Ahhh, packing...Some first thoughts

I'm assuming that since you have reached my blogpage (or whatever the technical term for this is) that you have at least some idea of who I am; if not, hello, my name is Meagan Marie Kochel. I'm about to spend three months immersed in the ocean...figuratively, anyway:) In two weeks, I am flying to Woods Hole, Massachusetts to spend six weeks learning about the ocean, how to sail, how to navigate, and design a research project that can be carried out aboard a deep-sea schooner. After that initial six weeks I will be flying out to Hawaii (where my mom is meeting me for a few days!) from where we will depart on a six-week ocean voyage as th crew and research staff on the aforementioned sailboat, ending in Papeete, Tahiti.

I still can't believe this is happening.

I should tell you that I am a Junior at Ripon College, majoring in Chemistry and French and minoring in Anthropology...but that's merely a formality. It's what everybody asks because for some reason we think that that will tell you what you need to know about a person. I suppose that makes sense on an obvious level: you can find out a lot about a person by what they are interested in, but do you really get an idea of their personality? I'm not so sure...so there are several things you need to know about me before we continue.

I am a travel-aholic. I'm addicted, and what's worse is that I still haven't found what I want to do yet, so I'm ever so happy to pick up an go anywhere that suits my fancy and my limited budget.

One of the greatest ironies in my life set this all in motion. When I started high school, I wanted to join the volleyball team. I got peer pressured, yes peer pressured, into joining the swim team because "my friends were doing it." I was going to try it for three days (because it started before volleyball season) and then switch sports. The day before the great switch, I had an accident and had to go to the emergency room. Do you know what happened? I swam into a wall! We were learning the butterfly stroke and my goggles got filled with water. Instead of logically stopping to empty them out, I assumed that I would eventually reach the wall and take care of them there. Well I did...unfortunately I reached the wall with my face first.

I ended up with two holes in my lower lip and a promise that if I got stitches, I wouldn't be able to do any sport for a month. I decided to forego the stitches in favor of bacitracin, and decided I would have to stick with the swim team for at least another week so people wouldn't think I had quit because of the accident. I know I probably cared way too much about what people thought back then, but the ironic part is that this decision was probably the most influential decision of my life.

I ended up sticking with the team for the whole season, and then the next three years of high school as well. I learned discipline, fitness, and mind over matter. Because everyone on the team was a lifeguard, I got involved with that and took the lifeguarding course. Because of lifeguarding, I got the most amazing job of my life teaching swim lessons and aquacize at the local YWCA (which I also hated the thought of at first, and then realized that it really was wonderful after all). From this, I earned an internship in Montelimar, France the summer after my first year of college, and I'm pretty sure that is how my whole travelbug began...and accounts for my obsession with water.

I decided to go out to sea instead of, say France, because I am already comfortable with French. I know there is always room for improvement, but I intend to get a job in chemistry or science in the future, and I feel it is important to explore what options are out there so I can choose a field that really grabs me. I fully intend to return to France one day, but this seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I just couldn't pass up.

Will I get seasick? Probably. They say everyone does. They also say that eventually you get used to it; I really hope this is true...but either way, I'm going.

So right now, I have a most random assortment of items, from knives and foul weather rain gear to winter jackets and swimsuits in a pile next to a duffel that is not yet packed. I actually need all of these things- it's still going to be winter in Massachusetts, but summer when we go to the south Pacific- so I've been going for "layers" and "overall usefulness" in determining whether things go or not. This is the thing I'm worst at. I could probably make one set of clothes work somehow if you threw me on a desert island, but tell me I can bring more than that, and I start to pack the kitchen sink.

I'm sure it will sort itself out (well actually, I'll sort it out...but I like that phrase) before I have to leave...

I think I'm most excited about the idea of being outside, doing physical labor, and doing real-world science every day...and of course, being a pirate;)...kind of. I guess I'm trying not to put too many preconceptions or assumptions onto it at this point because I don't even know what to expect. I just want to let it happen and run with whatever does.

Well, it gets late and I'm probably rambling...if you stuck with it this far, thank you. I'll write something more interesting next time. I wish you all the best and many happy moments,

Meagan