Q&A with Concordia
From the week ending May 30, 1997
Now that you have begun the part of your trip where the ports are closer together, what changes are you anticipating in the activities onboard Concordia?
...Grant K., Carmel, IN
by Jon Justice
I don’t think that there will be a change in the activities onboard. Our life at sea is quite scheduled. In some sense, what I do see changing is in our hearts. We have been a family for around nine months and we have gotten to know each other as friends. Europe is a turning point. It symbolizes the coming of the end. When sailing through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, the Mediterranean was our destination. No one has really given much thought to our last leg through the English Channel, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea because that part of the voyage always seemed so far off. The fact that in about a month we will reach our final destination, Copenhagen, Denmark, is incomprehensible to most of us. Time passes quickly when you’re in port, unlike at sea. The end is closer than we think.
...Ms. Lyon's Class, Joseph E., Martin School, Esat TauntonBeing a new crew member who joined in January, I have gotten to experience first-hand how our addition has changed the Class Afloat atmosphere. It was difficult coming in second semester, because everyone already knew each other, had lived together for five months, and had experienced things that we only dreamed of. It is always harder to join a group than to start fresh when nobody knows each other. The first semester students were very welcoming, and were very willing to help us with whatever we needed, whether it was learning the lines, adjusting to the small living space, or overcoming homesickness. I think that it was beneficial to have new students join half way through the year, because the old students got to meet new people and share new adventures with a new crew, while remaining with many of the ‘old floaties’ who began their journey in August.