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Send comments to: editor@journeywoman.com

Found an article about your work in the CARP magazine, and then found your blog on your Semester at Sea voyage. I am a (retired) faculty member fro the University of Calgary, and preparing to go on the Spring 2009 voyage, with my wife. I have found your blog very helpful, and may well have some questions for you before we leave! Keep up the good work, best wishes,
John.

i read your blog.. and it was so detailed.. i dont know how you remember everything ....
Kanishka, India

As a fellow Spring 08 voyager, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.
Marissa Awtry

Evelyn-
I just wanted to let you know that I read through your whole blog about a week after getting back from SAS and LOVED it. Spring 2008 was amazing and I loved going back over the voyage through your stories.

Hey Evelyn, Just wanted to say that you did a great job on your SAS journals and blogs!! I was reading them the other day and it brought back so many great memories of the voyage!!
Mario

I went to the Journeywoman website and saw the link to your SAS blog I was pretty excited. Wow, someone from Canada who actually knew about SAS and had done the voyage!
Bernice, Saskatoon.

Your Vietnam entry would make a great piece for the Globe and Mail. Think what their illustrators could do with that one!
Debra

As a fellow Spring 08 voyager, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.
Marissa

I adored reading your SAS blog. I will be teaching at SAS on the Spring 09 voyage.
Joan

Evelyn-I just wanted to let you know that I read through your whole blog about a week after getting back from SAS and LOVED it. Spring 2008 was amazing and I loved going back over the voyage through your stories.
Mara

I loved and love your blog which I read last night and finished this morning..and loved your references to people I know...and miss when I am home.
Gretchen

January 11, 2008: Meet my alter ego...

Meet Journeywoman, Evelyn Hannon's alter ego. This graphic illustration is the one I've picked to represent me on the SAS blog. Of all the graphics I had access to I thought she seemed the best to express the traveller in me. Note her eyes wide open in wonder; the circles around her eyes that represent age and, of course, well-earned experience. Notice her mouth fixed in a constant expression of 'o-o-o-o-oh' as she explores the world. This 'oooooh' can mean many things: i.e. (1) excitement with what I'm seeing (2) 'oh..oh' as in 'What do I do now?' or (3) 'Oo-o-o-o-oh, I think I'm lost' as well as (4) 'Oo-o-o-o-oh, I love that salwar kameez. I hope they have it in my size!'

Watch for my Journeywoman's messages. I hope we make you smile ...

January 12, 2008: I'm very excited about this assignment...

I am very excited about this assignment with Semester At Sea. At this point I've been travelling solo for over 20 years. I've had many fabulous adventures but I suspect that this particular one will be an adventure with a capital 'A.' This is travel on the water. It's the real thing! For me sailing/cruising represents a time in history before we had the luxury of exploring via cars, trains and planes. It's the way Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo did it (well not exactly, but you know what I mean).

I love the idea that I can get on a ship in Nassau and in six weeks travel half way around the world to India. I love that I can be in the middle of the ocean with absolutely no land in sight and then, slowly, ever so slowly in the distance there's something a bit different on the horizon. Then as that 'something' gets closer and I can begin making out landmarks I'm filled with incredible anticipation. What will this new place be like? What's the culture like? Who will I 'encounter?' (Don't you think the word 'encounter' is so much more exciting than the word 'meet'?). My January 23rd sail date is fast approaching. This is going to be a real challenge!

P.S. As I write this entry I'm filled with a great sense of gratitude. I know I'm so darn lucky to be able to be doing this assignment. I understand that there'll be great days and there'll be not so great days but that's what life is all about. Chrisopher Columbus move over. Journeywoman is on her way!

January 13, 2008: How will this Semester At Sea blog evolve?

Dear readers: I have no idea how this blog will evolve. At this point I can only think of it as a work in progress. My intention is to report from the ship on a regular basis but I won't make my writing and photos available until the Spring 2008 voyage is complete. I don't intend for this to be an ongoing travel guide. Rather I would like it to be my conversation with you about the people I've met, where I've been, what I did and how I felt. For those readers who are armchair travellers I hope that you feel we are taking this Voyage of Discovery together. For those of you who have always dreamed of boarding a ship and sailing around the world, I hope this demystifies the process and whets your appetite for the same type of academic adventure I'm embarking upon. For fellow SASers who've sailed with me, I would love this recounting of my journey to bring back to you great memories of your own. I'll do my best to stay real and not to glamorize my day to day life on the MV Explorer. I'll tell you when I'm happy, I'll report when I'm cranky and under the weather, but mostly I look forward to sharing all the wonderful experiences I know I'm going to have.

I look forward to hearing your feedback. I'll post your comments and questions alongside this blog for everybody else to see. You can write to me at: editor@journeywoman.com. If you want further information about the Semester At Sea program please go to www.semesteratsea.org.

Enjoy!

Evelyn Hannon

January 20, 2008 -- Two more sleeps...

Looked for bandaids to take with me. Could only find ones with ScooBeeDoo and the Wiggles on them so I guess that's what I'll take. How am I going to get everything into one bag? I've been taking stuff out all afternoon and I'm almost there. It's all this tech stuff that takes up space -- my good camera, my tiny camera (for my purse), video camera, my computer and my ipod (bless Russ for coming over today and showing me how to 'rip' songs that I want with me. I chose music to watch the water by -- Pavarotti, Edith Piaf, Madame Butterfly, The Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, AND ... Iron Maiden, Nickelback, (not really -- just checking to see if you're paying attention). Was out to get stuff for dinner. So cold! This is the first winter in my life that I won't be here to freeze. I feel a little badly. It's kind of a solidarity thing and what I'm doing is SO unCanadian. Sorry!

January 21 -- Night before departure...

It's 8:45PM and I'm almost done with all the picky last minute details. Just went over my to-do list and I've finally completed all the do's there were to be done. I hope what I forget is not important. I've rechecked documents ...passport (check) money belt (check) pix of my kiddies (check) bathing suit (Yuck!) gravol (check) yellow fever certificate (check) ... they don't let you into Brazil if you don't have a yellow fever shot. Hmmm.... who wants to be somewhere where you can be bitten by tsee tsee flies? Had lots of good wishes today. Even my postman, Kenny was excited for me. I think he's my friend because I let him deliver junk mail to me. OK, now to set the clock for 6:00 AM tomorrow. I better remember to pack my computer. Next stop Nassau!