THIS IS NOT ALL OF THE PICTURES! I apologize but uploading three pictures takes about 5 minutes and we want paella before we leave! I will upload the rest in Italy.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Photos from Cadiz: Day 1
THIS IS NOT ALL OF THE PICTURES! I apologize but uploading three pictures takes about 5 minutes and we want paella before we leave! I will upload the rest in Italy.
Cadiz, Spain: Day 4
Today is our last day in Cadiz, and we decided to spend it tying up loose ends, so to speak. We did some final shopping, and stumbled upon a store whose entire stock was 50% off! I purchased two purses, a sweater, a bright red dress, and a shirt for 50 euros. We then stopped by the post office, which was closed for siesta (naptime) and so we will send our Spain postcards in Italy (sorry you will be receiving them late!) next week. We stopped for a beer and paella to find that they only serve paella on Mondays! Why! The Mexican paella looked delicious, with Mexican sausage, pork, and peas. We were very disappointed, but got gelato instead and vowed to return to a paella-serving restaurant at 6, before we leave. For now, we are enjoying some free outdoor wi-fi, and here are the pictures from the last few days (last night’s and today’s pictures will be posted when we get to Italy…for now it is mostly the photos from the first two days and our first eight days of Atlantic-cruising)…they will come in three separate blogs, as there are quite a few of them!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Cadiz, Spain: Day 3
Today was day three of Cadiz! Jill and I slept in for the first time since beginning our journey and unfortunately, it didn’t save me from my fatigue. We missed breakfast (the best meal of the ship) and ate an early lunch instead, after which we walked the two miles or so to the beach. We spent about three hours laying on the sand, during which two little boys decided it would be fun game to chuck sand at us from behind a rock. Though I said “no bueno” repeatedly, they kept doing so. When we went for a swim in the ocean, we noticed that they jumped at the opportunity to pile sand on our towels in our absence. After this they left us alone, which was good for them because I would likely have kicked sand in their faces upon their return. Two men nearby laughed the entire time at our misfortune. When we got back to the ship we decided to spend an hour swimming in the pool and sleeping by the pool. Apparently my sunscreen does not last as long as I needed it to, as my shoulders/back and legs are burnt.
After showers, we took a taxi down past the beach to go shopping for a few hours. Spanish stores are very interesting; they do not seem to specialize, and instead most sell all sorts of things. The stores we went into not only sold clothes, purses, and accessories, but knick-knacks, makeup and other drugstore necessities, and also things such as silverware and plates. I bought a headband, purse, and shirt from an H&M-like store, and cheap red heels from a shoe store.
Once we decided we were hungry, I pointed out a restaurant I had been eyeing, which was all white and, by the plating, looked expensive. Upon entering, we realized that although the food was good and plated beautifully, it was CHEAP. Dirt cheap. Dirt DIRT cheap. We had salmon rolls with cream cheese, walnuts, and raisins as an appetizer, as well as three cheese ravioli and salmon toast with cheese and anchovies. Jill had a glass of wine and I had a beer, and the entire bill was 16 euros! And it was all fantastic. As I wrote that last sentence, Jill shouted from the bathroom “the food tonight was so good!” I agree.
We made it an early night and just got back to the ship (it is 11:30). We will go out to clubs in other countries, we feel very satisfied with what we have done in Spain. Tomorrow we will send postcards and go to the internet café before departing Cadiz at 8 PM for…Italy!
After showers, we took a taxi down past the beach to go shopping for a few hours. Spanish stores are very interesting; they do not seem to specialize, and instead most sell all sorts of things. The stores we went into not only sold clothes, purses, and accessories, but knick-knacks, makeup and other drugstore necessities, and also things such as silverware and plates. I bought a headband, purse, and shirt from an H&M-like store, and cheap red heels from a shoe store.
Once we decided we were hungry, I pointed out a restaurant I had been eyeing, which was all white and, by the plating, looked expensive. Upon entering, we realized that although the food was good and plated beautifully, it was CHEAP. Dirt cheap. Dirt DIRT cheap. We had salmon rolls with cream cheese, walnuts, and raisins as an appetizer, as well as three cheese ravioli and salmon toast with cheese and anchovies. Jill had a glass of wine and I had a beer, and the entire bill was 16 euros! And it was all fantastic. As I wrote that last sentence, Jill shouted from the bathroom “the food tonight was so good!” I agree.
