Sorry It's Been So Long!

Hey guys, I apologize for taking so long to update... I've been reluctant to update and go online because that costs money, but because it keeps me away from my friends (the only friends I have right now), I don't care and I will waste all my money if it means I get to keep in touch with you amazing people. I have much more to say but I haven't typed it up yet, so that will have to come at a later time...

Monday, January 28^th, 2008: Day Six

Yesterday was a pretty good day—the best yet I'd say. Tricia and I walked to Condado Beach (about a 15 minute walk) and crossed about 5 or 6 lanes of traffic to get there and back, haha... On the way back, we asked some policemen if there was a safer place to cross, and if there were any crosswalks nearby. As it turns out, crosswalks pretty much don't exist and jaywalking is not illegal in Puerto Rico! The police officer took us to the other side; you just have to be careful. Anyway, I had a great time on the beach, and I took some pictures and drew in charcoal the lifeguard's stand and a palm tree in the background. I am really, really enjoying drawing (at least with charcoal). Then, I got a virgin pina colada—when asked if I wanted with or without, I said no. Even though I am of age (the drinking age is 18 in P.R.), I was still not interested. It was very tasty and much too expensive... Then, Tricia and I went back and met up with Kim, her friend, and we walked into San Juan yet again. I have huge sores on my feet thanks to all this walking around, but I'll get used to it eventually. Oh, I forgot to mention that I worked out in the morning and the workout room was completely abandoned because everyone was out in port. That's an ideal time to go, as it turns out. Anyway, we got some Coldstone, because we figured it would be the last time we would be able to have some :-P Then, I went to Bioluminescent Bay. It was so. awesome. The sky was perfectly clear (this was at night, by the way), so the stars were so easy to see. I've never seen more stars in my life. It was absolutely beautiful. I got on a two person kayak with John, a guy who goes to school in Connecticut at that school that starts with a Q. He was really nice and we had a good conversation. Anyway, as we entered the cove, all of a sudden our oars started glowing. It was so neat. I smacked my hand in the warm water and it looked like green sparks were emanating from it. The only way to describe the way the algae glows is to say that it looks like they're coming from a sparkler. They dance around for about two seconds when you agitate them and then you can't see them anymore. Apparently each dinoflaggelite (sp?) only lives for about 5 hours. Then, we got to the bay, and they glowed without us even touching them! The sky was still very clear and I saw a shooting star... it made me think of Alex. Then I had a good conversation with a girl named Brittany on the way home on the bus, who has the same concerns as I do about friends. She has been the third wheel, like me, and been ignored in that instance; she feels daunted because everyone else has already formed cliques; and she feels like there is no chemistry between her and the people she meets. The chemistry thing is the biggest for me... I mean, the people I meet are really nice, but there not interesting enough for me. I hate to sound like I think I'm better than them, because I don't, they're simply not suited for me and I can tell. Well, I really need to go now because I have a lot of things I need to do before 1:00 when I go on the Seven Seas kayaking trip, because Kim didn't want it so she gave it to me! she just wasted $60 :-P Oh well. I think it'll be lots of fun! I hope I don't get sunburned...

