mark at sea

For Bear

2010-03-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

July, 2008

I had just arrived in Alexandria, Egypt on behalf of the Summer 2008 "Semester at Sea" Voyage. Standing before the Great Pyramids of Giza had been a childhood dream of mine (which I accomplished during my three-day stay), but this story is not about that. This story is about sandboarding in the Sahara desert, and nearly not making it out alive.

We were instructed to never venture far from the ship’s port during the last day in each country. Despite the warnings (which made perfect sense to most sensible people), my friends and I booked a sandboarding trip with the Sahara Adventure Company. An old, leathery-skinned guy picked us up at 8am from our ship, and we began a four-hour caravan into the desert. Our ride was a beat-up 1990 Land Cruiser that had seen better days. Hours of travel took us through small, shanty-villages as well as an active Egyptian military base. Finally, we arrived at our destination: a series of three giant sand dunes in the middle of nowhere.

Our leathery adventure guide, Mike, stopped the car and prepared the equipment: a cooler filled with water bottles, three custom-made wooden sandboards, bars of wax, and one custom-made trike that, despite its simplicity of design, would simply take too long to describe with my allotted space. We waxed up the boards and headed to the top of dune #1.

Reaching the top of the 80-foot dune was both exhausting and enthralling. Never had I seen sky so blue, sharply contrasted by the horizon of golden sand. I anticipated success before my first sandboarding attempt. Years of surfing and snowboarding had to give me some kind of advantage, right?

Wrong. I went down on my face instantly. You might think falling in the sand is not so bad.

Wrong. Feels more like falling on pavement.

The fall served as a big-time motivator for not falling again (you learn pretty quickly when severe pain is the consequence). My group had enough energy for about ten runs total. It was the experience of a lifetime, and we were exhausted.

On the way back to civilization, we discovered exactly why such trips should never be planned for the last day in port. Our Land Cruiser was stuck in the sand, and did not appear to be getting out. Only a few hours remained before our ship was schedule to depart for Dubrovnik, with our without us. At that moment, a thought even worse than missing the ship came to me – what if we were stranded in the Sahara Desert?

Sure, I’d seen my share of Man vs. Wild episodes before that moment, but nothing could prepare me for being stranded in the Sahara. After an hour of forcing the car free with every muscle in our bodies, we were back on track. The MV Explorer was just moments away from leaving without us. Miraculously, I made it back to my cabin for a continued voyage to Croatia. The adventure continued…

Fond Farewell to the MV Explorer

2008-09-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone-

Just wanted to say thank you for putting up with my emails throughout the summer. I probably went on plenty of rants and endless tangents, but it certainly kept me busy while at sea. I had the time of my life, and coming home has been an interesting transition.

So, thats it.
Love you all
Mark

GOLDENEYE

2008-08-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

When we left Dubrovnik a few days ago, I was fully content that my summer adventure had come to an end. I was exhausted from travel, and my wallet has never been thinner. The restless spirit that I once possessed in the beginning of the voyage was certainly ready for down time. So I boarded the MV Explorer that evening and watched the Dalmatian Coast fade away. "Mission accomplished," or whatever euphemism fits best.

Right now we are refueling just 50 yards from the coast of Gibraltar. A little history lesson:

a British dependency near the southern tip of the Iberian penninsula, at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; pop. 28,000. Occupying a site of great strategic importance, Gibraltar consists of a fortified town and a military base at the foot of a rocky headland called the Rock of Gibraltar. Britain captured it during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704 and is responsible for its defense, external affairs, and internal security.

My restlessness is back, with an urge to explore that has never been greater. With only 5-6 hours to spend refueling, the Explorer's company was not allowed to leave the boat. Instead, I sat with my iPod on the lower deck and ate my newly purchased tortilla chips, wondering how great it would be to swim to shore. Although the coast is largely populated with refueling tankers and industry, the Explorer is floating in front of a little beach town. The occasion sea-doo passed in front of me, and I wanted to throw my bag of chips at each one of them.

