by Brittney Hayes 6-3-02

I was not really sure what to expect before I lugged my overly stuffed luggage up the gangway of the T.S. Golden Bear. I had read through all of the letters from past cadets' cruise experiences, gone to all the meetings, and dog-eared and highlighted throughout the entire cruise handbook . I knew the ports we were going to sounded exotic and beautiful, yet I knew little else about them. I could not force myself to get excited! My family and friends were more eager than I was. It seemed I was more concerned with the immediate things going on in my life, and living aboard a ship for 2 months just did not make my list.

Reality began to hit me on the drive up from the LA area heading to Vallejo for training sometime in the early morning on April 15, 2002. My sister and I had rented a car for the drive and left around 6 am, me taking the driver's seat. Hundreds of things ran through my mind, things I may have possibly forgotten to do, bills I forgot to pay, library books I forgot to return. In the midst of all these jumbled thoughts, I realized they did not really matter. Whatever it was could, most likely, wait until I returned home in 2 months. Once that weight was removed from my shoulders, I was then able to actually reflect on what I was about to do. With my older sister fast asleep in the passenger seat, an extreme case of giddiness overcame me. It was almost impossible for me to concentrate on the road while giggles, squeals, and 'eeks" escaped from my mouth. This very private moment began my transition from Brittney Hayes, Cal Poly student into Hayes, Brittney, T.S. Golden Bear cadet, LB3, number 437.

I am the first person in my family to do any extensive traveling. Aside from a few uncles who were in the army or the marines, my immediate family has stayed in close proximity to California. In fact, I have an aunt who just took her first airplane flight last year, at the age of 43. With all love and respect, I do not want to continue this trend of non-travelers. My short list of places I have traveled to already surpasses almost everyone in my household, and I do not plan on stopping, especially not after this cruise. I have always heard the cliche about this mysterious "traveling bug", and about how its bite is lethal and life-long. I now know the power of this figurative bite, and know the power of its venom.

This trip has provided some very impressive additions to my "traveled to" list. But in addition to simply traveling to these places, the experience was only heightened with the means by which I chose to do it, that being the T.S. Golden Bear. I could have hopped on a cruise ship, or jumped on a direct flight, but, in a way, that would have been cheating. In a sense, some of the time spent on the ship may have outweighed the time spend in port. The close quarters with people forced relationships to be developed; it's extremely difficult to pass the same person in the hallway every day and not at least say "hi!" The close quarters of the ship allowed people who would otherwise not even interact to work and grow as a team. I came aboard this ship not knowing a soul, and extremely nervous about that factor. Now, it is hard to tell those who were friends before from those who were not; that is a beautiful thing.

Nuku Hiva, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Hawaii, that is a remarkable list of ports; too bad I was not able to get all the stamps in my passport to show off. The stamp is menial compared to the cultural diversity I was able to witness in these ports. Before this cruise, I had never heard of the Maori people of New Zealand. I was not aware of their history, their art, nor their cinema. Thanks to the criteria of my English 380 course, I was introduced to the rich history of this group of people. Along with the Maori, I learned about the Polynesians of Tahiti and the South Pacific, the aboriginals of Australia, and also the Fijians. However shallow this may sound, I never had a reason or a need to look into these cultures. Reading about them in a book was not enough, and I was actually able to interact with them, see them in their true form, not some glorified Hollywood depiction. Not only did my choice of classes introduce me to other cultures, I also learned about the sky and the stars from my Astronomy 101 course. Dr. Poling is a true saint, and made the material fun and interesting; he seemed to be just as excited as the students were. Somehow, he managed to turn me into a lil' astronomer. I can now show off to friends and family; "that's Bootes, there's Leo, that right there is Gemini. That one, oh that one is Canis Major with Sirius, which is the brightest star in the sky ..."

Honestly, this cruise has been everything I expected it to be. I did have a false understanding that I would have loads of free time: to lay out, socialize, nap, write in my journal, sketch, and read all the books I have been trying to read for years. The swift kick of reality set in pretty early for me, yet it took a while for some of my shipmates. My one complaint about this entire cruise was the amount of "bitching and moaning" that occurred. It just seemed that only some people could see things for the bigger picture; how fortunate they were to be doing this trip, going to these places and seeing the world. This trip has helped me reconfirm my belief to take things as they come, and not to dwell on the small stuff. So what if I had to mop a hallway once in a while? O darn, I had to be out of bed by 10, and keep my room clean! All the tiny inconveniences were completely outweighed, erased, and demolished by all the wonderful experiences I had on this ship since that morning of April 15, 2002.

I thoroughly feel I am a changed person from this trip. I never would have believed someone if they'd told me I would be celebrating my 20th birthday in the southern hemisphere, in New Zealand of all places. Everything I have seen and done will stay with me for the rest of my life. Life became so simple aboard the Golden Bear. I always knew what I was wearing, never had to cook a meal, and hardly ever touched my makeup bag. Getting ready in the morning was a breeze; uniform on, pony tail, white tennis shoes, check. Now, I know some of these things will fade once I return home. I know I will probably start wearing makeup again, the wardrobe will get more complicated, and the hair might not be slicked back in a ponytail. In truth, I probably won't keep contact with most of these people. But that's how these things are supposed to work. This experience cannot go on forever, no matter how hard I may try. All I can do is smile when thinking back on my time spent on the Training Ship Golden Bear, spread the knowledge I've acquired, and look through the loads of pictures I have taken!