Semester at Sea: Study Around the World

We were travelling as a group of four (all students) and we were all really excited for our desert trip during SAS, we used Morocco Excursions Company, but not quite sure what to expect. We did the four day trip from Marrakech to Fes and it was fantastic. I would highly recommend doing at least four days as we thought that covering the same distance in three days would be a bit too much driving each day.

In terms of reviewing the trip itself, it couldn't have been any better. The places we saw were absolutely breathtaking – the stunning ksar of Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate (the "Hollywood of Morocco"), the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra Gorge and many other amazing places. Morocco has such a diverse range of landscapes and we saw so many of them on the Morocco Excursions trip.

The best thing though was the places we stayed on the trip. Although we paid for the budget option, we were really impressed with the quality of accomodation. Our rooms were large and spacious and the breakfast/dinner provided was very good. The locations were incredible though. In Merzouga, we stayed right on the edge of the sand dunes, which was absolutely breathtaking. Whilst dunes are the stereotypical image of the Sahara, they are only found in two places in Morocco and to have them just two hundred metres from your hotel window was so unexpected and a really fantastic experience.

Our guide, Aziz, was friendly, funny and insightful. He was also an excellent driver and over four long days of driving we never once felt unsafe with his driving skills. He definitely made our trip better than it would otherwise have been and his helpfulness and local nous were much appreciate by us all. Likewise, Hassan was really responsive to all of our emails and was very helpful with any questions we had before the trip.

We had a fantastic experience with Morocco Excursions and couldn't recommend them more.

Semester at Sea
Semester at Sea is an overseas exchange program overseen and administered by the nonprofit organization of the Institute of Shipboard Education. The program has a long history of partnership with top US universities in offering students a global comparative education.

Every year, SAS embarks on two voyages which take place either during spring (Spring Voyage - January to April) around the world and autumn (Fall Voyage - September to December) around the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean.

Between the two options, I have opt for the Spring 2016 “A Voyage Around the World” which circumnavigates the globe in 102 days, traversing the waters of 12 countries, namely, the US, Mexico, Japan, China, Vietnam, Burma, India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco and England.

“The World Campus Afloat”—The MV World Odyssey
The MV World Odyssey is the 6th ship to sail with SAS. Meticulous maintenance had been carried out to remodel the German-built luxury cruise liner so as to better accommodate the academic aspect of SAS. With a tonnage of 22,400 and 10 decks, the ship carries approximately 50 faculty staff members, 150 crew members and 600 undergraduate students from all over the world.

How did I study on the ship?
• Academic Structure
The standard SAS course requirements include enrolling for 4 courses, of which one of them must a Global Lens course. The days spent at sea sailing between different countries are normal class days, alternating between Day A and B without breaks. Occasionally, designated “Study Days” are arranged before mid-terms, special activities and finals, providing students either with some downtime to relax or to catch up with schoolwork. This rigorous academic system allows students to complete all 12 credits by the end of the semester and their courses with the equal level of depth and class time compared to on-land campuses, if not more.

Additionally, each course is paired with a Field Lab (a field trip) in one specific country of the professor’s choosing to learn more about local customs. Afterwards, students are expected to put pen to paper a “Field Lab Report” to reflect on the day trip and in what ways did the Lab relate daily textbook concepts and class learnings to a country’s history and practices.

• How do we study on a ship?
To much of my surprise, prior to my departure, I was informed by a 2012 SAS alumni from HKU that Wi-Fi is not available on board. The principal reason for internet restriction is due to SAS’s goal for students to pay greater attention to forming actual human nexuses rather than clinging onto distant, virtual friendships.

Nevertheless, to assist with on-ship and external communication, students are provided with email service (“Seamail”). Given Seamail only authorizes text messages and attachments, it had challenged students like myself to come up with ingenuous methods to stay connected to our families e.g. I attached pictures to Word documents and converted them to PDFs before sending it to my friends and family. Also, the academic platform of Moodle and a public drive were used extensively to turn in assignments, attempt quizzes and share information.

