Tomorrow in Japan!!!

So the long stretch from Hawaii to Yokohama Japan is finally coming to an end and we will be in Yokohama tomorrrow.  Yesterday we were unsure if we would actually make it to Yokohama.  Because if the condition of the seas the captain had to half our speed and we recieved word that we would be delayed getting in to Japan.  We thought it was so bad that some of us starting having conversations about what sort of fun day we could create on the ship for the students if we had another day on the ship.  Luckily when we woke up this morning our speed had doubled and we got the word that it looked like we would only be an hour or two delayed.  What good news this was!!!!

Last night was out second coffee house and it was huge!!!!  300 people showed up; their was singing, poetry and piano and guitar playing.  The talent on this ship never ceases to amaze me.  A colleague asked me what the difference was between this coffee house and the talent show we will have later in the voyage.  I shrugged and said the talent show will have a sound check the night before.

Today was a no class day for the students, Asia Day it was called.  It was meant to be a day that there would be different presentations about the countries we would be visiting in Asia; to learn more about the culture and people.  We did however start the morning (8:30am) with a showing of the SuperBowl.  We were all encourage to not use the internet so that way this could happen.  And it did and many people were very happy to have a little piece of home.  I did go to one of the morning sessions that was opposite the Super Bowl and yet very well attended. Three of our Vietnamese students spoke about their parents being refuggees and told a little bit of their story.  I was very appreciative to hear them open up and share and talk about both the excitement and nervousness they are feeling to go to Vietnam.

It was a great day today because I had no meetings so actually got to participate in some things that were going on in the community.  So this evening I participated in the Spirtiual Dance that happens every few days on the ship.  It is hard to explain but it is pretty amazing. You do not need to know how to dance at all (which I do not know how to), you just let the music move you.  Jenny who is another LLC is the person who facilitates this dance and she usually has between 50 and 100 particiapants dancing in the Union.  Faculty, staff, students, kids and our life long learners are all part of this community of dance!!!!  I had a few flashes of reality today and had been thinking about some things at home so this dancing believe it or not helped me get through some of that.

OK so it is off to bed now and when I wake we will be in Japan and entrance into our first foreign port!!!  I am very excited.  Since I will be traveling with the ship from Yokohama to Kobe, I hope to be able to update on my time in Yokohama in a couple of days.

The current time is 12:48am on Sunday, February 8.