I am spoiled, but come on! A day to wander the coastal mountains of Gibraltar? I'll have to stop by next time.

-Mark

Mark at Sea

2008-08-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Full days at sea: 2
Days left before USA: 10

Over the course of the summer, the MV Explorer has docked in Norway, Russia, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Egypt, Greece, and Croatia. We arrived in each port around 6am, which means that I would wake up to breakfast with a view of a foreign country. So strange to think that Virginia is the next port of call. It's easy to grow comfortable with this lifestyle, but the return home is well needed.

I am pooped and nearly penniless (the two seem to go hand-in-hand). I spent my last 200 Kuna (Croatian currency - about 40 dollars) on cereal, granola, MILK!, orange juice, and tortilla chips for the 12 day journey home. There are so many little things I look forward to back home, but until then, I plan on enjoying the last of my time with friends onboard.

We are still in the Med, and the weather is great. Seas are calm (but for how long?), sun is shining, classes are almost over, and I have vowed to start getting back into shape. Two months of Euro-travel have certainly taken a toll on Mark's body.

I get home on the 22nd of August, and classes do not start until Sep 25. What to do? Tom Petty at the Verizon, and Styx at the Taste of Newport ("All the women in the fac-tor-E). Of course, I must get money first. Then find a place to live in Westwood. Then figure out UCLA. Yeahhh...

Can't wait to see everybody!
Cheers
Mark

In Cairo, In Cairo

2008-07-29T00:43:00.000-07:00

TURN OF EVENTS
Two nights ago, a bomb exploded in a busy shopping street in Istanbul, killing at least 15 and injuring over 100 others. This occurred while the ship was already well on her way to Turkey, and immediate concern swept all passengers. Personally I did not feel safe going to Istanbul anymore - it was the largest attack they've witnessed in five years. Long story short, ISE has deemed the port to be too dangerous and the MV Explorer has turned around. But where do we go now?

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
In less than 24 hours, I will be in Africa. Sure I'm a bit bummed on not seeing Istanbul (former Constantinople), but hey, I have a feeling this will make up for it. Traveling to Egypt has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I am already signed up for a day trip in which I will be riding camels through a desert resort, taking a jeep safari through the pyramids of Giza, and waltzing through Cairo. Cairo! I promise to bring you all Egyptian trinkets from the bazaar. Can't express how excited I am!

Love
Mark

(ps - recap of Italy will be too long for blog. Look for email)

Found

2008-07-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

There are few times in my life where stop to think "can it really get better than this?" Its nearing midnight, and I asked myself this very question a few hours ago. Choosing Semester at Sea was quite possibly the best decision of my life, and I think everyone deserves a shot at traveling with the MV Explorer sometime in their lives. I cannot wait to see you all in a month!

Look for a great summary of Italy in a few days. I am still trying to digest it all, and it tastes good. Damn good. Like fresh cheese and fine wine.

Love
Mark

Lost at Sea

2008-07-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Right now I have never wanted to see California more - its been more than a month on the ship, and my brain has been going 1000 mph since we started. Right now I'm just physically and mentally exhausted, and would love a change in pace. I'm in this "funk" most likely because we have midterms on the ship right now, and nothin' puts me in a funk like school in summatime. Fat Albert & The Gang know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway - I have no reason for such thoughts because I will have a full month at home once this is all over. I will be sleeping the entire time!

We have been trailing down the coast of Portugal for the past day - no sight of land, but in approximately 1 hour we will pass through the Straight of Gibraltar, thus squeezing through Spain and Morocco and entering the Med! I have been dreaming about this for some time now, and I can't wait until we arrive in Italy.

It's incredibly difficult to cram Italy down to 4 days, for obvious reasons. You have Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast to the south of our port, and to the north lies Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and dozens of world-famous coastline (not to mention the picaresque islands off the coast). So far I plan on spending the first 2 days in Rome (because... you have to go to Rome, right?), then the 2nd half of my stay is uncertain. Who knows. Maybe Florence, maybe some coastal stuff, but in any case I aim to have a good time.