We made it an early night and just got back to the ship (it is 11:30). We will go out to clubs in other countries, we feel very satisfied with what we have done in Spain. Tomorrow we will send postcards and go to the internet café before departing Cadiz at 8 PM for…Italy!
Cadiz, Spain: Day 2
Yesterday was our second day in Cadiz, and Jill and I began it with an 8 AM breakfast, and then boarded a bus headed for Arcos, a small town about a half hour away from Cadiz. There we had a one-hour walking tour, including churches and beautiful views. Arcos is very high up and the streets are VERY small (the bus could not enter), so we had a very exhausting/hot walk up. After the tour I stopped in a little store in one of the alleys and bought a present for James, which will most likely end up being mine as I find that generally, my taste in gifts is much less to his enjoyment than to mine.
After our walk around Arcos, we again got on the bus for a 90-minutes drive to Ronda, another city in Spain. Here, we ate lunch at a local restaurant (pork and a very interesting interpretation of French fries) and then embarked on a three-hour walking tour (ohmygod) of the local sights. Our tour guide was an adorable Spanish man in a cowboy hat who seemed to know just about everyone we passed in the town, and he took us to several sites with INCREDIBLE views and, most notably, the oldest bull ring in Spain. Afterwards, we had some free time to wander (and blister) before heading the two-and-a-half hours back.
From the time we left to the time we returned, Jill and I had spent a total of eleven hours away (and mostly walking/sweating) so we were exhausted when we arrived back. We decided to have an early night (relative to our lives right now) and get dinner at 10. Unfortunately for me, I was not in the mood for seafood and therefore had a very, very, very hard time finding a restaurant to eat at. We are, in fact, ON the Atlantic. I gave up and we settled into a table on the outside patio of an alleyway seafood restaurant which, unlike most Spanish restaurants I’ve seen, serves breakfast (I vowed to return one morning)! The sangria we had was delicious and the shrimp tortillas I picked were very good, though they did include my mortal enemy: onions. I didn’t realize this until after I had eaten the first three, so I was already full and felt no need to burst into tears that everything, everywhere has onions and I will likely starve to death.
We came back to the ship around midnight. The port we are at is under construction and confusing as the close entrance to the ship closes at 11 PM and the far entrance is only open to cars until 11 PM. It took us quite awhile to get back (I put my poor feet through so much yesterday).
After our walk around Arcos, we again got on the bus for a 90-minutes drive to Ronda, another city in Spain. Here, we ate lunch at a local restaurant (pork and a very interesting interpretation of French fries) and then embarked on a three-hour walking tour (ohmygod) of the local sights. Our tour guide was an adorable Spanish man in a cowboy hat who seemed to know just about everyone we passed in the town, and he took us to several sites with INCREDIBLE views and, most notably, the oldest bull ring in Spain. Afterwards, we had some free time to wander (and blister) before heading the two-and-a-half hours back.
From the time we left to the time we returned, Jill and I had spent a total of eleven hours away (and mostly walking/sweating) so we were exhausted when we arrived back. We decided to have an early night (relative to our lives right now) and get dinner at 10. Unfortunately for me, I was not in the mood for seafood and therefore had a very, very, very hard time finding a restaurant to eat at. We are, in fact, ON the Atlantic. I gave up and we settled into a table on the outside patio of an alleyway seafood restaurant which, unlike most Spanish restaurants I’ve seen, serves breakfast (I vowed to return one morning)! The sangria we had was delicious and the shrimp tortillas I picked were very good, though they did include my mortal enemy: onions. I didn’t realize this until after I had eaten the first three, so I was already full and felt no need to burst into tears that everything, everywhere has onions and I will likely starve to death.
We came back to the ship around midnight. The port we are at is under construction and confusing as the close entrance to the ship closes at 11 PM and the far entrance is only open to cars until 11 PM. It took us quite awhile to get back (I put my poor feet through so much yesterday).
