Wow, this is finally happening. We set sail for Cadiz, Spain, leaving the coastal town of Halifax behind us. I thought Halifax was really quaint and clean; lots of cool pubs and English influence on menus and architecture. Mary Chandler and I met each other after customs at the airport and shared a taxi to Halifax, about 30 min. away. The British-accented cabby insisted on giving us a history of Halifax, which was interesting.. After checking into the Sheraton, we set out to find a local brew and some grub. We landed (at the concierge’s suggestion) at some place called Electric Shoeshine or something along the likes of that.. cool pub though. I got a good pale ale and mussels, which were less than tantalizing. (Never had ‘em, glad I tried them. Blech. Not a huge fan.)
Aug. 27
The next day we tooled around Halifax and spend money needlessly.. bought Season One of Flight of the Concords (2 New Zealand comics come to NYC.. dry funny humor). Also bought some black low-top Chucks (a.k.a. Converses) that I need to scruff up and break in.. Not the most comfortable right now. We went to a brewery and sat on the deck sampling beer and watched a massive massive cruise ship called the Caribbean Princess take off. It’s sheer volume and size overwhelms everything else, and it’s snaillike pace matched it’s bulk. Compared to that fat princess, the MV Explorer (SAS’s ship) is a little pip-squeak, but FAST. They say it’s the fastest commercial passenger ship in the world. We checked the facebook group when we got back at the hotel and discovered everyone was meeting up at the Westin from SAS, so we decided to do that. Little nervous, but we figured it would be nice to meet at few folks before we sail. So glad we did. We ended up going with this group of 30 to a pub called Henry.. something.. promise I’ll start paying attention to add a little more flavor to this. Mary C knew Anne, a girl that goes to Furman and studies abroad a lot, so she sat at our table, along with Randall, a cute girl from Boston that goes to U Penn in Philly. The girl that got the group together is from Birmingham, and goes to UVA, Leigh Anne Gilbert. She buzzed around a lot at the tables, very outgoing and cute, introducing herself. Everyone on the ship is for the most part extremely extroverted, which makes it easier. And Leigh Ann ended up being my roommate! I think we’re going to get along great.
Aug. 28
Check-in day! MC’s check-in was at 8, so I checked in at her time so we could share a taxi to the boat. I had 2 rolling duffels, a backpack, and a satchel, and I was pretty average compared to the other students. Light packing compared to other girls, heavy compared to guys, I guess. But ya’ll know me, I’m low maintenance almost to a fault (although not as bad as Katie-Chloe). My cabin is preeeeettty small, but we surprisingly have a lot of storage! I was able to completely unpack everything and slide my suitcases under my bed. Which thank goodness, those duffels are miserable! I was ready to throw them down and start kicking them.. They had a mind of their own when it comes to rolling. But definitely the best way to go.. packs so much and compressible! Only have to get through the flight with those suckers. I met the girls beside me in the cabin, Carley (KY) and Bobby Lee (TN), (both go to Kentucky State U), and we went to find breakfast. Wandered down the board walk until we were hit with an incredible aroma of something.. which ended up being crepes. Phenomenal. Egg, tomato, sausage, cheddar, onion, and parsley in a buckwheat crepe. And a nutella one for dessert. YES. Why do people bother with peanut butter when there’s nutella?? I really like Carley and Bobby Lee. Bobby Lee freaked out when she heard I was a Chi O.. she’s one at KSU. We came back to the boat and had an interesting drill where we had to wear long pants, long sleeve, closed toe shoes, and a lovely orange life vest. We all shuffled out to the deck and had to be completely silent for 20 minutes. I could only see the roof of Pier 23, which was covered in bird poop. It was actually kinda artistic and cool looking. I wanted a picture. Oh, those Picasso birds of Halifax. I’ll miss them. We pulled out and I immediately felt the rocking.. weird feeling. Very weird. I thought it would make me sick, but just a little dizzy at first. It rocks you to sleep and I slept like a baby.
Aug. 29
Meetings and orientation allll day today. Nothing of note to report except I think our professors are going to be so cool. They were crackin’ jokes out the wazoo. Start classes tomorrow!
