by One never thinks about the fact that when they get on a cruise ship or on a plane that they will be trapped voluntarily in that piece of machinery with those specific people on board. In a car one can get out, on a train or a bus there are stops, all of these other modes of transportation have the ability to opt out of the experience if chosen to do so without crazy, unnecessary expense. That is what occurred to me while on the STEMSEAS expedition across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Honolulu on the Kilo Moana, and I could not be more delighted to be trapped on a ship for ten days.
Day to day life was relaxing with exciting moments sprinkled into it. To take advantage of the time on board and to get to know the people, I visited each of the places people were stationed at throughout our journey. I was able to talk to most of the people on the ship over the 10 days. The connections and relationships I made on the ship have some interesting origins to them. The conversations ranged from career advice to conversations about how fireflies light up. Most of the days I would spend in the Bridge, which is where they drive the ship, with the third mate and his watcher asking questions, talking with them, and just enjoying the view with a good book. I spent my free time in the bridge, the lounge ( where there were thousands of movies and TV shows), the galley (where I would read because the seats were comfortable and to eat), and my room to sleep.
Everyday we had a science meeting. What does that mean you may ask (which is what I said when I first heard it)? On a ship the crew stays on board one ship most of the time and have shifts that rotate them onto different cruises. Science is the researchers that are invited on board that “book” the ship and its crew for their expertise in getting them safely to the place where they are researching. Many things around the ship are labeled as “Science” with their responsibilities and schedules for basic needs like laundry. So calling the meeting a “science meeting” clarifies to the crew that it is the visiting researchers that are meeting and not the crew or everyone for a briefing. In these meetings we would start with the house cleaning reminders and announcements which would include things like separating food from plastics in the galley (dining hall) because they do not want to use the incinerator an unnecessarily large amount. Then we would move onto the core of the meeting which would either include a presentation from one of the mentors on their lives and careers, a tour of the ship’s science capabilities, explaining machinery on board, or a research project one of our peers put together.
For those of you who are schedule oriented people here is a timeline:
07:00 – Wake up
07:15 – Breakfast
08:15 – finish getting ready/ grabbing things from my room to do around the ship
08:30 – Go up to the bridge and talk to the people on shift while reading in one of the comfortable chairs (Or take an after breakfast nap 😉 )
10:45 – Wander around the ship (/waking up from a nap)
11:15 – Lunch
12:15 – get ready for science meeting
13:00 – Science meeting
14:00 – End of science meeting where we all go and do something like reading, talking, researching, or napping / going to do some said science for the afternoon
17:00 – Dinner
18:00 – Read a little more or talk with other peers/ crew
20:00 – Getting ice cream
20:15 – Movie night in the lounge
22:00 – Go see the stars ( if there are no clouds, which for us was only two nights out of ten) or head to bed (because I value my sleep)
Every day was an adventure that was weaved with relaxation and science opportunities. Also PHENOMENAL food, the chefs were the best. Ship life is the same but different everyday depending on what is happening that specific day. Ten days on board felt perfect because I was able to fall into a routine and learn so much information that my personal journal was 30 pages long! The connections, friends, and life that I created while on board will stick with me forever. All of this from being trapped voluntarily on board the Kilo Moana for ten days.
By: Maddie Stankus : Regional Planning and GIS Student from IUP
