One year later...

One year ago I set sail on one of the most amazing adventures of my life. As I sit here reminiscing about all I've seen and done in the past year, I am at a loss for words. How can I sum up this crazy life I've led for the past 12 months?

In the past year, I lived for eight months on a ship that transported me to over 20 countries literally around the world, I earned my Master's degree, and moved halfway across the United States to begin a new job in the field of international education.

I have watched the sun set over 2,000 pagodas in Myanmar, climbed to the top of Table Mountain despite the driving rain, and experienced the quiet of a Japanese garden and the intensity of the Ghanaian heat. I've delivered shoes to elementary students in need, shook my fist at the Pacific Ocean's fury and relished in the calm Indian Ocean. I became an Emerald Shellback, eaten foods I cannot identify, watched several men throw a tree trunks around for fun and lived by the light of the eternal summer sunshine.

I accomplished my goal - and then some - of traveling to 27 countries by my 27th birthday. In all respects, I've won life's lottery.

The funny thing about travel, however, is that is leaves you yearning for more. Yearning for more vacation time and money to travel again, more opportunities to truly delve into a new culture, more chances to be inspired by whatever's just around the next corner or down the next street.

All I can say is thank you. Thank you, Semester at Sea, for allowing me to sail on not one but two voyages in 2014. Thank you to SIT Graduate Institute for providing me with the opportunity to continue my education and career in international education. Thank you to my family and friends for your continued support. Although I've been away for most of the past year and have missed seeing you, I could feel your support from halfway around the world and feel grateful to have you in my life.

I don't know what the future holds for me, but I do know that travel will always be part of my life. My Semester at Sea voyages have reignited that passion. I may let the grass grow up around my feet for little while but you can bet I'll be off on a new adventure soon enough. Stay tuned...

"May we always be Emerald Shellbacks. May we always be world travelers. May we always be the crazy wonderful people we became. May be always be friends.

May we always be Semester at Sea."

-Brady Gerber, Semester at Sea spring 2014 student

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.

Active in South Africa

I’ll admit – I have not been able to work out as much as I’ve would have liked while working on this ship. Considering I live on a ship and it takes about 5 minutes to get from forward to aft and 2 minutes to get from port to starboard, I’ve been leading a pretty sluggish life for the past few months. This is very different from my life on land, where I work out or go running or hiking as much as possible. My active-land-self signed up for two trips in Cape Town: Bicycling in the Winelands and Hiking Table Mountain. The trips ended up being back-to-back and my sluggish-ship-self was kicking my active-land-self all the way up Table Mountain! Needless to say, I survived both trips!

Lanzerac, our first tasting stop.

Bicycling in the winelands took me to Stellenbosch, a university town about an hour from Cape Town. Stellenbosch is an interesting town because during apartheid it was inhabited by white people and the university only accepted whites; although the university is now open to all races, the town and university has very little diversity. Stellenbosch has a Dutch feel to it, so it reminded me a little of Pella, but instead of being surrounded by cornfields Stellenbosch has mountains and wineries nearby.

Yum!

After cycling around the university as well as through town, we stopped at Lanzerac winery for a tasting. Lanzerac was the first winery in South Africa to make Pinotage wine which is a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage (otherwise known as Cinsaut) and is South Africa’s signature wine. It is very tasty and I would recommend trying it if you get the chance!

We rounded out the day with two additional tastings in Franschhoek, a small town nearby. The mountain biking became more difficult as we proceeded to the final winery, not because we had already done two tastings but because the road conditions deteriorated!  Biking uphill into a driving headwind on a washed-out gravel road is not fun, but we made it and overall it was a good day featuring some very tasty wines.

After a much needed night of rest, I woke up to pouring rain on my last day in Cape Town and the day I was supposed to climb Table Mountain! Great, just my luck. However, we only had to hike in the rain for about 30 minutes and then the day cleared up! The hike was beautiful but strenuous and included several stream crossings as well as using ladders to get up the mountain. Including a quick lunch break, we hiked – rather climbed – for 4.5 hours up the back to Table Mountain and finally reached the top. What views!

Biking through the winelands. We had to walk our bikes here because the path was too sandy.

Winelands near Franschhoek.

