My life as a traveling teacher.

Class Afloat, looking to give back and learn more from some of the communities that we dock in, started a program called West African Initiative. Here, we get the chance to work with a Senegalese youth group on different projects: some related to culture, and others to aid. Mostly, the exchange is a way for us to become travelers, and not simply tourists… an opportunity to become much more conscious and aware of the non-Western world, and for us to forge alliances with the Senegalese. While most of our ports-of-call keep us for a few days shy of a week, we stay for 10 days in Dakar to fully enable our cultural learning experience to take place. My first impression of the Senegalese capital is that it is of an unbearable temperature. The mercury reaches 42 degrees Celsius on the same day that my Calgarian friends are on the map for being in the one of the coldest places on Earth, second only to Antarctica. Never have I been more Canadian – the heat exhaustion I suffer from makes me long

Arriving in Agadir, Morocco on November 3rd was nothing short of invigorating. Spending over a week in less-than-perfect seas was trying on my enthusiasm, as I think I’ve described accurately in my previous posting. Besides: knowing what lay ahead during our stay in our first African port was enough to make even the most enthused sailor anxious to get to land. A detailed itinerary of our Moroccan adventure, precise to the point of referencing our freshly squeezed orange juice pit stops, had made me highly anticipate our arrival here. Not only that, but this particular port-of-call and program is also a Class Afloat tradition. Its reputation of awesome camel-ride into the Sahara desert, mouth-watering tagines, glorious mint tea, a camping and bonfire adventure under the stars, and local live-music appreciation had already sold me on how special the next few days would be. The morning after our arrival, we embark on a bus, which will become the vessel of our Moroccan adventure. Our first

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain I came across this quote, looking through my English resources, preparing for mid-term exams, on what was one of the most difficult days spent at sea thus far. Though I’ve dreamed and hoped for this experience for years now, the reward of this opportunity does not come without its challenges. On this specific occasion, the test at hand presents itself as another squall at sea. On most of our sails, we have encountered fairly severe storms, with winds sometimes nearing hurricane strength. The rolling of the ship, and the general lethargic-ness that it induces can be a morale downer for those of us who dislike the motion of the ocean. Rough weather makes up most of our 11-day sail – and when seas are rough, life on the ship comes to a standsti

rst day of sailing is just turning out to be not so great a thing thus far aboard the SS Sorlandet. Though we extended our stay in Portugal by a day to avoid being caught in a storm that was just two notches shy of being a hurricane, the remnants of it were most definitely still felt 24 hours later. Not long after our departure, the several meter high waves that are tossing us about make “I hate the sea!”, “Why do we have to sail so much?”, and “Can we turn back to Portugal?” the most heard sentences of the day. The half-day of scheduled classes is cancelled, and most students retreat to their bunks, or to the funnels of shame. I am happy to report that I…and motion sickness meds… conquered seasickness this time. Victory! Chantalle (sponsored by Gravol): 1 Seasickness: A trillion billion. Although most on board want to give the ocean a good punch in the face on this first day of sailing from Western Europe, she soon redeems herself. The über calmness of the Atlantic Ocean the followin

One of the first reactions noticed as I told people I was about to go teach whilst sailing was “Whoa… like Breaker High!”. Sort of… except our school in on a sailing vessel, not a cruise ship…and Ryan Gosling isn’t on board. Second on the list was “But, how do you teach on board? How does it work?”. While the Concordia was equipped with classrooms, the Sorlandet is not, and so we make the best of the space available. This means that our classrooms are also dining rooms, common areas, and at night, sleeping areas. As my friend Kristine pointed out “Ew, you eat on a teenager’s bed!”. Yes, but really, it’s not as unsanitary as it sounds. The kids must take down their bunks, sheets and sleeping bags every morning to make room for the dining area, which is then transformed into a classroom. White boards are secured with ropes to the ceiling, and are taken down during class time. There is no Internet at sea (gasp!), and no photocopier (double gasp!) and so we resort to books, USB transfers,

Bonjour France! Arriving in Saint-Malo, France, our first port, is as incredible as we had imagined it to be. We get to shore in the afternoon of the 19th, and the trials and tribulations we faced during our sail quickly become stories we now laugh whole heartedly at, instead of cry about. Here is a youtube video taken by one of our students during the storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1MiREXAyPA Shortly after we dock, the faculty heads to a local seafood restaurant to celebrate Jason, our shipboard director’s birthday. I fall in love with France immediately. Not only does it not make me nauseous, but it also has 3 course seafood meals for under 12 Euros. Add cheaper-than-water-but-still-incredibly-good red wine to the mix, and I am now definitely in a state of bliss. We start trading stories of our experience weathering a force 9 storm. Christina and I fondly remember that fateful night/neverending day, and our state of utter invalidity. As you may recall, Christina became my roo

So begins my dream job…my once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I have long pondered, hoped for, waited for… and am finally getting to experience. It begins in Bremerhaven, Germany, where we are acquainted with the Sorlandet, our home for the year, at a tall ship festival. We are to spend a few days as a staff getting to know each other, and experience a team-building sail to Norway, where we will eventually meet our students. The Sorlandet is beautiful. At first, I am surprised at how big she is… not sure what I was expecting, but this Norwegian beauty surpasses my expectations.. first few days are spent meeting fellow faculty members (all seem awesome, hurray!), jet-lag correcting, orientating and provisioning (translation: stocking food on board for the year). Then… seasickness. Our venture on the North Sea terrifies me, and makes me wonder if I am really cut out for this. How will I teach when I can hardly get out of bed? Brushing my teeth or taking a shower seems like a monumental tas