Brianna's Voyage of Discovery Hi all! I can't believe the time has finally arrived for me to embark on my semester at sea. And because so many of you are back at home provided so much support while I prepared to make this journey, supplied me with endless helpful tips, and kept my spirits high as the anxiety began to set in, it's only fair that I keep all of you in the loop as much as possible while I am on the adventure of a lifetime. After much frustration getting this blog set up, as the internet is a teensy bit slower out on the middle of the ocean than it is on land, I finally have a way to keep you all up to date in regards to all of the exciting things that I will be doing this semester. It just wouldn't be the same if I didn't have the ability to take you all with me in some way. While I just couldn't figure out a way to sneak all of you into my suitcases, I still want to invite you all to join me, by allowing me to keep you updated via WorldNomads, on this voyage of discovery. Bon voyage everyone!

The first problem, and really the only problem, with the Bahamas is that it makes my hair about as big as it could possibly be.  Seriously, it’s as if I have teased every last hair on my head from the root to the tip after shampooing my hair, twice, with volumizing shampoo and then flipping my head over a couple times to give it even more oomph.  I have done none of this, and yet it appears as if I have.  But, since that’s really the only complaint I have about the Bahamas, I think we’re doing okay.  It’s a lovely place, really, but I feel that growing up in Las Vegas has spoiled its utter appeal.  For someone who has not grown up walking by casinos on the way to dinner and walking through the grocery store, it’s quite exciting to have tables and slot machines lining the halls of the casino on the island.  It doesn’t impress me.  It’s fun but it feels like an island version of home.  When I first started exploring the hotel last night, I could not get over the fact that the high stone archways and stone walls felt a little bit over the top, reminiscent of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and then you walk into the hotel and I feel like Ariel in the Little Mermaid, walking past what seem like miles of fish tanks and huge stone seahorses holding up the ceiling, mixed with Vegas on an island.  It’s wild, it really is.  But rather than spending my nights at the tables and partying at Senor Frogs (which from what I hear I should have done but because I did not, I showed up on time to board my ship), I spent them in the hotel room and my final day before boarding the MV Explorer by the pool reading Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, and basking in the glory of a coffee bean exfoliation and massage at the spa.  If you ever get the chance and you’re a fan of the smell of coffee and you like to be touched, this luxury pampering session is definitely something you have to try.  Being scrubbed with a mixture of rough beans and smooth oils by a pair of soft yet strong hands while enjoying overwhelming smell of the coffee was a little bit of heaven for me, the perfect way to spend an afternoon.  Then came a nap (always a plus) and dinner at Nobu.  I have to say, I was so proud of my mother for stepping so far outside of her comfort zone it scared me a little bit.  I’m a fan of sushi, and the seven-course sampling of the chef’s favorite dishes made me a little bit nervous, but Mom?  She dove in with barely a crinkle of her nose.  We ate salmon tartar, white fish with ginger sauce and scallions, seared tuna over mixed greens, baked cod (apparently a favorite of Robert De Niro who, because he loved the dish so much initiated the opening of the Nobu in New York), sautéed beef with Japanese and Portobello mushrooms (I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed them because I despise mushrooms), a sushi platter with salmon, fatty tuna, white fish, mackerel, and another fish that I couldn’t identify and yet, Mom ate it anyway.  Really, she was a champ.  And I must say the drinks were fabulous too.  I indulged in two Lychee Mojitos, a mojito with lychee juice and cranberry juice, my favorite drink here so far.  Very sweet, but very tasty, after which I headed up to my room.  And as I get ready to repack my bags to take them with me to the ship tomorrow, I can say that the majority of my 36-hour stay in the Bahamas has left me relaxed and happy, and absolutely ready to get off the island and on the sea to visit the rest of the world.