Lat 53.7N
Long 3.2W
Speed 23.2 knots

update from later in the night -
We passed through Gibraltar, and it was perhaps one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Stood on the back deck and saw Africa on one side (Morocco) and Europe on the other (Spain). I could taste the salt blowing from the Mediterranean - we have finally made it!

I AMsterdam

2008-07-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

I took the above pictures using the crappy Photobooth camera on my computer - they were taken on the 2 days of crossing through the Kiel Canal, which separates Denmark and Germany. I was able to sit in class and watch the German countryside roll by outside - absolutely breathtaking. The inter-port journey continued along the coast of Holland until we reached...

BELGIUM
* Shortly after watching the Colin Farrell movie, In Bruges (which sucked hard and convinced me to stay away from Bruges at all costs), the MV Explorer arrived in Antwerp rather early. I could have left the ship at midnight, but we had to wait around until the ship was cleared by customs at 8am. The sleep proved to be well necessary for the 3 nights that followed, where I slept for a combined total of four hours (maybe).

* Antwerp the first day: beautiful, smaller-scale city that boasts of diamonds, chocolates, beer, and french fries with mayo. I ate and drank my way around the city, and spent a good portion of the day riding a tandem bike with Jeff and my roommate. I'm truly surprised that we didnt cause any car accidents during our reckless tour de antwerp while riding tandem. It was hilarious.

* Following morning: hopped on a train to Amsterdam. For weeks I had been convinced that my travels would stay within Belgium, but Holland called out my name so I answered. Amsterdam is incredible; canals divide up the city into difficult-to-navigate little streets, the architecture is beautiful, the bars are so old, and there is so much history and diversity. After a long day of touring the city, getting lost, meeting random Dutch girls who showed me around, crashing a fancy SAS dinner, and eating sandwiches with peanut sauce, something incredible happened: Mr Max Ukropina himself arrived at Central Station. We stayed awake almost all night (considering he arrived at 12:30am, we had some things to accomplish), and we managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep

* Day three: Max and I hopped on a train to Brussels. Amsterdam was fun, but it was ready to move on to something different. We checked into our hostel (which was nicer than most hotels I have stayed in thus far), and then began the journey that I have been dreaming about for months: retracing the steps of Zane Lamphry during his infamous Three Sheets episode of Belgium. Watch that video if you have the time and you will pretty much see exactly what I did in that night, which included: eating Mussels in Brussels, meeting the angry bartender at Le Mort Subite, drinking several beers at Delirium Cafe (which boasts 2600 in total - the world record), and eating waffles topped with chocolate, bananas and ice cream.

* Day four: woke up feeling like I had been tackled by a football team, one by one. Max and I managed to squeeze in a few hours of Brussels sightseeing during the midday and early afternoon, then it was time to go out separate ways. He then headed off to Paris for an extended holiday, and I returned to Antwerp to meet up with my favorite Belgian girl named Kissy. She works as a bartender and graciously treated me to my final Belgian beer of the trip (wish I remember the name... but it was delicious and thought provoking). The bar played "Hey Jude" and the Beatles never sounded so good. We then walked back to the ship together, and I said my goodbye with a deteriorated voice (its currently non-existant).

In summary, those 4 days in port felt like 1 really, really long day. After nearly 12 hours of sleep, I am still ready for a nap or two. Enjoyed myself to the fullest and I cannot wait until Italy!

love
mark

Carlsberg and Beyond

2008-07-13T04:55:00.001-07:00

Copenhagen is one of the best cities I have ever been to
* the size is perfect - not too big, not too small
* the bicycle scene is a way of life
* beautiful, young people everywhere
* tons of nightlife - tons of open space

Loved every minute of it. We were docked in the small town of Korsor, which is about an hour away from Copenhagen. Heading to the train station, I got rained on insanely hard. We all showed up in Copenhagen soaking wet and spent a considerable amount of time blowdrying our socks and shoes. Hah. After that misadventure, it was off to see the city.

