The End

12/04/09-12/05/09
We were woken up at 545 am by some Hawaiian music and then a message from Rita telling us we had to get out of bed we were pulling into Honolulu. So I oh so happily got out of bed and got ready for my face to face inspection. Our sea didn’t get called until later so I probably could have slept in at least another hour, oh well. After the inspection Kirstin and I went to breakfast outside on Deck 6. It was a beautiful morning and I was really excited to be back in the US. Mackenzie came and sat with us too so we talked for awhile. Then we decided once the ship is cleared to get off the ship for a little bit to see what is around the port area and how Lindsay is going to come get me. First, we had to get holes punched in our ID’s and have them on a string in order to get off. Apparently, port security is strict and is making us wear them around our necks at all times. Then I met Mackenzie downstairs and we walked to the end of the gangway and jumped together onto US ground. Then we walked around the port for a little while and realized everything was closed. We had to wait to get back on because the Coast Guard had to clear the ship too. Eventually we got back on and I went back to my room to get ready for Lindsay to pick me up. I went outside and waited for her and eventually we found each other. She showed me all of the wonderful things Hawaii has to offer; pay to park EVERYWHERE. it was definitely good to see her and our first stop was Dave and Busters for lunch. After that we headed to Waikiki to do some shopping. I got some souvenirs and t-shirts and we grab a drink at Jimmy Buffett’s. Eventually we headed back to her house to relax before going out for the night. I attempted to nap; it failed. We took a taxi into Waikiki and our night began. We went to a couple bars there and I had a lot of fun. Mackenzie met up with us too. We took a taxi home and stopped at Jack-in-the-box. Some good ol’ fast food at 3am. Eventually we went to sleep. The next morning we woke up and didn’t know what to do all day. So we started drinking and headed to the bar for the entire afternoon. Needless to say I cut it close getting back to ship on time. There was a stampede of people running to the door to go through security. Somehow I squeezed through and went through the metal detector first. Apparently I had something on me that was metal and I couldn’t figure it out. They patted me down and let me go. So I had my belt in my hand, my pants were falling down, and the LLC’s were waving you on to run to make it in time. I made it with 12 minutes to spare. I relaxed for a little while then went to dinner with my friends. We watched the ship pull away and then I went to bed.
12/06/09
The next day I woke up and got breakfast with Kirstin. I honestly felt like the 10 hours of sleep I just got was a nap. We sat with Katy and Brianne. Kirstin had her trip and would be back in the afternoon so I just went back to bed and relaxed until then. We went out into Hilo in the afternoon and grabbed some lunch. It was delicious, I had a crab quesadilla. Since it was Sunday not much was open so we walked around a bit and then walked back to the ship. We hung out and watched some movies and grabbed dinner on Deck 7. I’m relaxing for the rest of the night. I don’t enjoy the port of Hilo and honestly think it’s the worst one. There just isn’t anything to do around here.
12/07/09
The next day I decided to stay on the ship because it wasn’t really nice outside and I didn’t want to waste money on things I didn’t want to do. I spent the day texting and catching up with my friends until about 3pm. Kirstin had the 5k race so I figured I would find Erin and see what she was doing. We decided to go to the bar while she was running. There were 4 other girls in the bar and us. Eventually it got packed and it was a lot of fun. We had some drinks and food and relaxed. Eventually we headed back to the ship and hung out for a bit. I talked to two of my friends from school Danielle & Janine. It made me really excited to go back to the East Coast and to school. Then I went to dinner and there was a BBQ which is rare so of course I was happy. Then there was an announcement that we had a mandatory meeting in the Union at 8pm. So, we wasted some time and then went to the Union. Due to a storm and extremely rough seas we cannot progress forward and we cannot stay in Hilo. WE ARE GOING BACK TO HONOLULU! I was sooooo excited. I called Lindsay and told her what happened; she would pick me up in the morning! So, I went to bed.
12/08/09
Lindsay came and got me at 11am and we hung out all day at her house. We drank a few beers and caught up on everything. It was what I needed. She dropped me off at the ship later and I just rested for the night.
