Into the Amazon! My finalized trips and the Rumor Ranger...

My initial task while having some “me” time has been trying to figure out how to upload pictures, but because the internet is not as fast as it would be on land, I am most likely going to upload a few pics at a time and will finish uploading everything when I return or at an internet café, if I find one. Today we have headed into the Amazon, the water is clearly different, brown and murky, but cool nonetheless. During the day you can see the crocodiles poke their eyes up from the brown water as if they were taking a peak at the ship as it sails through the river. I also took a really cool picture of a fly that was perched on the banister outside.

For work, it has become easier as each day passes. Initially it seemed overwhelming and a bit daunting, but after I got a few systems set up, I am feeling better about what I need to be doing – this is also the beauty and curse of SAS as we have to create an entire student life structure within a few days. Sunny, the Dean of Students, announced at our meeting that it has been 8 days since we have set sail – 8 days…. We have set up a full functioning student life and services operations (of course with a little history and archive available)…. I would say that it is an impressive feat and something we should be proud of. The LLC team (Living Learning Coordinators) are a bunch of impressive people that I learn from each day and inspire me to be on point with my end of the team operations. I am getting more and more excited to further my relationship with them as this is a unique experience that no one else will share with me… Beyond the day to day stuff, meetings, and programs we also are prepping to head into Manaus, Brazil. While in Brazil, I will be leading a large trip of 81 students down further into the Amazon and do a series of activities… after that excursion is done we will head to the airport to fly to Rio for 3 days. I am definitely looking forward to this leg of the journey.

I have also been notified of all my trips to come… the laundry list (which includes the previous stop in Dominica) includes:

· Emerald Pool & Trafalgar Falls (Dominica)
· Amazon River and Rio Trip (Brazil)
· Accra and Aburi Overnight Tour (Ghana)
· Lions Head Hike and Picnic (South Africa)
· Habitat for Humanity Service Project (South Africa)
· Three Day Safari at Kariega National Game Reserve (South Africa)
· Hike the Mountains and Beaches of Mauritius (Mauritius)
· Chennai City Tour (India)
· School of Hard Knocks Pewter Factory and Dish Making (Singapore)
· Cu Chi Tunnels (Vietnam)
· Mekong Delta Day Trip (Vietnam)
· Phnom Penh & Angor Wat (Cambodia)
· Hiking the Great Wall (Beijing)
· Yokohama and Tokyo Tour (Japan)
· Trip to Kyoto (Japan)

So those are the coordinated trips from our field office… there are other things I will do while in port in cities such as Ghana, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and in India. Also, there are a lot of day trips that have last minute openings that I will try to jump on if they have space… at first I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to do things – but it turns out that there are always options… as long as you are open to them. I am probably going to squeeze in a few more service-based trips as well.

Being on SAS is an interesting journey. It feels like it has been 3 years on the ship but when I look at the the calendar ahead, it looks like it is also going by faster than I want. I have feelings of excitement, anxiety, stress for so little time, but in the mix, I feel like the world is moving at a snail’s pace. It’s the weirdest experience ever. Oh, and I guess I got a bit too excited about SAS apparel, I have everything from flip flops to a throw blanket. LOL! I am still getting used to the nautical military time on the ship – it shouldn’t be that hard but it is. I always have to count in my head (and sometimes use fingers… funny, right?

As for what’s ahead… on board, we have Neptune Day and Sea Olympics coming up – Neptune Day is when we cross the equator, but looking at the itinerary I don’t think that is the correct date scheduled, however, it was something I believe we did strategically to make sure students are also studying. Regardless, this will be the day students will be practicing the ceremonial and ritualistic practices of shaving their heads, rubbing themselves with fish guts, and kissing a dead fish. I think I will watch. As for sea Olympics, the competitive climate has already begun. I will see how this pans out but the students get very excited because the grand prize is not only pride but the sea of students who wins will be the first to disembark when we arrive in San Diego. Definitely going to be a fun event.

I am sure some people want to know what the people are like, in particular the staff… the students are students… there are the ones who are here to experience a unique adventure filled with challenge and self discovery as well as a life altering journey… they are spiritual and focused, hopeful to change the world, and eager to learn… and then on the other end of the spectrum there are those who may see this as a long pleasure cruise with some educational lessons that occur in a collateral way. Overall they are all good people with different goals that cannot be, and should not be, judged. But of course, it is hard not to slam down the gavel when their behavior becomes and issue... but those are few and far between.

Another funny element of the shipboard community that I think could be translated into "land campus" residence halls might be this idea of the Rumor Ranger. Everyday a "Dean's Memo" goes out to all the students via email, televised as a powerpoint on the TV, and printed on bulletin boards - this memo notifies students of all the events and reminders for the day. It is read by everyone on the ship... the Rumor Ranger is a section where a staff member responds to the most random, funniest, or just obsurd rumor that is floating around the small community - whether staff members hear it in passing or if someone sends and email to the Romor Ranger directly... murmurs such as the talk of Jennifer Lopez getting on when we port in Brazil to someone having a major medical emergency and getting a helicopter to land on board to take them to a nearby hospital are addressed. The most recent: that there are dolphins and whales in the Amazon River... I am pretty sure these are going to continue, but I was thinking... how fun and hilarious would it be to have a Rumor Ranger in all communities of our lives. I am sure it would come in handy in all aspects when it comes to residence halls and our friends and family.