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Cadiz, Spain: Day 1
I awoke at dawn yesterday morning to see the ship pull into the Cadiz port in Spain. After breakfast, I went with several people to wander the city. One of the first places we ended up was a store that held archaeological objects, including jewelry, pots, and sculptures dug up in Cadiz and other cities around Spain. I picked out a one-of-a-kind silver ring and placed it on its new residence—my right middle finger. We walked through an outdoor market selling meats, fruits, veggies, olives, and candy to a general marketplace with more shops and restaurants. I spoke Spanish to a Spaniard in Spain! It was very exciting for me, and although Steph and Jill have been perpetually annoyed by my Spanglish on the ship, they ended up grateful for me as I turned into their translator.
After three hours of exploration, I returned to the ship for a quick twenty minutes of rest before the Cadiz City Orientation (an SAS trip “strongly recommended” by my Spanish teacher—we have “field” requirements in each class). Jill and I boarded an air-conditioned bus for a half hour drive around the entire city, which is very small. The most notable thing I saw on the drive was the Cadiz Botanical Gardens, which I would like to return to. The rest of the drive included the new church, old church, prisons, castles, and ancient buildings. I found out that Cadiz is the oldest city in western Europe and for the first time (ever, I think) I wished I was at the Cadiz beach, which was beautiful and blue. When we departed the bus, I was at first nonplussed by the heat (30 degrees Celsius…conversions are beyond my knowledge) as we embarked on the walking portion of our tour. This portion was long and—unfortunately—a bit boring. We explored the exact same areas I had walked through earlier in the day and looked through (OF COURSE) two museums and a church. In the “new” (built in the 1800s) church of Cadiz, it is half Baroque and half limestone (as the top half was built at a later date). Because limestone is in no way immune to the heat and humidity of Cadiz, the ceiling is slowly falling apart and so a net has been strewn across the entire church. Underneath lies a crypt, a large maze of tombs and graves. It was cold (yay) down there but eerie, and as I watched my peers pose in front of the tombs, smiles plastered on their faces, I couldn’t help but grimace a few times. The church museum (really?) had no air-conditioning, like most of the stores, etc. in Cadiz, and so both the feeling and smell inside was incredibly unpleasant. This point in the orientation is when I mentally checked out, staring into walls and camping out next to the scattered fans. We walked for about a half hour longer, with the guide talking talking talking, until we arrived at the bus, which took us back to the ship.
After showers and naps, Jill, Steph, and I got all done up (something we later regretted as it elicited only intimidating stares) and went to dinner. We wandered the cobblestones in our heels (how do they do it?) until we came across a restaurant that looked good. My Spanish came in handy once again, as our waitress spoke almost no English. At 9:30 PM, it was only the three of us in an outdoor patio of about thirty tables. As the night and our dinner wore on, Semester at Sea students began to fill the restaurant until there was no table free. We had three delicious bottles of wine (four more people had joined us) at 12 euros—awesome!—each, and ordered seafood dishes as we are in a port city. We sat at the table for about three hours and I noticed that Jill and Steph were gone. They had met a group of Spanish boys and were trying—unsuccessfully, as they spoke no English—to flirt with them. They recruited me and I attempted to translate for about an hour before I made them return to the ship with me. It was 2 AM, and Jill and I had to be up at 7:30 to board the bus for our “White Town Route” excursion today. Steph left us at 4 AM for the SAS sponsored Barcelona trip and she will not return until Saturday.
A lovely first day.
Side note: I have found that I prefer to go out with only one or two people and leave behind my “SAS” character, as I detest the notion of my identity as a tourist, and try to refrain from speaking English too loudly as I would rather blend in as a Spaniard (which can certainly not be said of the rest of my shipmates).
Another side note: My camera broke and I have not been able to take pictures. Jill and Steph, however, have, and when I go to the internet café on Saturday I will edit these posts to add pictures to them. Check back then!
