Shorter hair...and amount of time left at home. (One week to go!)

I knew that I couldn't take my 17-inch ponytail with me on this trip. It would just get in the way and was about time I got it cut anyway (My last haircut was about two years ago). So I went from this...



With this...



To this!!



Ahh!!! It's so different and weird, but it's just the appropriate change for this trip. I planned on putting my hair up in a scarf for some of the travel in the ports, so this short hair will be much easier to allow for that. When it's in a ponytail I get used to it and forget that it's short, but when it's down, I miss my security blanket and still haven't gotten used to it not being there.



Also, earlier this week I went back to the travel clinic. Since the SAS itinerary changed, I wanted to make sure I didn't need any other vaccinations, which, it turns out, I didn't. Mom took me shopping this week, too, and we bought a few shirts that were actually made for fly-fishing, I believe. They're made of nylon and have a vented back and sleeves for hot weather. I sent away for a heavy-duty iPod case, a vinyl skin for my laptop, and some breathable shoes that will dry quickly, in case I get them wet. So, in my final stages of preparation, I also got my phone updated with the World Traveler option (yeah, that's me... :-D ) and am ordering a cheap phone to use, so I don't lose my good one. I'm also planning on getting currency from the bank from each of the countries we're visiting (who knew you could do that?), as well as picking up things like shampoo and such that I need to get before taking on the daunting task of packing!

And, it's really, really strange that all my friends went back to Penn State this weekend and I didn't! Good luck to everyone in State College this semester!

Mom and Amy also created this map on the fridge to track my progress during the trip...lolz:



It's me on the ship! :o)




A note on communicating with me:

DO NOT CALL MY CELL PHONE. It will probably end up costing me and/or you too much money.

It will be best to email me during the trip. The Semester at Sea provides everyone with an e-mail address. Mine will most likely be sjfederoff@semesteratsea.net, but I will confirm that once I am totally sure. I have also set up my G-mail account to receive my Penn State account's email, which will then forward it to my Semester at Sea account, if that makes any sense.
Anyways...send it to either:

sjf5034@psu.edu
staceyfederoff@gmail.com or
sjfederoff@semesteratsea.net (once I'm actually on the ship - like I said, I will confirm this)

I won't be on the Internet a lot, because the Semester at Sea only allows the participants a limited amount of free time on the Web, because of the large number of students and the poor connection or something like that, I can't remember. Regardless, I will only have 125 free minutes on the Internet (excluding a few sites like the SAS e-mail, this blog, and a few others as far as I know), after that the ship charges for extra minutes. So, I will not be able to use Skype, update Facebook very often or hang around on AIM or G-chat. I might use the internet a little in the ports, but I don't plan on taking my laptop with me every time I get off the ship.

OR you can leave a comment on this blog! I would love to know everyone who is reading the blog, so that I can keep you all in my thoughts and answer questions if I forget to write about something.

OR if it is an emergency or something timely, please call my house (I can email you the number, or you can look it up under my dad's name, Joseph, we're in the book) and hopefully someone will answer or get back to you. Or, e-mail my mom at suefed@comcast.net and she will act as my secretary. :o)

OR you can refer to my earlier post and send me a letter at one of the ports. This is the document with our schedule and the port agents' addresses if you'd like to send me anything. Note that it is recommended to NOT send packages because of customs. But, if you can plan ahead far enough, I enjoy letters and postcards and things of that sort. :o)


Gifts

I'd also like to use this post to take requests for reasonable gifts. Let me know the country you would like a gift from and I will try to remember to get you something while I'm there. If you would like anything specific, please let me know about that, and if it is more money than I am willing to spend, then I will request that you either give me money for it within the next week or pay me back when I get home. Request gifts by leaving me a comment here or sending me an e-mail.