Dear Diary,

I have just recently learned of an explorer whose name is Christopher Columbus. I heard some men down by the dock talking if him. Apparently, he will attempt to travel to China as Marco Polo had done. He was looking for rare spices and other types of goods that would make a large profit for him back in Spain. He also wanted to find a faster route to India. When I heard this I thought that this Columbus fellow was my type of guy and that I should ask to join his crew. I wanted and had been waiting for an adventure of some sort and this to me seemed like my best chance. I then went up to the men at the dock and asked them if they knew were to find this man. They said he should be at his home until late tonight because he was preparing for departure within the next few days and so needed to pack. I went to his home and found him there and I asked him a few things. He said that he would be glad to have me on his ship and that he needed the men for this exploration. He then told me that his ship was named the Santa Maria and I was too bored that ship. The Santa Maria was to have 52 men on deck. Then he told me that he was also going to take two more ships with him and these were called the Nina and the Pinta of which each held 18 men. Then I asked him how he was going to pay for this and if he was already so rich why go looking for more money that may not be found, he explained to me that his entire trip was going to be financed by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. Then I returned home to pack my things and go to bed to prepare for this trip. I then began to ponder how I would miss my home in Spain and how I would have never before left home for such a length of time. I realized that I would miss customs and the food as well as my daily routine. Then I had a great dream that night about how I would miss the cheese, honey, raisins, rice, garlic, almonds, sea biscuits, beans and salted meats that I was so accustomed to. Of these my favorite was the sea biscuits which would last a year if kept dry. I would also miss the stories of fighting and battle men told to us about the Muslim Kingdom of Granada which was under a final siege. I also thought of the dangers like sailing right of the earth if it truly was flat. Then the next morning I awoke and went down to the harbor anxious for the voyage!