After three hours of exploration, I returned to the ship for a quick twenty minutes of rest before the Cadiz City Orientation (an SAS trip “strongly recommended” by my Spanish teacher—we have “field” requirements in each class). Jill and I boarded an air-conditioned bus for a half hour drive around the entire city, which is very small. The most notable thing I saw on the drive was the Cadiz Botanical Gardens, which I would like to return to. The rest of the drive included the new church, old church, prisons, castles, and ancient buildings. I found out that Cadiz is the oldest city in western Europe and for the first time (ever, I think) I wished I was at the Cadiz beach, which was beautiful and blue. When we departed the bus, I was at first nonplussed by the heat (30 degrees Celsius…conversions are beyond my knowledge) as we embarked on the walking portion of our tour. This portion was long and—unfortunately—a bit boring. We explored the exact same areas I had walked through earlier in the day and looked through (OF COURSE) two museums and a church. In the “new” (built in the 1800s) church of Cadiz, it is half Baroque and half limestone (as the top half was built at a later date). Because limestone is in no way immune to the heat and humidity of Cadiz, the ceiling is slowly falling apart and so a net has been strewn across the entire church. Underneath lies a crypt, a large maze of tombs and graves. It was cold (yay) down there but eerie, and as I watched my peers pose in front of the tombs, smiles plastered on their faces, I couldn’t help but grimace a few times. The church museum (really?) had no air-conditioning, like most of the stores, etc. in Cadiz, and so both the feeling and smell inside was incredibly unpleasant. This point in the orientation is when I mentally checked out, staring into walls and camping out next to the scattered fans. We walked for about a half hour longer, with the guide talking talking talking, until we arrived at the bus, which took us back to the ship.
After showers and naps, Jill, Steph, and I got all done up (something we later regretted as it elicited only intimidating stares) and went to dinner. We wandered the cobblestones in our heels (how do they do it?) until we came across a restaurant that looked good. My Spanish came in handy once again, as our waitress spoke almost no English. At 9:30 PM, it was only the three of us in an outdoor patio of about thirty tables. As the night and our dinner wore on, Semester at Sea students began to fill the restaurant until there was no table free. We had three delicious bottles of wine (four more people had joined us) at 12 euros—awesome!—each, and ordered seafood dishes as we are in a port city. We sat at the table for about three hours and I noticed that Jill and Steph were gone. They had met a group of Spanish boys and were trying—unsuccessfully, as they spoke no English—to flirt with them. They recruited me and I attempted to translate for about an hour before I made them return to the ship with me. It was 2 AM, and Jill and I had to be up at 7:30 to board the bus for our “White Town Route” excursion today. Steph left us at 4 AM for the SAS sponsored Barcelona trip and she will not return until Saturday.
A lovely first day.
Side note: I have found that I prefer to go out with only one or two people and leave behind my “SAS” character, as I detest the notion of my identity as a tourist, and try to refrain from speaking English too loudly as I would rather blend in as a Spaniard (which can certainly not be said of the rest of my shipmates).
Another side note: My camera broke and I have not been able to take pictures. Jill and Steph, however, have, and when I go to the internet café on Saturday I will edit these posts to add pictures to them. Check back then!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Still at Sea
Currently, we are halfway to Cadiz and moving too slowly for my taste! It has only been three days, however it feels like much longer due to the incredibly busy days combined with the multiple naps I’ve been taking (going to sleep at 2 AM to wake up at 7 will do that to a person with chronic fatigue).
In terms of classes, I feel hesitantly comfortable. My Spanish class is an introductory course (however there are prerequisites: prior Spanish study), and, having taken four years of high school Spanish, I feel rather comfortable. About half the class has not taken Spanish before, though, and I sympathize with the professor, who has had to—for lack of a better term—“dumb” down the class in order to accommodate everyone. He has eliminated about one third of the assignments and has even broken his solely Spanish-speaking style to help the more inexperienced keep up. I do think that they will still have a very hard time though, as it is an expedited course encompassing a great deal of vocabulary and grammar.
Global Studies is required for everyone on the ship, and it is an incredibly hard class to sit through. As there are no rooms on the ship that can accommodate the 725 students onboard, the lecture is projected to all the classrooms, allowing for students not in the live lecture to fall victim to sleepiness and conversation (I have done both). I have heard from excellent sources that the class is very easy, however boring it is, so I think I will be fine with the two essays and two tests.
Art in the Mediterranean is where I begin to fidget. Believing it was an art history class, I enrolled, enthusiastic that it would help earn me an Art History minor back at Northridge. The professor, however, is an archaeologist, and so the area of focus is more so on ancient architecture and pottery (two very sleepy subjects to me). I fear that I might be too bored to pay attention and falter on the tests, though I think the essays will be to the teacher’s satisfaction.
