Saturday, November 09, 2013

#604 Extending our family

Extended families make a ship feel more like home.

Last night - about 1,000 miles off the coast of Argentina - we enjoyed dinner by the pool with Ryan and Hillary (on the back row) and Sophie, Amy, Jessica, and Willa (on the front row).  They seem to enjoy the shipboard pizza as much as we do.  It was our 6th family dinner of the voyage.

Many students sign up to be part of a shipboard family - on this voyage, about 400 of the 575 students.  And we're glad they did!

Our family gets together regularly and we often see each other around the ship.  We do the things that regular land-based families do: 
  • Parents caution students against risky behavior.  Shark diving in South Africa?  Let's think about that.  
  • We kid each other a lot.  You're going to visit ANOTHER library in Buenos Aires?  
  • And we compete against other families.  Next week, we're going to take on the other shipboard families in a game of Family Feud.

Having a shipboard family is a highlight of the voyage for us. 

Yours in appreciating the sunshine, the pizza, and especially these six students,
Mary

1 comment:

  1. I was a Lifelong Learner on the Summer 2003 voyage. I am still in contact with my shipboard "kids" as they are getting engaged, married, and starting families. It's a wonderful bond you will share with them.

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