The Travel Continues: Post SAS Probs, NYC, Manila

Bye bye, SAS Fa13 *sniff*

It's been a week since I disembarked from the MV Explorer for the last time, and here I am, still trying to figure out how to approach "normalcy" again. I didn't expect to be missing ship life this much because my excitement about going home and seeing my family initially overshadowed the idea of experiencing SAS withdrawals. But now it's hitting me like a strong wave against the stern (pardon the sailing reference.. can't help it). Someone from the voyage posted a 4-second video on our SAS Fa13 Facebook page, showing the MV Explorer leaving the port of Fort Lauderdale, getting ready for another voyage for a whole new set of people. I seriously almost teared up. I actually felt my heart tighten a bit, as I swallowed the reality that the ship I have learned to call home will be welcoming new passengers on board, and that I am not one of them. All of this in that 4-second video. Talk about post SAS probs!

I guess it's a good thing that I still have yet to write about the rest of the ports we've visited (Ghana, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Bahamas) so I can relive my favorite moments in those places as I stroll down memory lane with you guys. But before I begin yet another set of backtrack posts, let me recap what I've been up to this week, aside from silently grieving over the end of my SAS adventure..

16 December 2013
Monday

After all the goodbyes were said and done, my friend Liz dropped me off at the Fort Lauderdale airport 10 minutes away from the ship port around 12:30pm, giving me plenty of time to kill before I can board my flight to Pennsylvania at 6:30pm. I was going to meet up with my sister Kai in Philadelphia before going back home to Manila together on the 19th. I was so psyched because this reunion with my sister was something we both were eagerly waiting for ever since this summer! We were literally counting down the days 'til #KaiNenReunion since August. We planned on going around Philly a bit, and then taking a bus to New York City for a day! But what made us look forward to our reunion more was the fact that we would have someone to endure that looooong travel back home with. A travel buddy makes a world of a difference when you're in transit for over 30+ hours!

Yay for my sister-travel-buddy! And yes, we are of very different skin tones  :p

Anyway, I didn't arrive in Philly until midnight, so when Ate Kai picked me up from the airport, we just headed straight to her dorm at UPenn, got our stuff ready for the next day, and passed out. Tomorrow--New York City!

17 December 2013
Tuesday

Taking the Bolt bus out of Philly at 8am, we arrived in NYC two hours later. The freezing weather did not make our walk to the hotel easy, as we trekked under the sleet for at least a good 20 minutes. My ears were starting to hurt and my fingers were getting numb, but heck, we were in New York! When we finally found the Holiday Inn, we dropped our bags off and went back out into the cold again.

I've been craving for Starbucks like crazy, so I definitely needed one of their
holiday drinks for a quick pick-me-up! Mmm Peppermint Mocha...Yum.

Ate Kai and I just walked around the rest of the afternoon, snapping photos and enjoying being in the city that never sleeps. We covered Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the NBC store that sold
awesome Friends stuff!!! We're both obsessed with this TV show, so we couldn't exit the store without buying any Friends paraphernalia!

The End

Well this is it, everyone. 115 days, 16 countries, 4 continents later, the MV Explorer has reached its final port of call: Hello from Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA! I am feeling a mix of emotions right now; definitely bittersweet. It saddens me leaving the ship I have called home for the past four months, but I am also very excited to go back home and back to Westminster next semester. I just can't believe my semester long adventure is now over. It's going to be so weird walking off that gangway for the last time, looking back at the MV Explorer and knowing I won't be able to just go back whenever I want to.. Waaahh I don't know how to feel! Come hug me!

So long, Fall 2013 Voyage! You've been life changing.
Thank you, Semester at Sea, for the experience of a lifetime.

#mixedfeelings
#theendofthevoyage

Of Lifeboat Drills and Final Countdowns

This morning at 9:00, we had our fourth and last lifeboat drill of the semester. I never liked these drills because it's basically 20 minutes to half an hour of standing in complete silence out on the deck armed with our bright orange life vests while trying to keep our balance against the waves. The only time we were allowed to talk or make a sound is when our Resident Director (RD) calls on our cabin number to check attendance and we have to yell out "Here!"

Although today's drill went painfully longer than the previous three (we were standing for at least a good 45 minutes), it was this drill that reminded me how little time we have left on the ship. It was those 45 minutes of standing and staring out into the ocean when it really just hit me that our voyage is coming to an end. On August 24, 2013, during our first lifeboat drill, I remember thinking that our fourth one would be lightyears away. And yet here we are now, three and half months + four completed lifeboat drills later, storing our life vests back into their compartments for the last time. Today is the 2nd of December, and we officially have exactly two weeks left in the voyage. TWO WEEKS! 

Towards the end of each semester, I feel like I always say how fast time has flown by. This particular semester proved to be no exception; it sped by despite the long stretches at sea! Wasn't it just yesterday when I was stressing over the thousand and one visa applications I had to apply for in order to sail with this program? Wasn't it just yesterday when I flew into London with bags in tow and butterflies in my stomach? 

I'm almost scared to get off the ship and resume "normal life", but then again, I am coming back home to my wonderful family and crazy friends whom I am missing so much! And besides, we all know they make my days anything but normal anyway :) 

Here's to enjoying the last 14 days of my Semester at Sea once-in-a-lifetime adventure! Good news is that Seamester Shenanigans will continue to be up and running with more posts even after the voyage ends. As you know, I am really behind in keeping you guys updated, and with finals coming up, I can honestly say I won't be able to write more backtrack posts anytime soon. I am slowly accepting the fact that I probably won't get you caught up until Christmas break, when I am home and have free time.. AND WIFI! ;)