it is 1:28 am and I am back in my room. I was out on deck 7 for a bit after our pre-port meeting. That meeting stretched for hoursssssss. There was a cool presentation from a student who was onboard with us from Dominica State College about Dominica. That was great because I am signed up for a community service based project with the students from her school. I wonder if she'll be the main person. Anyhow, there was a lot of history and stuff to be learned. It was fascinating of course because many of us were clueless and people were still pronouncing Dominica as "Doe-men-eh-ca." You know like Dominican Republic. But obviously it is not the same pronunciation and Dom-eh-nee-ka holds a level of meaning for its people. Had another great conversation with Malachi regarding deaths and funerals - pretty random I guess. But one of our fellow SAS'er just got the news about the passing of his father and left yesterday. He said he would reconvene sometime later in the voyage. We also got to talking about sleep quality while on the ship… and that lead to sleep apnea. Which led to the conversation of insurance and how it is of the top three things not covered (AIDS, Diabetes type 1 and Sleep apnea since most people do not use the device once prescribed). Prior to that conversation, I had went to the Main Dining Hall for the late night snacks they now have available, which are essentially old desserts from dinner that were leftover. Met 2 guys I've been running into from Moorehouse (daniel and Ian)  and one girl from Atlanta Tech (Kayla). All great people and it was refreshing to hear their stories and celebrate the fact that we were a part of the diversity percentage. Spent quite a bit of time talking to them and eventually we moved the conversation up near the pool and pool bar. I hadddd to order a "large" vanilla ice-cream cone… It was $2.50 which isn't bad at all, but I have to suppress these urges for sweet sweet junk food ;/ Found out a bit about Kayla's situation and made me think about the one I have with my folks. It's funny how the oppression or adversity you experience from those you would like to support aids in shaping you into the most phenomenal individual--ever. I gotta say, it granted me the opportunity to write some pretty amazing essays so in retrospect, I suppose I am grateful for the life experiences whether wanted or forced upon my shoulders. I have accomplished some pretty awesome things and have collected (haha) or accumulated a host of lifelong friends and support system. But moving forward (since I am tired and we are arriving in Rosseau, Dominica at 8am!! But my alarm is set for 7:15 because I gotta get that breakfast in…whoohoo! haha. My meeting with my boss went well as usual. I brought up the idea for our Sea meetings regarding Long Distance relationships. Semester at Sea has been synonymous with being the reason for breakups whether during or post the voyage. It generated a lot of conversations among students and there was a discussion page dedicated to it on our Spring 2011 SAS Facebook group. Years or length of relationships prior to this expedition seem to pale in comparison to the amount of change that occurs once one has taken this journey. Apparently, we will outgrow the ones we love and/or become so attuned to our needs we will desire more and will be comfortable at that point with going forth towards what we deserve. Not a bad thing, but also not an easy position to be in…. Okay… gotta get some sleep!!! I am free tomorrow to explore Rosseau with any friends who aren't doing anything. I have my service on Sunday. The sucky thing is everyone is doing mostly cool watery stuff in Dominica. They are snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, water tubing and or kayaking. Or combo of them all… I unfortunately have not learned to swim… okay, let's correct that. On a number of occasions I was taught with others how to swim… I just repetitively failed to comprehend or at least command my body how to mobilize! I can't seem to synchronize my legs and freaking, arms!!!! I end up looking like a drowning puppy. I can float pretty darn well and I will continue to tell that to people. If I could be trusted to float, I could follow through. But with the high tides and currents that we will encounter, it made no sense to jeopardize my life (obviously). Today was the first day of my three other classes: Global Studies, International Perspectives on Family Violence and Social Justice and Altruism. The first one we talked about the importance of maps and the propaganda that can be involved depending on the intention of the mapmaker. The second we defined and had a rather interesting discussion on the definition of maltreatment, child abuse, domestic and family violence. The last was engaging on all levels: the professor was enthusiastic and very personable. He also said a lot of stuff like it is his job and his motive to make us cry. He wants to shake us up to our very core and redirect our self-absorbed ways until we can't think, breathe or sleep regarding anything else. Pretty profound session, very amazing man. I am pumped! Let's do this class… I - cant- keep- my - eyes- open- night world!