Extracurricular Activities
You may wonder: without internet access and other forms of entertainment, what were our pastimes for 4 months at sea? In fact, as aforementioned, studying had already taken up the majority of time and kept us occupied throughout the day. For the rest of the time, one could work out at the gym to maintain physical fitness, sunbathe or swim in the pool, host or participate in student clubs on board. Here are a few examples of what I did on board:



• The Amazing China Cultural Club

Me and nine other Chinese students on board have co-founded “The Amazing China Cultural Club” to present the intriguing side of Chinese culture to foreign students, prepare them for the possible culture shock before visiting Shanghai and Hong Kong and teach them basic survival Chinese/Cantonese phrases.

Ballroom Dancing Club
Apart from hosting a student-directed club, I was also an active member of the Ballroom Dancing Club. 

Our student instructors have taught us the basics of four latin dances: Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba and Samba and Tango. As part of club showcase, we have performed a dance number during the Talent Show.

Places Visited: Favorite and Least Preferred Country
Students gathered at San Diego, CA to be bused over to board the ship at Ensenada, Mexico. We ventured out from the Americas, setting sail across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and finally, after the longest stretch of 18 days, the MV World Odyssey docked at Japan (Yokohama, Kobe).

From then on, we sailed through the waters of many Asian countries: (Shanghai) China, Hong Kong, (Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam, (Yangon) Burma, (Cochin) India and to (Port Louis) Mauritius, a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean.

For the third part, we continued with our journey up and around the African continent to (Cape Town) South Africa, (Takoradi, Tema) Ghana and (Casablanca) Morocco before disembarking at (Southampton) England, officially ending our around-the-world endeavor.

• Favorite Country: South Africa
Cape Town (South Africa) was definitely one of the best ports of call I have visited. It was the epitome of both education and new experience. For my Gender and Society class, we got to visit the Blikkiesdorp Township just 30 minutes away from downtown. It was a place where we obtained extensive insight about HIV/AIDS, poverty and crime among the grass-root class as it was plagued with problems as such. This posed as a drastic contrast to the façade of Cape Town’s prosperity, especially when compared to what we have seen at the Waterfront area close to where we docked, a district that radiates a sense of establishment and affluence.



Apart from the knowledge (Apartheid and South Africa’s current development) that this country has to offer, it had also proved itself to be one diverse, thrilling and incredibly hospitable travel destination. To begin with, I have had the privilege to go on an phenomenal safari trip organized by SAS to meet “The Big Five”, skydive out of an airplane at an altitude of 9,000 ft., climbed 3,558 ft. back up the world-renowned Table Mountain and finally, got to sample some of South Africa’s native game meats such as ostrich, kudu (a type of antelope), Springbok (another type of antelope) and warthog (an African wild boar). 


• Least Preferred Country: Ghana
Intriguingly, the other country that I would like to evaluate is also in Africa. Upon my first day arriving in Ghana, I could already sense the economic hardship this country is in from the highly prevalent occurrences of graft.

During our 4-hour drive to and from the Kakum National Park, we stopped at 6 police checkpoints. Every time, our driver would utter an excuse to shake the policemen’s hands and pay them 1 Cedi each time (about HKD$2). On the right shows a discrete snapshot I took of a Ghanaian policeman ordering our taxi driver to pull over before an instance of corruption took place.


The locals have given me such polarized impressions of this country. On one hand, we did receive a lot of warm welcomes and hospitality from students of the University of Ghana as well as from University of Cape Coast. They had magnanimously helped us navigate our way around the cities of Takoradi, Tema and the capital of Accra and provided much valuable information useful in completing our academic research papers.


Yet, on our Field Lab with Introduction to Social Psychology at the Oxford Street Market, unfortunately, most female participants, including myself, had experienced some of the worst cases of sexual harassment over the course of this voyage, usually directed from local street vendors. For me, I was verbally harassed by stall holders as I was about to get on the bus and depart for our ship. It is very commendable that our course instructor, Mikki had tried her very best in shielding us from the vendors’ distasteful comments and unprovoked aggression during the Field Lab and took quick precautions such as swiftly reporting the incidents to the SAS administration and relocated the Lab to a different venue the next day. 


Difficulties and Special Moments
• Preparation

SAS as a sobering and enthralling experience certainly did not occur with ease for me. One cannot believe the mounting pressure the program bestow upon you as there was so many items and so much detail to esteem for such as financial considerations, health and safety, packing and constantly overcoming the obstacles that preparation throws in your way.

