Neptune Day

     On Semester at Sea the day the ship crosses the equator is an important day, especially on voyages like ours when the ship crosses at 0,0. According to SAS tradition, this is the day that Pollywogs (people who have not crossed the equator) become Shellbacks (people who have). When the ship crosses at 0,0, you receive the additional honor of becoming an Emerald Shellback.

            To celebrate, there is a sort of holiday, called Neptune Day.  The ship practically buzzes with excitement, and not just because we get a day off from class. The most important part of Neptune Day is the ceremony that happens by the pool.

            Scores of people line up to have their heads shaved before having “fish guts” dumped on their heads and jumping into the pool. When they reach the other side there are fish waiting to be kissed. Then, after paying their respects to King Neptune and Queen Minerva, Pollywogs become Shellbacks. Afterwards, people roam the halls rubbing the newly bald heads of their shipmates and discussing who looks best bald.

            When asked (jokingly) that morning if I would be shaving my head, I laughed. No one expected me to chop off my hair, myself included. As I lined up with friends and prepared to take videos for some of those who would be shaving their heads, I made the spontaneous decision to do it myself.

            People always ask why and I could give countless reasons for my decision, but the simplest answer is this: I didn’t want to look back on that day and wish I’d had the courage to do it. My hair will grow back, but I will never have that opportunity again, so I went for it.

            And I haven’t regretted it once.

            I was a little nervous about what my family would think and about how I might look, but I got over that fairly quickly. My parents, to my surprise, were incredibly proud. As for how I looked, I got complimented time and time again. Some shipmates even suggested that I keep the haircut permanently. Plus, we got to hand all of the hair over to a cancer organization in South Africa.

            I’m so happy that I chose to be one of the ten girls on the ship who shaved her head. It was an experience I’ll never forget, one that brought me closer to people I might not have known and taught me more than anyone would care to read about how others see you and how you see yourself. It also taught me the value of spontaneity and stepping out of your comfort zone.

            No regrets.