As of today i have been at Semester at Sea for 10 days now. Within these past 10 days, I have experienced and learned so much then I have my whole 20 years of living. There are students from all over the United States and the World. I’ve met people (students and staculty) from India, Jordan, Pakistan, Uganda, Ghana, China and Vietnam. Meeting these people I have learned about their culture first hand from their personal lives which has been enriching. The gentleman from India showed me his brothers’ wedding and Hindu weddings makes American’s weddings look like a joke. Life on sea is a unique one, you literally never know what you’re going to get or see. On day three, I experience a minor case of sea sickness which is no joke. I could feel the ship rocking and riding every wave we encountered. Although the water can be rocky it is extremely beautiful. The way the sun hits the waters during the day and watching the sunset at night is so gorgeous. The food here is delicious and we have meals from different cultures such as jerk chicken, paella, Mediterranean Sea chicken, Vegetable glass noodle soup, etc. (It’s buffet too!). So far I’ve seen whales, mountains and Morocco for the first time in my life.
Our first port was Barcelona, Spain and it was GORGEOUS! During my experience in Barcelona I experienced the beach for the first time at the Mediterranean Sea! One of the media staff wrote about my experience and posted it on the Semester at Sea story! In Barcelona I had a field program at the facility called CRAM. At CRAM I learned about how dangerous pollution to the marine life and all to us as humans. Fun Fact, it is expected by 2050 there will be more plastic in the water than fish. My next port was in Valencia, Spain. It was a less tourist experience and more cultural experience. In Valencia I went to the beach and got in the water and road the waves. After the beach I went to a restaurant called Tampas and had the Valencia Paella. In the Paella it was chicken, rabbit, snail, green beans and rice. Although I didn’t eat the snail, I ate everything else and it was tasty. While talking to locals, I learned about a different view of tourism. Tourism is major income for most locals and countries in general but for the locals its becoming a disturbance to their sense of community. I thought it was interesting because I never thought about it in that light and made me become more aware of the type of tourist I am. Semester at Sea has brought me so many life lessons, new beginnings and so many memories I cannot wait to see what’s next for me.
P.S. I brought my stuffed animal Raffael and everybody loves him he even made an appearance on our embarktation video!
Until Next Time,
Sadeja Harper
