I can hardly believe that in 9 days, we will be embarking on quite possibly one of the biggest and most amazing trips imaginable. In previous adventures, I've likened some of my experiences to the Amazing Race, but this is by far the closest to it. It is something I've been wanting to do ever since my undergrad days at UCI, when I would hear the stories of my mentors in the Dean of Students office talk about their travels as administrators on a floating university that circumnavigates the world.
I am SO excited to be headed out on Semester at Sea. On January 7, we will be leaving our humble abode to embark on a journey of a lifetime. After a quick stop in Atlanta, to visit some family, we'll head to the Bahamas where we embark on the MV Explorer, our home for the next 108 days. Our itinerary is as follows: Bahamas, Dominica, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Japan, Hawaii, and finally San Diego. We will actually be traveling down the Amazon River in Brazil -- wow! With about 700 students and 100 faculty and staff on board this small cruise ship, my job will be to facilitate reflection activities and promote awareness about community service and learning. I'm ecstatic about this opportunity to bridge my dissertation work and recent experiences in Bolivia, all together on a voyage unlike any other I've been on before.
Another journey of a lifetime coming up, is that I'll be getting married in the fall! My fiance, Mark, will be on board the SAS voyage as well. One thing we are looking forward to doing as part of our personal pre-wedding journey, is learning how to say 'I love you' in each language and find out about the different customs and traditions for celebrating love. This journey will have so much meaning in so many ways. Not only will I be traveling with my life partner, but it just so happens that I have a few great friends who will be on board as well. Another good friend will be meeting up with us in Vietnam. Once in a lifetime is an understatement, and 2011 literally feels like a dream.
Right now we are in packing mode... both for storage and the trip. How do you pack for 4 months on a boat traveling around the world? Well, I'll do my best, and have various experiences to draw from to help me out - and I need to remember to pack light since I'm sure to accumulate things along the way. One perk of heading out on the Spring voyage is that we will skipping winter this year. Well, okay, we've got a few days in here, but for the most part, being in the Southern hemisphere will be great. As with every experience I've had abroad, it's impossible to know what I will see, who I will meet, what experiences we will encounter, but one thing I know for sure is that this is going to be an AMAZING adventure and I am looking forward to each step of the way.
