I AM NOT A POLLYWOG ANYMORE! by Erin Boyle

A Pollywog is someone who has never have been across the equator before. The equator is an imaginary line on the earth’s surface. It divides the earth into either the northern or southern hemisphere. The latitude of the equator is zero degrees. The equator’s length is around 40,075 km and is one of the five main circles of latitude lines that goes around the earth.

On January 25th, I was a Pollywog but after I crossed the equator and took part in a traditional seafaring ceremony conducted by King Neptune himself (a.k.a. the cruise staff), I became a Trusty Shellback. The ceremony begins by being accused of a crime that you have committed. My crime was missing school and taking puzzle pieces from a puzzle in the library. Other people were accused of other things like overeating. I was seated on a chair in front of King Neptune and asked if I was “guilty or not guilty”. The crowd yelled “guilty” and I was punished. My punishment was being drenched in cranberry juice, raw eggs, jello, flour, yogurt, whipping cream, ice-cream, and chocolate cake. Yuch!