Approaching Spain

Kathleen and Danielle in the Ship's Pool

Ready for dinner with the Captain of the ship

Archbishop Desmond Tutu saying a few words at the Captain's dinner

Since Halifax we’ve been advancing the clocks on the ship one hour almost every night, since the time difference between Nova Scotia and Spain is four hours. It’s been a bit tiring but now we are nearing Spain and we won’t advance the clock for at least 12 days (while in Spain and Morocco). Last night Kathleen and I were invited to dinner with the ship's captain, where the faculty and staff get to have dinner with the ship’s captain and some of his officers. We were lucky that in the group was Archbishop Desmond Tutu! Kathleen and I were able to have about a 20-minute discussion with the archbishop about politics and economics in South Africa, which was of course a wonderful thing. Tomorrow we arrive in Cadiz, where we will stay on the ship for two days to tour the city, and then we will rent a car and head for Granada for two nights.

I haven't mentioned that I am teaching the class that all of the students have to take. So, I have about 600 students! It's great fun, though, since I get to give an overview of global problems and briefly go over the politics, economics and history of the ten countries that we will visit. In addition to the students, the rest of the faculty, staff and the life-long learners (passengers on the ship who are not college students - about 60 of them) also sit in on the class.  Today I covered Spain and Morocco since we'll reach Spain tomorrow, spend five days there, and then go to Morocco for five days as well …