Oh, hey, I didn't see you there. (The Welcome Post)

THE MAN:

Isaiah, 20. Recent victim to the travel bug. Never been off-continent.

THE PLAN:

To circle the globe in a dizzying shipboard journey through 11 countries over 108 days!

Nassau, Bahamas
Cadiz, Spain
Casablanca, Morocco
Walvis Bay, Namibia
Cape Town, South Africa
Port Louis, Mauritius
Chennai, India
Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand
Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
Kobe / Yokohama, Japan
Honolulu, Hawaii
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
(Antigua, Guatemala City)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

[Full itinerary here, fancy interactive map here]

Some of my personal goals for the trip:

• To expand my knowledge and understanding of the world and its people,

• To challenge myself intellectually, physically, and spiritually (and use my resulting growth as guidance for my life and career),

• To offer my personal resources for serving those who are in need, as I travel and continuing on after the journey is finished,

• To grow closer to my friends and peers, and to establish new, close friendships that will last beyond the length of the trip,

• To have fun! To feel thrilled and overwhelmed with new possibilities!
  

• Finally, to earn 15 credits in the process.

So, welcome! This blog will serve as my main communication with everyone back home as I join the Semester at Sea Spring 2009 Voyage. I'll write about my experiences in each country, life aboard the ship, and anything else that comes to mind. I'll post text as often as I can, and pictures when the technology allows.

What do I ask of you, dear reader, in exchange for this endlessly fascinating and poignant vicarious trip 'round the world? Two things:

First, please send this URL ( isaiahatsea.blogspot.com ) to anyone and everyone you think would be interested! The more the merrier, and having a bigger audience will keep me motivated to post often. I plan on keeping my writing parent-and-kid-friendly (which probably means that I'll save the juicier stories until my return). For the web-savvy folks, the RSS feed is located at isaiahatsea.blogspot.com/rss.xml .

My only other request: Please comment! I would like this space to be used as communication both ways. I'd love your feedback on my posts, and your comments will also remind me that you exist :) If I don't know you yet, introduce yourself! To comment, you'll need a Google account or OpenID. I know that's annoying, but it's the best way to prevent spam comments.

I think that's all the logistics. This is going to be crazy awesome.

Peace and love! Thanks for reading.