Michelle <3

Tuesday, January 29^th, 2008: Day 7

Sorry I keep talking in past tense, but I've been too tired to talk about my day on the actual day that things occur... I'm sitting here on my bed after having gone to Global Studies, listening to music, and looking at my pictures of friends and family. You guys mean so much to me (even more so now that I have pretty much no one I consider a friend in whom I have all confidence and that special kind of camaraderie that I enjoy with my friends back home—not that I have no friends, but they're basically people I just hang out with who are really nice and whatnot, but not the type of people I would have girly sleepovers with or something lol) and I think of you all every chance I get. I would like to apologize for having used specific names in a negative way in one of my posts a few days ago... However, I will not apologize for my having been negative and saying the things I did. I refuse to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, and will therefore write what I choose to write (excluding names in a negative way from now on, of course), so if you want the truth, then please continue to read my blog. If not, then I invite you to seek information elsewhere. I saw a lovely group of SAS students last night chug alcohol just before going through security (alright desperate!!!) and I know some people succeeded in smuggling alcohol on the ship. I think it's pretty dumb that they would do that, as they would be the only people drunk and it is a serious risk to their continuing to be an SAS student. If caught while at sea being drunk and when it's not a pub night, they'll be expelled= stupid risk. May I take this moment to note that I am not against the use of alcohol; merely the abuse of it, and many people have done it on this trip. I feel that it is something to be enjoyed in moderation. I try to keep things in my life kept in moderation, and I think that that is a very important lesson we all need to learn at some point in our lives in all things. Also, I would like to point out that a friend told me that the huge box of free condoms for our use is quite literally completely empty. I'm just glad that they're using them at all! Forgive me for always ranting, because I promise I am a very grateful person for having this wonderful opportunity. I just wish more people would see the big picture here and realize that there's more to life than that of a party. I feel very sorry for these people. I have yet to meet someone like me, who doesn't get drunk at all; it's a lonely existence... Anyway, yesterday was lots of fun. I went to the kayaking thing that Kim gave to me and Melissa was on the trip. She's really nice, and it was great to hang out with her. I let her use my camera, which I brought with me in a ziplock bag, and we both got some really good pictures. The water felt so wonderful and it was great to get some exercise in the great outdoors. When we got back at 6:30, we rushed to get a quick shower, and then we headed out to Old San Juan in a taxi to go to Starbucks for some free internet (a piece of advice for you future SASers out there: almost all of San Juan, we all discovered, has free internet, and there's a cheap internet cafe near Coldstone and Western Bank... I heard Baskin Robbins and McDonald's had free internet as well—McDonald's is literally a 2 minute walk away, and therefore the most convenient). At this point (7:15), Melissa and I were getting anxious to get some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine (I want to get authentic local food in every port), so we left two minutes later and walked around for 30 looking for a P. Rican restaurant. I knew of Mofongo, so we headed in that direction, and we finally got there at about 7:50. We wanted to get back by 8 because on-ship time was 9:00 and we figured there'd be a huge line for everyone to get back on the ship, so we were in a hurry. We quickly ordered a beef mofongo (which turned out to be what Melissa calls a Puerto Rican pot pie: it arrived in a cool wooden chalice that had a plantain-cornmeal type of layer with the beef inside it... really good stuff!) and as it turned out, we could get internet access for free!!! Yay! So, Melissa and I checked Facebook and whatnot, which was awesome. Then, at 8:15, we rushed back to the ship and no taxis were occupied, so we were like oh my goodness! We're going to be late! So we started running toward the ship and finally a very nice lady taxi driver picked us up (another piece of advice: walk as much as you can when it's safe!!! I walked a ton, got foot sores and blisters to prove it, and still spent a ton of money on taxis... it really adds up quickly). I had mentioned to her that I had heard that there was an article about Semester at Sea in the local paper, and she gave me hers! It was so nice! It's a good thing that I can read Spanish—it was really fun trying to translate it. It's going to be a great souvenir and I'm so excited that I am one of the few who got one! :-D Anyway, we got patted down by security and our bags checked quite thoroughly for hidden alcohol, and got back on the ship. We left Puerto Rico and I am soooo glad to get at sea again. I was getting anxious to get to Brazil. It's going to be unbelievable. The rocking on the ship is pretty much nonexistent now—I can walk down the hall completely straight! I wonder how long it will last... I hear it gets much worse, but you get used to it. I actually enjoy it—it makes life onboard a ship quite interesting. I'm thrilled, too, that we're having an activities fair tonight, which will be very nice to be able to sign up for clubs and things. I think I might get bored being at sea for a whole week, but at least classes will help with that. I haven't been yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to drop my Arts Administration class—if it doesn't transfer, I don't want to waste my time. I just hope there will be an opening for the history class I want, which will transfer. I would like to take this moment as well to reflect more on ship life and give you all a better idea of what I've experienced thus far as a passenger. The MV Explorer is NOT a boat—it is a ship. Don't call it a boat or you will get reprimanded. Cliques form very quickly but don't be daunted—everyone's very friendly and open to meeting new people. Sitting alone at dinner won't last long—someone will come sit with you (I'm always the one to go sit with other people). Roommates aren't bad at all and I don't mind having one (this is my first time sharing a room with someone)—mine's very nice and she's a great person. Classes will be a joke and we only have 23 days per class, which is ridiculous. There is a surprising amount of variety in the food thus far—the fruit is actually pretty fresh (we'll see how fresh it will be in 7 days, however...), but the bananas thus far have always had lots of brown spots (even when we're in port, which doesn't make any sense to me). Breakfast is easily the best meal and is worth waking up at 7:30 or 8 for a chocolate-filled croissant, yogurt, and an omelet. The water tastes like chlorine and it's a very good idea to have something to flavor it with. When the seas are pretty rough, you will feel yourself lifting and sinking into your bed at night (a cool sensation!). The walls are PAPER THIN oh my goodness! I wish my neighbors would realize this (drawers opening and closing, toilets flushing, conversations, music, EVERYTHING can be heard)! The lifelong learners are super nice and there are a few children on the ship as well. Everyone's very nice but a lot of us (myself included!) have a lot of growing up and maturing to do from this experience. Seasickness patches are $18 each on the ship, when you can get 90 for the same price at home in the US. I should have brought a ton more clothes... I've worn the same t-shirts three times now—yuck! I saw dolphins briefly this morning, which was awesome. When everyone has free time, they go out on the decks and tan. The Union is the worst place to be in rough seas, as it is in the front of the ship and will move up and down the most; it's also the place we have to go for Global Studies and meetings, which is a lot of the time. Well, that's all I can think of right now... I love you guys to death and I promise that things are getting better and I will someday be more positive in these reflections of mine; it's just really hard to feel happy about things when you're treated like an extraneous body in a group of people sometimes, and when there are few people you'd actually want to hang out with. Please bear with me.

