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......