Sunday, December 30, 2012

7 days left!

Only seven days left until my voyage which seems unbelievable! I think I am ready - a few loose ends to tie up and a few things still on the to do list, and of course, that thing I am dreading most... But I feel ready. I've always been lucky to have the "if I forget it, it's not the end of the world" gene but also have the gene that makes people say "OMG ARE YOU MOVING IN?!" when they see my bags for the weekend so this should be fun!

I've been assigned to Deck 3: The Baltic Sea, and my color is (you may want to sit down for this): orange... I don't know how I'll ever pack for that :)
I got an iPhone (hello 2012!) so it will be easier for me to connect when there is wifi around. Dr. Bell was amazing and hooked me up with all my shots and vaccines and medicines for 4 months, Santa bought me super long lasting mosquito repellent for Africa, and my dear friend Brendan, who is the photographer at RC, met with me and walked me through some photography basics.  So many people have been so gracious through all of this and its been so wonderful.Saying goodbye to my students was the worst part, as I knew it would be but they are so genuinely happy for me and sent me off with such love. It was great. I moved out of the apartment at RC which was also very hard. Both because moving should be illegal and because there was a ton of emotion in it but it's done and that's awesome.

I've also been assigned a classroom who I will be in contact with regularly and update on my travels. Shout out to Jane's 6th grade math class in Titon Falls, NJ! I'm excited to see what kind of questions they have and what interests them about the places I'm going.

Today, I'm going to try to finalize my to do list and packing list and get moving! We'll see if that actually happens :)

Here's a fun tour of the ship if you are interested!


Thank you all for reading! Hopefully my next post will be from the airport! I'll show you my packing photos! YIKES!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Everything has changed

" All I know since yesterday is everything has changed" - Taylor Swift

I wanted to leave my original post the same because I didn't think I could recreate the newness and excitement of when I wrote that. Since then it seems like everything has changed. Ryan and I are taking some time apart to figure out what we are missing and so I can get "me" back. It's way more complicated than that sentence implies, but he is no longer coming on the voyage so I wanted to make sure that was addressed and it wasn't like "oh, why does she neglect Ryan and never talk about him?"

Anyways besides that HUGE life change, the voyage has changed a little too! 

New stops, small changes, but still the same level of EXCITEMENT! 
 
Embark: San Diego, CA, United States
stop in Ensenada, Mexico to pick up the students
Hilo, Hawaii, United States
Yokohama, Japan
Kobe, Japan  
Shanghai, China 
Hong Kong, China 
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Singapore, Singapore
Rangoon, Burma 
Cochin, India
Port Louis, Mauritius 
Cape Town, South Africa 
Takoradi, Ghana 
Tema (Accra), Ghana  
Casablanca, Morocco  
Debark: Barcelona, Spain

 
(just because its so appropriate again)

I am so excited. I've been participating in weekly (then bi-weekly) conference calls with the Student Life Team and I AM PUMPED! I know that I am going to have so much fun and learn so much from these people. Yesterday, I laughed so hard on the conference call I almost started crying. Knowing I will be with fun, caring, and genuine people makes this seem so much easier. 

Speaking of easy, the most anxiety of it all? 
Packing... How does one pack for 4 months and three seasons (winter, summer, tropical) in one and a halfish bags.. there is no bag limit on the ship (that I know of) but I still have to fly to San Diego... JEEEEZ! I hope this is the hardest part!

I get my vaccines Monday and will be planning my trips and things this weekend. Hopefully my sister will be joining me in South Africa (fingers crossed) and we'll get that settled as well. It really is all coming together. Now to finish my projects at work, say goodbye to my students (remember when I said I hope packing will be the hardest part? well I'm in denial about this part), get everything in order for the next AC, move the apartment into a storage unit, and finish preparing for my voyage in 37 days. GO ME! :) I am keeping lots of lists. 

For those of you that are worried about communications (Mom), I will have access to wifi on the ship (though its not great and Skype isn't allowed) BUT will ALWAYS have access to my semester at sea email so even if the wifi explodes I can still get that.... So, in other words, write this down: nicole.lenez.sp13@semesteratsea.org. If you want to know exactly where I am at all moments, you can follow our detailed itinerary and there is a voyage blog on the website. When I'm in port and can get to wifi I'll be able to skpe and facetime to your heart's content. On the bottom of the detailed itinerary webpage there are instructions on how to send me snail mail. I would love some pen pals. :) While care packages are appreciated, I may have to pay tax to pick them up so unless it's something super amazing or something that I've begged you to send me, you can put all your caring into words that fit in an envelope. No matter what friends and family, you will hear from me (otherwise my mom would lose her stinking mind). <3

 

Thank you to all for your advice, support, and kindness during all of this! It's been a crazy time and I am so excited to get started on this voyage. 

