Heading for California

The United States has the most boring money in the world!

Well the bags are (mostly) packed and I get on the plane to San Diego on Sunday! Hard to believe that the time has finally come. I've spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out everything I need to take for what is going to amount to five months away from home. I've managed to get it all into a backpack I carried for two months through Australia and a small duffel bag. I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting, but I figure I can always hit a Department Store in Hawaii.

Last month I bought some foreign currency to take with me so that I'd have a bit of cash when I step off the boat. Here's a pic:


The guy at the bank said that I looked like Jason Bourne! All I need is a few fake passports...

My adventure begins with two solid days of meetings with the faculty and staff of the trip. Having worked in Study Abroad for many years, and running meetings like these, I know I'm in for a stimulating couple of days. It will be interesting to get the ship to "ourselves" for a day or so before the students get on board. I've heard from Semester at Sea that we have a full ship - 636 students, 55 Adult students, 42 Faculty and 30 Staff. Additionally, there are 59 family members of Faculty and Staff coming along.

I'm going to try to keep on posting as the trip goes along, but I understand that the internet is not one hundred percent on the boat, so don't be surprised if there are gaps.