March 20 post

I have met some really interesting travelers—both college kids and adults—and I'm glad I joined this voyage for awhile. I hadn't traveled outside the US since 2009 when I went to Malawi and Kenya. I remember I worried then about my gimpy left foot before the trip, but the injections held me through the five weeks of travel. I walked much more in Africa than I am able to now. I was afraid to come on this trip, because I had to cancel the 2012 trip to Liberia for health reasons.

Everyone is on a journey, but maybe they don't know it until they board the ship. This trip has been affirmed my ability to travel for at least a few more years.  I was afraid it was over, but I jumped to that conclusion too soon.

What I've known for a long time is that you have to get outside your comfort zone to experience new things. Or, it's a chicken and egg thing—those who are open to new experiences will leave the safety of what they know. (LJ & SK, I am so proud of you for trying new things!!)

An example of this is a woman named Sherry who told me she was a very shy person when she boarded the ship in San Diego in January. For the first several weeks she was sea sick and stayed in her cabin. Once she felt better, Sherry was determined to get out and experience the journey. If you've been following this blog, you know that some people on board shaved their heads if it was the first time they've crossed the equator (Neptune Day, March 15). Sherry didn't want to shave her head (no kidding...), but she went to the hair salon and had her hair died red. I saw her the following day and told her that I loved red hair, loved having red hair, and loved her red hair. Sherry said she was confused, because the voyage allowed her to come out of her cabin, enjoy mixing with others, state her views, reach out, and now she was a redhead!

There are many couples on the ship—both LLL and faculty/staff and spouses. Although I've wished that I had a life partner, I noticed a disadvantage to having one, at least on this ship. LLL couples seem to be couples all the time—breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour, port excursions, probably even classes, etc. The same is not true for faulty/staff and spouses, since the former have responsibilities and the spouses have time to spare. I know that compromises have to be made in couple hood, but I wonder how much of the togetherness might really be about staying in the comfort zone. Your thoughts?