Shipboard Life

I realize I haven’t said much of anything about shipboard life. It’s a bit like living on an island, which I have done multiple times. The big difference is that this one feels fairly crowded, and there is no way to escape from others except to go to my cabin. I really don’t give it much thought. Having lived in a residence hall for the past three years I think prepared me well for the all-inclusive package.

Ship terminology: Starboard (right side), Port (left side), Aft (back), Forward (front). Don’t confuse Port side with being in port. We are “in port” when we stop at a country.

I am very lucky to have a cabin to myself. Our Director of Student Life shared with us that when she sailed as a Resident Director, they all shared cabins. I don’t think I would have taken the job if that were the case. As much as no one does this for the money, there is a limit to the circumstances under which I would work for so little. At the same time, all of us on staff have inside cabins, no windows, no natural light. It is a bit like living in a cave. This makes for great sleeping conditions, but it’s a bit disorientating in the morning when you expect some light. Not having a window also makes it not a very pleasant place to go to relax during the day (outside of napping). We have a lounge on the 7th Deck forward, which is only for faculty, staff, and life long learners (adult passengers who pay to participate in the program not for college credit). Being in the front of the ship with windows on three sides and an outside deck, it provides something of an escape when needed.

For the most part we can get anything we need on the ship. The store sells merchandise printed with Semester at Sea and MV Explorer on it somewhere. A fairly significant percentage of the participants purchased SAS sweatshirts in the first week, as the ship is kept very cold. We can also buy school and office supplies, toiletries, first aid supplies, and other travel needs in the store. Everything gets charged to our shipboard account by swiping our SAS ID, and the credit card we attach to these accounts is automatically billed on a set schedule. If you don’t want to give the ship a credit card you can put cash in your account.

There is a food venue open all day from 7:00 am – 12midnight even when we are in port. Purchases work the same way at the Piano (Deck 6 central) and Poolside (Deck 7 aft) Snack Bars as they do in the store. Both locations offer candy, beverages (hot and cold), chips, etc. for purchase. The Poolside area has a more extensive menu including grill items, smoothies, ice cream, pizza, and more. This is also the space where the AFTer Hours social time is hosted. Students can purchase alcohol at two times on the ship: during dinner (1730-1930) they are allowed two drinks, and during AFTer Hours (2100 – 2300) they are allowed four drinks. The Resident Directors take turns monitoring AFTer Hours with the Security Team.

We also have televisions in our rooms, which do not receive reception in most countries (sometimes in port), but are used to project videos for the film courses and other educational purposes. We also have a channel specifically for SeaTV, which is produced by the students on the ship. And of course, there is one channel which continuously updates where we are exactly, the time, temperature, etc. They play music on this channel, so it functions as the ship’s radio station without a DJ, too. I turn it on regularly when I am in my cabin as background noise.

You can go to the Semester at Sea website to take a virtual tour of the ship. My cabin is a standard cabin with two single beds, but my Cabin Steward Edwin put them together at my request to make a larger bed. It’s much more comfortable and makes me keep my room tidier. When I had the beds separate, I would throw lots of crap onto the one I didn’t sleep on which only made the room less appealing. Plus, Edwin would always straighten my mess, which made me feel terrible. It’s very weird to have someone come into my cabin and make my bed and clean my bathroom (and any other general cleaning he thinks should happen) every day. Edwin is great, and I have absolutely no concern about him coming into my room. It’s just uncomfortable to have someone picking up after me at “home.” Having been in some of the students’ rooms, it is also a bit embarrassing to me to know that their cabin stewards are sifting through their messes to make their beds and tidy their room. Some of the students are absolute slobs, men and women! It’s quite disgusting. The cabins provide plenty of space for me, but I am sure it feels like tight quarters for all those who share.

What else? Student Life has two spaces. We have a working office on the 6th Deck forward in a small area on the way to the Bridge. There are three work spaces and some storage space, which is enough for us to get things done most of the time. The biggest struggle is that when the ship is rocking and rolling, it can be difficult to sit in there without feeling like you are going to hurl. Thankfully, we also have a computer at the Student Life Desk in Tymitz Square. Tymitz Square is the central area on Deck 5 hosting the Purser’s Desk, the Field Office & Desk, the Administrative Team and Student Life. It’s basically the communications vortex of the ship, which makes for a great space to be at any time day and night. I really enjoy working at the Desk. It allows me to get to know participants and maintain relationships with individuals I otherwise would not see often.

That covers the most important things for now. If you have questions, email them to me at studentlife@semesteratsea.net. Put “for Laura” in the subject line, and I will get it.