At sea

Greetings from a big boat- or ship as they will have me call it. This is day what? It’s A2 for classes- and that’s about all I know. The ship itself is quite an unexpected experience. It is perhaps the most opulent place I will ever live; amazingly kind Philippino people make our beds, fold our stray clothes, and bring us coffee and tea at every meal. Everyone I talk to feels rather out of place being served- I know they get paid well and such- but it is so incredibly odd.

My chica Amy also brought up the awesome point that while we are on the ocean, we’re still so removed. This ship is huge- nine stories maybe- and from the top deck you are so far away. Last night the ocean was amazing. The whole experience of being out here perfectly demonstrates the limits of language; I have no words for the color of the ocean. I can’t really describe how the moonlight reflects on that vast body of water, hitting only parts that aren’t obscured by clouds and sending a shimmer through the waves. I can’t do it justice. It is ghostly- my image last night made me recall the scene in Interview with the Vampire: Claudia and Louie are sailing to Europe and around, and as the pass sea through sea, Claudia does sketches of the ocean. They are dark, there is moon, clouds, and depth- and most importantly a type of fog. There is a feeling in that scene- I’ve caught it before on the river in New Orleans- seeing how the lights from the bridge reflect down and make that area slightly different from all the others. So that is how I feel- like I’m in some sort of painting, and as if I should describe everything in older English like novels I’ve read.
To return to the far away point, however, even though the ocean is all around and we can’t see land, we’re still not in it. Imagine being in a schooner or smaller vessel- the ocean would own you. You would feel that vastness and be lost in it. We can try to reach it from up here, but it’s hard.

The people on the boat are pretty sweet. I was nervous about being lost in a maze of rich people – and rich isn’t the right word—but if you know me maybe you know what I’m talking about. And they are here, but so are others.

Hawaii is next (tomorrow)!! Whee.