn’t uncommon to see people getting sick all around the ship, including myself. Its amazing looking out the windows or over the balcony of the ship and seeing pods of dolphins swimming in the wake of the ship, or a distant whale slowly traveling through the seas. The sunsets over the horizon createendless beautiful pictures and moments in the display of colors that invite the community aboard to gather on the decks to capture the last few moments of warmth from the day.
I flewinto Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was a beautiful, quaint little city. It was a place that was covered with trees and laid on the edge of the water. It was very clean, friendly and hospitable. I hope to return one day and spend more time there. We boarded the ship on the 16th in the long process of checking bags, waiting in security lines. It was all worth it when we as strangers came together to share the excitement of stepping aboard the ship for the first time.
The first few days were filled with meetings and orientations, classes went for 6 straight days with no breaks as well as losing an hour of sleep every night because of the time change. We didn’t sea land for 3 days until we sailed through two beautiful islands in the middle of nowhere! We joked about how people probably shipwrecked and were there waiting for a rescue, little did we know those island are inhibited by 7,000 people. As we sailed by them there were birds decorating the sunset and dolphins swimming as if they were encouraging us on. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever experienced.
I have met some amazing people. There are definitely a variety of people on the ship, each one of them interesting with their own story. I am amazed daily at new people I meet and talk with. This is the first Semester at Sea to represent over 300 Universities so there are definitely a variety of people. I am 1 out of the 25 people on the ship of 721 students who is taking 12 credits. I am feeling extremely overwhelmed but I truly enjoy all my classes. Today I had a quiz in my 8:00 (poetry) class, a midterm in my global and I am currently procrastinating from writing two more 5-page papers due in a few hours. I appreciate the craziness simply because I know tomorrow I will be in Italy.
Our first stop was Cadiz, Spain. I was fortunate enough to take a field trip to the “churches of Cadiz”, as well as exploring the little city with a group of friends. The next day a group of 9 of us traveled from Cadiz to Granada, an enchanting city rich with history. With little sleep and lots to do, we 
woke up early, toured the Alhambra (MuslimPalace) and caught a bus to Seville. Most of the group went back to Cadiz because everyone was so tired and we only had a short amount of time before having to be back on the boat at 6:00pm the next day. Four of us stayed in Seville for 10 hours; with no plans for places to stay or what to do we walked down the streets of Seville with our huge backpacks in search of somewhere to stay (at this point is was 10:30pm.) We found a hostel, finally showered and went out to explore the city at night. We missed dinner and at a random local bar I ate Pringles out of a machine (when in Spain… ha) we met a group of locals who were clearly enjoying their time in Seville, one of them was dressed like a woman Flamenco dancer. It was his bachelor party; we stayed with the locals and enjoyed local bars and lots of laughs. After two hours of sleep we woke up to tour the third largest Cathedral in Spain (words cannot describe the beauty and majesty of the Cathedral) and toured the rest of Spain in a carriage. We saw gardens, palaces, museums, etc. It was the way to tour Seville (recommended by the locals). We caught a 11:00 bus back to Cadiz and made it in time to tour Cadiz a bit longer and make it back to rest. There are endless stories, pictures and memories that seem dream-like at this point. I am so thankful for this opportunity. For my poetry class we have to document our time in the ports in the form of a journal.
An old man strolls through the cobble stone streets of Cadiz, his image shrinks below the ages window sills of the buildings in the alley way. His shirt matches the color of the sky and his hands are united behind his back. His step is worn from the years of life and has slowed to appreciate the beauty of the day.
The seemingly same man strolls through the garden of Seville, same walk, stance and pose. There is something historic, different and similar, aged and new in these men. These men represent Spain to me, kind, friendly, mysterious, romantic, historic, beautiful, aged, slow, simple and extraordinary
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That is all for now. I hope to hear from you all, I miss and love you all dearly and hope to hear of your adventures in the states. I am so blessed to be on this trip and each day I am seeing God in a new light with new eyes. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience.
All my love,
Laura Beale
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