Socially, I’m overwhelmed. I’m very used to spending my time holed up in a bed or couch with a paper to write, so I am pleasantly aroused by the flutter of social activity on the ship. Two girls have become my staples: Jill and Steph, roommates from New Jersey and Miami, respectively (I met Jill previously on my trip to the east coast several weeks ago). Together we mock the horrible food in the cafeteria and judge all the douchebags aboard (roughly 70% of the guys). Pub nights are daily, however we are limited to three drinks a person so I have not even bothered getting a voucher (at three dollars a beer or TINY cup of wine, it seems a bit silly to me). Jill and Steph have schemed to sneak alcohol to their rooms (by filling their water bottles with the wine and saving it for several days), but as a very rare drinker, I have chosen not to partake.
Four days until Cadiz! See you then (perhaps I will post some pictures as well).
In terms of classes, I feel hesitantly comfortable. My Spanish class is an introductory course (however there are prerequisites: prior Spanish study), and, having taken four years of high school Spanish, I feel rather comfortable. About half the class has not taken Spanish before, though, and I sympathize with the professor, who has had to—for lack of a better term—“dumb” down the class in order to accommodate everyone. He has eliminated about one third of the assignments and has even broken his solely Spanish-speaking style to help the more inexperienced keep up. I do think that they will still have a very hard time though, as it is an expedited course encompassing a great deal of vocabulary and grammar.
Global Studies is required for everyone on the ship, and it is an incredibly hard class to sit through. As there are no rooms on the ship that can accommodate the 725 students onboard, the lecture is projected to all the classrooms, allowing for students not in the live lecture to fall victim to sleepiness and conversation (I have done both). I have heard from excellent sources that the class is very easy, however boring it is, so I think I will be fine with the two essays and two tests.
Art in the Mediterranean is where I begin to fidget. Believing it was an art history class, I enrolled, enthusiastic that it would help earn me an Art History minor back at Northridge. The professor, however, is an archaeologist, and so the area of focus is more so on ancient architecture and pottery (two very sleepy subjects to me). I fear that I might be too bored to pay attention and falter on the tests, though I think the essays will be to the teacher’s satisfaction.
Socially, I’m overwhelmed. I’m very used to spending my time holed up in a bed or couch with a paper to write, so I am pleasantly aroused by the flutter of social activity on the ship. Two girls have become my staples: Jill and Steph, roommates from New Jersey and Miami, respectively (I met Jill previously on my trip to the east coast several weeks ago). Together we mock the horrible food in the cafeteria and judge all the douchebags aboard (roughly 70% of the guys). Pub nights are daily, however we are limited to three drinks a person so I have not even bothered getting a voucher (at three dollars a beer or TINY cup of wine, it seems a bit silly to me). Jill and Steph have schemed to sneak alcohol to their rooms (by filling their water bottles with the wine and saving it for several days), but as a very rare drinker, I have chosen not to partake.
Four days until Cadiz! See you then (perhaps I will post some pictures as well).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A Brief Synopsis of Day One
So today is (full) day one of the voyage. Last night was intense; the combination of being on the fastest cruise ship in the world (yep), being in the middle of the Atlantic ocean (choppy waters), and having a room at the very front of the ship (extra choppy waters!) had me very close to regurgitating all that I had eaten earlier in the day. I managed to hold it down until 9:30, when I stumbled down to my cabin to sleep. This morning was a bit better; I still don’t have my sea legs, and have crashed into numerous walls and up several sets of stairs that can attest to this. Spent most of the day in orientation and napping (we are not allowed outside as the Atlantic has waged a small war with us which includes pelting the ship with wind and ice water), and I am about to engage in a game of Rumi 500 before stuffing my tummy full of junk food (the free café food is just not very satisfying, though the non-free, not-good-for-you grill food is) and heading off to bed before my first day of classes (Spanish at 8 AM!). 7 days until Spain!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
An Update:
I left at 9 PM last night (California time) in order to make it to Halifax, Nova Scotia (northeast of Maine) by noon today (Halifax time); I had heard it was beautiful here, but had no idea how much so. I should have come earlier to enjoy the beauty of this town, which is right on the edge of the continent and is engulfed in green trees and surrounded by bright blue water. Tomorrow I board the MV Explorer and set sail towards my first destination: Cadiz, Spain. For now, I will sit back and relax, and enjoy the beauty and food this city has to offer.
