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

Mid-voyage reflections…a little late

I have been wanting to post a mid-voyage reflection for some time now but the fast pace of the voyage has left me nearing the end of the summer with still no time to reflect! In an attempt to let you know how I’m faring, here’s a quick rundown by the numbers:

• In the past 58 days, I have visited 14 cities in 10 countries.
• The total number of countries I’ve visited in my lifetime is 32. My summer work with Semester at Sea has offered me the opportunity to add 5 countries to my list and I’ll add one more before this voyage is complete. My goal was to reach 27 countries by my 27^th birthday and check – this goal has been achieved!
• This summer I have taken 1,942 pictures. I have taken 7,830 pictures since I started working on the M.V. Explorer, Semester at Sea’s ship, in January. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for giving me a new camera AND an external hard drive for Christmas. These were worthy investments!)
• When I depart the M.V. Explorer on August 21, the last day of the summer voyage, I will have spent 176 days of 2014 living on a ship.

It is very rare for a Semester at Sea staff member to complete two voyages back-to-back and I’ve been asked many times by my summer co-workers how the voyages compare. The answer is they don’t. Each voyage has its own personality and it’s hard to draw comparisons across the two.

Sailboats in Helsinki, Finland.

Another question I get quite often is whether it’s was difficult to come back for the summer voyage and the answer is it was and it wasn’t. It was great to come back to the ship in June; it’s amazing how fast a place like the M.V. Explorer can become your home so when I saw the ship again this summer, I felt like I belonged once again. However, coming back was also challenging. The spring faculty and staff became my family so when I got on the ship in June, I half-expected to see my “family” again. They weren’t there, even though I kept searching, so this was a difficult transition. It has been difficult to be away from my family and friends who are back on land for so long. I’ve grown travel weary and am ready to be in one place for longer than four days at a time. I can’t eat anymore pasta or potatoes – staples on the ship’s dinner menu – and am looking forward to choosing my own meals again in just a few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong – the opportunity to travel the world and gain experience vital to my career in the study abroad field has been amazing. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to make friends and connections around the world and look forward to continuing these connections post-Semester at Sea. I have no regrets. The final question I get often is: would you work for Semester at Sea again? The answer is yes. One thousand times – yes. This is a life-changing experience and I can’t wait to be part of it again…after a nice long break!

Sailing away from Southampton

Last night just after 20:30, we set sail into the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton. The summer voyage has begun! We are heading south towards Lisbon, Portugal, as I type this post.

Leaving Southampton. See you again in 66 days!

We have only been on the ship for a few days but I can feel that the summer voyage is going to be very different than the spring voyage I just completed. One clear difference is the pace of the voyage, which is manic already. A great number of days spent in port are sprinkled with just 24 class days spent on the ship. The majority of my work has to be completed on the ship during these class days and regardless of whether we have two class days between ports or eight, the same amount of work has to get done. There are going to be some long days spent in the field office, I can tell already!

Although the voyage is going to be a lot of work, it’s also going to be great fun. I've enjoyed befriending my colleagues thus far and think we’ll have a great voyage sailing together. I look forward to getting to know my co-workers as well as the students a bit better during our 66-day voyage.

Back on board

It’s been just six weeks since I disembarked the M.V. Explorer, Semester at Sea’s ship, and finished the spring voyage and now I’m back again for the summer. I was thinking that it would be a bit weird to be back on the ship but it’s actually quite nice – almost feels like “home” in a way.

I flew to England and arrived on Friday in Southampton, the location for summer faculty/staff orientation. My new co-workers all seem great. It’s wonderful to be in the same space with so many people who are excited about international travel and the great opportunities that Semester at Sea offers; the energy is amazing and I think it’s going to be a fun summer.

After a few days of orientation and meeting my new co-workers, we migrated from our hotel in Southampton to the ship which was docked nearby. I have been placed in a different cabin this summer, so I’ll be coming to you “live” from cabin 4119 for the next few months. I’ve put some pictures of my new cabin below. It is basically the same as the cabin I had this spring but everything is flipped since I’m on the opposite side of the ship now.

The students embark tomorrow and we set sail around 21:00 tomorrow night. More news about the summer voyage coming soon!

My cabin for the summer.

Another view of my cabin for the summer.

I have my own bathroom - yeah!

Embarking the M.V. Explorer for the summer voyage.

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.

