Tuesday, September 21, 2010

One of the best parts about this program is the maritime skills session each student has to do. I being the fool I am decided that shipsmith would be my skill. Little did I know how hard it would be ! I worked for about three hours on a little hook that is now sitting on my desk in my room. With the metal (or rather my hammer) taking on a mind of its own, the hook is not that straight and there is a little nook in the eye. Other than that, it's a normal hook.
I've realized along this journey through the maritime world that nothing will be perfect and I guess that is two-fold for life. As with shipsmith, everything takes time. So even though I can't build a harpoon (not yet..!) I am working towards a goal. Being here has given me a different perspective on life. It's a combination of the place and people here that make this a great place. Instead of getting as frustrated as I was, my shipsmith instructor Bill, repeatedly said: "it will come". And it will come, but just like anything--it takes time. However, time is a rarity here.
Reading everything for every class takes lots and lots of time, but when you actually read all the material that we are using for our classes you can see how great it is. We are not just learning about Marine Policy, but actually studying past cases--I feel like a mini lawyer when I read Policy. Even for history--we are not just learning about the Charles W. Morgan, but are actually sitting in the berths where the sailors slept on their voyages for whales. Having a sense of place while here is key. Marine Ecology is just awesome because instead of reading about phytoplankton, we are getting our own from the Mystic River. Having access to learn like this is not something everyone has the opportunity to do. The maritime world takes on a whole new meaning when I feel like I'm actually living it, rather than reading about it. (and even literature is great because we are reading all of the great American works about the sea.)
So I'll stop now, but if anyone has gotten this far in this post, all I ask is that you pass along the information of this program to at least one person you know.