We love our life on the boat. The days go by quickly and there is always something to do.
Learning
We are learning a lot from classes, reading books and visiting the different cultures. Everyday on the boat we ALL go to classes. Luke and Ryan do their schoolwork in the morning. They get one-on-one tutoring from the college students, mom, dad or grandpa. A child coordinator books the room, snack, student volunteers and provides general supervision. From 2-4 pm every afternoon the kids play in the ball court, swim, make arts and crafts and have snack time. There are 12 children under the age of 14 on the boat.
Jay, Christy and Milton attend classes with the college students. They are taking classes on global studies, sustainability and terrorism. We are often called on to guest lecture in the classes. Soon Jay will be lecturing on organic food and Christy will talk on supply chain management. Milton puts on seminars almost every night on subjects ranging from Meditation to creative writing. Whenever we can find some extra time, we read books and watch movies on the regions we are visiting. Christy is also trying to learn Spanish by using the Rosetta Stone software.
Exercise
We do not get much exercise in the ports, but we workout almost everyday on the boat. There is an exercise room with treadmills, stairmasters, elliptical trainers, and weights. Students and faculty also put on yoga and strength training classes. The boys place kickball, volleyball and soccer in the ball court.
Eating
They have 2 dining rooms and a snack bar on ship. They boys love the buffet style food and always talk about the “free” food. We are getting a little tired of the food, but overall it is good. On special occasions we’ll buy a hamburger from the snack bar or book a table at their “fancy” dining spot. We are trying not to gain too much weight – which is hard with all the yummy croissants and sweets.
Other Activities
There is always something going on. Before dinner the Life Long Learners (that is what we old folks are called) get together for a glass of wine and to hear guest lecturers on the upcoming ports.
Special events include the talent show (no –we did not enter), Neptune Day (when we crossed the equator), Captains’ dinner, social hours, ice cream parties by the pool…