As a case in point, the application for visas was indeed a very close call pushing all time limits and effort. As a Hong Kong citizen, I have to complete 3 entry visas and among them, the one for Ghana deemed the most vexing. Since Hong Kong no longer has a Ghana Consulate that process visas for visitors, I had to make contact with the Ghana Embassy in Beijing that redirected me to an honorary consular in Hong Kong. The official gave me his word the visa would be completed in two weeks’ time but it ended up taking three working weeks before I rushed over to collect it in one afternoon and with only 10 minutes left on the clock, dashed off from one end of Wanchai to another towards the India Consulate to apply for the remaining visa.

It is indescribable how relieved I was when I finally made it to the India Consulate out of breath, profusely perspiring, with precisely 2 minutes to spare but finally filed all documents in just in time. Nevertheless, I have heard visa stories from my fellow shipmates that completely humbled me: Chinese students were required to apply for 7 visas and even more ludicrous; for Lebanese students, a jaw-dropping number of 10.

Bracing Ourselves for Finals

If you think SAS is an extravagant 102-day lavish vacation around the world with sumptuous food, free-flowing wine and pleasure in all of its forms, you cannot be any more mistaken. As the voyage drew to a close, during the last 2 weeks before the final exams, I had lived a dreaded routine of passing out from exhaustion at 1am and springing back to life at 7am the next morning, meanwhile spending the rest of my waking hours studying, writing and revising. But I am fortunate to say that I have a group of friends that worked hard together with me every day at the Berlin Restaurant to leap over whatever hurdles that came in our way.

How to make use of this experience?
Why should one take part in this costly undertaking? My response to that is: it is a life-changing process that helps to define yourself. Not only does SAS nurture independence more so than any other exchanges as it encourages its students to travel independently in so many different countries. But it also fosters incomparable problem-solving capabilities in due course by allowing them to handling unfamiliar situations e.g. itinerary planning, locating transport and dealing with the most unexpected predicaments one might encounter in entirely foreign cultural backdrops.
The most pivotal calibers that I have sharpened throughout this journey are open-mindedness and adaptability. SAS had trained us prolifically with observing, experiencing, accepting and finally adapting to various cultural differences around the world. These alone, I believe, are traits that will continue to serve me well whatever settings I find myself in in the future.

I have four journals filled with unique stories: praying with a MYANMAR monk, a monkey stealing my dinner in ZIMBABWE, a karaoke battle with locals in MOROCCO, taking an exam while in a PACIFIC storm with 30 foot waves, and I could go on. Semester at Sea is, without a doubt, the ultimate travel experience.

It wasn't always easy. In Myanmar, while walking through valley of 10,000 temples, we stumbled on a factory that utilized child labor. They graciously invited us in and I watched 20 young girls sit around in a room where they worked dawn to dusk, 7 days a week, 365 days a year so that their families could have enough meager food to live. Only a few weeks later I met a Ghanaian school teacher on the street who proudly told me of an ex pupil who was graduating University.

A trip around the world shows you the world and the world is incredible and beautiful and rich but it needs our help. You will not be the same after Semester at Sea. You will be traveled, you will be informed, and you will be more than you were before.

Semester at sea made me sea the world from different perspectives. Comparing and contrasting the different places we visit every week added a lot to my experience and my knowledge about the world. It broke many of my stereotypes and I can't tell how grateful I am to have been part of the Fall 2015 voyage. Being isolated from the world yet travelling the world is a magical feeling and has been very crucial to teaching me about myself and my shipmates. I highly recommend it.

Sailing on a Semester at Sea voyage was the most influential experience of my life. I visited places I only read about, met life-long friends, and gained a global prospective.

Visiting multiple places in one semester and comparing each to each other and to my own county is a very effective learning technique. We were constantly moving, exploring, and discovering new things everyday. Living on a ship and being part of the shipboard community was my favorite part of the entire experience. Eating with a professor and their family is not uncommon and actually encouraged. Everyone on the ship has the desire and passion to learn about the world through experimental learning. I would learn about the Egyptian history in class and the next day, I was at The Pyramids of Giza and looking at the face of The Sphinx.

