Meet The "Blog Father"!

The internet is an amazing place. There are so many little niches that offer unexpected goodies for those who look. I am usually a very persistent searcher of the web. One of my favorite sites was handed to me by my daughter. Some years back an alumnus of Semester at Sea set up a “group” on MSN for his cohorts. This spawned an ongoing series of groups, one for each voyage of the MS Explorer. We used this site to get all types of information to help our daughter prepare for her trip in the 3 short weeks she had left after she was moved off the wait list.

The way the site mostly works is prospective students connecting to each other, and asking questions about what to expect on this unique journey. A core group of active and dedicated alumni answer questions that come up. We learned what to pack and what not to pack. We found out that it is a good idea to have some currency for some countries and US ones for others, and what types of trips ashore might be best. My daughter found a shipmate who was organizing a South African Safari at a good price and joined in.

Mom and Dad Get in the Game!

When the ship sailed the site was taken over by us parents with the helpful alumni still along to hold our hands. Many students posted links to their Blogs on the site. Some of the parents began discussing the interesting thing they read on so and so’s Blog. Many of the other parents asked “How can I find these Blog things you are all talking about?” Later it got more specific with “How can I know which ones are new?” By that time I had organized them into a Mozilla folder and was opening them all in tabs and scanning for fresh postings daily. I loved reading the darn things! It was a simple progression for me to post hyperlinks to the updated Blogs each day. With this little act, “The Blog Father” was born.

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters for Anxious Mothers

I began as a link posting service. It soon turned into a bit more. Many parents were asking for information: What’s the weather in Burma? Is this hurricane close to the ship? Are there tsetse flies in Mauritius? And most frequent and urgent: Why haven’t I heard from my kid???? Is she OK????? I am a compassionate person, so I added information and calm counsel to my daily routine on the message board.

When the ship arrived in San Diego after circling the globe for 100 days, I had been transformed from just another dad to a beloved icon of support for dozens of moms. I have never felt so appreciated in my life. Hugs and tears of relief came fast and furious on that dock that day. I also met some of the Bloggers who I had been corresponding with over the course of the voyage.

Back to the Real World With an Itch to See the World

The adjustment for kids who take this voyage can be jarring when they return to normal life. My daughter fared better than I did. I really felt deflated when my volunteer job ended. I helped a few later voyages get going along the same lines, but it just wasn’t the same. I realized that I needed to get out of my work rut and find a way to see the many parts of this wonderful world I have yet to see.

Next Time: A Hair Out of Place