Ship Life - Initial Reactions

I think we started sailing on the night of the 3rd so maybe we have been out at sea for almost a week. Yowsers, it's so hard to keep track of days. We are very much only sticking to the next 24 hours. No one is contemplating next week. Next week seems so far away.

Our days are full from morning till night and could be more full if we stayed up a little later. In this world, every day feels like a week. Not in a negative way, but more in how full and intense everything is. But there is also this feeling of space in our lives too. There is down time. Time to play cards, read a book, or play on the sport court. It is a bizarre world for so many reasons. Today Rigley and I ate lunch together, just the two of us, outside on the top deck. We are floating along across the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight (we're actually still about 1000 nautical miles from Hawaii, the nearest land) enjoying a quiet lunch together.

Kids are doing well in school. They usually work on specific school stuff from 8:30-10 and then go to the big morning lecture. Rigley even has a math tutor, a college student who is volunteering in the school. Wally has asked for a college student tutor to work with him on drawing. The big lecture is called Global Studies and it is the only required course for everyone on the ship. Even the counselors are strongly encouraged to attend. Yesterday's lecture was about how the ocean is related to climate change and today was about "cultural competence," and if there is such a thing. Rigley and Wally have done really well there. Rigley was talking to me about the iceberg model of culture and how it's hard to see the pieces of culture that are below the surface. She also referred to the food she eats and the things she does as "regular things," knowing that we all refer to our own culture as "regular." Some of the stuff from Global Studies is impactful for the little ones too.

Ellie seems to be doing well chasing Guthrie through the ship. He's a wild guy and the transition has been hard on him. Today is the first day that he seems somewhat his regular self. For the past week he has been pretty volatile and cranky. We try and keep a routine and he has gotten a nap almost every afternoon.

This what school looks like for the kiddos. Mostly quiet study hall with parents or childcare folks providing guidance.

This is the big lecture hall for Global Studies.

One of the most remarkable things is the water. Not just how deep it is (currently the depth is around 15,000ft, yikes!), but mostly the color. It is a remarkable blue that pictures can't seem to capture. It sounds a little weird, but it's not even the shade of blue, but the depth of the blue and the texture of the water. I could sit and stare at the water for hours. Always changing and moving. It's hypnotic the way campfires sometimes are. Looking down on the ocean it almost seems like the water is some sort of precious stone or jewel that has been melted into liquid form. The way it moves and swells it seems thick and it's just beautiful.

Excitement has started to build on the ship as we near our first port in Honolulu. There are lots of guided experiences, but most people want to get in cell phone range so they can call their people and post their selfies on social media. It's winter in Hawaii too which means rain, but land under our feet is going to feel amazing.