by 
Julissa Murrieta
Brrrinnggg! My alarm goes off at seven o’clock in the morning. It’s dark in my room, with no source of light from the outside. For a brief moment, I wonder where I am and that’s when I hear it. The faint sound of the waves crashing against the R/V Endeavor. We are out on sea. I don’t know what day it is nor where we are at the moment. Time doesn’t seem to exist while out here. And I love it.
I slowly ease myself out of bed and prepare myself for the day. I practice some meditation and breathe in some essential oils. I’m able to concentrate on myself. Unlike on land, I don’t feel the need to be checking social media and emails. I can’t even if I wanted to since the wifi is really awful out on sea. Afterwards, I make my way to the mess deck for Dickey’s delicious pancakes. He’s the Chief Steward and prepares all of the fantastic food for the crew and science party. His food and jokes start the morning off to a great start.
After breakfast, the other STEMSEAS participants and I gather for a lecture led by Dr. Ajit Subramaniam, the chief scientist, and Judah Epstein, our instructor. Since the R/V Endeavor doesn’t really have a lecture hall, we sit in the mess deck once again. The powerpoint is projected on a small television screen and we listen intensely to learn about the day’s topic. Then, we break to work on our research projects. I’m working in a group led by Nick Bock, a graduate student interested in learning about the microbes in the ocean. We gather water samples from the ocean to be analyzed by a cytometry system known as GUAVA. We’ve been gathering data every six hours since we left Narragansett, Rhode Island and we continue to gather data as we tread towards Gulfport, Mississippi. The lab area is filled with chatter and machines. After sampling, we gather in the mess deck for lunch. The crew eats meals with the science party and it’s nice to hear interesting stories about their lives aboard the R/V Endeavor.
The afternoon schedule varies each day. Sometimes I find myself in another lecture, preparing for research presentations, writing blog entries, or even resting for a bit. Eventually, dinner comes around and we gather for one final time in the mess deck. Everyone discusses the day’s events over a great dinner prepared by Dickey once again. Once dessert comes around, I can feel myself not able to eat any further. However, I can’t resist if it’s ice cream and pecan pie, which has become a personal favorite of mine. Shortly afterwards, my group and I do another round of samples and discuss any trends we may have found from the samples so far. As the sun sets, many of the STEMSEAS participants and I make our way outside towards an area known as the “steel beach.” It’s at the top of the R/V Endeavor and it’s the perfect place to watch sunsets while eating ice cream. It’s also the perfect place to sneak away and take a nap since there are hammocks as well. The sun slowly sets in the horizon and it is quickly replaced with a dark night full of stars. Something I don’t see every day since I live pretty close to the city. A chorus of goodnights are exchanged and we head inside once again to settle in the night. I chatter with my roommate for a bit and continue to write my blog enteries.
Around 11 in the evening, I make my way towards the upper deck to begin the final round of samples for the day. Compared to earlier in the day, the lab area is eerily quiet. It’s only me and one other member from my research group. After about 45 minutes, we turn off the GUAVA, bid each other goodnight, and I head towards my room once again. I quickly take a shower in the tiny bathroom, and set the alarm for the next day, seven o’clock. Another day out on sea. As I settle into bed and feel the sleepiness overcome me, I hear one more thing. The faint sound of the waves crashing against the R/V Endeavor. And I love it.
