Honolulu

Friday December 3rd

Back in the USA!  This morning we arrived in Honolulu.  Finally my cell phone works again.  This is the last stop for me on what has been an unbelievable voyage.  I'll spend a few days here with my sister Barbara then its back to New York.  THe MV Explorer will continue on to the Big Island and from there to its final stop  in San Diego.

At every port I've enjoyed standing on deck as we set sail for a new destination.  It was always a time of reflection on where we'd been along with the anticipation of the next country.   This time that reflection will have to take place over a couple of mai-tais.   But it sure won't be easy standing on shore as my home for the last three months takes its leave tomorrow night.

So what's the voyage been all about?  In the words of one professor, Semester at Sea is really a "fast track to global consciousness."  In country after country we  witnessed  extreme poverty as well as exraordinary growth and  learned about the implications for the economy and the environment.  The world's center of gravity is shifting and we need to pay attention or get left behind.

Now it's back to New York and time to find a job.  But hopefully  I'll be bringing  the spirit of Semester at Sea along on this next journey.

 "The journey not the arrival matters."   TS Eliot