Welcome: Planes, Taxis, and Sailboats
Location: Slipway, Antigua
Hello eager parents, friends, and family members,
I'm sure that you all have been awaiting news from your students, who made their way to Antigua. The good news is, everyone made it aboard- and no luggage was lost in the sea. However, many of us were somehow driven by taxi to the wrong dockyard, but that situation was cleared up with a few laughs thrown in. Although we have only been on the ship for a few hours, it is noted that there is a sense of purpose beaming off of everyone. We were able to start to put items away in our respective bunks and meet our new "neighbors" that we will be sharing space with. Dinner was a wonderful pesto and pasta, along with a salad. I am sure this meal was very tasty for everyone, including myself, since the only other nutrients I had received today were from the complimentary cookies and pretzels on the airplane.
Following dinner, everyone was given a job to do make clean-up easier. It is crazy to imagine that all of the students have come from many different states, and have somehow found ourselves here. Total strangers are coming together to make a sailboat function and be efficient sounds like the plot of a reality show. But no matter, because I am very excited to begin the journey of a lifetime, with peers who I have just met. I know that we will find ourselves growing as a unit, and a team, to succeed with our new skills, and I cannot wait. There is a lot of information being presented to us, and it is up to each one of us to contribute to make everything work "swimmingly." After clean-up, we will be able to retire for the night and get some much-needed rest.
I am "wicked" excited right now, so I don't even know if I will be able to fall asleep so that we can start a new day tomorrow.
Until next time,
Kasey Z.
Pictured: Bunks ready and waiting for new students; tasty food organized for hungry students; Ocean Star staff Lauren, Sasha, Steve, and Amanda excited for new students; Ocean Star looking clean and shiny for the new semester.