Author: Malina
Date: 11.04.2021
Position: Solingen
Nautical Position: 51°09´4 N , 007°00´4 E

Now we are all back home! Normally the last daily report would have been from our arrival, but I thought it would be interesting to write about the first complete day at home, how I feel now, what I was happy about and what I miss already.

In the morning I woke up by myself at around nine o’clock. There was no one who woke me up and I could stay in bed for one more hour. I enjoyed it a lot.
Than we had breakfast: Cheese, unsalted butter, orange juice, whole wheat bread, cooked eggs,… It was nice to have all the things you are used to eat for breakfast again.
In the forenoon three of my best friends visit me. They bake a welcome-back for me. I was very confused in the beginning if it is now ok to give them a hug. But they all made a rapid covid test so we were shure that no one of us is positive. We ate the cake together and talked a lot. I told them all the gossip about my journey and they told me all the stuff that happend here while I was gone. It was so nice to see them again.

It’s crazy how you get used to things, so you do it without thinking about it. For example I realized that the light switch in my room at home is lower than it was in my cabin. As well already a few times I was really confused that there was no water coming out of the tap when I turned it on. But I was moving the handle to the side like I was used to do on the Peli. I sometimes also had to ask my family where to find stuff in our kitchen because we have a new kitchen since last summer.
Before we made chips for dinner I was riding with my bike to my godmother to say her hello as well. I think I lost a little bit of muscles that I need for biking in my legs. One hill felt longer than I remembered it.

While we were on the Azores my sister told me that there is a song contest from the music festival for students and young adults in my hometown Solingen. I already thought about writing a song about Ocean College and the Pelican before but than I was a little bit more motivated and wrote it in the last weeks. The application deadline was already a few days ago but I got an exception to send it a little bit later. I also tried to record it on board, but that was quite difficult with the wind, movement, persons coming into the cabin and announcements. So after dinner, supper, tea or however the British people would call this meal, I recorded it with a lot of help from my sister and we cutted the video for it.
You can find the video on the Instagram page of http://@schülerrockfestival_solingen and it would make me really happy when you would vote for my song at: https://www.schuelerrockfestival.de/

Everyone was asking me how I feel now and if I enjoy the luxus. It is still very weird and unreal. I miss the sound of the waves, I miss everyone, I miss the movement with the swell and I also miss to stand outside and looking at the horizon or the stars during watch.

I am so thankful for this amazing 195 days. Thankful to everyone of the professional crew, I learned so much from you. Thankful to the teachers, I had so many nice, interesting and helpful conversations with you.
Thankful to every single watchleader and student, everyone made this journey special.

Thankful to all my friends and family members, with your birthday and Christmas presents I was able to collect the half of the money I had to pay. And last but not least my mum and my dad, thank you that you gave me the opportunity to have such a great time!

PS: Now I do not wanna sent greetings to my family, because I am already home. I wanna sent greetings to everyone who was part of Ocean College 20/21! I hope it is not to weird everything at home and that school, covid and your parents are not to annoying. Enjoy the always flushing toilets!