As the dawn rises on a new America (quite literally) I can’t help but think of what has been accomplished over the past 8 years and what could possibly happen in the next 4 years. Obviously, the country is divided the most it has ever been. Being on this ship really brings out those details that may seem hidden usually.

The “diversity” on this ship really emphasizes the different cultures and lifestyles of those who have chosen to go on this adventure (I put diversity in quotations because this ship is dominately white upper middle class). I have heard stories from friends who live in Chile or Kenya and have amazing backgrounds. I have also heard stories of people who come from small farm towns who are leaving the country for the first time on this voyage. With this wide variety of lifestyles comes a wide variety of world views.

Tonight (20th) we had a panel discussion full of professors (US and international) along with students (US and international) who all have different views on everything that has taken place this past election cycle. It was definitely something that was hard to go to, since it did reopen a lot of raw emotions for many people. It was also a necessary conversation needed in the interest of both sides alike to learn to listen to each other, have the hard conversations, and most of all, start building a community where everyone is welcome.

Living and traveling the world on this ship will be interesting in this time period. With the transition of power that happened, I may be one of the first Americans any of these people throughout all of these countries see after the inauguration of our next president. Tonight they were saying how we all have to digest and figure out how to answer questions about the most recent political cycle when we are asked by people around the world. It’ll be very interesting once some of these conversations start to arise.

Write soon,
Lauren

Current location as of 4:30 am PST: 24.15N 151E