Ship life is fun. We have pub night a few times a week, and of course I'm not a big drinker but I had to participate at least once. We're also going to have Neptune Day to celebrate crossing the equator, but we are having it a week afterwards because we have a big test coming up and no days off. After Brazil we have like 6 days at sea until we reach South Africa so we get one day off in the middle and that will be Neptune Day. What is it? By maritime tradition, you're supposed to celebrate your first time crossing the equator by sea. Every ship is different, but the rumor is on our ship the ceremony includes shaving your head and having fish guts poured on you. All voluntary of course. Now I'm ok with fish guts, but anyone brings a razor close to my hard to grow curly hair and I'll kung-fu them.

We also have a welcome reception, aka, a big party when we get to Brazil. It's $40 and I signed up because I was going to use it as one of my requirements for writing a paper for class. However, I decided to save myself $40 and I sold my ticket. The next morning I got a letter saying that they wanted me to do the welcome speech at the reception. Tough luck. I was very upset that I had just sold my ticket, but it's a great honor regardless.

My classes are going well and I'm really enjoying them. The funny part is it's really annoying to have to read and write papers when you're on a big vacation cruise… and then you remember, "oh yeah, this is school". We do have a large work load actually, its not at all a vacation. And we also have a lot of clubs we can join to keep us even busier. I of course had to limit myself. I signed up for 7 clubs… I think I'm going to have to cut down! I know for sure I'm going to do the photobook (which is like a yearbook) and I want to do the website… probably the 2 most time consuming clubs, so those will be my priorities. Oh and Vicarious Voyage, which is were a group of us adopts a classroom in the states to write to and send small things to from each countries. In Brazil when you arrive they have a ribbon they tie around your wrist. They make 3 knots and each one is a wish. You leave it on until it falls off by itself and your wishes come true. I hear they are really cheap so I'll get a bunch of those.

One last thing I have to tell you about is the magic of laundry day. You put it out one night and the next day you get it back nicely cleaned and folded. And they advise us to write our cabin number on all of our tags… sounds dorky huh? Well yesterday I got my laundry back and I quickly dumped it all out and grabbed a clean shirt and ran to breakfast at 7:30am. When I came back later that day I found a white bra on my bed so I chucked it over to my roommate's side assuming it was hers. I get back later in the day and its back on my bed. So I ask her if it's hers and of course its not… so what do we do with this hopeless, wandering bra? What any good college student would do… I hung it up on my resident director's door. Today I've seen it on like five different doors so far, including my own. It seems we are now playing "pin the bra on a deck mate's door handle". I hope it continues for the whole voyage and makes its way all around the ship, but that's unlikely. A girl can always dream. It's really probably the most efficient way of reuniting the poor bra with its loving owner. I'm just trying to help.