Today was the first day, since we embarked on the voyage where we saw sunny skies. That is the first thing that I notice every morning at breakfast; the weather! Everyone at breakfast was talking about how bright it was outside. The sun makes the ocean look even more blue than it already is!
After breakfast, I went up to the Garden Lounge (it also functions as a dining hall during mealtimes) to hopefully get some peace and quiet so I could accomplish some of my homework. Certain lounges and locations on the ship are designated as quiet zones so that students can get some of their homework done. It was just so pretty outside I couldn't help myself but go and see what the it was like outside. It was gorgeous! I sat outside and continued my readings on the back deck of the ship. It was shorts and t-shirt like weather. Many girls were up on the pool deck out in their swimsuits enjoying the weather. Sadly, I had to return inside to attend my Digital Media course. I had lunch with a few Life Long Learners on the ship and then had to scurry off to my next class.
Nap time! Naps have become my best friend on the ship. After my nap, I realized I needed to figure out how to send assignments to my professors into the ship's drop box. I had to have an IT guy help me figure out how to add the drop box to my computer so I could easily drop my paper that was due today in. Here I come, Oswin! On my way to the IT/computer lab I dropped by the Purser's desk. I needed to get a form so that while in Shanghai, my dad could come and see where I have been and will be spending much of my time. The ship is pretty high security place for visitors to come on. So he will need to be approved by the Semester at Sea organization as well as the MV Explorer's crew prior to coming on the ship.
After receiving the paperwork, I went and worked on my readings. I don't remember having so much reading at CU Boulder. Classes on the ship are a little bit different because one of the only ways teachers can provide information to the students is through the textbook. At CU Boulder many professors provide alternative supplemental forms of media to complement their lectures such as YouTube videos. Many professors are forced to make an adjustment to their usual teaching style.
Lauren and I snuck off to dinner shortly after. Lauren is my dinner partner! Afterwards, we had to attend a mandatory pre-port meeting. It is a time that Semester at Sea and the Shipboard Institute teach faculty, staff, students, and the Unreasonable Institute folks what to expect, how to stay safe, and important information about the final departure from the U.S.. Semester at Sea provides students with a green piece of paper with important telephone numbers, suggestions on what to do, and information on getting back on the ship.
After the meeting, I went to another Unreasonable Institute session. This time they had Deepak, a 24-year-old college dropout from India. He is the founder of the largest offline search engine in the world, known as Innoz. Basically, it is a way for people with "dumb" phones to ask questions just as people with "smart" phones are able to do with search engines such as Google. Innoz, leapfrogs the Internet via SMS (text messages) and allows over 120 million users to submit over five million inquires per day.
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