"I need you to know that I care, and I miss you."

Love,

Michelle

Ok, More Updates While I'm Here...

Last night we had our port debriefing, and that went well. I also had my first class, which was drawing I. I think it's going to be super fun!!!!! I really enjoyed drawing with charcoal. I'm supposed to have two drawings per day in port but unfortunately the people I've been traveling with here in P.R. haven't even slowed down for me when I take pictures. It's really rude. And I was carrying around my laptop, camera, and camcorder, too, which makes it doubly rude. That really pissed me off, I must say, and I sincerely hope that I will make different friends who actually realize I'm hanging out with them. I felt like I bug on the wall. Grrrr. I miss you, Rose, Jess, and Alex! You guys understand me. These people don't. They care about ridiculously petty things. Or they're just weird and I wouldn't want to hang out with them. I got so angry last night because I was trying to sleep and people were walking up and down the hallway talking loudly (I have discovered that the walls are paper thin), and on top of that BOTH people in the rooms surrounding mine kept opening and shutting drawers and stomping around really loudly (why would you be stomping????)... It seems like there are few people who respect everyone else they're living in close proximity with and that's frustrating. I hate to say it but I have yet to actually enjoy this trip, which the exception of things like eating meals outside on the deck in the nice weather. That's very enjoyable. Otherwise, the people I have met are depressingly mediocre. It has made me that much more grateful for my friends and the wonderful people I am surrounded by at home. Those people actually appreciate me. Ugh. Well, I think that Bioluminescent Bay tomorrow will be really fun, and I'm reeeeally looking forward to Brazil. I think that's when things will get better and I will meet more phenomenal people who are at least relatively like me. I've been hanging out with my roommate a lot, but I just don't find her that dynamic. We just live together, you know? It's convenient to have her around for travel and company but that's pretty much it. I was feeling pretty bored on the way over to P.R., too, because all there was to do was meetings, eat, tan (which I don't do), and other uneventful things like that. I hope that once classes get into full swing things will be more interesting. By the way, we only have 23 days of each class!!! There's no way I'll get credit for my drawing class, but I'm ok with that. I don't think I'd mind too much if I had to take it again. Anyway, I'm off to hang out more in Puerto Rico. I love you guys... please don't forget about me!

Love,

Michelle

I'm In Puerto Rico!

Hey guys, I'm so sorry the update took so long. I'm trying to avoid my internet minutes on the ship as much as possible, so I went to an internet cafe as soon as possible here in Puerto Rico to give you guys an update. I miss you all so much.