 


As a side note, "boat" is a bad word.. I'm trying to break the habit so if you see a blog post with the word "boat" in it or hear my say "boat" call me out!! I will be on a SHIP! <3






http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/upload/111745634473730579_1VsVAKkV.jpg

O.M.G.


From May 30th, 2012 9:56pm


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

A year or two ago, I met some wonderful ladies at a conference and talked with them about a program called Semester at Sea (SAS). I decided at that time (though I knew the reputation, the competitiveness, and that people sometimes applied for years without ever getting an interview) that I would give it a shot and throw my name in the hat for the next two years. I applied for Fall 2011, Spring 2012, May 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, and Spring 2013. I'll pause the story here to tell you a little bit about SAS.

From the SAS website (www.semesteratsea.org):Established in 1963, Semester at Sea is the only global education program of its kind in the world. Using a ship as our traveling campus, undergraduates, lifelong learners, faculty, and lecturers live and learn together while circumnavigating the globe each fall and spring semester and exploring a world region each May and summer term. Credit earned is fully transferable by the University of Virginia.
Sounds crazy awesome right? I think so too. It takes everything that is amazing about study abroad and multiples it by 14. It takes students out of their comfort zone and allows them to interact and explore multiple countries and places in just over a hundred days. They do everything on a cruise ship (eat, sleep, study, party, take classes) and wake up in places like Africa and Japan. HOW STINKING COOL!

..And back to our story. I received notice after notice saying "Thank you for your interest, the position has been filled". Fall 2011, Spring 2012, May 2012, then Summer 2012. Then all of a sudden, Craig Hauser (who is soon to be my new boss - hope I didn't spoil it but I assume those of you reading this know how the story ends) emailed me and asked if I'd like to do an interview! I about peed my pants! I talked to my mentors and my friends and my family. One of my mentors described getting the interview "kind of like getting an Oscar nomination". WOAH! I was pumped.

The interview came and I talked with Craig for about 45 minutes. I thought I bombed it (my nerves took over at first to the point where I thought to myself "eww, Nicole, I wouldn't even want to work with you the way you sound right now" - that's when I resigned that I was just going to be myself because if nothing else I was going to learn a lot more about this super cool program). So Craig asked me some questions about myself and I asked him a million questions about the program and we laughed and cracked up and we hit it off. I got off the phone thinking "Now that's a guy I could spend 100 days on a boat with"... and apparently he did too so yaaaaaaaaaaaay! A few weeks later (two weeks earlier than I thought I would hear), Craig called to offer and I CRIED and maybe told him "I might throw up" and accepted on the spot. "I WON THE OSCAR!"

To describe it in picture form:

BAM!

106 days, 15 cities, 12 countries

Embark: San Diego, CA, United States

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Yokohama, Japan

Kobe, Japan

Shanghai, China

Hong Kong, China

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Singapore, Singapore

Penang, Malaysia

Cochin, India

Port Louis, Mauritius

Cape Town, South Africa

Tema (Accra), Ghana

Casablanca, Morocco

Debark: Barcelona, Spain


WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAT?!?! THIS CANNOT BE REAL!

My first call was Ryan. Second was Jaclyn, then I needed to try to explain it to my parents. "Hi Mom and Dad - I am going to leave my current stable job to go on a boat with a bunch of students for 3 1/2 months... No my job won't be waiting when I get back.. well I'll interview from the boat... no we don't know where we will live when we get back... well yes it may not be the best decision financially but once in a lifetime...." You get the point (I think they have worked through this and are finally  proud :)). My boss screamed in my face. My students tackled me. My mentors were elated. I was elated! Granny was concerned about pirates and told me to not be gullible. Gramm was excited for me but told me I needed to be careful. Ryan's 10 year old son Steven was determined to convince his mom he was going to come with me (probably was never going to happen but him practicing his arguments was SUPER cute). It was a whirlwind. I was bouncing back and forth from nervous to excited.
I got my offer letter and my welcome emails and started talking with the other RDs. I turned in all my paperwork and got a packing list. Ryan decided he was going to go with me (YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! followed by "crap, what are we going to do with the dog" then back to YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!). After that I got my "thanks but no thanks" letter from Fall 2012! :)
And that brings us to now. I am at Roanoke College until January 2013. Then, I will be setting sail with my boo, an awesome staff, and some students that are hopefully ready to have the experience of a lifetime. We are preparing, making doctor's appointments, and destroying our debt. I am so ready for this. I will be back at the end of April and looking for jobs in student affairs in the southeast throughout my voyage (so keep me in mind if you see postings!).

On a more personal note, this could not have come at a better time for me. My professional confidence was at a little bit of a low, and I was in a bit of a rut. I knew I loved my students but was letting a few people who really don't matter in the long run tear me down and made me question everything about what I thought was my vocation. This opportunity is exactly what I needed. I am so ready and excited to be a traveler, and explore my professional identity, myself, and my passion for education and student development while exploring the world and learning alongside my students.

 “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust