Home Sweet Ship!

I've finally arrived at my new home! After a couple of years of dreaming, thinking, planning, and praying, I shrieked with delight when I first saw sight of the ship. Currently we are still in dry dock in Durban, South Africa, while the repairs to the ship's propulsion are finished. Being in dry dock means several things:

• You can't go outside without a hard hat on.
• You can't walk anywhere outside. You have to take a taxi out of the port.
• You have to wear closed toe shoes ALL the time. 
• The air conditioning only works some of the time and only in certain parts of the ship, the crew cabins being one of the areas where it never works.

Needless to say, we are all counting the days til we get out of dry dock and finally start our sail to Madagascar.  

Making posters to decorate my classroom!

Once I arrived on the ship, I set straight to work decorating my classroom.  We had a week of teacher orientation and then school started last Tuesday! I teach the following classes: 6th grade Math, Algebra 1, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Bible. I love it so far. My biggest class has 5 students!  But the time I save in grading, I spend in planning for all those classes! Whew! It is keeping me busy!

Teacher Activity during Orientation Week

Kids poking their heads in on the first day of school. Come on in!

I have managed to get off ship a couple times: once to the Lion Park and twice to the beach (first time in the Indian Ocean)! The water was freezing; it's winter here in the southern hemisphere, but my roommate Tam and I went swimming anyway.  Petting the elephants at the Lion Park was the highlight of my summer! It was amazing!

More about daily life on the ship in my next blog post!