I fell in love with Jazz music during my 4 day stay. Lucky enough, our time in port coincided with the world-famous Copenhagen Jazz Festival, which meant live music on every corner. Plenty of time to sit, have a drink, and enjoy the music. I also encountered a Museum of Musical Instruments, where I saw some of the most interesting contraptions every invented.

Randomly ended up in Sweden for a day. Spent the entire day eating and drinking at the beach, and then I stayed with a great local guy named Danny in his apartment in Malmo. Couchsurfers rules, so just let me know if you need a place to crash in LA come September. You may find some floorspace.

All in all, I had the time of my life in this port. I'm at a lack of words - partly because I just sent out a long email to everyone, and mostly because my thoughts now turn to our next port of call: Belgium and the Netherlands. The journey continues!

Love
Mark

(ps - visit Tivoli Gardens at some point in your life)
(pps - Some awesome SAS slideshows right here)

From Russia With Love

2008-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

So allow me to begin with Russia:
* first thing that comes to mind is the taxi cab experiences. Anyone who drives around the streets of St Petersburg (they are all looking for a little extra cash) will pull over and offer you a ride. For obvious reasons, some of these drivers are skechy. This one guy who I rode with was driving like a bat out of hell - speeding, skidding around turns, taking us away from out destination, etc.. Honestly terrifying

* The Hermitage Museum has the second largest collection in the world. My friends and I arrived a bit before it opened one day, hoping to be the first in line. What we saw was terrifying - a line that would rival a new theme park attraction at Disneyland. The six of us then decided to sneak into the "group entrance" on the other side of the building, and we somehow managed to blend in with a group of 100 Japanese tourists. Once inside, I saw the likes of some of the most famous painters to ever live: Picasso, Rembrandt, van Gogh, da Vinci, and many others. Absolutely incredible.

* One day was spent almost entirely at a Russian Banya, which is their pervy euro-version of a spa. In a nutshell, the Banya involved 25 nude Semester at Sea students in a small room with a pool and a steam room. Hilarity and awkwardness ensued.

* St Petersburg has countless landmarks embedded within the community around every turn. Some of the most famous churches in the world were within walking distance from the church. This is virtually how I spent my days while in part - my nights were a bit different. In a country where vodka is cheaper than water, the my Russian nights were a blur. Staying out all night is not a difficult task when the sun never sets (they call this time of year White Nights)

* I had the honor of attending a ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre - one of the most famous in the entire world. I never thought that I would be able to put my knowledge from History of Dance (a class I took freshman year at UCSB) to use, but alas, I was actually able to thoroughly enjoy the entire performance. A group of us got fancied up and had our own box seats, and I was able to get a drink with the lead performs after the show. Afterwards we found a bar owned by some American guy who purchased drinks for all the SAS students - the best cheers for USA Freedom! (Technically, it was already the 4th of July in Russia at that time)

* On our last day in port, SAS held a large 4th of July BBQ on the back deck of the ship. It was the most amazing (and bizarre) experience to celebrate Independence in a country like Russia. Plenty of hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, ice cream sundaes, corn and beans to go around for everyone.

All in all, I had a great time in Russia. I would be lying if I said that I truly wanted to spend an extra day in St Petersburg, though. Everyone spoke English in Norway. Nobody spoke english in St Peter, which made nearly every task 1000x harder. I guess thats the just part of the experience of traveling to foreign countries, but I am spoiled on my own language. We arrive in Denmark tomorrow, where communicating with the locals is going to be a breeze! Might even make it over to Sweden for an adventure or two.

Ambitiously yours,
Capt. Mark W. Finster

Red July

2008-06-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!

