My SAS Experience – Spring 2020

128^th Voyage expectation: 106 days, 11 countries, 13 cities, and 4 continents

128^th Voyage reality: 81 days, 5 countries, 5 cities, 3 continents, and 8 itinerary changes

When people ask about my semester abroad, I can never seem to find the right words to fully explain what I experienced. More times than not, I end up answering with something like “amazing”, or “unpredictable.” I mean, how am I really supposed to summarize a once in a lifetime adventure in just a few words?

On January 4, 2020 I embarked on the journey of a lifetime. What was supposed to be 4 months of full-time travel turned into 2.5 months of circumnavigating the globe during a global pandemic.

If you would have told me at the beginning of the voyage, that within 2 weeks, we would be receiving the first of 8 diversion emails I would have looked at you like you were crazy. However, that soon became our reality. Over the course of 71 days, we received 8 diversion emails, 7 of which happened within the span of 27 days. To say we went through a period of uncertainty is an understatement.

Uncertain of where we would end up next. Uncertain if the port would deny us entry upon arrival. Uncertain of the next potential itinerary change. Uncertain how much longer we would be able to call the MV World Odyssey home. Uncertain if we would be allowed back into the States when when we were finally able to disembark, and uncertain of this crazy virus that was spreading faster than our ship was moving. Since January 22, everything was just full of uncertainty.

Each itinerary changes also brought a little disappointment. Disappointment because we were not going to be able to see the Great Wall or the Taj Mahal. Disappointment because that safari in South Africa that was booked a month ago got canceled and the school we were set to volunteer at in Ghana was closed. Disappointment because we were not going to ride camels through the Sahara Dessert in Morocco and disappointment because we were being forced to leave OUR ship a month early.

All of this disappointment didn’t matter though. What really mattered was what we were getting to take away from this experience. I mean think about it… we got to visit Japan, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. We got to spend 11 days in Vietnam where we were completely captivated by their beautiful culture, and then ATV through the sugar cane fields in Mauritius after snorkeling with sea turtles on a random strangers boat.

#SASSP20 may not have taken us on the journey we signed up for but, if you ask me, we got an even better one. Spending 47 days in the middle of the ocean allowed for the entire shipboard community to go from complete strangers to “family”. It lead us students to becoming friends with our professors and their children, and it allowed every single one of us to make unique friendships that will last a lifetime.

If you were to ask me if I would go back to January 22 and change everything from that point on I would say no. This was my SAS experience I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Thank you Mom and Dad.

Thank you Semester at Sea.

Thank you Voyage 128.

The world (still) awaits!

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