And the best news of the day? My luggage arrived perfectly in tact! Excellent.
And the best news of the day? My luggage arrived perfectly in tact! Excellent.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Pre-Semester at Sea Jitters
I am 48 hours away from embarking on the 99th voyage of Semester at Sea's resident ship, the MV Explorer. Surprisingly enough, I am nothing but excited for the eight miniature adventures (and the one giant one they encompass) that await me; the one thing I do find myself worrying incessantly about is that the airline will lose my luggage. For six months this issue has been driving me absolutely mad (it even threatened to squash the entire trip altogether) and as the journey to Nova Scotia draws near, I feel my heart pound harder by the day. While it is entirely possible that this increased pitter-patter is due to my new prescription cocktail of thyroid medication and aderrall, my thoughts seem to always return to one very scary vision: me, boarding the MV Explorer with my carryon in hand and without my three month supply of contact solution, shampoo, suntan lotion, and socks, not to mention half of my shoe collection (including my favorite bright red Miss Sixty booties and Hunter rainboots) and upwards of half my wardrobe as well. While my parents and boyfriend think this notion is absolutely ridiculous, I have done the research and there are statements that contain evidence of a handful of Semester-at-Sea-ers departing nearly empty-handed every semester. I only have $2,500 for the entire three months and I would really like to know: what the hell am I supposed to do without my luggage on a ship in the middle of the ocean? There are no malls on this ship, and the bookstore, while it may contain all necessary toiletries and some UVA t-shirts, is overpriced and let's face it, I simply do not have the mental capacity to deal with that kind of stress.
So, cross your fingers with me and hope that all my luggage arrives in tact so that my sanity might remain in the same fashion.
See you in Canada.
So, cross your fingers with me and hope that all my luggage arrives in tact so that my sanity might remain in the same fashion.
See you in Canada.
Monday, June 8, 2009
A Rant:
Well, well. I suppose that since I have not been too perturbed by the evil that is stress for the past month or so, I deserve the rainstorm that is now piling down on me. I leave for Semester at Sea on Sunday. Today is Monday. I discovered yesterday that my new contacts are the wrong prescription (yay!) and the earliest my optometrist can see me is Wednesday. I had to reconfigure some things, but that is fine.
Now, appointments and being busy are one thing, however factor in that I must be out of my house by Thursday (because my parents are having guests and they want them to stay in my room) and completely packed (for two and a half months!) by Wednesday, and the stress nozzle goes up a bit. Now, my room is a disaster area and I haven't done laundry in about three weeks, so I need to schedule fixing all that in between buying a backpack and my eyebrow appointment.
All this is fine, but the icing on the cake really came last night when my parents divulged that they will NOT be paying for another year of undergraduate study and only a portion of my graduate program. This, at a time when it is too late to apply for financial aid for fall and only 7 days before I embark on a venture where there is little internet or phone and almost no way for me to communicate with anyone not on the ship with me. So, I'd better figure it all out by Sunday.
Now, not paying for all of graduate school is one thing (some of the programs I am applying to are going to cost upwards of $130,000) and completely understandable. Not contributing to another (albeit, extra--since I could conceivably graduate with a bachelor's in August) year of undergraduate study, when it could mean a major difference in the graduate institution I attend, really tickles my stress-ometer. This means spending the last of my investments (which were in the range of $20,000 until Semester at Sea came along) and also having to work, since car insurance, medical insurance, textbooks, medications, and car maintenence is now all on me (and me has no job). Working is fine, I was going to get a job anyway. All in all, I suppose they're all issues I can get over. This final stress can be postponed until August 22nd, however when I return I will have to deal with getting a job that will pay me at least $1500 a month and still leave me time for five classes. And for the first time I will have to put all of that money to necessities and have little to none left over for the pleasantries. This, for a year; after this year, I am officially in debt as I then will enter the world of graduate school (likely on the east coast) and be anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000 in debt. At least it's not too late to file for financial aid for 2010.
