Technically we are on a SHIP. But everyone else calls it a BOAT. Life on the boat has gotten a lot better. I mean the food is getting worse because I have the same thing for every meal…pasta, bread & oil, vegetables, and maybe some meat if it looks edible. Then if there is good soup and dessert those are always options. The bananas are a hit or miss. One day they are completely fresh and ripe, the other it looks like a cow pile of bananas. I’m also pretty sure the ice-maker broke on the water machine and the water flow is also VERY slow. But today I discovered a new water bottle that 2 people have. I forget the name of the brand but its got like 2 layers of insulation. My friend Natalie said she put ice and water in it yesterday morning, and when I drank out of it tonight it was still super ice cold.Anyway, I am actually making friends. I was scared the first week that I wouldn’t because everyone was in these huge groups and all I had was Kelli and Val. But now I have an awesome group!(: Also there are 60 kids from the University of San Diego which make up 1/6 of the whole student population of the boat. I also have friends from other groups so it’s nice! I met a kid whom lived across the hall from Hanna sophomore year at Bentley University.
Activity-wise, there are lots of clubs on this boat. Today I just joined the Jewish Cultural Club where we talked about our experiences going to the concentration camps in Poland and Germany or to the Ghettos and Holocaust museums and memorials. What I am most excited for everyday is SOCCER CLUB. The kid who organized it is named Arde (Are-D, his nickname) and he’s cool along with all the others who play! It’s basically pickup for all levels. We usually count off for teams or Arde picks them to make them even. It’s so much fun because it IS competitive, but it’s competitive where people don’t get pissed off. We just laugh and have so much fun playing. We actually play on the basketball court that is enclosed by a huge net. It’s pretty small so we play 3 vs 3, but its soooo much fun. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed soccer this much in a while, which is kind of sad.I’m getting into the groove of life here, getting settled into my friend group, but always making new friends and meeting new people. It’s crazy that after the Belgium/France over land trip (I still have to eventually write about Poland/Germany) I will have been on this boat for a month (week wise)! It still feels like the beginning of the voyage, which it kind of is, but I know time is going to start flying by and I won’t even know it.