Mom’s Post #1:  September 14

Hello all!  This is my first time posting for Layne, so if things are not as tidy as she would have them, my apologies.  I’m counting on her to ‘fix’ things next time she is able to log on.  This first post is the same as I had posted on Facebook a couple of days ago:

Things are quiet from Semester at Sea with Layne Pfliiger and Nathan; however, that doesn’t mean the excitement level is low. Layne wanted me to post a little something so everyone knows she’s still alive and well, just not able to BLOG quite yet (although she assured me she’s taking lots of notes for when she’s able to get back to the BLOG).

Sunday, September 13th was a day of traveling from the hostel to the ship. That in itself was an adventure. Once all 600+ students, faculty, staff, etc…. were assembled they were quick to leave land because of a storm(s).

Today, Monday, September 14th was a day of orientation. However, Ms. Layne, her roommate, Nathan, and the majority of the students on board were mostly sick in their rooms today. Layne said she ate a few crackers and did a couple of things away from her room, but mostly stuck close to her room because of nausea. The boat is rocking up almost 8 meters so it’s just a really rough sea they are contending with at the moment. Nathan did tell me there is some good news in sight regarding the rough seas: the seas are not to be quite as rough in the morning, with the wind speed dropping to about 10 knots. [I guess I’ll be learning lots about meters and knots during their Semester at Sea adventure!]

Layne said the Student Union is the worst room on the whole ship for getting sick and wouldn’t you know that is where some of the main activity for the day was held. She and Nathan both got sick while by the Student Union and Layne ended up having a very unfortunate, and as her little cousin Griff would say “awkward”, moment. I’ll let her fill you in on this adventure.

It’s been a very long day even though the majority of it was spent in their ‘dorm rooms’ and classes start tomorrow, so hopefully they both are feeling better on the first day of classes. Layne also said the rockiness gets worse the higher up you are and as luck would have it her first class is on the NINTH deck of the ship (which I do believe is the very top deck!). She can’t wait and believes it’s gonna be just great!!! [Insert sarcasm here.]

Layne said to mark today as one of the top 10 WORST DAYS EVER!

Prayers for a good sleep, calmer waters in the morning and a wonderful first day of classes.

Love and hugs to both Layne and Nathan from Landlocked North Dakota!