Last post from the ship

Sailing back to Southampton, England.

Somehow the summer has flown by and it’s time for me to say goodbye to the M.V. Explorer and Semester at Sea. After nearly 31,000 nautical miles traveled around the world in eight months, I will make my last trek across the Atlantic by plane and return home to Iowa on Friday. As the next day or so will be busy with wrap-up activities and travel, this will be my last post from the ship and also likely my last post on this blog for a few days.

Last night was the Alumni Ball, an event celebrating the end of classes and the shipboard community’s transition from Semester at Sea participants to alumni. The shipboard community dressed in their finest for a fancy dinner and dancing. It is fun to see everyone dressed in their best enjoying the company of their shipboard peers for one of the last times.

This afternoon there are a number of activities planned including a re-entry program which will talk about how to adjust to life at home after completing an amazing program like SAS, a convocation ceremony, and our final pre-port session. After a fun final night on the ship, tomorrow morning we arrive in Southampton, England, and will all pile onto shuttle busses up to London Heathrow Airport. Our Semester at Sea journey will come to an end as we disperse back to our homes around the U.S. and world. 

On-ship field office team. From left: Julie Engerran, me and Lauren Hartig.

At the alumni ball. From left: Jennifer Mowad, me and Sara Karen Arlin, my supervisor from the Semester at Sea home office.

Vijay, one of my favorite crew members, and me.

Just call me a Master!

I am happy to announce that about a week ago, I received my Master of Arts degree in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute. The degree has been a long time coming and it feels great to finally have the degree under my belt.

Rachel and I before graduation.

Upon returning from my trip around Ireland, I was home for one week before heading off to Vermont, where SIT Graduate Institute is located, for capstone week and graduation. I spent the week at home unpacking, repacking, trying to get over my jet lag, and preparing for my capstone presentation. A capstone project is a graduation requirement of all SIT students so for my capstone, I created a week-long cultural exchange program that Mexican students to a small college in Iowa (you can read about my capstone here). In order to graduate, I had to give a 75-minute presentation explaining the cultural exchange program I created.

Being back on SIT’s campus was a-mazing. It was great to see friends and also make some new SIT connections. My capstone presentation went off without a hitch and I enjoyed seeing my friends’ presentations as well. At the end of the week, it was on to graduation where my friends and I were hooded and officially named Masters! Yeah for finally being done!

Allie, Ilse and Krysta before graduation. 

Some of my floormates. Go IC2!

My fellow Semester at Sea/SIT staff members.

Dean Daniel Yalowitz opening the graduation ceremony.

Student elected speaker Manato Kaisho.

Foundations Team WISSK: Me, Ilse, Steph, Sara and Krysta.

One of my most favorite views in the whole world.
This was the view from my dorm window when I lived on campus.