Explorer Journals

 
            




"My name is Edith Smith. I am 16 years old. I am from England. I have a brother, 2 sisters, a mother, and a father. My twin sister, Elizabeth, is 16 as well, and she is coming with me on this trip. She is a lot like me, but a lot different as well. My mother, Anne, is 35. She is a baker, and is very good at sewing, cooking, and baking. My father, James is 36. He is the royal blacksmith. He comes home at dinner time and leaves very early in the morning." -- Edith Smith

"My name is Raymond Bellamy. My birthdate is April 4th, 1471, and I am 24 years old. I am from a small village in France, called Hidden Leaf. In my family is my mother, who is a baker and my brother Arthur, who is an apprentice to a blacksmith.  My sister Victoria helps my mom around the house. My dad, Bruno died many years ago." --Raymond Bellamy

"I live in a manor house near the castle. I work in my dad's store. I do plays and like jousting. I like playing cards. I am an apprentice to a merchant. I can read, write, and work with numbers. I want to sail because of English pride and trade routes so that I can sell my goods. My hopes and dreams are getting money and trade routes. I wonder about mermaids.  I have studied many languages so I am very useful to my crew because they come from many different places in Europe. I help my crew talk to each other. " --Lancelot

"I want to explore because I want to e famous. I want to find trade routes and money. Also I'd like to get more land. My role is the helmsman. The helmsman is responsible for steering the ship on the ocean. I'm strong and a good listener.." --Antonio Franco

"I have many fears on this trip. I fear we may come across pirates that will take our money or crew members. I am scared that I will get flogged by cat o'nine tails. I am also scared of sea monsters that have 100 arms and 1,000 eyes. I've seen many of them in my dreams. I hope that our boat doesn't get damaged or for our crew to get diseases like scurvy or typhus." -- Ruy Lobo

"I am really, really scared that my boat might capsize, or maybe I will die or get punished. But what I am really scared about is no fresh food. A really scary disaster we could face is pirates or scurvy. I once knew a villager who got scurvy and died. What I will miss is my family, food, my dog Cecle, and my horses." -- Julit Larou

"I wonder if there will be wharf rats on the boat. I wonder what the sleeping arrangements will be like. I have been chosen as the ship's surgeon.  I can save people's lives from accidents. The responsibilities of my job are to help people that are hurt. One skill I have is that I love to help people because I am a good person and like to take care of things. I am really, really scared of death, sea monsters, pirates, storms, ice, getting lost, food shortages, and drowning. There could be some disasters we could face, like arguments and fights. I will miss my family, good food, water, bathing, my bed, my friends, and last but not least my riding horse. " -- Eva Coelho

"Perhaps today is the best day of my entire life. I got to see the King and Queen. Really I should call them King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. I was really nervous. I was coughing and sweating really bad. I was stuttering. I went there to ask for a vessel to take on the trip. When I got there I waited like a year at least. That's what it felt like. When the page came out, I got really nervous. He said "the King and Queen will see you now." -- Anthony Turner

"Never in my most magical dreams have I ever thought I'd be standing in the spot I am in. The page opened the door and there was a dim hallway filled with exotic smells. We slowly started long the vast and damp hallway. The castle was beautiful! Suddenly we entered a huge, bright room full of candles and people dressed in so many beautiful colors. At the end of the room sat King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Guess what? I fainted! I was so embarrassed. I woke up a few minutes later to find myself on the floor. I got up and carefully brushed myself off. I apologized and smiled. One of my brave crew members spoke and asked the king for a Royal Charter, but he said, "no." --Carla Coelho

"Today I, Maria Moralez, am going to see the King and Queen of Spain. I am very nervous and I'm going to ask them for a Royal Charter. My hands are sweaty and sticky. I am afraid to talk, as I could have hiccups or dry mouth. I keep saying to myself, "don't be nervous."  I feel goose bumps on my skin, like beach grass touching my skin. I asked the King and Queen for a Royal Charter, but he said, "No!" The Queen decided to give us a chance. "Thank you, K-K-I-N-G and Q-Q-U-E-E-N." -- Maria Moralez