Hiking up Table Mountain. Good thing we had a guide - these signs meant nothing to me!

My view during our lunch stop.

Hiking in the clouds.

South Africa's national flower  - The King Protea.

We're almost to the top of Table Mountain!

View from the top of Table Mountain, looking down at Cape Town.

View from the top of Table Mountain. Just over my right shoulder you can see Robben Island in the distance.

My fearless hiking group. We made it despite the rain!

Bagan, land of 2,200 temples

If you are templed-out from reading all about the Shwedagon Pagoda in my first post about my Myanmar travels, do not continue reading because MANY more are coming your way!

Umbrellas for sale at one of the temples.

On my second day in Myanmar, I took an early morning flight to begin my 4-day, 3-night trip to Bagan. Bagan is located in central Myanmar in what is considered a dry zone. The dry heat could be felt immediately, as the humidity I experienced in Yangon had completely vanished when I stepped off the plane in Bagan. The landscape reminded me a bit of some areas in Texas and the southwest U.S. with sandy, reddish dirt and scrubby-looking shrubs and trees that crackle when the hot air blows through.

The unique thing about Bagan is that red brick and gold temples pop out of the semi-arid landscape. Now, I’m not talking a few temples here and there. Bagan features over 2,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries! The sheer number of temples is amazing; they stretch across the Bagan plains for as far as the eye can see.  I tried to take pictures of the expanse of temples but my camera doesn’t do it justice.

Ananada Temple

My trip included visits to several temples and pagodas (including Mount Popa, which included a 700+ step staircase to get to the very top temples!) but also to a monastery to distribute food and hygiene products, a local village to see what life is really like for Myanmar citizens as well as a sunset cruise down the Irrawaddy River. The trip culminated with a candle- and temple-lite dinner and dancing elephant performance. The dinner was like something straight out of The Bachelor-so romantic-and the dancing elephant performance was very unique. I liken the elephant dance to the dancing dragons that you see celebrating Chinese New Year, just with a different animal.

Aside from the beautiful temple visits and chance to see a “real” side of Myanmar, I enjoyed this trip as well as the remainder of my travels in this country because of the people. Myanmar has not been open to foreigners for very long so tourists are still an oddity. I was welcomed whole-heartedly everywhere I went and people were genuinely friendly and interested in me. Despite having a fairly new tourist industry in Myanmar, they are well set-up with nice, cheap hotels and amazing restaurants serving great, safe meals. If you are interested in traveling somewhere in Asia where you won’t be hassled at every stop and instead welcomed to the country, Myanmar has my vote. Visit Myanmar and visit now.

Horse-cart ride through the Bagan plains.

Htilomirelo Temple.

Htilomirelo Temple.

Local monastery. I don't blame this dog-it was HOT!

Mount Popa in the background.

Fellow SAS staffer Cate and I on the Irrawaddy River.

This guy was very proud of his cattle.

Shwesandaw Stupa.

Shwezigon Pagoda.

Sunset over the Irrawaddy River.

Sunset over Bagan temples.

View from Bagan Muo Temple during sunset.

View from Bagan Muo during sunset.

View from the top of Mount Popa.

View of the temples in Bagan.

Dancing elephant at our farewell dinner.

Candlelight farewell dinner.

Why 27 before 27?

London, Spring 2007

I've gotten a few question regarding the title of this blog, "27 Before 27." The title of blog stems from my goal to visit 27 countries before my 27th birthday in July. Now, am I starting at 0 countries and plan to visit all 27 countries this spring while working with Semester at Sea? The answer is no. I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to study abroad twice during my time as an undergraduate at Central College. I spent one semester in London, England, and one semester in Hangzhou, China. In addition, I also completed a short-term study abroad program during my graduate studies at SIT.

Spending a whole academic year abroad in undergrad and traveling again during grad school has allowed me the opportunity to visit many places. So, wondering where I've been? Here's my list, in no particular order:

(1) Canada, (2) Mexico, (3) England, (4) Scotland, (5) Ireland, (6) France, (7) Spain, (8) Belgium, (9) the Netherlands, (10) Norway, (11) Italy, (12) Switzerland, (13) China, (14) New Zealand, (15) Australia, (16) Costa Rica, (17) Barbados, and last but not least (18) Trinidad and Tobago.

