Dec 06

I think I'm ready to go back to the ship and go around the world again with the people I fell in love with, the crew, the ship and the life. I miss everyone so much.

It's Saturday afternoon around 3:40pm. The time different is down to three hours from the East Coast, 6 hours from the West. I'm surprised at how slow the days are passing by. I've been on the ship now since Monday night. I feel like time is crawling! It probably feels that way since the ship has been rocking more than ever before. It's horrible. The sea swells and waves are ridiculous out here in the Atlantic. We had all heard rumours of the rough waters but none of us believed them. After all, it's been so calm for so long now. Most of the time, we can't even feel this ship moving. Well, the past three nights have been really bad. I've had to take dramamine each night just to calm my stomach. I hate taking dramamine because it knocks me out for hours. This rocking couldn't have come at a worse time: right in the middle of finals. It's already close to impossible to study on the ship, but throw the waves and rocking into it and it's just about hopeless. I have a big window and most of the time I have to keep the curtains shut because if I look at the swells I get even more sick. Anyways, enough complaining. The only thing left to say is that in 5 days from now, I won't have to feel the rocking and I'm definitely looking forward to that!

The Ambassadors Ball was a lot of fun and the food was amazing! We had a 5 course meal and I finally got to eat steak. I wore one of the dresses I had made in Vietnam. I'm saving my favorite for when I go to Steve's dance in January!

Last night was the ship talent show. It was really fun and some people on this ship are really talented. Watching the talent show made me realize just how much I'm going to miss the people on this ship. I've met some really great people. It's going to be really different going home and adjusting to life without 550 students always around me.

This brings me to my next thought: I serioualy can't believe in just a few days I'll be home. Everyone is nostalgic now -- it's strange. I mean, we all love the people we've met and the voyage and everything we've done, but by now we're all exhausted from a demanding academic semester, exhausted from all we've been through and encountered and I really think most of us just want to get home. I know I am pretty much counting the hours until I can fly back to California.

This is the longest I've been away from home. It's been over three months!

The hardest part about this trip, no doubt, is the lack of communication. It's so hard not to have internet when I want/need it and it's even harder not to have a phone. I feel so out of touch with the world, my family, my friends, Steve. It's been really tough adjusting. I still can't believe the ship charges so much for internet and phone calls... 40 cents per minute for the internet and $20 for 13 minutes on the phone. Ridiculous, yes? I've spent way too much money on internet and phone but my only alternative would be to just be completely homesick. At least checking emails and every once in a while making phone calls helps the homesickness.

I'd say I haven't really been homesick until the last two to three weeks. On one hand, I know it's going to be so hard to say goodbye to my friends and to the ship and on the other hand, I just can't wait to get home! I'm sure that is how everyone feels.

Anyways, today is a study day. Yesterday was the last day of classes. I've been studying a lot and when I'm not studying, I'm reading the Days of Our Lives daily episode summaries that I downloaded a few days ago. I was so bored (There really is nothing to do anymore except study) that I downloaded the summaries from August 27th to November 20th. That way when I get home I'll be all caught up Call it ridiculous, but I call it being bored and not knowing what else to do! There is only so much studying I can do!