12/09/09
I had to get up in the morning to study for my exam; International Law… FUN! I woke up early today to study for International Law. I spent all morning studying, reading over my notes, and all the readings. I felt really prepared for it. So I grabbed lunch with my friends and then did a little bit of studying and headed to the final. It was much easier then the midterm and I think I did really well. It was two essays and I finished with only about 10 minutes to spare. Then, I had another final back to back so I went to that one next. It was Sociology of Marriage and Family. Those were short answer questions. So, by the end of the two exams I could not feel my fingers or my hand. After I was finished; I was relieved. All I had left was 1 more final and it was going to be easy. So I kicked it into relaxation mode. I had dinner with my friends and we watched Crash. I’m heading to bed soon, I’m exhausted. Oh PS. We were still docked in Honolulu all day until 4pm. It was annoying that we couldn’t get off the ship!
12/10/09
Today I woke up and realized I don’t have any school work to worry about. So I just hung out all morning and went to lunch with my friends. I talked with Mackenzie for awhile and got lunch with her at 1315. Then I decided to sit outside and get some sun all afternoon. The Ambassador’s Ball was coming up and I was not looking my best. I spent about 2 hours outside which obviously resulted in some serious tan I mean sunburn. After that I went to dinner with my friends around 6 and then hung out with Kelsey and them for awhile. Eventually I came back to my room and read Kirstin’s history paper over for her. We watched a movie for awhile and then I think my exhaustion kicked in so I needed to go to bed. It was probably all that sunburn I got haha.
12/11/09
Today I woke up and decided to actually start packing. I’m actually almost done now! After that I went to lunch and then met up with Kelsey and them. We decided to sit outside for awhile on Deck 5. I got some sunburn again as usual. Then, I went to my 3pm exam which was Deviance and Social Control. That went pretty well and then it hit me that exams are over and I’m back in the US in a few days. After my exam I filled out the Customs papers for US Customs which included all my purchases and the totals. That was an annoying process as I just packed ALL of my souvenirs!! Eventually I went to dinner and then we had logistical pre-port. It was sad that it was our last one. They showed us the video that you get once you are accepted, it made me really sad. After preport I hung out with the girls and ate at snack time. I headed to bed after the game and realized it was our last time change… sad, very sad.
12/12/09
Today was rough, it was our first day of nothing.. well we had re-entry/reflection, but none of which was required. It was extremely helpful and gave us a ton of good advice about going back to the United States. After we heard the panels speak about their different experiences on SAS we processed to the back of the ship and threw our flowers into the ocean. We did get a closing ceremony from Stella nd Earl which was adorable. We met up on deck 7 and that is when a lot of people broke down. It was then we all realized it’s over. After that I headed to my room to shower and stuff as the Ambassador’s Ball was starting in a few hours and my dinner seating was 8pm. I got ready and met my friends downstairs in their rooms. We took pictures together and made our way to dinner. We had to wait a little bit to be seated but it was really nice. Upon walking in you got a glass of champagne that was AMAZING. I wish I could have stole a couple more glasses. We found our table and sat down. We were starving so we all grabbed the bread and immediately started eating. Since all of the people were present at our table the food started coming out. I had shrimp cocktail, French onion soup, Caesar salad, filet mignon, and of courses TWO beers. Dinner was great, and it was a really great time to be with friends. After that we had to stand in line for dessert. I wasn’t even really hungry, but I wasn’t turning down some delicious chocolate éclairs or chocolate cake. After that they went to the dance and I headed down to my room and hung out with Kirstin for awhile. Tomorrow is my last full day. I can’t believe it’s the end.
PS. I hate American beer, I want import Old Wobbly from South Africa!
12/13/09
Today I woke up really early and couldn’t fall back to sleep. Eventually went to Deck 7 because all my friends ordered breakfast and I forgot. They eventually got lunch with me though! It was FRENCH FRIES! It was amazing because they even had honey mustard dressing! I got the pictures I’ve been waiting to get from Kate and then headed back to my room to finish packing. I took a nap in the afternoon and waited to be called for passports and luggage drop off. Luggage took forever and we had to bring it all the way down to deck 2. That was not a fun experience! After that I met the girls on deck 6 to play settlers. We played up until it was time for dinner. After dinner I showered and went next door to Katie and Kirstin’s. We did a picture exchange which we’ve been wanting to do for forever. I decided since it was my last night I didn’t want to stay in my room so I roamed around and ran into the girls in the computer lab. So, I hung out with them for awhile. Then, we watched the first annual underwear run which apparently we are trying to get started. At midnight on the last night over 40 people ran in their underwear all around the ship on every deck and even through the faculty/staff lounge. It was really funny. I talked with Mackenzie for a little and Barbara too. I’m going to miss them! Then I hung out with Kate and Brianne for awhile. It was 130 and I decided it was probably time to call it a night. Although I never wanted the night to end, I went to bed. I can’t believe tomorrow it’s over…
Ps. Today the ship turned on all 4 engines for an hour and we were going approximately 28 knots. It was really kind of cool.