January 22^nd

Today Mom and I got up at 5:45 am for our 9:45 flight to Nassau, Bahamas... It's 9:43 in the evening right now and I'm exhausted! Alex was a sweetheart and woke up early to come over and say goodbye one last time. Our flight went well and was super short... the only issue was when we landed: the pilot hit the brakes big time and we all had to hold onto our seats to avoid smacking our heads against the seat in front of us. There were a whole lot of SAS students on the flight, so I introduced myself to a few of them. I was told that the SASers would stick out like a sore thumb, but I didn't realize how absolutely true such an observation is!!! The huge duffel bags and backpacks on college students really gave it away—also, if a mom was nearby, that was a sure means of separating them from the crowd. SASers and their parents swarmed Atlantis... Anyway, Atlantis is unbelievably huge and also unbelievably overrated. The room in which I am staying is a smoking room, and at one point, the light was nonfunctional in the bathroom. The service has been pathetic as well ; not so top-notch, in my opinion. It's a shame, too, because I'm paying a lot of money. But hey, I can see the beach from my room and there's a shark pool right under my window four stories down. The one really cool thing about Atlantis is the aqua life: around every corner it seemed that there were pools, beaches, and most importantly, aquariums or shallow pools with a particular sea creature in it—for example, stingrays, sharks, fish, huge sea turtles (!!!), and puffer fish! I flipped out when I discovered each new sea life pool, and you can walk right up to them! There are no rails, only warnings suggesting that it would be a bad idea to enter them. I met up with my future roommate, Tricia, after having met Carly, a girl I coordinated flights with for the Amazon trip. Mom is staying with Carly and her mom. Tricia, Carly, and I walked around Atlantis and explored some more—we went to the Dig, which is basically the aquarium, and there were the biggest flippin manta rays I've EVER seen in my life!!! It was amazing! The biggest one had a "wingspan" of fourteen feet!!!! That's over twice as much as I am tall! So after having an exhausting walk all over the whole island (practically), we all met up with our parents at the pier after the parent's reception aboard the ship for some dinner. We wound up going to Conch Fritters—it was the most boring cuisine that I imagine I will have during this whole trip. I am, yet again, not impressed with Nassau and I do not care to ever visit again. I'm sure the rest of the Bahamas is amazing and beautiful and uncorrupted by tourism, so I think I'd be up to exploring the real, cultured parts of the Bahamas. I also feel pretty disappointed because everyone I have come across has been interested in congregating together through alcohol. For example, everyone's meeting up at Senor Frog's tonight to get wasted and then have a happy time being hung over and checking into the ship tomorrow. I do not envy them in the least. I just worry that I will be hard put to find people like me, who enjoy a drink or two but whose object is certainly not to get wasted... Urgh. I also learned that our class is the largest that Semester at Sea has ever had: over 700 students! Additionally, there are 70% girls... ew. I dislike most girls (95% of them... no joke!), soooo I guess I'll have to settle. I just hope I make at least one guy friend, though, simply for my safety's sake, as I will be visiting countries where I might as well not exist simply because I am female. This world can be so unfair.

But hey, don't get me wrong! I'm so unbelievably grateful that I have this opportunity. It still hasn't quite sunken in yet that I'm in the freakin Bahamas and I'm going to leave on a ship tomorrow to see the whole world! The only thing I have felt as far as that goes is missing my friends very much, and wanting to call them every second to tell them about the experiences I've been having. I miss you guys terribly and I thought about you all a million times today! Alex, one hundred million things reminded me of you today and I really wanted to hear your voice and hug you!!! Trust me, Alex—I will think of you each and every day and each time I do I will mentally blow you a kiss :-)

I look forward to receiving your emails and hearing more secrets, Alex. Muah!

Much love to you all—thanks for reading my blog!

