Making Connections

I am thankful that I have lived without communication tools other than pen and paper before this trip. While many others on the ship seem to be constantly frustrated by the troubles with our Internet connection, I rarely even think about using it. In hearing the stories of those who have participated in previous SAS voyages where there was no Internet connection or cell phone access, there is no doubt in my mind that these “advances” in the services provided on the ship negatively impact the shipboard community in multiple ways. All the time currently spent waiting for Facebook walls to load, emails to be sent, blogs to be updated, etc. would instead be invested in conversations and social activities with each other. It is not that these things do not happen, but when you have no choice but to be with each other in a confined space for days on end relationships are bound to form. And the fewer distractions the more these relationships will grow.

Last night I was sitting in Tymitz Square (reception area of the ship where the Purser’s Desk, Student Life, Field Office, and Administrative Offices are located) talking with a few people I have come to feel some sense of belonging among. Before too long we were teaming up and discovering who could and couldn’t hum, spell, draw and all the other talents Cranium forces one to share. Board games are magic in a box. Whether you know people well or hardly at all, they provide a framework for spending time together. They ease the awkward moments of relationship development and give people a sense of purpose in being together. It seems odd to think we would need a reason to spend time together, but I think we often do. We check out a lot of games at the Student Life Desk, but I am betting we’d be checking out a whole lot more if the computers offered nothing more than tools for completing academic work.

I wonder how much time participants spend in port reconnecting with home. As any of you reading this know, I have not been diligent in updating my blog throughout this voyage. I had every intention of spending a couple hours in an Internet Café while we were in India to upload photos and catch up on entries in my blog. In the end though, Jennifer and I were running to be back on the ship on Friday by 1900 hours when we were both supposed to report for gangway and immigration process duty. It only took me a couple of hours after getting off the ship in Chennai to realize I would need to return to India for at least three months to be able to experience everything I wanted to see and do. It was only after returning to the ship that I realized I had not even taken the time to purchase any postcards to send home. That’s odd for me, as I still prefer communicating with pen and paper.