The Emerald Isle

Following my week in London, I made my way to Dublin, Ireland, to begin a one-week vacation around the emerald isle. I met my sister Cady and two friends Kacey and Caitlin in Dublin and we began our Contiki tour. Contiki is a tour operator with vacations tailored to 18 to 35 year olds. A few years ago I would have scoffed at the idea of going on vacation on an organized tour but it was very nice to get on the bus every morning and have the day already planned out. Not worrying about where we were going to stay the following night, meals, etc. = a more relaxed vacation!

We had a quick orientation and dinner in Dublin and then it was off to Northern Ireland the following morning. We spent the day learning about The Troubles, conflict that recently occurred in Ireland. We could still feel the tension in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry and it was a very informative, history-based day. We also had the opportunity to visit the Titanic Museum in Belfast, as Belfast was where the Titanic was built, and the Giant’s Causeway.

Cady and I at the Giant's Causeway.

Giant's Causeway.

Day three of the tour took us to Galway, a cutesy town located along the western coast of Ireland. We spent the day exploring Galway and also visited the Aran Islands the following day. The Islands are a short ferry ride from Galway and a total of 800 people live on the three Islands. We visited the island called Inishmore, which is rural and somewhat remote but very beautiful. Cady, Kacey, Caitlin and I, plus a friend named Erin who we met on our tour, took a pony cart ride around the Island and explored Dun Aengus, a ruined fort located on a cliff which reaches heights of 330 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

Lady, our trusty transportation around the Aran Islands.

Cady and I at the Aran Islands.

Following a few days in Galway, we next traveled to Cork with stops at the Cliffs of Moher and the Blarney Castle. The only disappointment of the trip was the weather on this day; it was so rainy and foggy that we could not see the Cliffs of Moher! The fog was so thick, you could barely see your hand in front of your face! So, I guess this means we’ll have to go back to Ireland and try to see these illusive cliffs!

Me at the Blarney Castle.

After 4 successful kisses on the Blarney Store, we arrived in Cork. Cork is a more industrial city and has a very different feel than the other cities we visited in Ireland. We all decided we quite liked it. The next day we made our way to Kilkenny via Cobh. Cobh was the last port-of-call for the Titanic before she started across the Atlantic and they have a nice museum highlighting this event as well as the mass migration of Irish folks which occured in the 1800’s and 1900’s. Approximately 80 million people around the world have Irish ancestry, due in large part to mass migration that happened because of events like the potato famine.

Our final day of the tour took us back to Dublin where we learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness and explored Trinity College. After a delicious Italian dinner (very Irish, right?!) we packed up our new Irish souvenirs and made our way to the airport for the long flight home. Overall, Cady, Caitlin, Kacey and I had a great trip around Ireland. We saw and did SO many things on this tour; I can confidently say that we conquered Ireland!

Tribute to Bobby Sands, who died during the recent conflict in Ireland.

Wall in Belfast separating the Catholic and Protestant areas of town.

Cady and Kacey at the Giant's Causeway.

Me at the Giant's Causeway. So pretty.

View of Derry/Londonderry, Ireland

Cliffs on the Aran Islands.

Cady and I at the top of the Blarney Castle.

View of the Blarney Stone from the ground. It is located at the very top of the castle!

Jameson and ginger at the Jameson Distillery.

Me with my Jameson and ginger.

Irish countryside.

Cady and Kacey pouring our pints of Guinness.

Pouring the perfect pint of Guinness.

Kacey pouring a pint.

I did it!

Cady is not a fan of Guinness.

Cady and I at the Guinness Storehouse.

This is all Kacey and I could drink of our Guinness. Too heavy!

Does it count?

A few days after departing Ghana, we received the following notice:

Fuelin' up in Banjul, Gambia!

From the Staff Captain We will be bunkering for fuel on the following dates and will not be disembarking.  While bunkering, smoking is prohibited.

April 18 – Banjul, Gambia, and April 21 – Las Palmas, Canary Islands

First there was a collective sigh of sadness when we learned we would not be disembarking in these two countries. Next came the question “Do these countries ‘count?’” By count I mean, do these countries count towards our grand total for the semester?

I decided that if we were close enough to spit on the docks of these two countries, then I would add them to my list. It turns out we bunkered out in the harbors of both Banjul and Las Palmas so only a professional watermelon-seed-spitter could have hit the coast.  Nonetheless the two stops added a little excitement to our eight days at sea from Ghana to Morocco. We had lunch in Banjul on April 18, breakfast in Las Palmas on April 21 and were then on to Morocco!

View of Banjul, Gambia, from the ship.

