Alternate Universe

Spain in less than 6 hours!

Its unbelievable how different all the port experiences have been so far - granted there's only been 4. Portugal was a languid 3 days of exploring the city, Sintra, the beach, and taking in the eclectic clash of Christianity and Islam, Old and New. The architecture was truly beautiful, and although they're part of Europe, it felt markedly different from Belgium and the rest of Western Europe. I appreciated the grit to an extent for the rawness it added to the character of the city.

Something new I tried was Couchsurfing. Cris, my host, was awesome - conversation flowed effortlessly, we were on the same page about so much, and he gave me a good introduction to typical Portugese cuisine! Bumping into the gang at the bar was CRAZY, but it was really nice that they hit off remarkably well! He brought us to the popping spots of Lisboa and Urban Beach is definitely up there as one of the better clubs on my list. It's really interesting to see not just the different music and setting of places so far, but the local crowd in them…

It finally sunk in how surreal Semester at Sea actually is though - we're on this ship, which already feels like a whole different lifestyle compared to anything anyone is used to, we land in these diverse ports where we always have way too short a time and spend intensive time with people we just got to know. I was skeptical about how they always say its the experience of a lifetime, like no other, but I truly believe it now. It wouldn't be the same if we were just on a cruise ship sailing around the world and having fun in ports. It's the shipboard community ship, the structured learning and the people I've been experiencing everything with that truly makes this work.

On that note, I'm really blessed. I laugh so much with the group, and it's gotten to a point where it's on a deeper level with most of them, and we just understand and really care for each other. Steph says we're might just become psychic by the end of this trip. It's nice that I'm also still meeting people all the time who are interesting and offer something new. It's tricky though. How much of this alternate universe stuff do you let affect your relationships? Emotions are real and can leave lasting impact, even as sensory memories have faded away. Everything on this ship is so fast and furious, but sometimes that can lead to regrettable things happening. I guess there's nothing to be done except to go with the flow. If being away from everyone at home has taught me anything, it's that there's some value in distance. Distance acts as a natural filter for those who mean anything to you. I thought I would be terrible at keeping in contact before going to Reed, but some friendships have emerged stronger, while its easier to accept those that have just faded away.

Well, Spain will give me some time away from the intensity! Can't wait to see Serene, Chanelle and Laia!!!! Feel like it'll be the best collision of all three of my worlds - Singapore, Reed and SAS - and there's no way I won't have a blast in Barcelona.

We found out we're no longer going to Morocco due to concerns about the Islam conflicts, which is a real bummer since it was the port I was looking forward most to, and the country I had wanted to go to the most out of any in the world, but surprisingly i'm not even that upset. We get 2 more days in Spain, which will be perfect for exploring Cadiz and Seville, and also 2 days in the Canary Islands. I guess i KNOW I'll make it back to Morocco some day, I have to, the 4 days we had there wouldn't be enough anyway, and the Canary Islands are a place I don't foresee myself purposefully going back to anytime in the near future. So it works out…?

Anyway, finding it hard to complain about anything these days. Things could always be better, but if they're not, its easy to remember they could also be a lot worse. It's funny because while i've had interactions with impoverished people in squalid conditions and I've known this all along, it took someone who has a lot more than i do materially, but obviously lacks a lot in many other areas of life that truly made me remember this. I just keep reminding myself to not sweat the small stuff - and small is pretty subjective.