Most people sign up for a study abroad program to see new places, experience a different culture, or to eat better food - afterwards they realize the most valuable part is the people you meet along the way. For the first time I felt like I found my "tribe". When you travel and live on a relatively small space with a group of people, you become extremely close quickly. It's been almost 6 years since I've sailed and I still consider my Semester at Sea group of friends my best friends.

Overall, Semester at Sea is a way to see a lot of the world in one semester. If you're not sure which country to pick, why choose? With Semester at Sea you can see many countries and be a part of a thriving shipboard community. Be prepared to return with a whole new outlook of the world and an incredible group of people you will call family.

Imagine traveling the world with newfound friends on a ship sailing around the world. This is by far the most significant and eye-opening experience of the world. Semester at Sea takes you to legendary cities around the world; St. Petersburg, Paris, DUBLIN, Havana, Casablanca, with the ease of sailing. When stopped at port the students are allowed to travel to anywhere they wish; provided that they have the means and logistics to make it back to the ship. What is unique is that Semester at Sea provides teaching and college courses on the ship itself. Complete with overhead projectors this ship is a floating classroom lead by the most prostegious faculty members worldwide. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. They are going through the same experience as the students; traveling the world!

The nights spent lying on the beach at night looking at thousands of stars on the sands of Lagos, Portugal with friends and camel trek riding through the Sahara desert to meet the Nomads will forever remain the most amazing experience of my life. Semester at Sea provides many avenues for scholarships. They themselves help you out A LOT. As long as they see that you are serious and willing to put in work, they will do their best to provide you with the funds to achieve this dream to travel the world.

SAS gave me ability to go to countries I never thought I would reach, and helped me determine who I want to be as a traveler and global citizen. It taught me how to be culturally sensitive, not only for places that are unfamiliar, but also for the place I call home. I was able to form friendships with people that were different from me in many ways, and create a bond I didn't realize could exist in only four months. Plus the wide range of emotions from the laughter to the tears resulted in the most growth I have experienced in my 5 semesters of college.

Just do it. Four months on a ship that goes around the world?! When else will you have a chance to do something so cool? Every day is something new and exciting! You get the chance to meet people from all over the U.S. and all over the world. The professors teach super interesting courses in a wealth of different subject areas. The food is terrible (or was when I did it), but bring food with you and buy stuff in ports and you'll be fine. Go on as many excursions as possible, as they often get you further away from the port then would be feasible on your own. They can also help you get visas to secondary countries, because you can't leave the country on your own- you must be on an excursion.

I would recommend this program to any individual that has a passion to travel and see the world. The experiences I had on Semester at Sea opened my eyes to the possibilities that life has to offer as well as gave me insight into new cultures. This program also challenged me to step out of comfort zone and explore places I have never even heard of. I made the most amazing, lifelong friends on my voyage and loved every second of my time on the MV Explorer.

This was an epic experience and I had some of the best times of my life while on this study abroad program. It was eye-opening, inspiring, exciting and made me see the world in a different light. I would highly recommend this program to anyone!

While traveling to 13 different countries in 4 months is incredible in itself, it is the unique shipboard community of Semester at Sea that makes it one of a kind. I will never forget the ship cutting the lights in the middle of the Indian Ocean so the on-board astronomy professor could captivate us with the legends and stories of ancient gods and goddesses, all while underneath a captivating night sky that words will never truly describe. There's no feeling like being in the middle of the ocean with the nearest humans hundreds of miles away, and the stars are just the beginning.

It is incredibly fun to travel the world, on a ship, with over 600 students from around the world. Every day is a new adventure, both in the ship and in ports. Most of the time we did not speak the native language of a country and it was very hard to communicate, but we were always able to figure out a way to express our feelings and needs in each country.
We were a group of six friends in Myanmar and we had the opportunity to get in touch with relatives of my aunt's friend. They were three and they took us sightseeing, took us out for dinner, and they invited us to the pool at their condo. It was a beautiful experience because we got to connect with locals and see their life styles. We were able to ask any questions and they were also interested in learning about our culture.
Even though we had never heard about each others, we did not make plans ahead, and we are from different continents and have different likes and dislikes, we had a great time, and it was a very valuable and enriching experience I will always remember.