In about an hour or so, I will be stepping off the boat and into St Petersburg, Russia. I just ate breakfast upstairs and had the most breathtaking (and slightly intimidating) of the Russian cityscape. Five days in this country should be really fun, and I look forward to a long blog entry towards the end of the week.

Hope you are all having the summer of a lifetime!
Love
Mark

Crossing the Atlantic

2008-06-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Internet minutes are precious
(they got me by the balls)

Click here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/markcares/HalifaxAtlantic?pli=1

love
mark

Snapshots In the Life of a Gaucho

2008-06-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

To inform and to clarify:
I will be transferring to UCLA this coming fall. After weeks and weeks of changing my mind, I finally feel comfortable with the decision. My time here in Santa Barbara has been unforgettable, and for those of you Gauchos who are worried about my transfer status, please worry not. I have every intention to make it back up here as much as possible over the next 2 years. At any rate, the next few months of my life are going to be huge.

I am pleased to say that my final days here at UCSB have been amazing. Everything seems to be winding down just as it should; inspired by David Sedaris (who has a new book out), I present some "snapshots" of my last few days as a Gaucho. This is likely to be my last post before leaving for Semester at Sea. Enjoy-

Moment #1
People who have any knowledge of UCSB should love this one. After months of boycotting FREEB!RDS (for plenty of reasons), I pulled the most stereotypical move of them all: devouring the largest (and most delicious) plate of steak nachos in the entire world. This idea was absolutely genius at the time after a long night of drinking. I must say that the mile-long line out the entrance at 3:30am is still fascinating. A thursday night during finals? I think so.

Moment #2
It's the middle of the day, and my Indian roommate stumbles out of his room. No matter what the hour, Vivek looks like he just woke up from the roughest night of his life. On this particular occasion, he approaches me with an ackward conversation right off the bat:
Him: "i swear that like, people in this world have no shame"
Me: "oh?"
Him: "i mean, couldn't they at least try and do the work for themselves? i stay awake all night completing this take-home final examination for my 'prof' and they just come over and take it.
Me: "really?"
Him: "no shame! and i couldn't say no to them of course, because i would be out of the group. no shame at all"

He then shakes his head (which is rapidly balding - proven by our clogged shower), and walks back into his room. Apparently the phrase "Indian Giver" has not gone out of style, because a couple of sneaky Indian dudes came into his room and "borrowed" his completed test. Although I feel bad for him, his way with words still made me laugh pretty hard afterwards. His english is better than mine for sure, especially his use of the word "prof." He once used the phrase "a very cunning prof." That was the best (even though it took me a few minutes to think about what he actually said. Then I laughed)

Moment #3
My last day of class, and thankfully a terrific one. The class - Soc 130ME, Social Change and Development in the Middle East. Hands down, one of the best classes I have ever taken. As we were filling out course evaluations, the teacher starts blasting Neil Young's "Living With War" and passes out the following handout:

--> Thats my teacher, John Foran, rocking out with his college buddies back in 1980. Included next to this legendary picture are the lyrics to "Lets Impeach the President." I walked out of classes so pumped on my education (and on Neil) that I may just utilize it someday. Until then, Obama 08.

Moment # 4

Moment # 5
--> "Indian Man in Indian Land"

Final Moment
Goodbye Santa Barbara!
I love you
I'll miss you
and I will come back to visit!

1 Ride, 4 Flats, 0 Luck

2008-05-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone who rides bikes knows about the following situation:
It's a beautiful sunny day. You either don't have class at all, or don't have class until much later in the afternoon. You just woke up and feel energetic, so you hop on your bike to go for a long ride. On the way out, you grab the following: water, iPod, sunscreen (if you really think ahead), spare tubes, helmet, and... wait a minute... where is the bike pump? Under the kitchen counter? No. Next to your desk? Nope. Attached to your bike frame? Of course not.

The day is wasting, and you decide that a bike pump is probably not that necessary, right? I mean, the day is too nice and sunny for anyone to get a flat tire.

