12 straight days on the ship. From Honolulu to Kobe. Open sea the whole way. Remember when you read somewhere or someone said offhandedly that the Pacific is the largest ocean and makes up xx% of the water on Earth. There never was any reason to doubt such claims. And, now I affirm that this is one darn big body of water!

We left Honolulu knowing we’re going to be on the ship for a long run. In fact, for the entire voyage, this is the longest run of days on the ship without stopping at a port, traveling over 3,800 nautical miles. (For reference, we learned recently that one nautical mile is about the same as 1.2 ‘land’ miles.) And, this run to Kobe will include the roughest waters. We’ll be very pleased to see the big shipping cranes of Kobe port!

Somehow this ‘community’ of assorted folks from all parts of the world keeps things pretty peaceful. The hospitality crew members are mostly from the Philippines; the students are majority American but also hail from countries such as Kenya, Ecuador, Argentina, South Korea, Spain, China, Japan and many more. The ship captain is from Britain but two of his three officers are from the Ukraine; and the two lead IT guys for the ship are from Romania and India. Oh, and one of our favorite hostesses at the local bar (Fritz Lounge) is from Honduras. Holey moly – the WORLD is on this ship!

It’s pretty humbling to talk with and learn more about the hospitality crew members; those people who are cleaning our rooms, managing the dining services, keeping the hallways clean, and, yes, pouring us a glass of beer. They spend four months away from their families – many with young kids back home – then go home for about 3 months – then sign up again for four months on the ship. And repeat.  For many, this is a great opportunity to earn income for their families. They are kind and hardworking and full of joy. Makes one a reflect a bit, eh!

Of course, there’s also a big bunch of students. Tons of ‘em. Nearly 600. From ages 17 to 22. And nearly 75% are female. You can imagine what these data points suggest in terms of social dynamics! I’m getting to know the students better, with three different classes, each with about 25 students each. There’s three types of sickness running amok among them. Homesickness spread pretty quickly; this is the first trip overseas for the vast majority. Big smiles hide anxiety. Then there’s sea sickness; not as rampant as the home sickness. There’s good meds for it and I’ve only heard a few stories of bad stomachs. The last one is some form of throat virus, running through students and adults alike. Uggh! Nothing like a ‘closed ecosystem’ full of anxiety-ridden, nauseated, virus-stricken folks stumbling about a ship in the middle of the biggest body of water on Earth without a speck of land in sight! But, despite this ‘triple threat’, spirits remain high and overall the students remain pretty stoked about the opportunity they have.

Then there’s the faculty – quite an eclectic and fascinating bunch. A geologist who specializes in sediments around Iceland and Greenland; an international security policy wonk who just finished up in the Obama administration; a religion and spirituality expert who focuses on historical reference in various cultures to mountains as spiritually powerful; a scholar in comparative perspectives on death and dying; a professor of art history whose specialty is Japanese tapestry. That’s only a sample but you get the picture. It’s a smorgasbord of ideas, views, knowledge. Never a boring dinner discussion!

Finally, there’s the ‘life long learners’. Those with the time and financial wherewithal to jump aboard for the voyage. They float from class to class, attend night time lectures, go to movies, chatter over meals, walk on the outside perimeter of the 9^th deck and just seem to be having the best damn time. Good on them.

So, hopefully this short notes provides a sense of who we’re adventuring with. Blog with you later.