Two Days to Japan - 10 September

We have two more days until we get to Japan and everybody is so ready! The students would very much like to be concentrating on our time there but they are frantically studying for their first Global Studies test. They are really stressed out about it. I am so thankful that my student days are over and I don’t have to take this test too. I would be even more stressed out than them!

I attended a lecture this evening organized for the faculty, staff, and lifelong learners. The speakers were the head chef and the hotel director who is in charge of all supplies and services for the Semester at Sea participants. It was fascinating to hear about the details of all of the food supplies and preparation. In San Diego, they loaded $500,000 worth of food which will take us to Hong Kong where we buy more produce (supplies are too expensive in Hawaii and Japan). We also take on food supplies in India, Spain and one other port that escapes my memory right now.

We go through 80 pounds of pasta every day and approximately 40 pounds of peanut butter. All of the food that is left on our plates gets ground up and dumped into the ocean for fish food. There are 37 people who work in the galley and 17 of those are the people who do the cleaning – dishes, pots, pans, floors, etc. They put in some long hours in there because they are feeding over 750 passengers and over 200 crew members. They deserve a raise!

After dinner tonight was the cultural pre-port lecture for Japan. We've had two Japanese girls on the ship since Hawaii who have been representing Japan and answering all of the questions of the students. Tonight they dressed up in their kimonos and gave a 1/2 hour talk about how to get along in Japan - including some pick up lines for the guys. They were very funny (I don't know if it was intentional though) and everybody enjoyed the lecture. There was supposed to be a talent show afterwards but the seas have been particularly rough today so they postponed the show until tomorrow night after the logistical pre-port lecture.

Speaking of the rough seas - I am thrilled to report that I didn't get sick. Yipeee! Yahoo! Cowabunga! I'm hopeful that I won't be inflicted with that particular torment again. Keep all your fingers and toes crossed for me : )

I've had a request to take some pictures of the library, ship and my room and I will work on that between Yokahama and Kobe. Adiosu