Now, appointments and being busy are one thing, however factor in that I must be out of my house by Thursday (because my parents are having guests and they want them to stay in my room) and completely packed (for two and a half months!) by Wednesday, and the stress nozzle goes up a bit. Now, my room is a disaster area and I haven't done laundry in about three weeks, so I need to schedule fixing all that in between buying a backpack and my eyebrow appointment.
All this is fine, but the icing on the cake really came last night when my parents divulged that they will NOT be paying for another year of undergraduate study and only a portion of my graduate program. This, at a time when it is too late to apply for financial aid for fall and only 7 days before I embark on a venture where there is little internet or phone and almost no way for me to communicate with anyone not on the ship with me. So, I'd better figure it all out by Sunday.
Now, not paying for all of graduate school is one thing (some of the programs I am applying to are going to cost upwards of $130,000) and completely understandable. Not contributing to another (albeit, extra--since I could conceivably graduate with a bachelor's in August) year of undergraduate study, when it could mean a major difference in the graduate institution I attend, really tickles my stress-ometer. This means spending the last of my investments (which were in the range of $20,000 until Semester at Sea came along) and also having to work, since car insurance, medical insurance, textbooks, medications, and car maintenence is now all on me (and me has no job). Working is fine, I was going to get a job anyway. All in all, I suppose they're all issues I can get over. This final stress can be postponed until August 22nd, however when I return I will have to deal with getting a job that will pay me at least $1500 a month and still leave me time for five classes. And for the first time I will have to put all of that money to necessities and have little to none left over for the pleasantries. This, for a year; after this year, I am officially in debt as I then will enter the world of graduate school (likely on the east coast) and be anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000 in debt. At least it's not too late to file for financial aid for 2010.
Friday, June 5, 2009
East Coast Travels
We started in Boston, and unfortunately, James's memory card from this portion of the trip is lost (somewhere between Voorhees, NJ, Philadelphia, the Jersey shore, and California) and our pictures are, for now, gone. My grandmother and uncle (who I haven't seen in years, which is surprising for me to realize) picked us up from the airport and we went to Legal seafood restaurant, which was excellent (Alaskan crab legs are the best). The next day we went to the New England aquarium, which was beautiful; I will always prefer aquariums to museums. We went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts the day after, which was my second favorite museum of the trip (we went to four), and then James, my grandmother, and I took the train to Princeton, New Jersey, where my aunt picked us up. We went to a surprisingly good Mexican/barbeque place and the next day wandered Princeton (attending the museum on campus) for about 6 hours and then meandered along a 67-mile trail from New Jersey to Pennsylvania (we only went about a half-mile in).
James and I took the train into New York's Penn Station the next day. We spent three days there and did everything we could think of. The first day we arrived, we checked into the hotel (after realizing we had booked it for the wrong night.. err), then had lunch in central park and wandered Midtown and the Upper East Side.
Our first night in New York, we just happened to run into two of James's friends in SoHo (on the street and by accident, literally) and they took us to La Esquina, which had the most delicious Yuca Frita. I stayed relatively tame with my order and had chicken and rice, which was very good. James had chile relleno and finished all of it so I'm assuming it was good, though he'll finish anything. We went to a bar afterwards for drinks and then had an early night. Over the next couple of days we went to the MOMA, financial district, battery park, and did some shopping. We also went to Dylan's Candy Bar, twice, so that I could have my sweet tooth satisfied and also so I could take notes on what NOT to do when I open up my own candy shop (i.e. keep my place clean, keep it old school, and keep it simple, as opposed to the overcrowded, smelly, and overpriced Dylan's). We had really good food and I got some very cute clothes; James had never been to New York and I hadn't been there for years, so we tried to do everything. We both loved it.
After New York we headed back to Princeton for a day before going to Voorhees, in south New Jersey, where we stayed with one of my mom's best friends, Linda, across the street from the house I grew up in. While we were there we went to Wawa (YES!) and Diane's water ice at least three times each. James and I went into Philadelphia for a day and went to the Franklin Institute (a letdown) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Our last venture was to the Jersey shore; we stayed at Linda's shorehouse in Sea Isle City, where we got tans and excellent seafood (Alaskan snow crab!) and then we headed to Ocean City where we bought mass amounts of salt water taffy and wandered the boardwalk.
It was a fantastic and beautiful trip.
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