Location: Departing Fiji!
Hey fam and possibly some amigos, its Sierra. Miss you all sooo much. Were finally underway, which means passage for the next 20 days WERE ALL GONNA DIE! Lmao, jk.maybe. We just left for passage a few hours ago, and so far, so good, especially considering we were in seas about as rough as a bathtub up until we left the lagoon about 15 min ago. Life on the boat is kinda crazy and requires a lot of adapting, but is ridiculously fun. Kahlani asked me what I missed the most about not living on a boat besides people and boba, and I would say my pillow and naked time, both of which have been very slim recently.
On the other hand, remember how I said I loved these people already on day 5? Well, now its day 18, and I cant even explain to you the impact these people have made in my life. Lani also asked if I was journaling, psh, which we all know was a joke because, I mean, come on. But I hope youre reading the logs to see what were up to. I know Ill have to go back and read them to remember all the cool things weve done.
That being said, today we woke up anchored outside of Denarau, Fiji. I slept really well with the breeze that filled our room during the night, which made me snuggle up in my covers for the first time on this trip. Then, I got to wake up early and enjoy the quiet hours of the morning before waking every student except for Margaret :/, which I actually find hilarious and very much enjoy doing. Then, after breakfast and some time relaxing in the sun, we met in the salon for marine bio, which stuffed my head full of information about multicellular marine organisms. Ahhhhh! Then, almost right after that, we had a seamanship class on some basic boat lingo and sail anatomy- its super cool. Then, I found out that two other people and I had to present tomorrow for parts of the boat presentation that we totally procrastinated on. So, we busted out a presentation with some pics pretty fast before being interrupted by an awesome veggie-packed lunch. For lunch, Kee and our awesome sous chefs cheffed up protein bowls with chicken, chickpeas, and so many fresh veggies while bread maker Ethan made some INCREDIBLE garlic bread that had everyone oohing and awing.
🤤 Not too long after lunch, we met up on deck for a color exercise to depict our different leadership styles. Im yellow, which is exactly what youd think I would be, so you can look it up or use your imagination; youre probably spot on. During the exercise, Tom came riding in on the dingy with two guys from Fijian customs who cleared us out of the country. Next thing you know, were underway and heading for Palau! In the midst of a deep study sesh, everyone frantically ran up on deck in response to a Man overboard call. We all quickly realized we were having our first emergency drill, but man, even the drills get your heart rate up. After a successful MOB drill, we had dinner underway with one of the most unreal sunsets over the water. I wish you guys could have been here to see it. Then, since Im skipper, I had to come up with a question to ask everyone, and I was touched to hear peoples answers to a piece of advice or quote someone had told them that has been engraved on their hearts as a piece of advice or motto that has helped shape their lives. Then we cleaned up, and here I am now, writing to all of you people very, very far away.
Shout out to Jessie! Kee whipped up your famous eggplant parm for dinner, and it was delicious, or as some of the students said, it slaps!
Needless to say, dont be too worried about me. Im doing just fine on this boat- honestly having the time of my life. Im appreciative of every moment, even the bad ones, because I know were all in this together; this is what we signed up for, and I may never have had another experience similar to this in my life. The food is really good too, but nothing compares to your cooking, Dad; it will always be the best. I love you guys so much and cant wait to hear from you again, assuming I dont procrastinate too hard to get kicked off and we survive these next three weeks of open ocean. 😳
Xoxo, skippa snow🤎