Fini

After 112 days of sailing, I'm now on firm ground with my bulldog, Alyce, beside me. I'd like to think she knew I was gone nearly 4 months, but it's probably more likely that she thinks I just went to the store. The welcome home from friends, family, and co-workers has been much more sincere.

After the stop in Hawaii and a week of exams, we had almost 3 days to unwind in Costa Rica, our last official port. There isn't a lot of positive press on Puntarenas, where we were docked, but sometimes having no expectations is best. Although the beaches within 3 hours of our port were all black sand beaches, they were cleaner than I expected, and the view from the ship was gorgeous. Plus, the town was quaint and offered some excellent local food. Most of the shipboard community took off for surfing beaches and rain forests all over Costa Rica, so the 75 of us who stayed behind felt like we had the place to ourselves.

After leaving Costa Rica, we spent almost an entire day going through the Panama Canal (complete with commentary throughout the day from our resident science prof), gathered for our formal Ambassador's Ball, and crammed in library cleanup, packing, and saying our goodbyes over the remaining three days. We rolled into Miami before 8 a.m. on Dec. 14, greeted by screaming parents and families meeting the ship. While this was the moment many of us had been longing for, it also became very real that what had now become comfortable and familiar was coming to an end.

I don't think I realized what I had done until I heard someone at work this week tell another person, "Cathy just came back from sailing around the world." But then I recalled picking up the students in the Bahamas and those first ports of Brazil and Namibia, and it started to sink in. I won't even try to express how it's affected me or what it all means, but will leave you with a thank you for following me along the way. And thanks to all who kept in touch by e-mail. And to Bruce for the songs.

Pictures: Dusk at Puntarenas Beach in Costa Rica; Molly and me with our 5 students, saying farewell in the library; me with students Michaela and Lauren at the Ambassadors Ball; my shipboard sanctuary "Myrtia," #4093.

Across the Pacific

I couldn't really give this blog entry the title of "Hawaii" since I was only there for 8 hours, compared to 18 days on the Pacific Ocean. But after 9 days of sailing and working, it was a nice break AND Thanksgiving. I think 99% of the ship took the bus to Waikiki beach, just 5 miles away, but I was tipped off by a former librarian who sailed, who told me about Ala Moana beach, just a mile walk from the ship. There wasn't a tourist in sight, and more importantly at this point in the voyage, not a soul from SAS. It didn't quite register that we were actually in the United States, and in fact, when someone asked me where I was from, my answer was "Virginia, in the United States." And he replied, "I'm from New Hampshire, in the United States." So I thought it was interesting, then, that the only restaurant besides KFC that we found open for dinner was a Korean restaurant, where everyone inside was Korean, and we had to point to the pictures on the menu to order. Ah, felt like the good ol' days.......

After Hawaii, we set sail for another 9 days across the Pacific, and we're almost to Costa Rica. Students were writing papers last week and are taking exams this week, so there's lots of library activity. I'm also working on the list of "end of voyage" duties, and trying to sneak a little time outside each day since I've heard it's not 78 degrees at home. More to come from Costa Rica and the Panama Canal......

Pictures: Ala Moana Beach; interesting tree in Hawaii; the infamous dining room's iceberg lettuce (served twice daily!); me on my morning treadmill run; students studying really hard for exams.