0 Degrees, 0 Degrees

There has been excitement on the ship this stretch. A few days ago, we crossed the prime meridian and equator at the same time! So, we were at 0 degrees and 0 degrees on the map, on our way to Cape Town, South Africa. Students and staff congregated on the top deck of the ship for photo ops. Many mentioned it was a bit anti-climatic since we continued to stare at the same ocean we have been staring the past few days. The Captain actually changed the route so we could have this moment, which was pretty neat. Apparently, a clock maker, John Harrison determined longitude at sea in 1773. The equator and latitude has always been an easy reference point, but the prime meridian has changed throughout the years. It wasn’t until 1884 that 25 countries agreed upon the prime meridian crossing through Greenwich, England.

Yesterday, we celebrated Neptune Day, a traditional maritime ceremony when crossing the equator. The "polywogs" become "shellbacks" by participating in a ritual entailing fish gut slime poured over heads, kissing a fish, and kneeling down to the Sea Gods. Also, approximately 100 students and staff shaved their heads so there are lots of bald heads or mohawk hair cuts around the ship.


The waves are a bit rough today and it is expected to be this way for the next few days. It makes for a quiet night as many students are tucked away so sweetly in their little beds . We are still working on establishing a routine on the ship, even after one month. Most typical is that we go-go-go from 12:30-10:30 PM with meetings, events, and social time. Often, the social time is work because it is so exorbitant. But of course, we are enjoying the people and recently established a group who enjoys playing hearts. Lots of gamers and fun people on the ship! As an example, here is a Youtube video from the medical team's preport presentation for Ghana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYl_2pczLD8.

We included a picture of our cabin – ah, home sweet home. It feels good to come back to our cabin after a day of traveling. Just today, we reminisced about our trip to S. America, where we went from one hostel and city to another hostel and city. Having a home base makes travel less stressful. Plus, we love our window view of the ocean!