January 23, 2008: Day 1

Today I woke up early (7:30 am) and took a walk on the beach at Atlantis alone. It was really nice, but by 8 it was already super hot! So, I took a dip in the very cold pool and it felt so good. Then, I got ready to leave and we left in a taxi with some SASers and I met my first Southerners... it doesn't seem like there are very many. The whole check-in process took about an hour and 15 minutes for me, so it wasn't too entirely bad. First we waited in line to find out our room number and were given tags to put on our luggage. Then, we showed our passports to some people and then went over to the gate to drop off our luggage (it had to be searched for prohibited items) and got cleared by some officials and walked over to the ship. I saw the ship and I started tearing up—I fell instantly in love and I knew that I would soon call it home. We waited in more lines to turn in our passports (eek!) and then went over the ship to board it, where we went through a metal detector and had our backpacks checked. Then, I went straight to my room! My first impression was that it was really itty bitty, but now it feels quite comfortable to me. I anxiously awaited the arrival of my luggage because I was dying to unpack as soon as possible—I wanted to get settled in! Then, the parents came on board and I showed mom my room. Then, Tricia (my very nice roommate)'s parents came in the room and we talked until it was time for the parents to leave. We then had a lifeboat drill that consisted of having four rows and about five columns of people smushed up against the wall in long sleeves, pants, close-toed shoes, a cap, and our lifejackets on. Ok, so we were in the Bahamas.... it was HOT! We had to put up with that for about 30 minutes of just standing around. Then Tricia and I went back to the room and then went to a dining hall to get some food. While at dinner, we sat with two other girls who seemed really nice (Vanessa and Melissa). I'm sure we'll hang out with them again. We ate dinner and sat around talking for quite a while until we had to go to the introduction from the dean. After that, we met up with our sea (Adriatic Sea!!!), which is basically my hallway on my floor. Each hallway on each floor is a "sea". We will all compete during the Sea Olympics (I'm unsure as to when that will occur). That was pretty boring and consisted of typical "games" to get us to know each other (and they never work and didn't this time... you just can't force people into meeting each other—and therefore liking each other, which is the desired result by those who make us do this—so I just put up with it). After that, I hung back to watch the ship go along and I saw two other cruise ships in the distance, which was pretty cool. There was a full moon and I said a prayer and thought of my beloved friends and family... I miss you guys so much. I want you to know that I think of you guys all the time. Oh yeah, I also decorated my room with my pictures and Nicole's little painting she made for me ("Esperanza"). The ship's movement is much more pronounced than I had expected it to be—I have a headache and my back and knees hurt a little from the compressing and decompressing sensation. I don't think I'll be seasick but the headache doesn't help matters. I think I'll build up muscles in my back and stomach from having to keep my balance. I feel like I'm on a giant carousel horse from the motion, except that rather than going in a circle, we're going straight forward. Well, that's it for now. Much love,

Michelle :-D

Tomorrow's The Day!

So I'm sitting here doing last-minute things online, like check Facebook and writing in this little box here... It's the last time in three and a half months that I'll be able to enjoy wasting Internet minutes without having to think about how much it will cost me... So, I am abusing the privilege as much as possible. I leave for the Bahamas on the plane at 9:45 am tomorrow... I can't wait! I'm going to miss everyone so, so much. It was tearful today leaving my beloved friends. I already can't wait to get back and give them all big hugs!!!

Well, I'd better start finalizing my packing because Dad will have a fit tomorrow if the stuff isn't in the car tonight :-)

Love ya Dad :-P

Michelle

Five More Days...

Oh my goodness. Five more days to go?!

I'm getting nervous about it... And I am SO GRATEFUL that Mom is coming with me, oh my gosh... I don't think that I'm adventurous enough to want to go by myself (like I had thought I was). This trip should change that, of course.

I often feel nervous about things before they begin, but once it all starts, I calm down and start to feel a lot better. So even though I'm nervous now, I know I'll feel better when I start to make the ship my new home.

I truly hope that once I become an alumnus, I will be able to snag a job with SAS. I could be the ship's photographer or something, which would be AWESOME!

I'm going to unpack again today (hopefully for the last time) and have Mom be there with me, so in the event that I am missing something, she would be able to help me realize that. I also need to make sure that all the contents of my carry-on bag are ok for airplane flights-- I don't want anything confiscated.

Much love,

Michelle

Nine More Days To Go...

Mom and I ordered currency for the majority of the countries I will be visiting online through American Express today... I still have to get some for India, Mauritius, China, and Vietnam.

Today Alex and I are going to go on a date :-)

Mom, Nicole, and I are going to go do some errands as well. It feels so good to get things taken care of.

I'm really excited about my party-- we need to go and get the food for it sometime this week, and I need to start cleaning up and whatnot.

I'm worried that I overpacked and won't have room for the things I buy, but I figure that the worst-case scenario would be that I would have to ship some of my stuff home. I've also heard that it's a good thing to have disposable clothing-- I'm bringing old shirts that I don't mind (too much) if they get ruined, and I bought a cheap pair of jeans from the thrift store that I can wear in India and then throw away (I hear that the smell never leaves your clothing, so it's a good idea to wear stuff there that you are okay with throwing away afterwards).

Well, that's pretty much it for now... it's so weird trying to get back into this blogging thing :-)

Love,

Michelle

Ten More Days...

So. Someone on the Facebook group posted this (and I'd already heard of it and read about it in someone's blog from this voyage):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6DBGhXI586k

Mom, don't you dare watch it. Trust me.

