The final days have been filled with fun times. Pies in faces on the pool deck brought a lot of joy! The boys had a final sleepover.
Packing was a major challenge, but we made it!
There was a graduation ceremony in the union on the last day.
The dining room took on an American look. We've had a lot of birthday parties lately--and today we celebrated one more!
The boys had one final swim in the pool. There is nothing like a college boy catapulting a young child across the pool! Everyone had a great time!
Our final "Pre-port" for Fort Lauderdale was hilarious! The staff gave out a sheet just like the info sheet for all the previous ports, only this time the scheduled trips and info were send-ups of what we usually get.
The students did a mock pre-port, imitating the doctor, the deans, and the inter-port students and lecturers, following the usual pattern that occurs before each new port of call. For example, the "doctor" led students in an exercise to strengthen their thumbs for texting, since they have been deprived of this luxury during our time on the ship. A good time was had by all. At the end, the older dependent kids sang "America the Beautiful."
We have had an amazing voyage. It will take us awhile to comprehend all that we have seen and done and learned. We're grateful for the opportunity to circumnavigate the globe, stopping in thirteen fascinating ports of call. Teaching and learning along the way, we have explored places that were once only vague spots on the map, but are now vivid locales indelibly etched in our hearts and minds. I imagine the voyage will continue to teach us long after we leave the ship tomorrow morning.
Our final video clips are: dancing after the birthday party, singing YMCA at the preport send-up, and the dependent kids singing "America the Beautiful." It is fitting to end this blog with the "America the Beautiful" clip not uploading! Perhaps I'll give it a try once we are back stateside with proper internet connections!