Wrong. It took no more than 30 minutes for disaster to strike: Mitch Funk, my UCSB go-to guy and cycling partner, gets the first flat. After searching long and hard, we make it to a bike shop and fix that right up. Or so I thought.

Heading back to campus from Downtown Santa Barbara is roughly 10 miles. Not too bad, especially with the limited amount of uphill. It's 5:03pm, and I have class at 6. Mitch gets another flat. Bummer. We stand on the side of the road for a bit - plenty enough time to talk about how bummed we were. The decision is made: he would find someone to come pick him up with a car while I would bike to campus and make it to class. And so it was.

Heading back now on a solo mission (you should never leave a man behind - this was an exception), the wind decides to pick up. A lot. It was almost like biking on the wrong side of the freeway during rush hour, without the danger of being taken out by a car. A bit dramatic, but you get the picture.

I make it to class, and attempt to quarantine myself somewhere off to the back of the room (I had just biked around 20 miles, so you can guess how great I smelled). Hungry, smelly, itchy, all I can imagine is getting out of class and making it back to my apartment for a long shower and a hot meal. Fate decided otherwise.

Walking out of class, I hop on my bike and immediately encounter a sticky situation: whatever air may have existed in my tires was long gone. Not just 1, but 2 flat tires. Front and back. I am miles from my apartment. Really should have looked harder for that pump...

Hah. So, that is the story of my Wednesday. The story of 2 guys with (apparantly) really bad luck. Now that I have gotten rid of all those bad vibes, I can expect at least a month of flawlessly good luck. That's the way I figure it. As long as my flight to Halifax stays "flat tire-free" this June, then I can comfortably make it to the ship on time. Knock on wood.

How about some good news?
Last Wednesday, after getting some time off from work, I headed down to Newport (home) for an extended weekend. From the moment I arrived (at 12:01am and catching the first showing of Indiana Jones), everything seemed to have been flawlessly planned. Despite the surprisingly terrible weather for Southern California in May, I consider my voyage home to resemble a mini-summer. Everything I've wanted to do in the past few months (record music, play basketball, see family, see friends, sit in a jacuzzi, relax, eat something besides chicken or cheerios, sleep in a comfortable bed, etc) was accomplished in a period of 3 or 4 days. It was perfect, and I finally feel ready to wrap up this year at UCSB and go to Europe. On a boat. With 600 other kids my age. Yeah.

If you have read this far, I commend you. You are currently up-to-date with my frustrations and my merriments, as well as my hopes for the next few weeks.

Until next time,
I'm off to eat chicken.
-Mark

(PS - feel free to click that "comments" link below, because I would love for you to post your mailing address for wherever I can send you postcards this summer. Don't say I never asked)

All Work & No... Play?

2008-05-17T00:17:00.000-07:00

Less than a month! I am in the week # countdown, and soon enough, the days and hours. So nuts...

Just for the record, this must be the longest I have ever been away from home. Newport Beach is not that far from Santa Barbara, but I have not a moment to spare. Even though I am barely taking any classes this quarter, I am working 30+ hours per week at the hotel in order to afford the summer ahead. The weather is so nice right now! I would love to spend a few days (well, I would settle for just 1 if I had to) down in Newport to see everyone before I leave. In fact, I aim to do so pretty soon.

Word around the office is that a good friend of mine (whose name I will not mention for clarity's sake) is leaving for Hong Kong in a few days. He may even be gone the whole summer, which means I will not see him because I leave for SAS the day after my quarter ends at UCSB. Well Scott, have the time of your life and I wish you all the best. Scott Reid Sanford will rise to having emperor-like powers and bring back the glory of China, all in a few short months. Good luck buddy.

Forecast for the Santa Barbara weekend: 100 degrees. Apparantly, nice weather entices certain folks with the desire to buy used minivans? If you happen to fall into that crowd, boy do I have a deal for you: my 1995 honda odyssey. It will go towards a good cause - I promise.