Having breakfast in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

Advice from the medical team

Each night before we arrive in port, several members of the staff are involved in pre-port sessions which are provided to ensure that the shipboard community has the information necessary to have a successful stay in port. Several departments are included in these pre-port sessions but the most hilarious information comes from the medical team. The Nurse Practitioner on board is a complete riot and you just never know what useful yet crazy information is going to come out of her mouth. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from our pre-port sessions:

• Did you know March is Diarrhea Awareness Month? That’s why I’m wearing pink. Pink for Pepto Bismol. 
• For God’s sake, stay away from the monkey!
• We only have enough rabies medication on board for two people. So, if more than two of you get rabies you’ll have to draw straws.
• I don’t care who you prefer, just wear a damn condom. 
• Every time you see someone walk past the hand sanitizer outside the cafeteria and not use it, just think “that person might have just touched their genitals.”
• As we all know, it’s still Diarrhea Awareness Month and some of you are really celebrating!
• Germs which lead to traveler’s diarrhea can be passed through human-to-human contact. So, turn to your neighbor and shake their hand. Now we’ll see which of you use hand sanitizer!

As you can see most of the conversation concerns diarrhea, a common occurrence when traveling through Asia and Africa. I think this ship is one of the few places where you can talk about the most disgusting bodily functions imaginable and no one cares because it’s likely to happen to everyone at some point in the voyage.

We have only one port-of-call left and I can only imagine what the Nurse Practitioner will say to round out our voyage!

Exploring Ghana

Being welcomed by the Winneba elders. They
poured libation on our behalf.

Following my adventures in Cape Town and the excitement of becoming an emerald shellback we arrived in Tema, Ghana after seven days at sea. Like many of the other countries I’ve visited this spring, I had very little knowledge of Ghana before arriving. The only information I had about the country was gleaned from a study abroad program that Central College, my alma mater and former employer, operates in Ghana. I never personally completed this program but through my work with Central, I recruited students from around the country to participate. Even so my Ghanaian knowledge is limited.

Ghana is a culturally rich and unique but challenging West African country. This is the first country on my itinerary in which I did not feel particularly welcomed. The locals I interacted with were not especially interested in assisting me, even when I wanted to purchase something from their shop. For this reason alone, I am grateful I had signed up for a Semester at Sea overnight field program.

The field program I completed visited Winneba, Ghana – a sister city to Charlottesville, Virginia, the home to Semester at Sea and where I lived last fall. We were welcomed throughout the day by many members of the Winneba community including the mayor, teachers and schoolchildren, as well as University of Education Winneba officials.

TOMS shoe drop.

On the second day of the field program we completed a TOMS shoe drop. TOMS is a footwear company and if you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, they will give a pair of shoes away to someone in need. Shoe drops are opportunities for volunteers or TOMS partners to give away the shoes and since Semester at Sea partners with TOMS, we distributed shoes to 2,500 school children.  Being a TOMS shoe shopper myself and having purchased several shoes from the company in the past, it was great to see this part of the process and be able to give back while in Ghana. However, the shoe drop was an example that work still needs to be done. For example, TOMS sent a wide range of shoe sizes but we were distributing only to young children. By the end of the distribution, some children received shoes that were much too large for them. I know TOMS will continue to do work in this community and my hope is that not only will ever child receive a pair of shoes but that each child will receive a pair that fits.

The final day of the program included visits to Kakum National Park and Elmina slave castle. Kakum National Park has a canopy walk in which you get to walk among the treetops. I was worried that my fear of heights would prevent me from being able to complete this walk. However, the treetops create a deceiving “floor” so it didn’t seem as though we were very high even though we were 120 feet up! Elmina slave castle was incredibly moving and eerie. We were able to see where the slaves were held before being “exported” to the Americas and the Caribbean and the deplorable conditions they endured. Millions of slaves passed through Elmina castle and one may think this is only Ghana’s history but it is ours too as U.S.-Americans.

Although Ghana can be challenging, I enjoyed my time in the country and found it to be eye opening. If you travel to Ghana, go with an open heart and mind and you’ll learn just as much as I did if not more.

Visiting a "country school" outside of Winneba, Ghana.

Country school outside Winneba.

Students eagerly waiting for their TOMS shoes.

New TOMS shoes!

Everyone wanted there picture with the white girl!

Kakum National Park canopy walk.

Canopy walk in Kakum National Park.

Elmina slave castle. This is the doorway through which the slaves got on ships to head towards the Americas.

View from the top of Elmina slave castle.

Elmina slave castle.