Before my Semester at Sea began, I spent nearly two days exploring San Diego. It was pretty fun; despite having nearly nothing planned, I saw the beach, ate a ridiculous number of tacos, and spent some time testing out my new(ish) camera.
I began my explorations at the beach. Here I learned just how different the Pacific Ocean is from the Gulf of Mexico. Not only were the waves 100x bigger, but there were also some surfers in the frigid water riding them.
I stayed at the pier until sunset.
The next day, I set off early in the morning to explore the USS Midway before attending the TEDxSAS talk. The Midway was built slightly after World War II, and was the first American ship to have a separate landing and take-off design. Planes would land every 45 seconds during the day, and every minute after dark.
The TED talk was extremely inspirational, featuring exclusively Semester at Sea alumni. There was a professor who decided to teach his online class while traveling the world, and brothers who decided to quit their jobs and successfully sailed the world for 3.5 years (despite barely knowing how to sail).
The talk took place on-board the MV Explorer. While some on-board have said that it’s smaller than they expected, I say it’s much bigger than I imagined. I could see it docked in the pier even as I flew into the city.
I’m now on-board the ship and will continue posting fairly regularly. Stay tuned for more!