Hello again!
I have finally found some super fast, super free WiFi and have added more photos (mostly unedited) to my Facebook albums. I have also included links to those albums for those of you who do not have a Facebook account. The links are on the right hand side of my blog page. You should still be able to view the photos without needing to set-up a Facebook account. But please let me know if that is not the case!
~Emily
October 22, 2014
October 18, 2014
Update from the Mediterranean!
Hello family and friends!
I know I have been away for quite some time and I apologize for the very sparse updates thus far. This has become quite a whirlwind voyage and we just hit our 1/2 way mark. To date we have visited 11 ports (11 countries) and are now en route back to Spain. We just finished up 4 days in Italy (which was AMAZING) and are motoring toward Barcelona as I type this. We have only 4 countries left to visit in almost the same amount of time, which means many days at sea until the end of the voyage.
We will be in Barcelona for four days and then we are headed across the Atlantic to Brazil. We have a 14 day crossing (yikes) which will likely prove to be very eventful (but hopefully not too much so) and will also allow everyone to catch up on sleep, laundry, school work, emails, BLOG POSTS, etc... It's been difficult getting into any kind of routine since all of our stops have been so close together.
The medical clinic has been keeping Dr. Mark and me very busy the last couple of weeks. We had one round of a cold virus early on and have been battling round #2 more recently. I've probably diagnosed 700,982 cases of viral upper respiratory infections and sore throats and spent the rest of the time killing 700,981 rumors of a rampant strep infection aboard the ship. We did have a moderate amount of GI illness after Morocco which fortunately was well controlled and contained and has pretty much disappeared. We've had one shoulder dislocation with successful relocation aboard the ship (without moderate sedation...thank you free weights!). One student underwent an appendectomy in Spain and is back aboard having recovered fully and without any complications. We've had many ankle sprains (basketball and soccer on a moving ship is not the brightest idea), one foot fracture, multiple dental issues with dental referrals in port. Psychiatric illness and ADHD abound but everyone seems to be stabilized on their medications.
(Observed) acute alcohol intoxication has been quite low however there are the repeat offenders which you would expect in a population of 800. However I think that several of the faculty members indulge quite heavily on a regular basis, they just aren't quite so obvious about it. Fortunately no one has ended up hospitalized or with any serious repercussions as a result.
All in all, it has been rather boring from a medical perspective which I suppose is a good thing. I have gotten great practice looking in ears and throats, diagnosing (or at least examining) rashes and bites of various sorts. Physical manifestations of fatigue and homesickness are becoming more obvious, however I am concerned for the beginning of influenza season...and of course Ebola. Since we will not be traveling to Western Africa as planned, we have decreased our possibility of exposure significantly; however, we are coming up on Spain and students plan on traveling to Madrid. Fingers crossed it will continue to remain an uneventful medical voyage :)
On a personal level, the voyage has been going fairly well. Like always it has it's ups and downs which is normal considering the constant closeness in which we all work, eat, exercise, exist, etc... Some people adapt more readily, but it's still stressful at times especially since you're thrown into this situation with a group of very different people with different ideas, personalities, values, priorities, etc...
For example, I know that most of you know I am not a morning person, and on the ship I often eat breakfast before morning clinic which requires social interaction if even on the most basic (before coffee) grunting level. And talking to people before noon can be challenging for me, so I don't always want to have breakfast at 7am with 50 of my not-so-closest friends. I know, I know...such a tough life... But all in all, it's been fun and interesting. I have learned a little more about myself as the weeks have passed, and I have also come to zero conclusions about what I am going to do with what I have discovered.
Anyway...
Most recently I spent 2 days in Rome with my new friends Lisa and Mike who are great people. They are staff aboard the ship. We rented an apartment through AirBnB which was awesome. It was located just outside the Vatican and not far from the city center. We were able to see many of the sights of Rome while also taking some time to enjoy just relaxing in a quieter part of the city. But really, the best part was that it was situated directly above the most amazing croissant bakery that stays open until 2am! Can you say Nutella filled croissant overdose?!
