Vicki Cristina Barcelona

It has been a full week on the ship. I can't believe it. Most of that time has been spent in the middle of the Atlantic. With so much stuff happening I'll try to categorize:


Shipboard Community
Being a Resident Director is no easy task. It seems like we never stop working...unless you can hide in your room for a nap for an hour. My hours are usually about 11:30am/12pm - 12am. To literally live within the student community is exactly that. You can't escape. If you go to the gym and leave all sweaty, you walk past everyone. If you're in pj's and want to go grab water, you'll run into folks. It's a very interesting microcosm of modern day society.

Meals
I will be happy not to see pasta and potatoes for a very long time. I cannot WAIT to get to spain and have something besides salad, pasta, fish, and steamed veggies. I will say the ship does a good job in providing healthy eating options. But there's only so many varieties of fish, so many varieties of pasta and red sauce, and so many salad dressings before it becomes pretty repetitive. I was super excited yesterday to buy a grilled cheese sandwich from the 7th floor deck. They sale sandwiches, burgers, frozen yogurt, smoothies, and fries for a small fee. I'm making my best effort not to utilize this option at all. 1) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in my room and board. 2) Those small amounts can add up big time, as everything you buy on the ship gets charged to your shipboard account at the end of the voyage.


Hair
It's so awesome when you see someone else with curly hair! It's kind of like finding that one other Black person in the classroom and the relief that comes with it. I def brought the wrong conditioner with me and was walking around like a cotton ball. Today I went to the salon upon seeing they offered Morocconoil products and bought the hair masque. BEST thing ever!!! I HIGHLY recommend it for my curly-hair folks. You use it once or twice a week and leave it in for 5-7 minutes. Hair comes out completely hydrated....but the frizz and humidity is still leaving it's impression. Oh well, the bigger the hair the better. :-)


POC
I'd be lying if I said it's easy being a person of color aboard the ship. It's a predominately White space. Culture Shock is real. I knew what I was walking into, but it's always different being in it. I started Prism at Sea, a support group for students of color on board the ship. The very first meeting lasted two hours. The space is very much needed and the challenges are real. There are folks that have openly said they've never been around Black people and don't quite know how to act around them. Yup...it's 2012. Smh. The work never ends but luckily for me the experiences I have had both personally and professionally have prepared me for such a role and to be a source of support for students. I just have to ensure I practice my own self-care. It is cool that most of the senior level administration is of color. 3 of the 5 deans (in various areas) are of color. :-)


Balance
Trying to create some sort of schedule in this role can be hectic. We lose an hour a day literally 2 consecutive days in a row every two days. So losing days of your lives is rough. I haven't been to breakfast in awhile! LOL - but I've started going to the gym in the mornings to start my day. It's definitely helped my energy level, psyche, and sense of balance. I'd also like to continue to still fit in my summer clothes. :-) I plan to eat my way through Europe so might as well start the running now.

Overall I STILL cannot believe I'm here. It seems so surreal. I'm making efforts to enjoy everyday as if it's my last and soak it all up. 2 months is going to pass my quick, and I know this! I will look back wishing I took more pictures, spent more times in the hallways, spent even less time sleeping, etc. I try to keep these thoughts in the forefront always.

This weekend is the Sea Olympics. Saturday and Sunday all of the "seas" (decks) will be competing against each other in a number of games. My sea is the Adriatic Sea, purple is our color, and we plan to WIN, WIN, WIN!!! Should be exciting. :-)

Until the next time......

I am coming up on my second FULL day at sea. Somehow it still hasn't settled in that I am on my way to Barcelona, Spain. Sea sickness is real and living vibrant amonst the ship community. Even those like myself who have never felt any symptom of motion sickness are feeling the effects. They give out a form of dramamine in bulf for free aboard ship. It's crazy to look out from any window and see nothing but blue water. We're literally in the middle of the Atlantic!!

The student are all loaded up and on board. I met my residents last night. Very cool. They're representing from across the US. I even have some Cali folks and a current APU undergrad student. Most folks think I'm a student as well. Go figure....

