Coincidence - Alan May [93]
“What was your favorite thing about Easter Island this trip?”
“Och,” he said, blurting out the first thing that entered his mind. “Pisco.”
Several of the students became to titter. He was referring to the strong local beverage made from fermented grapes.
“Not bad once you get the taste for it,” Mac continued, oblivious to the captain, who was clearing his throat. “Of course I don’t recommend drinkin’ it straight. I suppose ye could, but I’d definitely no’ advise it.”
Now Anika was leaning over Dave and shaking her head at Mac.
“No, piscola’s what ye want, pisco and Coke …”
Suddenly aware of the efforts being made to shut him up, Mac changed tack.
“No, no. Just a wee joke, that, and a silly one. What I liked best this time is what I like best every time, watchin’ the young folks gettin’ their first peek at this amazin’ place. That and bein’ alive to see it again myself.”
Anika had been about to say that her favorite thing had been scuba diving off Motu Tautara—and that had been an extraordinary experience; the marine life was incredible, the water crystal clear. But now, as she watched the sun sinking low on the horizon, creating a dazzling array of pink, coral, and crimson above the sapphire sparkle of the sea, and as she looked around at the bright and eager faces of her students, the easy smiles of her colleagues, she said instead that this was her favorite, this moment right now, in this place of magical beauty, shared with all of them, and with the prospect of more fantastic places to come.
“Tahiti, Samoa, New Caledonia, Brisbane, Darwin, Bali … The names alone are exciting!” she said.
“Aye,” Mac said. Then, raising an imaginary glass in a toast, he added, “And here’s to smooth sailin’ to them all!”
(To be continued.)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
for Book Clubs
1. One of the major differences between private and public education is class size. Do you feel it is an advantage to be in a class of eight versus a class of twenty?
2. On the ship, teachers are exposed to their students 24/7. How would you feel in this situation if you were a teacher?
3. Are there positives, from a student perspective, to the 24/7 exposure?
4. Do you feel there is an advantage to actually being in a new country to learn their culture as opposed to learning about it from a book?
5. Keeping in mind that the drug involvement is fictional, if you were a parent in this situation, would you want to be advised as the incident develops or after a successful conclusion?
6. If money was of no concern, would you enroll your children in such a program?
7. Discipline is an important part of the program. How would you have handled the students caught drinking in the Galapagos?
8. If your child was onboard the Inspiration during an incident like this, would you allow them to continue the program or would you want them to come home?
Table of Contents
Cover
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Discussion Questions for Book Clubs