I was on-call the first two days in port, so I traveled with three others via bus to a little seaside town, Tarquinia, just 25 minutes north of the port city where we were berthed (Civitavecchia). It is an old city situated on a hill surrounded by a large stone wall. The view was amazing and so was the gelato. We visited the ruins of Necropolis that were built around 500 BC and discovered late 19th century. It was a nice day trip and fun to see some of the Italian countryside.
Barcelona is upon us in a little over 24 hours. Semester at Sea managed to secure 300 tickets to the FC Barcelona footbal (soccer) match on the 21st, so we're going to that which should be a fun cultural experience. I'm attempting to arrange a half-day sailboat charter our first day in port as something different to do. It's supposed to be hot and I think it will be fun to see the coast of Barcelona from a smaller boat with a few friends. The rest of the time will be spent bicycling the city, sightseeing, indulging in Spanish tapas, sangria, and lots good food before our long crossing (which will likely end with anemic looking iceberg lettuce and a critical shortage of peanut butter).
After that, I will hopefully have some extra time to retroactively update you on travels in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Morocco. In Dublin a group of 18 students and I learned how to play all of the Gaelic games (Gaelic football, handball, and hurling) during a day-long trip. I was also educated on the finer points of whiskey making (Jameson tour) and of course indulged in a Guiness (or two). Four of us shared an evening of Irish dance lessons with a high school group from Austria, and Oktoberfest was in full swing in September!
I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends (and colleagues) in Lisbon after a day of biking the coast. Cadiz, Spain was beautiful and I took a day trip which included biking in Sevilla (which was equally stunning). Morocco was filled with lots of sights and smells (both good and bad), and I was able to spend an overnight at a Riad in the Fes Medina. Really fun and interesting.
I realize this was a very brief update, but I promise more to come. As of now all is well and I am safe and healthy. Enjoying the updates from the few of you who have written...the emails I have received (when the internet is working) have been much appreciated. I am not sure who exactly is reading the blog, but thank you for your patience to those of you who are! I hope this post finds you all healthy and happy and enjoying autumn.
Please keep in touch. Miss you all. Send mail.
~Emily
I know I have been away for quite some time and I apologize for the very sparse updates thus far. This has become quite a whirlwind voyage and we just hit our 1/2 way mark. To date we have visited 11 ports (11 countries) and are now en route back to Spain. We just finished up 4 days in Italy (which was AMAZING) and are motoring toward Barcelona as I type this. We have only 4 countries left to visit in almost the same amount of time, which means many days at sea until the end of the voyage.
We will be in Barcelona for four days and then we are headed across the Atlantic to Brazil. We have a 14 day crossing (yikes) which will likely prove to be very eventful (but hopefully not too much so) and will also allow everyone to catch up on sleep, laundry, school work, emails, BLOG POSTS, etc... It's been difficult getting into any kind of routine since all of our stops have been so close together.
The medical clinic has been keeping Dr. Mark and me very busy the last couple of weeks. We had one round of a cold virus early on and have been battling round #2 more recently. I've probably diagnosed 700,982 cases of viral upper respiratory infections and sore throats and spent the rest of the time killing 700,981 rumors of a rampant strep infection aboard the ship. We did have a moderate amount of GI illness after Morocco which fortunately was well controlled and contained and has pretty much disappeared. We've had one shoulder dislocation with successful relocation aboard the ship (without moderate sedation...thank you free weights!). One student underwent an appendectomy in Spain and is back aboard having recovered fully and without any complications. We've had many ankle sprains (basketball and soccer on a moving ship is not the brightest idea), one foot fracture, multiple dental issues with dental referrals in port. Psychiatric illness and ADHD abound but everyone seems to be stabilized on their medications.
(Observed) acute alcohol intoxication has been quite low however there are the repeat offenders which you would expect in a population of 800. However I think that several of the faculty members indulge quite heavily on a regular basis, they just aren't quite so obvious about it. Fortunately no one has ended up hospitalized or with any serious repercussions as a result.
