ckeck, check, check

OK, so I've got three days to get this mental checklist completely crossed off so I can relax. maybe even get back to some kind of normal sleep pattern. It's not like I'm behind in my preparations for my trip; I started packing over a week ago, mostly because I'm nervous I'm going to forget something really important, some small detail that I don't realize I've overlooked until I'm on a plane to San Diego.

I'm trying not to sweat the small stuff, though. Almost anything that I forget, I'm sure Ican either find someone with an extra, or I can buy it at one of the ports. I'm really only supposed to be packing the bare essentials anyway. I'm limited to two bags and a carry on, and I've got to make sure I leave plenty of room to bring home souvenirs! To go by the advice my mom gave me, I'm going to pack, and then take about half of it out. This might be a challenge because I'm going to feel SO underpacked, considering that this trip is 3 and a half months long, but I know I'll need that room later. Wish me luck on the packing front.

My biggest concern is making sure I have the things I need to enter each country, like my passport, all of my visas, and of course my vaccines, which I finally got around to getting last week. I got yellow fever, meningitis, hep a, typhoid and polio. I couldn't lift my arms for two days. ouch. (and don't worry, I also took care on the h1n1 vaccine while I was at school.)

On top of the vaccines, I also got a prescription for Malaria pills, which I have to take once a week. According to my Dr, one of the side effects of these pills is vivid dreams, which maybe will make up for the horrible way they taste =x

Laptop, ipod, cellphone (which won't work, but I'm planning on using as my alarm clock haha). Check. Check. Check. and of course my camera, definitely an essential. I got a beautiful new Nikon for Christmas, which could not have come at a better time, since I had a bit too much champagne on New Years and broke the screen of my old one. woops.

I guess that's it for now! I'm off to procrastinate packing in some other room in my house. Later!

the details.

Yes, I take classes while I'm on the ship. Hard classes! I'm gonna have to, ya know, study and write papers and have some kind of intelligent thought process while I'm there. hahaha

OK the up side: I'm only taking 4 (as opposed to the usual 5), and only the credits transfer, not the grades. As long as I get a C- or above, I get the credit. Word.

The down side: I have class every day while I'm at sea. No weekends, no Jewish holidays, no MLK Jr. day, no snow days...sigh.

Anywho, these are the classes I'm taking.

• Intro to Drawing I. first art class I'll be taking since about 6th grade. I'm pretty excited for this one.
  
• Oceanography. Can you think of a better place to take this class??
• Literature and the Object World. Your typical English class...yawn.
• Global Studies. everyone on board is required to take this class. we focus on the countries we'll be visiting, as well as their specific methods of sustainability, which is the theme of our trip.

On a more interesting note, here are the trips I've preregistered for!

SANS05 8:00am Shuttle to Ensenada #1

HIL16 Under-Sea Ecosystem [FDP: Sumner]

HON01 Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology [FDP: Abel]

HON10 Pearl Harbor's Arizona Memorial & City Tour- group B

YOK09 Karaoke with YCU Students

YOK15 Zen Temple & Meditation lead be Zen Monks

SHA17 Hiking the Great Wall

HCM09 Nha Trang

CAP15 Three-Day Safari to Pilansberg

ACR14 Volta Eco-Adventure


That's it for now. It is now 1:36 am, officially 4 days until I leave for San Diego!! Eep. Cannot wait.

Itinerary!

• San Diego, CA USA (taking a bus down to the Port of Ensenada in Mexico to board the MV Explorer). January 17th
• Hilo/Honolulu Hawaii USA. January 25-28
  
• Yokohama/Kobe, Japan. February 9-13
  
• Shanghai/Hong Kong, China. February 16-23
  
• Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. February 26-March 3
  
• Chennai/Cochin, India. March 11-16
  
• Port Louis, Mauritius. March 23-24
  
• Cape Town, South Africa. March 31-April 4
  
• Tema (Accra), Ghana. April 11-14
  
• Salvador, Brazil. April 21-24
  
• Fort Lauderdale, FL USA. May 5