Movies and Music

As I mentioned before I'm trying to cope with time passing slowly (and in order) by watching lots of relevant movies and making a travel playlist.


I'll start with the playlist.  Most of the songs are travel themed, but some are just awesome songs or songs that have special travel related meaning that only my brain would understand.  :0)  It's still a work in progress and I would love suggestions!  

See what my fellow SASers are listening to!

And now for the movies I've been watching:

Highly recommended!  This was fantastically done with interviews and reenactments.  

Well done and interesting although I think I would only recommend it to people who like documentaries as it is not inherently entertaining.  

Excellent!  Gave a wonderful picture of Brazil including the places I will be going.

Also excellent!  I highly recommend this whole series. 

I heard not so good things about this movie, but I loved it!  It made me feel very small, which I enjoyed.

I've watched two of the six episodes (including the one on Tibet) and I really like this series.  However, it's another one I would only recommend to the seasoned documentary viewer.  

Saw this recommended on a travel blog, but didn't really enjoy it.

Haha!  Well we are going to be sailing on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking...

My Dad and I have tacked most of this show, including the places I will be going.  It's gotten my really pumped up to try new things!  

I'm just starting this show, but I think I've watched the episodes featuring most of the places I'm going.    

I watched this years ago and loved it!  I'm going to watch it again before I go.

This is definitely one of my all time favorite movies!

And up next in my queue....

 If you have any other ideas, drop me a comment!  :0)

10 Days!!!!

Less than one month!!!!!!

I got a small taste of limited technology use the past two days because my old computer broke.  (RIP Mr. Mackey).  It was slightly annoying but more relaxing than anything.  No computer meant I couldn't waste tons of time on reddit or refreshing the SAS facebook group page.  My productivity went way up.  I hope this bodes well for 108 days with no internet that I've been fearing for months.  Anyway, saying goodbye to my faithful old computer was sad since I've had it for almost six years, but I am relieved that I have a new laptop that won't go kaput in the middle of the ocean.

In case you were wondering my new computer is called Mr. Mackey Jr.

But more importantly, I found out that I was accepted into all of the field programs that I signed up for!  When a field program fills up, the spots are given to people on a lottery system.  Either none of my trips were full or I got lucky because I'm good to go!  :0)  Here is the final list:

The time until SAS gets shorter as does my SAS related to do list.  I sent in my medical history form on Monday and will send a copy of my transcripts in to SAS tomorrow.  I have to go over the embarkation paperwork and the Vicarious Voyage paperwork tomorrow as well.  On Thursday I have what I hope will be my last doctor's appointment before I head off.  I'm going to ask about going to high altitude (Tibet) with dysautonomia/medications and I need to get prescriptions for 110+ days of my meddies.  I'm actually not sure how that process works, but I imagine that there is some protocol in place for situations like this.  I'll have to report back when I find out.  Best of all, I finally get to start thinking about packing.  I'm not quite going to pull out the suitcases yet, but I am starting with my packing strategy.  (Which mainly consists of trying to convince myself that I don't need to bring my whole room with me.)

Less than one month to go!!!!!!!    

First World Problems

  

Oh my goodness the stress!  (Hence the 4:45am insomnia post.)  That to-do list of mine just keeps getting longer and yet time until departure keeps getting shorter. 

 Don't get me wrong, I absolutely can't wait for this thing to start, but I wish I had more time to do everything I need to do first!  Just the SAS preparation stuff alone actually isn't that much.  I pretty much just have to send in a few more forms, find home stay gifts, finish up various projects, and start to think about packing.  Not too bad if you don't count the hours I want to spend obsessing about the trip.  However I also have finals this week, holiday shopping, daily life stuff (library, errands, cleaning, etc.) and am spur the moment applying to graduate school.  That's a lot for a girl who is used to being able to do only one thing every day.   Of course everything I just mentioned would be under the category of first world problems.  :0)

For more first world problems Click Here

  In other news, I am officially 100% signed up for field programs!  There was definitely a bit of sticker shock once all of the costs were tallied up, but it was actually about two thousand dollars less than I anticipated.  (YAY!) Also, the prices really aren't that bad for each individual trip.  It isn't like a regular cruise where the lowest priced option is several hundred dollars.  Since SAS is a non-profit, the prices are incredibly reasonable, even under $10 sometimes.  (Most day trips are between $40 and $150.)  Traveling independently would probably still be cheaper because you could put together budget transportation and accommodations, but I like the security of traveling with SAS and having everything planned out ahead of time.  

  I saved the best for last in this post.  The current SAS voyage put together this awesome video that entertains as well as gives a tour of the ship.  Definitely worth watching!  I really hope that our voyage does something epic like this.

       

Less than 60 Days to Go!!!!

Right now 60 days seems like an eternity, another lifetime away. I wish I could speed up time and be on that ship now!
Anyone got a Tardis they could spare? I'm trying to immerse myself in getting ready and enjoying the holidays as a distraction and I would say it is working marginally well. The getting ready part is quite a job actually. Since my parents had handled everything when we traveled in the past, all of the visas, vaccinations, reservation making, etc. is a huge wake up call for me. To make sure I stay organized I have a SAS to do list. Luckily, I am making some good progress. Here is what the list looks like:



I also check the SAS facebook group every day to stay caught up on news and "meet" people before we actually get to the ship. So far everyone seems really nice and excited for the trip. Someone even made a website for us that organizes our discussions and has lots of links to great resources.

Because I have an inborn tendency to create projects for myself, I guess it isn't surprising that several projects have sprung up around my trip. As I mentioned before, I'm making a picture book to help with communication. Here's a page from it:



I'll laminate the pages and then put them all on a flash card ring so they are durable and easily accessible. I don't plan on using it much but it would be nice to have in a pinch. (As I learned when my family's car broke down in rural France. Imagine trying to say you accidentally put diesel in a non diesel engine by hand gestures...)

I'm also working on hand-binding a leather journal that was going along well until I got my right arm casted (due to a wrist dislocation). Now it's sitting on my desk and patiently waiting until I can finish it. I'm modeling it after River Song's diary from Doctor Who and so far it looks pretty good.

I always like to bring little trinkets to give to people when I travel and am in the process of finding things to bring. So far I have sparkly bracelets for girls, those things that you blow into and the curly part shoots out, and some sets of marbels. I am thinking of also getting a large pack of popping balls for giving out to large groups of kids. That just leaves some gifts for my homestay families and I'll be all set. I'm having trouble coming up with what to get, so if you have any ideas, please send me a message!
What I mean by popping balls and the blowy party favors (they are surprisingly difficult to describe despite the fact that we all know what they are):



I think that's about it for now. :0) Just more waiting and getting ready for me.

TTFN