Last year when I read these letters I was looking for a change in the typical college quarter at Cal Poly. This trip gave me much more of a change than I could have hoped for. As the trip winds down to an end I realize how much we cadets (that's what they call us on the ship) have gotten. It gives you a new perspective on things that you just can't get at home in SLO. Other than that, you get experiences like no other and you meet a variety of new and exciting people.

As you might have heard though, this is not Carnival Cruise Line. You don't get to drink margaritas by the pool, even if there was a pool. You do get to wear a nice little uniform and stand in formation while they take role every day at 1200. Also there is daily cleaning, so they say. Really it's more like every other day and at the most 15 minutes. Other duties include room inspections, so you have to make your bed, and you have a couple of days of the cruise where you get to help the kitchen staff out. You spend the day wiping tables, moving trash around, or if you're lucky you get to work in the scullery spraying dishes. Well, that's enough reality of the cruise for now. All the rules and duties that are given to you on this trip are nothing compared to the time that you're going to have - if you go, that is. All that stuff sounds great huh? When I look back at the trip and all the great times that I had, that stuff doesn't even come to mind. It doesn't weigh at all in the big scheme of things. The rules that go with this trip shouldn't give you anything to worry about.

What you should worry about though is how to spend the port time. Port time is like some dream, and you don't wake up until the three days are over. Time in ports is spent running around doing as much as possible in the time that they give to you - which as you come to realize isn't that much. You'd be surprised what was accomplished in that time, though. We spent our port time swimming with sharks, swinging off ropes into pools in tropical forests, bungee jumping, swimming under waterfalls, exploring deep glowworm caves, visiting the crocodile hunter zoo, feeding kangaroos and koalas, and rafting to a native village in Fiji. You can do a lot in three days. I even zorbed in New Zealand, where you get into a huge inflated ball with some water and roll down a hill. They need to bring that to the states. Port time is an endless amount of fun, which you will talk about for the rest of your life.

The boat time is well spent also. You learn to entertain yourself within a very limited amount of space. Time is spent watching movies, playing games, looking for sea life, stargazing, sunbathing, watching sunsets, and even talking with your fellow cadets. You learn to appreciate them all. Boat life is where you get to know everybody and everything that there is to do on the ship.

This trip requires that you bring an open mind. There are many things that you won't be ready for, that you'll just have to deal with. You can either get all upset and complain or you can just go with it. The people who complain are the ones with all the regrets. The trip can be much more pleasant if you realize how small the problems are compared to the great time that you're having. I can't think of any problems with this trip that are worth mentioning now that it's over. It has been one of the greatest experiences I've had and has shown me what life is like outside the daily routine. If you're up for a new and exciting experience like no other, this is the trip for you.