I created a "call" for my deck. I'm over the Adriatic Sea. So to make ourselved known on board and in community spaces if anyone calls out "Adriatic Sea" the response should be "YOU, YOU, YOU KNOW!" Yah, I can be a little crazy.

Okay off to dinner. Trying to get in some quick blogging here and there when I can.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @hbrownie22

Calm Before the Storm

I made it to Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was a rough day: 24 hours of no sleep, a 6am flight, and then a combination of a little over 5 hours of flying time. I forgot what high humidity feels like. And I nearly fell over twice with the ridiculous amount of weight in my travel backpack. Needless to say I'm a little wiped out, but adrenaline has kept me going all day....well, that and the FREE wine and beer happy hour put on by the hotel. Let me tell you, that extra full glass of red wine was a blessing in disguise after being on the plane all day long!

Met my "crew". I'm excited for the relationships I've already built, and ones still to come. I've got my travel buds, and we're more than ready for the adventures to come! Reality still hasn't set in. We received our orientation itinerary for the next 5 days. I cannot believe this time tomorrow I will be sailing over the Atlantic heading to the Bahamas for student pick up.

As I sit here in my hotel room listening to the soothing sounds of thunder, lightening, and rain, I am nervous, anxious, and excited. There will be roughly 46 students on my floor, the Adriatic Sea. Our floor color is purple. I know I will be challenged in ways that I have not yet faced, but I see this as the opportune time to grow personally and professionally. I have so many expectations for myself for this voyage - being great at my job (Residence Life isn't my normal functional area), creating community with my floor during the short 2-month span, and taking full advantage of this trip and the places I'll be going to. Once we pick them up and do a brief orientation it's off to the first port - Barcelona, Spain!!!

Wow, let me pinch myself really quickly......

Oh, this is what living in a dreamworld feels like. :-)

24 hours into delirium....

So true to form I stayed up all night. What's the point of sleep when you have a 6am flight? I am packed and ready to embark on this trip....heavy a** backpack an all. My toiletries have a suitcase of their own. Yes, I nearly tipped over in the Southwest check-in line...more than once. Yes, folks were staring at me probably wondering where I'm going. And yes, Black people travel.

It a sunny 85 degrees at only 8am in Florida. I'm in a sweatshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. With a heavy a** backpack, a suitcase that was over 3 lbs, a mini backpack, an a small duffle bag (on hand for overweight bag challenges). I am OFFICIALLY ready...to sleep...after I eat my oh do FREE breakfast...from home. Thanks Starbucks for free water.

Florida here I come!!

The Day Before the Opportunity of a Lifetime

The countdown has begun.......

It's official. The time has come. I leave tomorrow morning for Ft. Lauderdale, FL!! For those unaware I have been hired on as a Resident Director with Semester at Sea Summer Voyage 2012. I will be traveling to Spain, Italy, Morocco, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, and Portugal. My Europe travel bucket list will literally be checked off after this summer!!

I still cannot believe the opportunity that is before me. I am both blessed and humbled. Those that know me know traveling is my ultimate passion. I prayed and prayed last year for something that would allow me to travel. Anyone working in any type of education segment knows that money does NOT come readily and it takes forever to save. Now I get to work, travel, and add this experience to my professional resume. :-D

 I am full of emotions: anxiety, happiness, nervousness...you name it I've probably gone through it. I don't know what to expect. I wonder what the students will be like, who will be on my floor, why I couldn't bring Vito....

As an extrovert my biggest anxiety point when moving to a new location or embarking on an s if I'm going to meet people to connect with. Folks laugh at me every time I say this because I tend to meet and connect pretty quickly in most settings. LUCKILY that's already happened. I've got a great co-worker that I've already began to bond with. I guess it's the Woo in me. ;-) (student affairs inside info)

We'll see how well I do with this whole blog mumbo jumbo. I hope to use it as a way you all can follow my thoughts, pictures, woes, and adventures. Now if I can only figure out how to upload the photos from my phone to this blog site........