Falling asleep and waking up to the sound of waves crashing against my window; having an excuse for why I fall over so much; being at most a five minute walk away from any class or any place I might want to go; sleeping under the stars on the top deck; waking up in a new country every week: These are only a few of the many things I miss about Semester at Sea.
The best place to study: The World Odyssey
When I stumbled upon the Semester at Sea website while Googling “study abroad programs” last year, I had no idea how much the program would have an impact on me. I didn’t even know if I’d get in. And now here I am, months after returning, still thinking about how this program has shaped me, and I’m continuously finding more answers. Even though I will always be processing my experiences, I have been able to identify a few ways Semester at Sea has changed me since I’ve been back:
I won’t accept that my dreams are “too crazy.”
I’ve lived a dream. I know that even though it could have gone wrong at any moment, it didn’t. Somehow, it worked out. I’ve always been a dreamer, but now that I’ve done something that seemed impossible at first, I refuse to believe that my dreams are too big or too crazy. Difficult? Probably. Impossible? No.
It just seems so contradictory that our entire lives we’re told to dream big and that we can do anything we set our minds to, and then when we’re actually in a place to start making those dreams come true we’re told to grow up and be more realistic. We’re told that some dreams are too crazy, and as long as you “set your mind” to a pre-approved dream “you can do anything.” Well if growing up means giving up your dreams and losing your passion, then I want no part of it. SAS taught me that while the world might be huge, you’re never more than a long flight or ship ride away from anywhere in the world. It’s the same with dreams— it might take a lot of work but they’re never as far away as you think.
I’m not afraid to invite myself places.
When you’re making last minute travel plans without the internet, and you’re looking for people to travel with, the conversation goes a little like this: Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but do want to travel in Japan with me, maybe?
P.S. Sake is great, and Robots are fun!
I had a lot of moments like this on my voyage where I just asked if I could jump in on people’s plans. It usually worked out great, and I ended up making more friends. Since returning, I’ve been a lot less hesitant to jump in on people’s plans. Besides, you can generally tell if people want you there or not.
I’m more prone to impromptu adventures.
Constantly waking up in a new country and trying new things has made me even more of an adventure addict. Whether it be trying new restaurants in town, or jumping out of a plane, like I did for my 21st birthday, if you’re looking to try something new I’ll gladly join you. (Seriously, if anyone wants to go on a spontaneous road trip just let me know!)
I’m better at approaching random people.
During my voyage, I took a newswriting class. For every port we went to, we had to write a story with at least two sources. This led me to approaching random people to ask for interviews. Sometimes it went great, and other times the language barrier made it difficult. Getting to talk to different people around the world was a great experience, though, and it has made me less nervous when approaching random people. It also made me more confident in the path I have taken, because I learned that I actually really enjoy interviewing people.
I’m more confident in myself as a traveler.
Because Vietnam, that’s why
Before SAS, I had only traveled outside of the U.S. a couple of times. In Japan, I spent a day exploring Yokohama on my own, and it was fantastic. Now that I have returned, I feel much more confident in myself as a traveler. For example, a couple weekends ago I flew to Florida to reunite with some SAS friends. Before, I would have felt more nervous about flying on my own. Now, I feel confident that I can figure things out while traveling.
I am much better at last minute work.
Weekends were non-existent during SAS. We had classes when we were at sea and none when we were in port. The only problem with this was that EVERYTHING was due during the days at sea. This lead to a lot of last minute reading and writing. I’m still the kind of person who likes to get things done early, but if I have to do something last minute I’m more confident in my ability to get it done.
My desire to travel is even worse.
I’ve always wanted to study abroad. It was the one thing I was sure I wanted to do in college. So when I got accepted to SAS, I thought I would return satisfied. However, since I’ve been back all I’ve been thinking about is how I can travel again.
Take me back to India . . .
Although you would think that traveling would make your world seem smaller, it actually makes it so much bigger. Instead of having vague mental images of a place, you suddenly have real experiences. A place goes from being a concept to something real, with its own beauty and faults. Once you’ve broken the idea that parts of the world are unobtainable, you realize just how connected the world really is. It is both huge and small, and it is perfect.
Visit my blog, The Dancing Backpacker, to read more about my adventures with Semester at Sea: http://andreagallier.wixsite.com/thedancingbackpacker