Adios Spain!

Hey guys, today is my last day in Spain. I have been soooo busy I have not been able to write any, sorry. On Thursday I went to Seville and found out that I love it there. It is soo pretty and its kind of like heaven. There are orange trees all over the city, 18,000, there is also the largest cathedral in the world. At the cathedral I climbed up to the top of the bell tower and looked out over the city. It took my breath away. I could not even explain what I was feeling at that moment. Also at the Cathedral were the ashes of Christopher Columbus. That was pretty cool. There are only four places in the world that have this. They actually tested the ashes a couple of years ago because other places were claiming that they had the ashes, but they passed the test. I have no clue how they could prove this with just the ashes, but o well. After that we went to the Alcazar, this is where the king and queen stay when they come to Seville. The detail on the walls and ceilings were superb!!! I took several videos of the Cathedral and the Alcazar. Yall will have to see them when I get home!! Then my group when out to lunch. The food was the best I had had in Spain. It was all appetizers (topas) mushrooms, tortilla de potatoes, calamari, bread, asparagus, potato fries, pork, chicken, and dessert. Its safe to say that I was stuffed!!!!! After lunch we went back on the bus and just rode around town. Seville was definitely my favorite part about Spain. After we got back to Cadiz we just relaxed around the city and stayed in for the night. Then on Friday I slept in for the first time on the ship!!!! Except at seven in the morning they decided to do a drill for only the workers. Its mandatory for every week and Friday was the day. The alarm went off for maybe 10 min. I was sooo mad. Thank goodness I was able to sleep in. then Me and Elise and a girl we met Colleen just walked around the city and got wine at a lot of the restraints. This was a very relaxing day. We met a guy on SAS named Chazz and hung out with him the whole day too. We did some shopping and he bought a guitar!!! It was really cool. After that I came back to the ship, called some people and loaded all my videos and pictures onto the computer. Today I also slept in and did some more touring of the city. We went to the market that is every Saturday which was soo cool. There were fish markets and fruit markets. It was such a cultural adventure. We walked around the city for another couple of hours and enjoyed some candy!!! Now I am here. Spain was one of the coolest places I have been. It is crazy being in a different continent and having soo many similarities and differences; such as, mostly men being bank tellers, NO SUV’S, no grass, all the dogs are small, not a lot of teenagers, and many more. I love Spain and would really like to come back one day, maybe when I get better at Spanish. At 8 tonight we are headed for Morocco!!! I have several things planned for this trip and I am anxious to get there. We only have one day at sea and we do not have classes that day!!!!! Yeahhh. Ill keep you guys posted. Adios
Love ya
Michelle

First Stop: ESPANIA!!!

January 28, 2009

Wow, today was absolutely amazzzzzing. It was my first day in Spain, first port of the trip and one of my most fascinating days ever!!! I first woke up at around 7:30 got ready and went to the top of the ship to see us pull into the port, but of course we had already been in port for about an hour and everyone was outside. It was still dark out and very cold. At around 8:30 we were cleared and our day in Spain was just beginning. Elise, Charlotte, Alexandria and I walked around Cadiz for about 3 hours. It is gorgeous, there is no grass on the streets, very similar to NYC, people do not pick up their dog's poop, gross, and there is water everywhere since it is a peninsula. After walking around we decided to get some lunch, the girls got chocolate con churros and I got a bockadia (spelling). I really enjoyed my food, big difference from the food on the boat, and the girls loved their churros!! At 12 we headed back to the boat for our City Orientation tour. I was put on a separate bus than the girls because I was doing this tour for class credit but I really enjoyed myself. We first rode a bus all around the city. Then we got off and walked for about 3 hours. We went to the city hall, the Cathedral museum, Cathedral, and then to an archeological museum. Our tour guide was really nice and I learned sooo much about the city. Plus I got great pictures. After that I met up with the girls and then we got a bottle of wine and sat on the outside patio enjoying ourselves in Cadiz. The wine is absolutely fabulous. After that we booked back to the ship to go to our flamenco night. Of course I did not have my video camera so I had to go back on the ship and get it. Unfortunately, I got left by the bus that the girls were on and had to be alone on another one. But it was ok I still got there and met up with them. Flamenco night was really good, girls danced with horses and some guys did some mock bull fighting with a cow. It was actually pretty sad :( Then we went to get some food and drinks and watch some Flamenco dancers dance. It was really cool and intense. After a long day I finally got back to my room, 11pm, and I am exhausted. I have another long day ahead of me so I better get some sleep. Love everyone

