My friend Doris Jensen will understand when I say that when you're close to it, you become attuned to the sounds and rhythm of the ocean so that your mind almost slows down or gears up to match it. She and I spent two weeks together on the island of Zanzibar, my childhood home.
We had a little bungalow right on the beach, under tall palm trees, our veranda facing the sea. In the early morning we walked the beach, picking up shells, examining old 'beached' fishing boats, escaping the village dog packs! Later we watched as children walked to school carrying their books or, in some cases, cycling along the beach. We watched as their mothers, aunts and grandmothers worked in the sea, where sticks emerged marking their individual plots, to gather seaweed. These were government sponsored women's collectives who sold their seaweed to companies world wide for the manufacture of toothpaste among other things. We sat on our veranda and watched the tide coming in and the fisherman in a nearby village taking their boats out...and so on throughout the day. Our activities were more governed by the tides than the clock!
We seem to be lulled into a kind of mechanical habit on the ship. Depending on classes and meals we wander the corridors, carrying our books, smiling vague smiles and muttering greetings as we go. I have reverted to the tropical custom of many years and lie on my bed reading in the afternoons until 2.20 pm or 3.45 pm, my own class times. After class there is the 5 pm social hour in the faculty lounge where our brilliant barman, Mandy, effortlessly hands out drinks and 'slips' for signature. He barely pauses to ask for orders...he knows and remembers!
There are seminars in the evenings if one chooses or, as George and I tend to do, you can 'escape' to your cabin to watch a movie, read a book or go to your computer. We relish our down time alone on many evenings.
To explain that last statement: one of the greatest disadvantages of this voyage (and there aren't many!) is the fact that one is rarely alone. George is accessible, as are all the other Profs nearly 12 hours a day. This is wonderful in many ways. It has given us both an opportunity, rare on land based campuses, to really get to know students and for myself attending classes with them has added to that. We also share our lives every day with other 'participants' be they faculty members or life long learners. THere is great satisfaction and pleasure to be gained from this but again 'alone' time becomes increasingly important to one's state of mind. We have both realised that we need that....especially as the voyage draws to an end.
We are fortunate enough to have a large cabin and balcony so one huge pleasure which we share is simply observing the changing moods of the sea and sky. For me this is the sheer magic of travelling by sea which I have done since my early childhood.
Today there is an air of incredulity about the ship. We are docked in Honolulu, Hawaii to bunker or re-fuel. We are not allowed to leave the ship, the first day we have anchored in an American port for three months. I rarely complain about decisions made by Semester at Sea (I benefit so much from its existence)but this is a foolish one in my opinion. To deny 450 students the possibility of stepping on to American soil after three months away from home seems both cruel and somehow punitive. Tomorrow is American Thanksgiving and we shall spend 12 hours in Hilo, Hawaii. Hardly sufficient time for them to get to know the place, let alone the fact that they are miles from home on such a significant day. Passengers on this ship are nearly all American citizens, many of them away from home and family for the first time in their lives....this is at the very least a questionable decision.
Another wonderful aspect of life on board is our extended family. We have four 'daughters', Emma, Rachel, Ngerry and Lilly. They are a delightful quartette and tonight we have been celebrating Thanksgiving. We had a turkey dinner in the Garden lounge, with pumpkin pie followed by an ice cream cake...even Emma who tells us she can eat anything was daunted! (The ice cream cake was my separate idea and in the event quite unecessary!) Our present family is the greatest fun and we hve enjoyed them so much. It is lovely to hear them calling our "Hi Mum!' "Hi Dad!" as we go about the ship.
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