Hello All!

I am writing from the SAS Ship the MV Explorer!! So far, ship life is ok…..I can feel the ship moving a lot more than I thought I would be able to, but no real sea sickness yet! I miss you all more than you can imagine! On the ship, the time changes all the time, and today the clock needed to be set ahead by an hour, and I had thought that I had set my clock ahead…..turns out I didn't and I ended up sleeping in and missing my first class! Ops! Today we were able to go out on the deck and catch some sun….everyone here on the boat is super skinny and super sun-tanned! So I felt even more fat and pale than usual.. :( I had my first Comm. class today, and so far I think that I am really going to like it! I am getting along well with my roomie so far, and am glad that I know some folks here on the ship already……..It seems like a lot of people came with people that they already knew, but still I am trying to meet new people. Today I also purchased a SAS sweat shirt…….because of its high price tag…$46.00, I think that it will be my only souvenir from the ship! On the boat, we never exchange real money…….everything gets charged to your own personal ship ID card. I think this is extremely dangerous because we never feel like we are spending money and so we can accumulate a large bill in a very short while. Aside from the usual dining hall food, we can purchase snacks using our ship account. Things like ice cream, candy, water, smoothies, clothing and school supplies are all available for a price ranging between 1.50 (candy) and 50+ (clothing and accessories). Tomorrow we will be in Puerto Rico and I am so excited! I have signed up for a few trips like a welcome ceremony and an African roots tour….I’m not exactly sure what these are, but I am hoping that they will be fun! I have learned that I only have about 400 Internet minutes, and after that I have to pay $.40/minute so I need to use them sparingly. I will be updating my blog 2-3 days after each port so be sure to check it for updates! I am wishing that I had brought a few extra things with me, but I hear Puerto Rico has a Walmart and so I am planning on buying a few things there!
I miss you all very much and hope that all is well, please write back and let me know how things are!
~Valerie