Michelle

God's Blessings

January 27, 2009

We are almost there!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s the 27th of January and we get to Spain tomorrow morning. Me and Elise are going to wake up early and see us actually pull into port. Tomorrow is a pretty busy day, first I am going on the city orientation for about 5 hours and then I am going to Flamenco Night till about 11 at night. This is my first time ever going to Spain and I am very excited. I am also nervous. They gave us a speech about safety while in port. There is some scary stuff out there. I am afraid I am going get pick pocketed :( So today I have pretty much been sleeping, I got up at 9 and went to both of my classes, got packed at 11 and slept till 3:30. Man this time change is really killing me. But thank goodness we do not lose an hour until we leave Spain!!! All in all I am doing pretty well. I am not homesick at all, there are times that I want to see people and most of the time I miss them but it’s not to the point that I want to come home. Everyone on the boat is really nice and I can not wait to get to know them for the next 4 months. A really awesome thing happened to me today. I was at the field office and there is a box there that people put trips that they have bought but do not want anymore. A girl came and gave one of her trips away. So I looked to see which trip it was and it was one that I wanted to go on. It's actually one of the requirements for my class and Elise and my roommate are going on it!!! So I got $150 trip for free!!!! And we are going to Seville, so I get to leave Cadiz and experience more of Spain. So that pretty much made my day. Well I know I am going to be very busy in Spain so I will try my hardest to keep you guys updated when I get back at night. I will also try to get to an internet café and post some pictures on my blog, I have to first figure out how to do that :) I hope everyone is doing well at home and I will try to post as soon as possible.
Love
Michelle

ARGGGHHH!

January 24, 2009
Well today like many others have been filled with class and laying out. But there were several things that changed today. I signed up for several different clubs. The first one that I went to was the 24 hour pirate watch club. It was quite interesting. Of course we are not actually going to watch with the crew when they are ordered to watch out for pirates 24 hours a day but we will be supporting them. I actually just found out today that from South Africa to India the crew is outside on the deck 24/7 with strobe lights watching out for pirates. SCARY!!! But I am thankful that we have the fastest ship. We can outrun those pirates. I also signed up for the extended family. This is a group of about 6-8 students who pair up with the adults on the ship and have meals with them at least once a week. Sometimes they treat you to snacks on the ship and in port. I have heard that you become best friends with your extended family and that they come to your wedding and other events. I hope I get a couple that reminds me of my parents. I also signed up for the pre school program on the boat. A couple times this semester I will be able to work with the kids on the boat. They are all about 5 and under. I get to play games with them, take them swimming, do arts and crafts, etc. I am excited to work with the kids because they are soooo cute. One of the little boys sang a song at the talent show, he was precious, his name is Christopher and he is 4 years old. I miss the kids that I baby sit for :( Well I better get to bed, we lose another hour again tonight so I am officially 4 hours in front of the east coast. Talk about tiring. But its all worth it.
Love u guys
Michelle

Oceans Between Us

January 22, 2009
Well today was my first day of my B classes. They were all pretty good. I don’t think any of my classes will be very hard. I do have a lot of papers and journals to write. But it wont be too bad. For the most part of the day a laid out by the pool and read for one of my classes. I still can not wait until we got to Spain, 5 more days!!!! I promise my blogs will get a lot more interesting when we get to land. I have pretty much been doing the same exact thing, as you can tell. I was able to just stand at the railing looking out into the sea and think about things. A lot of things cross your mind when you look out into an empty sea. I had thoughts from what if I was stuck out in the middle of the ocean all by myself to how the movement of the sea made me think of out lake house and how I would love to be at the lake with my family and friends. But as of right now I am where I want to be. Well I better get to bed; we lose another hour tonight so tomorrow’s classes are not going to be fun :(
I love and miss everyone
Michelle

Journal #3 Janauray 21

Today was the first day of classes. My first one was global studies which was soo boring. Then I had my public speaking class which I really like my teacher. She is a hippie and really cool. However, my class room is at the front of the ship which is the roughest. So of course I got sea sick. When I got back to my room I took a 3 hour nap. I felt rested and went up to the gym to work out, but I found Elise and we sat on the deck watching the water. Im sooo glad I have Elise on this trip, she is a life saver. We were there for about 30 min and a guy that plays the guitar sat beside us and just played for a while, it was so relaxing and nice. Almost every night all the musicians go to the 6th floor and play their instruments. They are amazing. The rest of the day was just left to relaxing and playing apples to apples with some people. We only have 6 more days till Spain and unfortunately every night we lose 1 hour. So by the time we get there I am going to be sooo tired. Its crazy how much I want to socialize with people but Im just too tired. I think that’s how everyone is feeling these days though. Tonight I think im gana watch The Dark Night, they are playing it on TV and I have not seen it yet.LoveMichelle

Journal #2 January 20

I feel much better today. Again today is filled with meetings. Its just like orientation for school, meeting prof, learning about groups, and learning all the rules. All the faculty seem really nice. We watched the inauguration today too. It was crazy to think that in the USA everyone was watching it on the home, work, school or wherever, but I was watching this historical event happen in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!!!! After me and Elise laid out by the pool and relaxed. It was very pretty out. Then we played cards with some friends in one of the rooms. When all the meetings were done we had cake and Champaign (non-alcoholic) of course. Then I called it an early night again. This sea sickness and going to meetings really does ware you out.Love Michelle

