Here are some photos of my berth. I am on the 03 deck which means I am 3 levels up from the waterline. While there are only 4 staterooms on my floor, which means it will stay pretty quiet, the fact that we are so high up can mean potential seasickness. I was greeted by my bunkmate the first evening with the information that she bought up a bucket for the room to prepare for this potential. Wonderful.
My other job is to update the white-board outside our lab with up-to-the-minute information. On Leg 1 of this cruise the white board was entitled "Board of Lies" which tells you a little bit about how cruise life goes and the uncertainty involved with everything that happens. We decided to be optimistic starting out so we went with "Simon says". This board is how our Chief Scientist, Alison, communicates important things with the rest of the scientific complement. Around 4:30pm I head up to my bunk to get some sleep before my first shift at 11pm. I am excited and nervous and have a hard time getting to sleep. Around 5:30pm an announcement orders all scientists to the Main Lab where we learn that we are not going to be departing as expected but will be delayed until tomorrow (Wednesday). Our auxiliary AC unit is not working properly and the Chief Officer wants to make sure it's fixed before setting out. This is especially imperative to us as scientists because many of our samples need to be kept in a cool environment. A broken AC would compromise all the results we would have. |
While it is unfortunate that our departure has been delayed, I am trying to make the best of the situation. I am now happily enjoying a couple extra days in Kailua with Mom and the kitties so I can't complain. Mom sent me off with this beautiful lei which is now sitting in my berth, making it smell wonderful, awaiting my return. She has been a life-saver in so many ways during the hectic past few days. I can't thank her enough for dealing with my constantly changing plans!