"Today is the most magical day of my life. I'm going to see the King and Queen at the castle. My crew and I are here. The castle looks magical, and I see a long corridor, and a bunch of beautiful jewels that are sparkly.  I smell herbs and a delicious feast that smells like spices. What I hear is the King and Queen talking about what they are going to eat at the feast. I also hear the guard tell us that the King and Queen will see us now." -- Abril Corilla

"Today is undoubtedly one of the most important days of my life. Precisely at high noon, I stand in the great King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella's royal garden. Our crew stands in the burning, hot, yellow sun. Suddenly, a page comes out and says, "the King will see you now." As I entered, I brushed past a curtain and boy was it silky. We walked down the long, dimly lit corridor, our eyes taking a few moments to adjust. I mustered enough courage to say, while laying out our plans, "may we have a royal charter to sail west like Columbus, your highness?" --Isaac Arther

" While we walked, I almost tripped over my own feet. We came to a dimly lit room. I see two well dressed people and more people crowded around them. "What are you doing here?" I had it all planned out, then I just swallowed my words. I bowed. I could smell the candles and perfume. I hear some people whispering. I said, "I would like to go exploring like Columbus." The king said, "no." I almost fainted, but then the Queen said, "wait, she'll do better than Columbus and find the treasure." I anxiously spoke, "th-th-thank y-y-ou, thank you, your majesty." -- Elizabeth Smith

"I can't believe how much food I saw and the nice clothes they had. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. When I walked up to the gate, I asked to see the King and Queen. The grass was so well taken care of. I hear birds singing, like they were falling in love. I smelled scented flowers and imagined I lived there, but we all know that won't happen." --Rosa Abril

"Today might be the most important day of my life. I am scared out of my roots today. I am going in front of King Ferdinand and beautiful Queen Isabella. I personally think this takes skill. I shall arrive at the monumental castle today, approximately at tea time in London. I'm all ready, dressed in my best clothes. I shall take the finest maps around and explain my case to them. Oh look at the time, I have to run! No, no, just kidding...I will take my trusty stead to the castle." -- Makina Lafiel

"I am going to be ship's navigator. I am responsible for keeping the ship on course. I will do my best not to get lost. I am good at using a compass, an astrolabe, and a backstaff.  I will be a great navigator because I know how to read maps." --Luc Duval

"I feel so gloomy because today is the day we sail for Spain. I will hopefully bring back wealth for my family and families that need help. But, I also can't wait to hear the captain say, "time to go." I will be crying so much that I might get sick.  I'm worried about my dad and my siblings and how they will survive without me. Good thing I taught my sixteen year old sister to cook, clean, and take care of my dad and siblings." -- Isabel Walker

"We are about to set sail, and I'm sitting in a hammock writing this entry. I was excited to finally see the place. I smell tar on the boat, sea water from the ocean, and sweat. I see others' families waving good-bye, seagulls and buys flying around the ship. The sails open when we leave. I hear the captain yell, "away the anchor!", a crack of the sail, and a creaky floor board. I taste salty, lemony air. I feel excited to leave Portugal, and I feel like mouse free from a cat." -- 

"I am leaving today, and I feel so gloomy that I can't see my family for a long time. My mom would love this time in my life. I'm glad my life is changing. As I hop in my hammock for the night, I hold one of the iron bars, and sigh. "What will happen? Will I live?" As I drifted off to sleep, I smelled sea water and felt the warm breeze. I'm going to sleep for the first time at sea." -- Alfonso Banderas

"After two months of preparing, we are finally ready to set sail in the wide open sea. When I was leaving, I saw my family waving on the dock. I was gloomy, and terrified, but also eager to sail.  As soon as we got out to see, I saw fish jumping and dolphins galore. When I walked out on the deck, I heard loud creaking and seagulls. I feel the breezy wind blowing on my face and my hair flopping just like those fish. I taste the salty air. I worry about sea monsters on the journey that lies before me, but I'm giddy to see if I find treasure or land." -- Alcon