Travel on the TSGB is not for the highly material person, the complainer, or the faint of heart; this is not a luxury cruise liner, but a training ship for a fellow CSU. It is expensive, small, frustrating, tiring, but ultimately very rewarding. I am inspired by my two trips. I learned much about other places, and found the perspective very enlightening. I have made more lasting friendships here than in the dorms. I will miss not having the beautiful ocean just outside the window when I am gone.

To see how others view our world makes one examine what it is to be a citizen of the United States in another country that we do not own; it's a risk we take to visit a different country. Often you know nothing about its history and what part the United States or Western culture has played. It is not always pleasant. The more I learn about this, the more I am disappointed with Western culture and their pursuit of "progress".

It is important to keep an open mind about the places you are visiting. Just because you have not heard much about it and have no real desire to go there, do not write it off. I've seen Hong Kong, Japan, Midway Island, Yap, Guam, Maui, Tahiti, Fiji, Nuku Hiva, New Zealand, and Australia. I did not care to visit them all, and I enjoyed some more than others. But they are all amazing places I would not have known until I explored.

In terms of being on the ship, it is important to realize that it is a small community to which everyone contributes. There are very few times and places when you can be alone, and you're never more than 500 feet from anyone. Communication is probably still as bad as it was on the first Cal Poly cruise with the California Maritime Academy. I don't know if this will ever change. If you have been told something on the ship that turns out later to be wrong, remember you have been warned. Be flexible, and understand that the CMA has a way they do things; it may seem stupid and unnecessary to you, but it is their way and it should be respected.

This is my last cruise. The first time, I cried when we reached Honolulu because it represented the end of the best two months of my life with an amazing group of people. I did not enjoy cruise as much this time due to the size and composition of the group, and because I took the responsibility of being a division commander. We are the bearers of mixed news (bad and good) and are only appointed to make things organizationally easier for the CMA. We scheduled the kids for kitchen duty, clean sweep down, and other such functions that we are required to fill on the ship. The communication was twice as hard with the CMA as I had realized, and we had thirty students in each of our divisions when there should have been half that amount. The group most of the time pissed me off because they could not be patient or directed their anger wrongly at me. It is a thankless job most of the time. I believe things will change next year to make it a more rewarding leadership position.

Many people have been able to discover themselves on this trip, and I encourage everyone to think on who they are. Think of the consequences of your actions as they reflect your personality to everyone. Watch others and you will learn how to become a good judge of character (another very important skill to learn). Do not always use the first impression; remember that first impressions are often wrong.

You have not seen the ocean until you have looked into its depths and can see the bottom of the ship. You have not seen the ocean until you see more than one color of blue and green, until you have seen the bioluminescence, and the dolphins riding the bow wave. You do not know the sky at night until you have been in the complete darkness of the Pacific. There is no limit to the magic that might be in store for you. Enjoy.