good morning

We awoke to a beautiful morning but still the skyline of Miami on the horizon! We have been rcking here for almost 48 hours now. We have to be in Nassau tomorrow so we should sail today. I am wearing my pressure point sea-sickness bracelets which are wonderfully effective; it is just this rocking motion which sets me off but the bracelets put a stop to it immediately.

We had our fill of meetings yesterday, some seemed hugely repitive so I am skipping the faculty/staff ones today in favour of doing this; sitting on our lovely balcony and reading.

The ship is stunning. It has lovly sweeping staircases, a library, attractive smaller dining room which we have been using ( a huge one will be opened once the students come on board.), a spa, hair dresser, excercise room , swimming pool (not filled yet), a shop, faculty lounge and bar, computer room (where I am working now), a 'Union' where all the meetings have been taking place. The decor os neutral creams and browns Our cabin is certainly the loveliest I have ever had....remember I go back to tiny ones with two bunks one above the other, and sharing a shower and loo down the corridor! Things have changed for the better; we have a lovely balcony with patio doors leading from a spacious cabin with lots of storage space, a couch and chair, mirrors, an en suite with shower and bath and generally a feeling of light and comfort. I'm nt sure george will see much of it when the students come on board because there is a great deal more interaction between profs and students than there is on a land campus. However i am enjoying it alot!

I have been in email cntact with John Mueller a prof from Univ of Calgary and we are getting to know John and his wife Theresa now. Theresa and I have decided to do the flight from Hong Kong to Beijing to see the great wall of China and hopefully (but not sure about this) the Terra Cotta Warriers. I had wanted to go but G. is taking students on a Hong Kong excursion so couldn't come and it is expensive....but if just one of us goes not quite so draining of the ban account! Just hope there is one space left for me as resa is already booked.

My new $ 500 glasses fell apart when a tiny screw fell out so I am wearing my older prescription at the moment....what a pain that is! Down with nina Ricci frames! Shall have to try and get them fixed in Nassau. Then my watched stopped; i hadn't thought of bringing watch batteries.....well who cares about time anyway? I guess Semester at Sea does..... but not me.

This blog will hopefully get more interesting once the MV Explorer decides to actually sail somewhere...........!