Life as a Global Nomad: Feels Like Home

On Monday, I headed down to Norfolk, Virginia to board the MV Explorer for the Fall ‘09 Semester At Sea (SAS) voyage. As I entered the ship, I took a deep breath and inhaled the cold, over air-conditioned ship air. It immediately brought back a wave of memories. The last time I sailed with Semester At Sea was in the Spring 2007. I had only been out of college for a little over a year and a half, - not much older than the students onboard. I struggled to distinguish myself from the 702 students on board and to feel confident in my role with GNG. I also didn’t fully grasp to what extent we could be a part of SAS and not just our own autonomous group onboard. But something I never expect to happen, happened when I returned home, I felt like an SAS alum. I felt a part of something above and beyond the work I did with GNG. I all of a sudden cared about what was going on with SAS and where the ship was going next and who the staff and faculty were. I gushed about the program with other alums when I happened to run into them. Some might say SAS Alums are a cult of sorts and it may be true. The most magical part of the experience was when I realized how badly I wanted to get back on the ship and do it all over again.

Now, two and a half years later I am back on the ship and it feels like coming home. I get a big grin on my face when I see crew members that were on my old voyage and they recognize me. I look forward to enjoying my meals on the 6th floor deck. When the snack bar opens I will be gobbling up veggie burgers and fruit shakes. And, when we dock in South Africa, our favorite cab driver will pick us up and help us get to where we need to go. In Ghana, we will get to meet our partners that we have videoconferenced with numerous times but have never met in person. In India, we will have the warmest welcome from the teachers and students and fed more than we could ever possibly eat. The list goes on and on of new places to make new connections and old places where we will return to old friends.

I could not be more excited to be back on the ship and to be a part of such a wonderful and unique program.

We arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia tomorrow. Land Ho!