SIT Spring I Term in Barbados & Trinidad, Spring 2013

Here are the new countries I'll add by working for Semester at Sea this spring:

(19) Japan, (20) Vietnam, (21) Singapore, (22) Burma, (23) India, (24) Mauritius, (25) South Africa, (26) Ghana, and (27) Morocco.

China, Fall 2008

Now, I don't put these lists up to boast about my travel experiences. In fact, this might be the first time I've ever publicly stated how many countries I've visited in my short, nearly 27-year-lifetime. The reason I don't mention "my list" is because I've been told in the past that it makes me look like "a rich, white girl who traveled around Europe on Daddy's dollar." (This is an exact statement told to me by another international education professional and it has forever scarred me because it is far from the truth.)

The reason I put up this list is because travel is my passion. I caught the travel bug while studying abroad in London and never looked back. Some people ride motorcycles, some are foodies and others prefer the outdoors and hiking. I travel.

So if you enjoy traveling as much as I do, I hope "my list" motivates you. It only takes one small step and you're off on your next adventure. What's the next place on "your list" and when will you go?

Need some ideas? Check out travel lists like this one (I scored 32). What's your score?

One month to go!

One month from today, I will be embarking on an exciting adventure and it's been requested by many friends and family members that I keep a blog. So, welcome to my first personal blog post...ever! When telling others of my upcoming adventure, I've gotten many strange looks and confused questions. So, I thought I'd use this first blog post to clear a few things up. Here are a list of common questions I've received with my responses:

So Whitney, what are you doing with your life these days?
I am working at Semester at Sea as an Assistant Field Office Coordinator. Semester at Sea is affiliated with the University of Virginia and is located in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Wait, I thought you were in Vermont now?
After working at Central College Abroad for about 18 months, I decided it was time to go back to school. I am in the midst of a obtaining a Master's in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute. SIT is located in Brattleboro, Vermont.

SIT's program is a bit different than other two-year grad programs in that it's split into two parts: for the first year, I took classes on campus in Vermont. During the second year of the program, I have to complete a practicum which is like an internship. My practicum is with Semester at Sea in Charlottesville, VA. While I'm completing my practicum, I'm also enrolled in online classes and have to write my capstone paper which is sort of like a thesis. I plan to complete my capstone and graduate from SIT in May 2014.

So your big adventure is moving to Virginia?! I don't understand.
No, Virginia is not the big adventure! My practicum is split into two parts: this fall, for the first half of the practicum, I am working in the Semester at Sea Charlottesville office. This spring, during the second half of the practicum, I'll work on Semester at Sea's study abroad program which happens to take place on a ship.

A ship? So you mean this Semester at Sea thing is a cruise?
No. In fact, Semester at Sea folks get a little antsy if "Semester at Sea" and "cruise" are used in the same sentence! Semester at Sea is a comparative study abroad program (comparative in that the program travels to many countries in one semester rather than a traditional study abroad program which travels to just one). Students take classes on the ship while it travels around the world and visits 10-15 countries. The ship acts as a floating campus, with faculty, staff, students and crew living and learning together.

I'll be working on the ship as a staff member. My job is in the field office and I'll be coordinating field labs and field programs. Field labs are like field trips that students do in-port with their professors. Field programs are for-purchase programs that the shipboard community can participate in in-port.

Oh, ok. So where are you going?
This is where it gets exciting! Here's my route:

Spring 2014 Voyage - Kinda small, I know!

In 112 days, I'll visit 16 cities in 12 countries including:

1. Hilo, Hawaii
2. Yokohama, Japan
3. Kobe, Japan
4. Shanghai, China
5. Hong Kong, China
6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
7. Singapore, Singapore
8. Rangoon, Burma
9. Cochin, India
10. Port Louis, Mauritius
11. Cape Town, South Africa
12. Tema (Accra), Ghana
13. Takoradi, Ghana
14. Casablanca, Morocco
15. Southampton (London), England

This sounds amazing! When do you leave?

I board the MV Explorer in San Diego on January 8! One month from today! I hope you enjoy following this blog as I post updates and pictures from around the world!