An incredible summer, visited 9 different countries around Europe all while living on a ship with other college students. The classes were well structured and the teachers excellent, but the real fun was being able to explore different countries and cultures with people who had been complete strangers just days before. I still stay in constant contact with several of the friends I made on the trip, and it has allowed me opportunities to travel all around the United States to visit them in the last couple years. I could not possibly recommend semester at sea more highly than anything to a student interested in travel.

Semester at Sea really was an exceptionally unique experience. I was convinced that if I didn't study abroad in college I would be missing out on a huge opportunity, but I was having difficulty deciding on just one country to go to. I was initially attracted to the idea that Semester at Sea traveled to multiple countries but that was just the beginning of its uniqueness. I found a "home afloat" in my ship accommodations which gave me a comfortable home base to decompress and familiarity that became so important to my mental health among all the new locations and culture shock. Semester at Sea took its time in picking the best of the best staff and faculty, so my education came from people I would normally not of had the opportunity to learn from. An overall theme of sustainability gave us a global lens to view all our lessons and experiences through, and something very applicable to take home and unique to put on my resume. Finally the in-country excursions set up by the program were absolutely once in a life time experiences I wouldn't find anywhere else, such as canyoning through the mountains in Spain, seal watching on rib boats in Sweden, and kayaking through the Fjords in Norway. If you are on the fence about doing this program I hope my review has convinced you to go. This is something you don't want to miss out on.

I met so many beautiful people in India. One of those people was my tuk tuk driver. He made me and my friends feel comfortable and safe from the moment we went into his tuk tuk and who knew we would end up such great friends. He took us anywhere we wanted. We went to shops where we bought spices and a sari. After I bought my sari and went to another shop he told us he would be right back and when he came back he had a string of jasmine flowers that he put in my hair making me look like a beautiful Indian princess. I loved it, at that moment he felt like my father and although I come from somewhere on the other side of the world we had a connection and I trusted him. After I bought and immediately wore my sari we went to get some local Indian food. At this restaurant the waiters helped us order the foods we must try not he menu and we did. While we waited for our food I looked up and noticed an older Indian woman looking at me and smiling. I smiled back and she pointed to her sari and then at mine and gave me a thumbs up gesture. This was another amazing moment for me. This older Indian woman just approved my Indian outfit which meant more to me than just looking good. I felt that with her approval I was culturally acceptable and didn’t look like a tourist wearing an Indian outfit because it was cool. I was falling in love with India, the people, the culture, and soon enough the food. When the food came I was awestruck. It was amazing! So amazing that we ordered another plate of it. It was some type of masala but it was so different than the ones in the United States. After eating our driver asked us if we wanted henna tattoos and when we said yes he explained to us about his mother in laws where they can do it for us. This day was getting better and better. We got to the house and immediately neighborhood children and aunties came over. They were so nice and reminded me of my family back home. They wanted to make my hair, give me chips, and tea. It was one of the most memorable moments for me. We sat down and they started doing henna’s on us. While they did henna’s they were talking and asking us questions all while laughing because most of the time we had no idea what they were saying. Although there was a language barrier our body language and laughter was more than sufficient. We stayed there until the sun was going down. We had so much fun that they invited us to a Hindu celebration in Kerala where there would be food, elephants, music, and fireworks. That was an automatic yes! Our driver took us back to the ship where we showered and got ready then came back out and went with our driver to the event. It was a unique experience. We were the only people not from India at that event especially because most of the Semester At Sea students were at the Taj Mah Hall. As we walked through the crowds with our driver all eyes were on us. It was different but I knew our driver had our backs and he reminded me so much hot my father that I knew if anything would happen he would step in. It was amazing. We watched the elephants all dressed up march through the area with loud music, It was so exciting to witness for the first time. After we met up with his family and watched the fireworks together. I loved being with this family. We loved them so much that we pretty much went with the same driver everyday where we went to his families house about 2 more times. I am so thankful that I met a wonderful tuk tuk driver who I built a relationship with. He was more than our driver he was our father, bodyguard, and friend. After the last day in India when we had to say our goodbyes I got his mailing address and I am currently working on a package to send to him and his family with toys for his kids, books, and pictures of our time in India. One day I will make it back to India and reunite with this amazing family.