I could horde this blog with my countless craigslist ads, but that would be downright tacky. I am sure that the hammock, BBQ, hammock stand, BBQ set, textbooks, and mountain bike will all sell themselves in due time.

Come to SB and hangout before I leave (june 14th!). Look forward to seeing you.

Best,
-Mark

(PS - anyone in Westwood need a roommate next year? How about the SB area? How about anywhere??)

All Things Ahead

2008-04-28T01:09:00.000-07:00

So it's all happening, then.

On Saturday, June 14th, my plane leaves from LAX and takes me to Halifax, Nova Scotia (with a quick stop in Boston, for cheaptickets.com reasons). This travel day/night comes literally the moment after I finish my final exams on the 13th - Friday the 13th. I am very superserious in not wanting any supernatural nonsense. Anyways... I will be more ready than ever to leave port from Halifax and see the world on the Explorer. For your convenience, here are the stops:

Halifax, Nova Scotia
Bergen, Norway
St. Petersburg, Russia
Copenhagen, Denmark
Antwerp, Belgium
Naples, Italy
Istanbul, Turkey
Piraeus, Greece
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Norfolk, Virginia

--> Click to see a bigger map

This past New Years Day, I was told by a very wise woman that 2008 would be the best year of my life. She spoke these words to me with absolute certainty, and over the course of the past few weeks, I have realized the truth in her comment. I cannot help but jump on Google Earth every once in a while and "fly" to all the places on my itinerary for the summer. Many pictures will be taken, many stories will be blogged, and many memories will be... you know.

My story does not really end with Semester at Sea. The UCLA admissions office decided to give me some good news the other day - they like me, and want me to finish my undergrad over in their neck of the woods. For the record, I happen to like UCLA as well. (update: not sure what the hell I'm doing next year. I change my mind every five minutes...)

When 2008 continues into its final months (which is rapidly approaching - faster than ever), Mark Finster will turn 21 years old. Thats right. Assuming that I have any cash leftover from Semester at Sea (which is highly unlikely), I will finally be able to legally enjoy an alcoholic beverage in the comfort of... well... anywhere. I have no complaints, you see?

Plenty to do before now and then. Plenty enough reason to visit my blog again sometime soon. Cheers-

Best Intentions

2008-04-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

This blog is the first step (and hopefully a convincing one) for me to announce my summer plans. For years, I have dreamed about seeing the world. My recent university education has opened my heart and mind, and I am now more than ever ready for a global exploration.

I was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. That city has given me more than I could have ever asked for, and I am currently a student at UC Santa Barbara. At the end of my freshman year, right around 2-3 weeks before summer, it occurred to me that Newport was not the place that I should be spending my summer. I arrived at this conclusion after visiting an old friend who described his own summer plans: he was to live and work in London, traveling when he could and living the dream. Had summer not have already been upon me, I would have been hopping on the first flight to Europe. Alas, I was too late.

Surprisingly enough, that summer resulted in endless fun at home. I was able to see old friends and family, make a good deal of money, take a break from school, and more importantly: I met someone who changed my life (you know who you are). Towards the end of this remarkable summer (which led up to this current school year), I accepted that the timing would have been wrong if I had left the country. I simply had a blast, and would not trade it for anything.

Having closed the book on the summer of 2007 (in a confident and content manner), my thoughts turned quickly to the next question: how would I spend the next one? Knowing that another summer at home would not come close to matching 2007, the timing felt perfect to consider studying abroad. That is when I discovered Semester at Sea.

My highest hopes are to travel aboard the MV Explorer throughout June, July and August 2008. I continue to search for scholarships and other methods of making this voyage more affordable, because the trip is one that I could not pass up on. All goes well, you will be reading much more of what I have to say in the months to come. I promise to keep in interesting, thought-provoking, and to the point. So please-

Stay tuned.