Day 6

9/10/07 19:45 (At Sea)

It's day 6 and it seems like just as we are feeling like we are settling in, things are going to chance dramatically again. In preparation for docking in Portugal in just 3 days, today was our first Port Orientation day. We first met as a large group in the morning to go over the logistics of entering a port, and then throughout the day we met with our Learning Circles to discuss our Academic Field Programs, or AFPs. Every student is enrolled in a Learning Circle, which is similar to a major or a concentration. We have International Business, International Communication, Sustainable Development, Worlds of Art and Culture, and Global Culture and Social Change, just to name a few. As a member of the Global Culture and Social Change circle, I will be able to do many different things including studying cartography and attending a lecture on Population Settlements at the University of Lisbon, participate in a grape harvest at a local vineyard/winery, and visit Coimbra. Those activities, along with a few others, will take place over the course of five days in port, which leaves us with day 1 and day 7 free to explore the city of Lisbon as we please. I have signed up to participate in a shore excursion on day 7 called "Above and Below Portugal" which is a guided tour around the city of Lisbon. On day one I will have the chance to explore the city on my own, and of course find a phone and an internet cafe to get in touch with all of you back home! Tonight, we will be having a Cultural Cafe in which we will all have the chance to learn a bit of Portugese, listen to Portugese music, learn Portugese dancing, and get a more fun look at the culture as a whole. I can't wait to finally get a glimpse of what my life will be like for the next week!