ahoy there...students aboard!

Sunday 17th January.

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and did a few lengths of the 7th deck....don't be impressed it was probably only a few hundred yards. I am determined this trip to excercise and to find myself a route. I am not using the elevator at all and am already getting used to climbing the two flights from Timmits Square to the 7th deck. It was dark as I walked along but Ensenada was lit up and the seals at the end of the dock were barking their croupy barks.

I went to the library and perused the books again and, for the very last time I imagine, I had it all to myself. At 7 am I went off to breakfast on my own with my book. I thought that gave a pretty clear message but George's parting shot was 'You won't stay alone.' He was right: I was all settled with my back to the dining room, at a window, enjoying my solitude when a voice said May we join you? and that was that. Two more joined us at a table for four we were five. Two were the Executive dean and his wife....can you imagine that happening on the 2009 voyage?!

Cathy, the Life Long Learner co-ordinator asked me to help her greet the LLL's which meant I could discover Liz and Audrey which was great. We welcomed students on the dock until they came through and I greeted them (L& A) with huge hugs... it was strange to see such familiar faces down here! We accompanied them through all the various tables of forms and tags and ID's and finally took them to their cabin which is on the 5th deck. They were both pretty exhausted and glad to collapse into the cabin I think. We left them there to have a little peace.

We are going to take them to lunch when they appear and in the meantime are relaxing ourselves and drinking gallons of water bought at the little snack bar forward on the 7th deck. It was such thirsty work standing waiting on the wharf after all!

Later: Liz & Audrey found our cabin and we had a celebratory glass of wine on our balcony before going down to lunch. At 2.30 pm there was a Life long Learners' orientation which I was invited to only to be called out over the loudspeakers to go to the gangway with Cathy the co-ordinator...how embarrassing, we had forgotten to swipe ourseves back on to the ship with our ID cards! Anyway we both returned shame-facedly to the meeting (a good lesson for the new passengers on what NOT to do!) but I slunk out before the end to have a break. We met L & A in the faculty bar for 5 o'clock drinks....a very civilised custom on the ship, and then went down to supper.

I returned to the Spa at 7 pm had my toes painted a gorgeous glossy red and was finished just in time to join everyone in the Union at 8 pm for the big orientation meeting for the students. Thank goodness tomorrow we return to normal: fewer meetings and more time to think what lectures to take. Voice? Theatre? Sino/American relations (we have one of the worlds foremost experts (Jonathon Spense) on board until Hawaii: he's English from Yale? Actually I have to say I am tempted by the latter classes, I would like to learn more of China before our second visit there. But then there's Art and Watercolours, International Business and Marketing, (No!), Linguistics (better not!), Public Health and Water in the World, Marine Biology and Sharks (Hmmm?) and on and on......

Audrey and Liz came to the orientation and Liz slept through part of it: I'm not surprised, they've been up since 4 am and we know what that's like. Come to think of it I did my morning meditation at 5!

Oh I'm tired....off to bed with the promise from the Captain of a rough night. All our booze is secured so we should be able to sleep through....hopefully!