World Map of My Route

World Map of My Route
Fall Semester 2010

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Never Resist the Unfamiliar

Trust me, its paradise.

This is where the hungry come to feed.

For mine is a generation that circles the globe in search of something we haven’t tried before.

So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar.

Never fail to be polite-and never over stay your welcome.

Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.

And if it hurts, you know what, it is probably worth it.

You hope and you dream, but you never believe that something is gonna happen for you- Not like it does in the movies;

And when it actually does, you expect it to feel different.

More visceral, more real.

I was waiting for it to hit me.

Hit me.

Bon Voyage friends and family! I live on the Deep Blue Sea.

I’m Sailing Awayyy…Couldn’t be happier. We all sat on the upper deck (6) and watched the anchor come up/the “PILOT” boat lead us out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. My life, simply put, is just surreal right now. We’re expected to hit Spain in appx: 7 days. Until then I plan to spend my afternoons reading, practicing Yoga, learning, writing, making new friends and wave watching (a new favourite activity). I really hope to keep an open mind and “suck in the experience” The next 109 days may very well be the best, most invigorating days of my life. I plan to make the absolute most of each moment. The beauty of the open water, feelings of joy, thankfulness and many, many blessings overwhelm me.

I spent a few days and 2 nights in Canada. If I like the other ports half as much as I enjoyed Canada I am about to lose my mind! We ate delicious lobster and seafood chowder each night at dinner. I spent the afternoons tasting authentic Canadian food- Donair (a gyro made of beef rather than the traditional lamb and covered in sweet garlic sauce) and Poutines (hand cut French fries drizzled with cheese curds and gravy) Mmmmmm! We also walked about Halifax and shopped around. Rumor has is Halifax is home to the largest number of bars within a 10-mile radius! This of course made for eventful nights. It somewhat reminded me of a glorified Oxford as it is home to 4 colleges.

My roommate Molly, is just fabulous. We have a mild-obsession with Archbishop Desmond TuTu, who we actually have the privilege of sailing around the globe with. We’ve met an awesome group of people and we’re all planning to travel to Seville in a massive group, on a train, then onto Barcelona via plane.

Today was orientation, we woke up early and had breakfast. We spend the majority of the day in seminars/group discussion forums. Later in the evening we signed up for clubs. The ship is filled with such a rich melting pot of children, college students and graduates, professors and of course the cherished “life-long-learners”. Essentially these are people, sometimes older couples who sail with us, take classes and visit ports, only for no credit. One woman, named Heather, came all by herself- the trip is was a gift to herself for her 70th birthday! Adorable. Soon we will have an opportunity to be “adopted” by a LLL and we will develop a bond throughout the course of the trip (no worries Gram & Pop! You’re still my #1) =)

We had our first actual TuTu encounter today! It was phenomenal. He is the most precious guy you will ever lay eyes on. His entire demeanor is full of wisdom and grace. Here are some quotes Desmond left us with today that I took note of (I carry a journal basically always now, it’s a must).

“Go on believing that you can change the world”

“There is something about us, about the human spirit, that eventually says ‘I am made for something better than this.’ “

“I join you because…you give me a high!”

Ahh. Am I a lucky duck or WHAT?! I’ll write more and hopefully post pics soon. Love and blessings to everyone and thanks for reading!

1 comment:

  1. Hey Air- I am so proud of you....I hope you take in every experience as this is a once in a life time adventure. This trip is just YOU!!!You have many following you and many prayers surrounding you. Be safe know you are loved- good choices and ENJOY!!! forever- MOM

    ReplyDelete