<p>Well our first year at KP has almost come to an end with Summer School finals this Saturday.</p>
<p>My DS will be home for a total of 5 days before he heads on a plane to Jacksonville, FL to meet his ship that will take him around the world to the Middle East. He will travel to places with names of Aqaba, Jeddah, Dubai, Damman, Ash Shuaibah, Umm Said, and Fujairah.</p>
<p>To tell you that I am a little nervous is an understatement. It is finally hitting home that no matter what your child does, even as a student, or a young man, or even as a full fledged adult, the Mother in you still worries. </p>
<p>Royce DM....If you wear jewelry, think about what you'd like from Dubai. It must be the 'gold' capital of the world. My son's first Sea Duty had him in Dubai, and he was in awe of the place. He bought a beautiful, plain gold necklace. I had to take it to the jeweler here when I messed up the clasp. He was so surprised to realize it was REAL gold, and not gold plated.<br>
Wishing your son well on his first voyage!</p>
<p>Royce DM, just heard briefly from son last night that he will wrap up emt at indoc and meet his ship in Honolulu on Saturday...wish he could come home a little bit first. But he says he is really looking forward to it. He will be on the Horizon Hawk , a Matson container out of Tacoma. Inerary is Tacoma,Oakland,Honolulu, Guam,Yantian(mainland china),Hong Kong, and Kaohsiung(Taiwan) then back to Tacoma..
I feel as you do...a little nervous,(actually very) but I believe this is such a great experience for him and any 19 year old and I am confident the academy has got these guys and girls ready...Best to your mid...cjcatl</p>
<p>Just heard from my son, he is on a break bulk heading to Africa with US food aid, pretty cool stuff. Very hard work, he says that the ship is a working ship and that everyone is pitching in with the work. After just a few days, it is amazing to see his personal strength and determination grow. I agree, as a parent you have to be a little nervous, but watching your mid take on the challenges is awesome.</p>
<p>Holy Mackerel ! We newbie parents are so worried about whether our little kiddie has a picture during the mean-ole Indoc. [Ok Maybe it's just me :o ]</p>
<p>And in a year or two, they're going to be working hard delivering important goods to places I've never even HEARD of, and will have to find on a globe or atlas (I'm chagrined to say). :eek:</p>
<p>Wow. This isn't going to be a roller-coaster.... It's going to be a rocket-sled! Zooom! I had to look up "break bulk"{cargo not containerized,stored in holds..."the old fashioned way"} too. I am such a neophyte!</p>
<p>cj, thats an awesome trip. Son did the same the first go round. You are going to be amazed with the sea stories. He'll find the 11 day voyage to Tacoma a bit loooong but will love the stops in between. If I can recall what website I saved his photos to, I'll send you the link.</p>
<p>usmmakp2010dad - very cool indeed. Very. </p>
<p>Haven't heard from my son in a while.... Either the Comfort's email is down or he's playing sick with the 800 nurses. :D</p>
<p>Royce's Mom, tell the boy your wish list! I wanted the tea pot & got one beyond all expectations. One of those forever treasures. Sea partner's Mom got black pearls! I'd tell you not to worry but I can't say that. I mean seriously, if I don't hear from the kid for a few days, I'm freaked. :rolleyes: So c'mon & join me!</p>
<p>OK, now I am EXCITED! I have not thought about the possibiliites here.... I knew dubai is a great place, but really...........</p>
<p>What should I put on my "Wish List"? That is my main question for today!</p>
<p>Gold jewelery, Tea Pots, Black Pearls??????</p>
<p>What else should I add too the list. I am a really easy person to please, but what else are my options? I am so NOT the world traveler. Heck I have never even been on a plane before... we drive everywhere we want to go!)</p>
<p>So I need to rely on you for some input here... </p>
<p>Zonker, yes in ONE year your child will be traveling the world, it really does blow me away..... what opportunities our children are having! And I feel we are blessed to be along for the ride. </p>
<p>I also got out my 10+ year old globe several months ago so I could show my little kids (ages 11, 7, and 5) where their big bro may be traveling. I have yet to show them his route now that it is set. I want to get a world map and keep a track of where he has gone on that.</p>
<p>I LOVE to hear all the sea stories! Please, lets keep sharing them! I know indoc is about over, and I truely enjoyed being able to sit back and relax this year knowing how the kids do change during indoc. And even if you don't see the complete change in your kid right away at parents weekend, or even a huge change by Christmas, by the end of one year.. they will knock the socks off of you. My socks are 1000 miles away.</p>
<p>Although this my son's first year at KP, we are a traveling family and have been all over the world too. Hold on Royce, it's fun! Black Pearls are awesome... have not bought any...yet...hope son will have a chance next year. I know there is a place on-line that you can track your world travels. My son added something to his face book that does this. If I have a chance I'll look it up and let you know. That way you can track your boy on his voyages!</p>
<p>suzannegra, if you happen across that website for tracking travels, do let us know. I'd be very interested. We have a huge world map in our office with colored thumb tacks all over the thing. Put in a new one this morning on Corinto Nicaragua. 19 places have been marked in all so far. By the time he gets back to the Academy in Nov., he will have been to almost 20 countries, some of them two to three times.</p>
<p>Thanks Jamzmon, those photos were great and made me want to go. By the way, what are the guys in photo 8 doing...?? Husband and I took 2 trips last year , one to Thailand and the other to mainland China and the shots your son took were very similar to what we saw. Nothing like being an empty nester. I am glad to hear they have time to go ashore at each destination, it looked to me that they did not have much time, but I guess they make time, right?
Son is on the Horizon Hawk, she was just commissioned in March(is that the right term?)
By the way, we did not have time to get a Chinese visa for him . Did your son need one for Yantian?
Does anyone know if there is a way to get the visa once they have gone to sea?</p>
<p>Jamz, hope you hear fromyour son. Might just be something about those 800 nurses....what a tour of duty...!!
You are the seasoned one and it makes me feel better to know we all still worry , at least a little.</p>
<p>cj, son was on Horizon Trader but they did not stop in China. That was the one & only difference I see in the places they stop. He was in Hong Kong where the photo was taken of some college kids protesting outside of some building. Never got why they had clocks on their heads. LOL From what I understand, FlyNavy & DeepDraft touched on the subject of the visa for China. I kinda understood it that the Capt. of the ship takes care of it for the kids. Horizon lines are pretty awesome. They are headquartered in Charlotte. The Trader was one of their older in the fleet so my son was on her last voyage across the big water. I think they turned her into a 'rum runner' now (making trips to Puerto Rico).</p>
<p>Thanks Suzanne! Now. To see if I'm savvy enough to get it to work.... :D</p>
<p>Mouse over the squares & click on Current Marine Data - click the area you'd like to see - click marine observations. Does not usually list ship names but if you find the long/lat on the other site, you can see better weather graphics of where they are. Just another fun toy for parents to play around with. Nothing like knowing your kid is out there doing 40 degree rolls. Sometimes its best not to look. :D </p>