12/14/09
Today is the last day. I had a lot of trouble sleeping and I’m not ready for it to be over. I met Katie and Kirstin for our last breakfast on Deck 5 as we pulled in. After breakfast I went back to my room and finished my last minute packing up. My friends came and got me to go to Deck 7 forward to watch us pull in. I saw a lot of my friends and I went up to Deck 8. We heard the horn go as we pulled into the harbor. A lot of my friends knew that my parents would be in neon yellow sweatshirts. One of my friends had a much better camera than me and said I found your parents and they are holding a sign that says KTBT. I was laughing hysterically, mostly out of happiness and embarrassment. After we pulled closer all my friends were yelling to me that they saw my parents it was too funny. Many of the faculty and staff were talking about it. I think EVERYONE saw them. I took some pictures with my friends and headed to the back of the ship as it would be hours before I could get off. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day in San Diego. If you looked out the starboard side you could watch the luggage being taken off the ship. Mackenzie was my first friend to leave as she was part of the lucky 14 people to get off first. It was difficult, but I didn’t cry, she was a mess. Then, I thought I was doing good, but then the next sea to be called was 4 of my friends. I lost it and the tears just wouldn’t stop. It was really emotional and really hard. We waited awhile and moved our bags down the hallway, then we heard Sargasso Sea please proceed to deck 2. It was all happening too fast and I made my way to the exit. I said goodbye to Patrick my LLC, Dean Byron, Dean Bob, Dean Nick, and Dean Eddie. We waited in line and got our bags. I was missing one, but eventually found it. Kirstin and I used the same guy to help us with our stuff. They dropped us off in the middle of the parking lot. I called my parents and they came to get me. It was great to see them! I was really excited, and filled with emotions. We headed to starbucks and I got a coffee something I’ve been craving for forever. Then we went back to the hotel and emptied the car. I gave my souvenirs to my mom and we relaxed. I was extremely overwhelmed and thought I was holding it well. We went to dinner and I had chicken fingers and fries which was amazing! After that we relaxed at the hotel and then went to bed.
12/15/09-12/16/09
Today we woke up and took our time. I decided to just do some shopping instead of going to the zoo. So we went to Seaport Village which is by where the ship docked. I bought a couple things I wanted and needed to get. Then we went shopping over by our hotel. We found a bagel place and we were kind of hungry so it was perfect. Then I happened to see a Vietnamese restaurant that looked really good. I convinced mom and dad to go get a menu with me. We got back to the hotel and did all the packing and rearranging that needed to be done. After that we went to dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant to get PHO which was an amazing dish that I had in Vietnam twice! Dad and I got the same thing PHO GA which is chicken PHO and mom decided to be different and get shrimp PHO, poor choice. That one made her want to vomit and I sat there and enjoyed mine as did my Dad. Eventually we headed back to the hotel and then went to bed. We had to be up early as we were not able to check in online for the flight. We got up in the morning and checked in at the airport early, thankfully they did not charge us for the weight of our bags or the extra ones that we had to take. We weren’t seated next to each other on the plane. But there were TV’s on the back of each seat and I watched TV the entire 4 hour flight to Atlanta. Once arriving in Atlanta we only had 20 minutes to get to the terminal and it literally was as far as it could have been from our location. We were practically running, then had to take a subway, then had to take escalators, and more running. We made it just on time. That wasn’t a far flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia. We landed and then headed to find the car. It was FREEZING outside compared to the Hawaii and San Diego weather that I’ve been in. We loaded our stuff onto the Tram and got off dragging our stuff to the car. We headed home and got McDonald’s on the way. We got home really late and Lola was dying to see me. I was happy to see her! I was overwhelmed with being home, but hopefully I’ll adjust well. I’m back in NJ after a great experience around the world. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to do so! I miss it already.

Thank you to everyone who followed my journey around the world.