Journal #1

Well it’s the second day on the boat and these two days have been crazy. Ill start at the beginning, we left Atlantis at 11 in the morning and made it to the pier ok, the cab drivers are CRAZY. After getting out of the cab I realized how long we would have to wait in line, it was sooo long. After waiting for an hour I got to the security place!! I got through security pretty quickly; my bags did not have to be checked!!! I was a good girl and didn’t pack anything illegal. So after a sad goodbye to my parents and sister I was off to the ship, I was finally there, but not really. I had to wait in another like for about 30 min to get on the ship  It was awful. I had my book bag, purse, and also a very large bag. Buy the time I finally got on the ship I was exhausted then they told me I had to climb up 7 flights of stairs, kill me now I thought. When I got there I was soo happy though because the first face I saw was my friend Elise’s face!!! Thanks goodness. I finally got to my room and met my roommate. Her name is Megan and she is from Texas. She is really nice. Its scary how alike we are; from toothbrush holder, bra, perfume, camera, and so on. I could tell right away they we were gonna get along great. I got some stuff unpacked and put things up on my wall. Then I went out to the top deck to say goodbye to the parents on the pier. It was awesome, I found my parents right away, Lisa started jumping up and down like crazy, my dad was taking videos and im sure my mom was crying. Me and Elise were taking in the moment when three blows went off and we started our voyage. I could not believe the time had finally come. The rest of the day was filled with meetings and dinner. However; I got soooo sea sick. It was not fun, I finally left the meetings and went to bed. This boat is not like a cruise ship. Its very rocky. Its still a shock to me that I am finally on the boat. I miss my loved ones and friends but its all worth it. I could not do this without some very special people
To my parents- I just want to say thank you for allowing me to go on this trip. If it was not for you to I would not be here on the deck looking up and only seeing water surrounding me. You guys mean the world to me and again THANK YOU, I love you guys soo much
You will be hearing from me soon and if you want to email me my address ismjstrickland@semesteratsea.net
loveMichelle

Senor Frogs

Elise has finally made it to the Bahamas!!! she got in yesterday and we went to dinner and then out to Senor Frogs. We met a lot of SAS students. They all seem really nice. Im laying out to the pool again today and its kinda cloudy. since it is not that sunny my mom has told me that she is going to treat me to a massage by the pool!!!! its my valentines day present from my parents :). My parents are awesome, they have supported my through this entire trip, through the good and the bad. I hope i can be half the parent they are when i start a family. Its starting to hit me know that i am leaving tomorrow. Im not that nervous, since elise is going i know i have someone to talk to. Today me and my family and I are laying by the pool and relaxing. We might go to the casino and watch the football game, GO RAVENS!!!! sorry kelsey :) well I better go dont want to miss to much of the sun

Love 

Michelle

paradise

Well as of right now I am laying by the pool with my family. This is pure bliss!! the clouds have finally gone away and the sun is out! I have already met some SAS (semester at sea) students and they are really nice. On sunday we have all planned to get out to dinner and get some drinks together at Senor Frogs. Everyone in my family is doing well. Lisa is enjoying her drinks by the pool and the casino, last night she won 15 dollars!!! i lost 22. Mom is enjoying her time with the family and had a blast riding the rapids, even though she bumped her butt on a rock, and the slid through the shark tank. Dad almost bought moms birthday present today, he went to versace and asked a lady to help him pick out a purse, she said it was 20% off, he was ecstatic when she told him 28, he said 28 dollars, no no she said 28 hundred!! Then he proceeded to walk out the store. He was still in shock when he got back to the room :). He is also enjoying laying out by the pool with the family and going on the adventures not knowing our way around the atlantis resort. As for me I am also having fun playing cards, laying by the pool, and dreaming about all the fun times I am going to have on my trip. Its crazy how quickly this trip has come and I do not even want to think about how fast it is going to go. Tonight we are going to go to dinner and then go to a comedy show. That should be exciting. 

Well i better catch some rays :)

you will be hearing from me soon

love

Michelle

P.S. I will be posting picture soon so keep a look out :)

Atlantis

Hello everyone,

well today is thursday and me and my family is in the Bahamas!!! Yesterday was a day a traveling walking alot!! and for me a lot of sleeping :) The hotel we are staying is AWESOME!!! today we went on extreme rapids and slides. I leave for my trip in 4 days and can not even begin to think about it. Im sooo excited. I miss everyone and hope yall are going well. you will be hearing from me soon

Love

Michelle

Communications

If you want my itinerary and where to send me letters during the trip you can go to this web site

http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/spring-2009/itinerary.php

Getting Ready

Well as some of you know I will be leaving January 19 for the trip of a life time!!! I am going on a program called Semester at Sea. This includes taking 4 classes on a cruise ship with 730 other students and stopping at 17 different places. I am almost all packed and have gotten most of my paper work together. I am extremely excited but also nervous about leaving loved ones. Because I do not have much internet access I will be emailing my mom and she will be posting my blogs. I have not yet received my email address for the trip, which is free internet access, but when i receive it I will post it on the blog so everyone can email me and have direct contact with me. I hope everyone enjoys this blog and gets to travel around the world with me on my blog :)

Have a great day
love everyone
Michelle