Shellback Status

Sup guys. I'm officially a shellback! :) Today was Neptune Day! It was actually a lot of fun. It's the ancient sea lore (or just SAS tradition) that as you cross the equator, you must ask King Neptune for his permission to cross... I think. We all knew it was happening due to professors telling us "Procedural Protocol Day" was actually Neptune Day so I felt privileged. I woke up to some distant rumbling and thought I heard people outside my room and I wake up and go "K! Did you hear that!" - to my roommate - and she was like "yes. Go back to sleep, it's 0715". I was SO excited, I was like a little kid (or a big kid/how I still am) on Christmas. They kept coming by and it sounded like a marching band. There were cymbals and whistles and drums and they kept knocking on our door to get us up. At 0745, the dean made an announcement saying King Neptune was angry that we had crossed the equator in the Amazon without paying proper tribute and we must meet on deck 7 aft to appease him. K, P, and I went and got breakfast anyway because there was no way the entire ship was going to be out there already so that was interesting. Corned beef hash for breakfast, I'd rather not...

We got up to the deck and music was playing and there were already so many people there! Somehow K and L had snagged us a spot in front of the fish guts (milk, water, food coloring, vinegar?), on the wooden deck around the kiddie pool. We saw the procession of stewards with mine, R, leading the way.......followed by Neptune's court and King Neptune and Queen Minerva themselves.

Casual, this all happened on a Wednesday. After hearing we would "have to undergo a test" to be deemed worthy, the fish guts pouring happened. I obviously did it and had to convince P to as well. We jumped in the pool and for my first time in the pool, it was really fun! We witnessed some head shavings and some other fun stuff, it was just really interesting. I know people who slept through it and that's just silly to me; it's a SAS tradition, you never have the opportunity to do it again. 7 girls shaved their heads on my voyage, apparently the record was for 30 girls on Spring 07? That's just crazy to me! I kind of thought about it and then I reconsidered, remembering how much I hated cutting off the meager 13 inches before Christmas. Which is already growing back! Hello, Rapunzel Status by the birthday.

Other than that, the reading day was relatively fine. It started to POUR so I couldn't lie out. P and I watched Step Brothers and then we had a discussion for Global Studies where we discussed our paper topics. Global Studies was cancelled for the last two days due to rough seas, they actually think we had thought about our paper topics? I liked mine (for the 2-3 page double spaced reflection paper! SERIOUSLY?!) but the smartypants in my group had to tear it down. I only shared it because the professor made me...

Now I'm going to hit up a music session with the visiting Ghanaian musician about Bob Marley, so excited! I'm excited to see what I learn differently from ENG106. Will post with a picture of me from Neptune Day when I get them! Only 5 more days until land in Ghana!

--sorry if some of this doesn't make sense. I'm not nearly as careful as I am on land :)