Onna ship, and bumpin fists with Desmond Tutu.

First off, thanks for coming back to check things out guys. I miss you very much.

Secondly, I’m officially ONNA BOAT ladies and gentlemen, doin flips and stuff. But wait. Let me correct myself. I’m actually on a ship- common mistake, but a huge taboo here on Semester at Sea  ;-)

Thanks for letting me clear that up. 

NOW! To the good stuff. After a little over 24 hours of being on a ship, I have already seen four whales, handled crazy seas in the middle of the Atlantic, and even bumped fists with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. That’s right. BUMPED FISTS WITH DESMOND TUTU: Nobel Prize award winner and the man who almost single-handedly (with the help of our friend Nelson [and friends] of course) took down the ruthless system of South African Apartheid.

We have the honor and privilege of having Archbishop Tutu join us on the MV Explorer for the entire voyage. It is an incredible experience that the majority of people in the world will never be able to experience. We are truly blessed. Today, he gave a talk to the entire student body about our  place in the world, and how our generation truly has the power to make a difference. With that said though, he was also impressed with the passion that us young students are actually showing for the cause, and reaching “for a world where children do not have to wake up hungry.” We have the power, and now, more than ever, OUR generation is making efforts to get out of our comfort zones and explore the world to make a difference. This is something truly extraordinary, and I feel liberated just being a part of it.

Side note though, the Archbishop has made a special request to be addressed as either “Dez” or “Father.” There was confusion about that on the ship earlier, and he just had to clear that up for everyone.

In regards to everything else, we are just rolling with the punches. Literally. The seas are a bit rough right now, but not too bad. It’s funny to watch students make zig-zag motions down the hallways and actually crash into stuff. One girl made a b-line to the wall and ran into full-bore. Very comical to say the least. Surprisingly, sea-sickness is not making a big push on the voyage…. not yet at least. We shall see. Former SAS voyager and good friend at Ithaca, Becca Cline (shout out! what!) said that it takes a good day and then everyone will be puking their guts out. Gee. Can’t wait for that.

Oh, my email be jsbagliere@semesteratsea.net if you'd like to. Emails are free! Would love to hear from you.


Well, that’s all I got for today. The past day has been orientation which sucked. We have been on cruising as of 5PM Canada time on August 27, 2010. Classes start tomorrow. WTF.

But look at the bright side. One week, and I’m in Cadiz, Spain. Not too shabby ;-)

I’ll write again soon. Love, peace, and happiness to all. Thanks for reading.



(RIP Blackjack. You were a fantastic cat. I love you buddy. Make Mickey proud up there)

One year in the making, and it's finally here. Incredible.

Hello faithful readers!!!!

Before I begin this one, I just want to thank for taking the time to read this. It means a lot. I hope all is well with you back in the grand old USA, or wherever you might be.

I am currently sitting in the Sheraton "Four Points" Hotel and thinking of things to say. Parents just happen to be on the ship at some reception for the families. I have seen the ship but can't board yet. Work-study kids have also had the chance to board and get there stuff together before us regular-folk. Damn them. Just kidding. Anticipation is huge, but I'm keeping myself together... as much as possible anyways. The whole thing is incredibly surreal.

Because SAS organizes embarkation by alphabetical order, I of course have the worst possible boarding time. 8 A.M. Yucky. It's the earliest time slot. I guess the bright side is that I can claim the bed and desk in our small little cabins. As Mike Birbiglia likes to say (comedian), "I have an apartment that has just enough room for my body." I am on "Deck 4- Outside." Whatever that means. That's all I know. It's funny actually. That's basically how we all introduce ourselves to each other:

 "Hey man. What floor you on?"

"Deck 3- outside. You?"

"Nice. Deck 4-inside."

"Sweet man. See you around."

"Yeah, man. See ya." 


 Everything else besides our general understanding of our cabins' location is  a mystery, including our roommates.... unless of course we requested someone. I have no idea who or what I will be living with for the next 3.5 months. It's kind of nerve-racking, but I guess that's all part of the adventure. Awesome!!

 SAS has already organized a "meet n greet" thing. That was last night at the Argyle Bar in Halifax. That was pretty sweet.  Met a ton of people from all over the country- lot's of California people, so not really sure what to think about that. Haha. I believe an SAS Facebook group was specifically started for the University of San Diego... with like 47 people on it. What the F is that about?! Pretty funny in my opinion/incredibly weird. 

On top of all the awesome people I met, I did happen to meet one kid in particular worth mentioning in this blog. His name is Dallas (yeah, just like the city), and guess where he goes to school. That's right. ITHACA FRICKEN COLLEGE IN UP-STATE NEW FRICKEN YORK. HOLY ISH!!! The kid is hysterical (naturally- because he's from IC, not to mention incredibly intelligent), and plays on both the rugby and hockey team. Nick. If you're reading this- ring a bell? 6'4". White. Lanky.

Side-note: I went back to the hotel room shortly after midnight. Also, hurricane "Danielle" is expected to head this way.... but make landfall Sunday. So we're good! Shove-off is tomorrow after noon.

Anywho, enough of this boring stuff. As usual, I'm rambling on and on. I'll try and keep it short and sweet from now on. Hope you guys plan to follow the journey. I'll be posting every once in a while. The choice is yours....

Miss you guys!!! Good luck with classes everyone, and kick ass Bombers!!!

Much love, peace, and happiness to all of you.

Arrival in Halifax...

Well. I have arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia after over 8 hours of flying. We had a connection at JFK. Halifax iteslef a beautiful city that is remarkably developed... but with an older twist to it. Funny enough, the customs guy actually told me that Halifax has the highest per capita amount of bars anywhere in the wold. NUTS!

On another note, most of the countryside has been untouched by man, with trees expanding into every direction. It is incredible, and reminds me of an incredilby flat Alaksa. Pristine.

The city, unremarkably, is slightly different than the natural lands with two large bridges spanning the bay and giant shipping vessels dotting the dockyards. It has a sort of classic Manhattan, "old-time" feel to it. I like it. 

I post this blog via email. It is test (mail2blogger), so I guess it worked if you're reading this! YES! Email is the only free communication I'll have aboard the ship, so this feature is a great tool to have.

Stay tuned! We embark on our journey around the world this Friday aboard the MV Explorer. I board with the first group at 8 A.M. Yucky.

And BTW, Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be joining us for the ENTIRE voyage. Sick wid it.

Take care y'all!!!!

-Joe Bags (August 24, 2010)

Around the World in 108 Days.

Heyo!!!! Just figured I'd throw together a blog. All the cool kids are doing it, so why not I? Great question. 

I plan on using this little cool piece of communication technology to cover my travels with Semester at Sea and tell them to the world. I'll try and keep it updated as much as I can. I leave August 27 out of Halifax, and return to the grand ol' US of A  via San Diego on December 13, 2010. Here's a list of the countries I'll be visiting:

• Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Cadiz, Spain
• Casablanca, Morocco
• Takoradi, Ghana
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Port Louis, Mauritius
• Chennai, India
• Singapore
• Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
• Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
• Yokohama / Kobe, Japan
• Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii, USA
• San Diego, California, USA

Well, this is it. Hope you enjoy. Love you all. I'll keep you updated....

-Joe Bags