One Month Reflection

It is just over one month since I disembarked the MV Explorer and returned home from Semester at Sea. It’s been wonderful seeing family/friends, and for once not being rushed while back in Cleveland. The transition back to the US has gone well; though I miss the Baltic Sea, Student Life Team, RDs, and much much more.

Things I miss…

-Waking up in a new port/country every few days.

-Sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean.

-Seeing Amanda practice her jump rope skills each morning.

-Getting new stamps in my passports.

-Having Carla as my personal translator.

-Delicious brunches in Classroom 9!

-My cabin steward, Auxilio (who kept my room looking perfect).

-The Baltic Sea Bandits…miss the awesome 76 students!

-The pseudo-Baltic Sea members…you know who you are.

-Warm weather!

-Living within a 1-minute walk of EVERYONE!

-Eating lunch on Deck 6, aft.

-Student Life Meetings (Eddie: “I don’t have much for you today…”)

-Alison Casey’s witty remarks

-Talking with Astronauts (Kathy & Pinky) on a regular basis.

-Working with the amazing staffs of the Activities Desk & Field Office!

-Nancy, Troy, Percy, & more at the Purser’s Desk.

-Seeing people knitting…all over the ship!

-Being serenaded by Ryan Westra (sometime with Jack singing backup).

-Perry in the Garden Lounge!

-The Fowlers constantly playing ping-pong.

-Eating every meal with friends.

-Sarah’s ridiculous amount of energy…all the time.

-The Young Family!

-Unfiltered comments from Nathan.

-Sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean.

-Leading trivia nights (though usually participants just yelled at me).

-Stargazing from Deck 8 (lights off).

-Jerry & Mandy – best bartenders ever!

-DJ Sammy at every event.

-Seeing the MV Explore at night (with it’s string of lights).

-Too many awesome students to name here.

-Glazer dance parties (and everyone involved)!

-Having a job (especially one that allows me to travel around the world!).

Things I don’t miss…

-“Attention ships company. Attention ships company. For exercise. For exercise. For exercise.”

-Lifeboat Drills

-Calling someone I see everyday by the wrong name

-Only being able to eat meals at certain times

-The lack of ranch dressing

-Thinking I got iced tea, but it turning out to be apple juice (and vice versa)

-Not having enough space for board games & sports equipment behind the Activities Desk

-The constant rocking of the ship (especially in the RD Office)

-Running into things (because of the rocking)

-Not being able to open doors until the ship rocks the other way

-Traveling with my passport (and hoping I don’t lose it)

-Cabin Searches & Incident Reports

-Having whole, genuine conversations with people whose name I can’t remember

-Not being able to watch sports

-Working Beverage Service

-The VIP Room

-Not being able to talk with family/friends on a regular basis

Thanks to everyone who has kept up with my blog as I travelled around the world. Semester at Sea was such a great opportunity and I have very few regrets from the entire voyage. What’s next for me is still up in the air, but I’ll be sure to update everyone, once I figure out the “what’s next” part.

Here is my current contact information for any who might need it:

-Mailing Address: 6804 Middlebrook Blvd., Middleburg Heights, OH 44130

-Email: david.vale112@gmail.com

-Phone: 440-391-4851

"But love, honest love, requires empathy. It is a sharing - of joy, of pain, of laughter, and of tears. Honest love makes one's soul a reflection of the partner's moods. And as a room seems larger when it is lined with mirrors, so do the joys become amplified. And as the individual items within the mirrored room seem less acute, so does pain diminish and fade, stretched thin by the sharing. That is the beauty of love, whether in passion or friendship. A sharing that multiplies the joys and thins the pains."