It's pretty interesting, though... Proof, in my opinion, that God exists.

Mother Nature can be nasty sometimes, though :-P

Anyway, I can't believe I have only ten more days-- time is flying by and I'm not ready to leave my friends and family behind yet. I know that once things get started I'll feel less nervous and sad about it, so I suppose in that regard I want to go ahead and get sailing!

We're still trying to finalize my loan so I can go ahead and get that check in my account-- urgh!

Today I am going to Mary's dad's house with her for lunch, and then the family and I are going out to dinner at Maggiano's.

One more week until my going away party-- I'm really looking forward to it, especially since my closest friends will be spending the night :-)

Well, that's pretty much it for now.

Much love,

Michelle

SAS Paper

So this is what relief feels like... :-)

I finished yesterday the 50 page, single-spaced paper Dad had me do so that I could go on Semester at Sea... it feels soooo good to have it finished!!!!

I'm going to a doctor's appointment soon to get my oral typhoid vaccine. Then, Mom and I are going shopping-- we need lots of food, plus I still have more things I need to buy.

After that, I'm going to meet Sirs Alex and Ben at KSU for lunch and pre-Chorale excitement.

Then, we're all going to Chorale. It's going to be awesome!!! I plan on attending up until I have to leave. :-P

Then, I do believe Misses Rosie and Jess and I are going to hang out, which is awesome!!!

It's great to have some time to my own now!

That's preeeetty much it for now.

Mucho amor,

Miguelina

17 More Days...

17 more days until I leave-- and 18 more until the ship departs.

I am finding that every day now I feel a sadness within me at the prospect of having to leave all my beloved friends and family behind for four straight months-- it's not like I'm going away to school and I could just come home whenever I wanted. I will be on a ship with a ton of strangers, many of which with whom I will have very little in common (with the exception of things like being female, a young adult, and a student...). I know that I will make friends but I still wish that my current friends could be there with me. I just look at the group on Facebook and so many people have revealed that they want to sleep with a native in every port, or get drunk in every port, and that simply is not what I want to get out of this trip! It seems like that's half of the ship's attitude... or maybe it's just what is most talked about. I can't tell. Anyway, it's too bad. My roommate seems like a truly nice person, though, so at least we might hopefully get along :-)

I've been doing a lot of reflecting about this coming trip and considering what I want to get out of this trip as I write more of Dad's paper... I hope to come back as a better person, but at the same time, remain humble; I hope that I will gain something positive from each experience I will have, either good or bad; I hope that I will represent Americans in a positive, respect worthy, and beneficial way; I hope that I will gain both international and domestic friends; I hope against hope that when I come back I will still find that those around me can at the very least comprehend the experiences I had just had-- I fear that no one will understand me, something many an alumnus has alluded to; I hope that my friends will still want to be my friends when I get back, and vice-versa; and, finally, I hope that I will not be angry upon my return, and will truly value and respect my family and all that they went and are going through for my benefit.

I know myself well, and I know that it is possible that my attitude will be less than par for a little while when I return in May because for a time it is possible that being home won't be enough for me. I hope that I would change that attitude around to a positive one for having experienced it at all... I will try my very best to keep it that way.

Well, I should go feed the animals and make myself some dinner...

I've been hanging out with my friends as much as possible, and I'm glad that my family has designated dinner nights so we're all together! :-)

That's pretty much it...

Much love,

Michelle

Yellow Fever Immunization

Ah, the dreaded yellow fever SHOT... blah.

I have to get it today; it's the only required shot. I've gotten Hep A and meningitis boosters thus far, and I'm getting an oral immunization on Tuesday for typhoid.

I'll punch somebody in the face if I get one of these diseases :-P

Things are going well-- I'm on page 26 on my 50 page paper for Dad... it's due in two days (not so good).

I'm also pretty well off on my packing. I still have a gazillion things to buy, but the list, at least, is shrinking.

I also got my passport back in the mail a day or two ago, which is great! It's so cool seeing the visas in it! China, India, and Brazil.

I'm confirmed for the Amazon trip-- I'm going for sure!!! How exciting!

Only 18 more days until I depart for the Bahamas, and 19 days until the ship departs into (for me) unknown waters. What an adventure I have ahead of me!!!

I sure hope that you all keep up with me; it would mean a lot to me if I knew that you all were reading my blog.

Much love,

Michelle :-D