All in all, it has been rather boring from a medical perspective which I suppose is a good thing. I have gotten great practice looking in ears and throats, diagnosing (or at least examining) rashes and bites of various sorts. Physical manifestations of fatigue and homesickness are becoming more obvious, however I am concerned for the beginning of influenza season...and of course Ebola. Since we will not be traveling to Western Africa as planned, we have decreased our possibility of exposure significantly; however, we are coming up on Spain and students plan on traveling to Madrid. Fingers crossed it will continue to remain an uneventful medical voyage :)
On a personal level, the voyage has been going fairly well. Like always it has it's ups and downs which is normal considering the constant closeness in which we all work, eat, exercise, exist, etc... Some people adapt more readily, but it's still stressful at times especially since you're thrown into this situation with a group of very different people with different ideas, personalities, values, priorities, etc...
For example, I know that most of you know I am not a morning person, and on the ship I often eat breakfast before morning clinic which requires social interaction if even on the most basic (before coffee) grunting level. And talking to people before noon can be challenging for me, so I don't always want to have breakfast at 7am with 50 of my not-so-closest friends. I know, I know...such a tough life... But all in all, it's been fun and interesting. I have learned a little more about myself as the weeks have passed, and I have also come to zero conclusions about what I am going to do with what I have discovered.
Anyway...
Most recently I spent 2 days in Rome with my new friends Lisa and Mike who are great people. They are staff aboard the ship. We rented an apartment through AirBnB which was awesome. It was located just outside the Vatican and not far from the city center. We were able to see many of the sights of Rome while also taking some time to enjoy just relaxing in a quieter part of the city. But really, the best part was that it was situated directly above the most amazing croissant bakery that stays open until 2am! Can you say Nutella filled croissant overdose?!
I was on-call the first two days in port, so I traveled with three others via bus to a little seaside town, Tarquinia, just 25 minutes north of the port city where we were berthed (Civitavecchia). It is an old city situated on a hill surrounded by a large stone wall. The view was amazing and so was the gelato. We visited the ruins of Necropolis that were built around 500 BC and discovered late 19th century. It was a nice day trip and fun to see some of the Italian countryside.
Barcelona is upon us in a little over 24 hours. Semester at Sea managed to secure 300 tickets to the FC Barcelona footbal (soccer) match on the 21st, so we're going to that which should be a fun cultural experience. I'm attempting to arrange a half-day sailboat charter our first day in port as something different to do. It's supposed to be hot and I think it will be fun to see the coast of Barcelona from a smaller boat with a few friends. The rest of the time will be spent bicycling the city, sightseeing, indulging in Spanish tapas, sangria, and lots good food before our long crossing (which will likely end with anemic looking iceberg lettuce and a critical shortage of peanut butter).
After that, I will hopefully have some extra time to retroactively update you on travels in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Morocco. In Dublin a group of 18 students and I learned how to play all of the Gaelic games (Gaelic football, handball, and hurling) during a day-long trip. I was also educated on the finer points of whiskey making (Jameson tour) and of course indulged in a Guiness (or two). Four of us shared an evening of Irish dance lessons with a high school group from Austria, and Oktoberfest was in full swing in September!
I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends (and colleagues) in Lisbon after a day of biking the coast. Cadiz, Spain was beautiful and I took a day trip which included biking in Sevilla (which was equally stunning). Morocco was filled with lots of sights and smells (both good and bad), and I was able to spend an overnight at a Riad in the Fes Medina. Really fun and interesting.
I realize this was a very brief update, but I promise more to come. As of now all is well and I am safe and healthy. Enjoying the updates from the few of you who have written...the emails I have received (when the internet is working) have been much appreciated. I am not sure who exactly is reading the blog, but thank you for your patience to those of you who are! I hope this post finds you all healthy and happy and enjoying autumn.
Please keep in touch. Miss you all. Send mail.
~Emily
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