We have finally left!

Well as most of you know I left for Nassau on Monday, January 21. After stopping in Miami we arrived at 2pm, greeted by miserable weather (rain and high winds). We were greeted at the airport by Keva McKinney (for those of you who know Krishelle, Ally’s friend, her mom). After a brief tour of the western end of the island we stopped for lunch at a local seafood restaurant whose name escapes me. We were served by a waiter who apparently thought his humor would make up for the lack of service he provided. This was our first taste of local food. We ate grouper, conch, peas and rice and other seafood. After lunch we continued looking around the island before returning to the McKinney’s mansion. For dinner we went to Atlantis, which is spectacular, for more seafood and conch fritters (my new favorite)!
On Tuesday, we spent the day downtown Nassau where I browsed the souvenir and clothing stores. After buying a few necessities, we lunched at Athenia, a greek restaurant overlooking the main street. Again I had conch fritter, with a greek salad and a gyro. It was pretty good and the atmosphere was great! For dinner we went to another local restaurant called the poop deck (reminded me of Frog and Onion) where we sat overlooking the Marina. The food was delicious but we were all very tired after a long day of shopping.
Wednesday January 23 was finally the day when we boarded the ship. Because they boarded in alphabetical order, I of course was first at 8am. For those of you that know me well, know that I am not good in the morning. After an hour in the car we arrived at the dock and stood in a long line to receive our cabin number and clear customs. With three large bags, I struggled after having the leave Mart and Keva at the checkpoint. We soon put our bags through security and boarded the ship where we went through mass amounts of paperwork before finally arriving at my cabin. I unpacked my one bag that arrived and then disembarked to get some last minute supplies. Mart and I went for lunch at Atlantis and then hit the straw market in Nassau where I bought a fake coach clutch because I left mine at home (one of the many things I forgot). At three PM when we had to be back on the boat, dad came on board with me to look around. We met my roommate Leah, who is from New York and very nice and then headed out for a tour. We got to look around the ship and meet some of the teachers and staff. At 3:30 parents left the boat and we did our first life boat drill. Standing in winter clothing for an hour in the Bahamas was not fun to say the least, let alone the fact that we were packed in like sardines. I suppose it was good to meet some people who lived in my area, although in such gross circumstances.
Surprisingly, the food so far has been impressive, far better than queens but nothing near as good as Lynanne or Mama Ps cooking (which I am missing a lot). The dining rooms are huge and it is a shock to be served by waiters in the dining room. After dinner we went to a classroom to be introduced to some teachers and to learn the rules. The last thing on the agenda for the evening was sea meetings. The ship is divided into seas by cabin sections. I am in room 3069 (haha) and in the yellow sea. We had a short meeting with rules and stuff followed by a meet and greet where I met many people, including a guy from McGill.
When we returned to the cabin exhausted, I found that I still had not received my other 2 bags, so I ventured to the gangway to find them. After being searched and confiscating my hair dryer (although I managed to keep my straightener, I am pretty tricky) I took my bags back to the cabin and unpacked. Surprisingly, we have left over space in the room, which is quite impressive with millions or drawers and enough hanging space. The beds are small, which I am not used to but it was easy to sleep because of the rocking of the ship.
It seems these posts will be very long, but once classes begin there will be less to talk about I’m sure. I miss all of you already but I am very grateful for this experience and cannot wait to get to our first Port of Puerto Rico on Saturday. XOXO