Sea time

Classes are happening, and breaks are appreciated. Meals and sunsets are particularly popular times for people to find their way onto deck. There is a reverence about the sun sinking and the moon rises. Last night, the moonrise and setting were so early that when the storms woke people up at night, the blanket of stars was an exceptional experience.
The medical team is minimally utilized still, not that we are complaining. Greg was working extra shifts, Damian had three jobs, and i was wrapping up three classes a week before sailing. This pace is exactly what was hoped for, and yet, it takes some getting used to. I finished my Book Club reading yesterday, Beautiful Ruins. (highly recommend it too!). I also previewed and marked some clips on an Integrative Family Therapy DVD for my Spring class. I am also hesitantly exploring Lightroom, which as a photo development and organization system, is a huge but welcome learning curve.

The entire community is invited to Global Studies. Don Gogniat, the main professor, gives thoughtful lessons everyday. Pick one image to capture the essence of each port. My colleague back home, Alan Green suggested something similar--to pick up something in each place to remind me of it.


Another lesson was simply, “the more you know, the more interesting it is.” I went up on a Bridge tour with a group of students, one other staff, and a Lifelong Learner, someone who was perhaps in her 80s. The guys were asking a lot of questions of the crew, and it was true, the more I knew, the less it was boring. Without enthusiastic questions, it was just another view of the ship. But because one was a sailor and he other two science-oriented, they had a lot of questions about fuel, quickness in turning, sonar, GPS, and how to avoid the threat of pirates (besides rerouting a trip).

Dr. Kathy Thornton, Astronaut; 4 missions, 256 orbits of the earth.

Our speaker last night was amazing.  I will post more about her work later, but her stories about space missions and her career were great.  

Then today, the inventor of Crocs, Scott Seamans, got up to introduce himself.  He sailed in 1978 as a student and has a global view of business.  The company has its 10th anniversary this year, and while popularity has waned in the USA, it is growing still in Asia.  I am sure the business and entrepreneurial courses are benefitting from his presence. He is still relatively young and retired, but seems to have his fill of interesting adventures.  

Last night was almost a full moon, and tonight is the Blue Moon.  Sunsets and moonrises are such an anchoring part of the day.  Stop, breathe in, breathe out.  Pay attention.

 

Mary, Damian & Audrey

Audrey was the psychologist who oriented us to our work, then departed in Halifax.  Even being oriented to the ins and outs of ship life were valuable.  We have a lot of flexibility to determine the type of paperwork, work hours, and activities we want, and as we determine this community needs.

Sex and Drinking

For the students. We did a welcome of Mental Health business as well as safety on the ship. Damian talked about reaching out and being inclusive in the community, and I talked about drinking and sex. For my students who know--what is one of the most important things to learn from Mary-There is always time to go to the bathroom. I solicited information about where all the public restrooms on the ship, to make that common knowledge, then I had people all take some deep breaths, and reminded them that excitement and anxiety can feel the same, but when we activate our frontal lobes, we realize all that we know, and we adapt to our surroundings with ease.

We sail in international waters. The students, some in gap year, and some just graduated, but most are in between. They are permitted to drink at sea, and it is always an interesting dynamic to accommodate. Would that Americans not be so enamored with alcohol! Damian said that when he studied abroad years ago, someone said the only drunkenness you will see is the American tourists. I cautioned against blackout drinking, and invited everyone to chant my LA-Driving mantra: I have all the time that I need. This is about drinking and sex. To stumble through the halls of a rocking ship is different than to navigate the walkways of a land-based campus. I want everyone who started this voyage to finish, rather than untimely endings due to accidents or honor code violations. I want people to be their best selves in how they interact with one another. This ship is not big enough for alienation or embarrassment with one another.

Then about Sex: I spoke about the range of modesty to adventurousness. Stand Up For Yourself. I suggested that if someone wanted to say yes to sexual activity, to say yes confidently, and to always practice safe sex. There are FREE CONDOMS in front of the Clinic. FREE SAFE SEX! I also said it was okay to say No, and many ways to say no. No way. No thank you, no, not now, but maybe later, no more. I assume, just as I do with my own graduate students, that there are sexually naive, and sexually active members of any group. There are monogamous and sexually generous individuals. There are sexually curious people who want to learn and grow and experiment. There are students who are asexual, or in graduate school I call it, Big Head syndrome, when one is so much involved in pursuits of the mind that they are disconnected from their bodies.

First day of classes. My partner gets to assist with a Digital Storytelling course, an excellent mix for a writer with a film background.

Mission

Mission

To educate individuals with the global understanding necessary to address the challenges of our interdependent world. With the world as our classroom, our unique shipboard program integrates multiple-country study, interdisciplinary coursework, and hands-on field experiences for meaningful engagement in the global community.

Thursday.  We greeted 476 students today, and the Medical and Mental Health team said hello to pretty much every one of them.   They were so excited and nervous to be on the ship.  I can tell the business majors by their extended hands and firm shakes.  We have a nice representation of 15 International students from Singapore, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and a few other countries.

                                                                                                                 Damian, Mary, Ann and Greg

As a psychologist who works and teaches in the Mental Health field, many of the students I interact with here are not the students who would be in my classroom or in my office.  There are nervous about the adventure, but do not have the type of social struggles that impair individuals who could not imagine a voyage and adventure like this.  I wish every member of my MFT community could be here.  As much as we talk about a global perspective and multicultural perspective, there is an added layer of immersion when one pulls up in a new land and navigates from the perspective of visitor, and the "foreigners" are in the position of power as our hosts.  I look forward to the humbling experience among the participants as their social media tools fail them and they are forced to be in the moment and the day. The opportunities for reflection and transformation are bountiful.

Goodbye to Halifax. We are on a voyage that covers four continents and the ocean that connects them.

Orientation

Semester at Sea, 2012. We got on the ship in Boston, 32 staff members and 36 faculty, joining the 181 crew already here to make our trip exceptional. The MV Explorer is set up with classrooms, a Union Hall for the entire community, lots of deck space for watching sunsets and stargazing with the guidance of our esteemed astronomer Iain Campbell. There is a promise of turning the light off to see the Milky Way.

Today, 30 lifelong learners will join us, as well as the work study students who get on early to settle in. Tomorrow, 477 students will embark, representing 196 universities. We have 11 gap year students, and more so Juniors and Seniors representing the student body. Their classes are both introductory and advanced undergraduate level, all including a field trip in one of the ports. I have already connected with a professor who teaches a course entitled The Science of Love, with content similar to my Sexuality and Couples curriculum.
Two days of meetings and planning. I am sailing with two physicians, another staff psychologist, and a third clinical psychologist on faculty who will be assisting with some programming, and a diverse team of Resident Directors with specialty foci such as academic success, leadership, Diversity and Intercultural Competence, Health and Wellness, and more.

Sunrise promises a beautiful day
Off to Halifax for a day of wandering and errands. Then, back to the ship tonight for a parents’ reception and preparation for the very excited students to board tomorrow.