Arriving in England

I admit, I didn’t really prep as much as I should have before booking my flight. If you dig hard enough of the University of Hertfordshire page, it will explain that there are certain days where you can get transportation to the school from Heathrow, but if I remember correctly it was only one day of the weekend before orientation. Because my flight was not on that day, I had to navigate through London to Hatfield on my own. From what I could find online, navigating through London is fairly easy because of the easy access through the tube. Unfortunately, I had my giant luggage so I didn't really want to work out international subway systems with my luggage. I was able to work out a route before my flight though, and ended up taking the Heathrow Express (which offered tickets at the airport) down to Paddington station. From Paddington station I was able to find a starbucks and order an Uber to Kings Cross which had trains directly to Hatfield. It was stressful and hectic, but overall I was able to figure it out fairly easy and not nearly as expensive as a taxi all the way to Hatfield would have been! Unfortunately, I was too stressed to take pictures of any of my first impressions, but I did catch this quick glimpse of platform 9 3/4 my first time in Kings Cross!

What To Pack

Packing was an interesting experience for me, because I wasn't sure what I really would need. I knew that it would be cold, but I didn't know if England's "spring" would be anything like the usual springs I have experienced. looking back on it there are only a few wardrobe essentials I would say you absolutely NEED:

• a reliable pair of pants (or two... or three...)
• sweaters (if you ever crave for sweater season in Hawaii, good news! England is always sweater season)
• Winter coat (my winter coat was my best friend as seen in all of my pictures)
• Sneakers (so. much. walking.)
• Some nicer, dressier clothes (there will always be a social opportunity to dress up, and you can never be too dressed up when going out)
• Slip on shoes for around the flat (dorming is all going to be communal. While you could get away with walking barefoot, it's gross enough that you shouldn't want to)
• a light jacket (even when it starts to warm up, you'll want that extra level of warmth) 

Additionally, if you don't want to buy these things you could bring room essentials like:

• sheets
• a pillow
• a blanket

Places to go within England!

One of my biggest fears with my study abroad experience was that I was going to come away from it wishing I had done more, gone more places, tried more things. Thankfully, now that I'm back I don't feel like that at all! While I didn't get to travel over to Europe during my stay, there were more than enough places within the UK that are just as exciting and beautiful to go to. If you find that you're in England with spare time and money and wanting to travel, these are a few places for day trips/long trips that you can do!

• London: This one's a given but I could go to London and find new things to do with every trip. Make sure you look up what there is around and make the most of it!
• Cambridge: seeing the different colleges is amazing and really feels like you're stepping back in time. Some of the colleges are free to get onto, some cost money so be prepared for that. Also, make sure you book one of the punting tours along the river to see the historic bridges and get historical/fun stories about each of the colleges.
• Oxford: similar to Cambridge, the colleges are so fun to look around. Also, you can see several places where Harry Potter was filmed.
• Dover: aside from being able to see the famous white cliffs, you can also visit Dover Castle which is the largest castle in England.
• Stonehenge: this one is also a given but not only is the experience breathtaking, the town you take the train into is very cute and has a lot of fun little shops to walk through.
• Edinburgh: really visiting anywhere in Scotland is amazing, but Edinburgh has so many cool attractions and picture spots, it's definitely a must! Try to visit Holyrood castle and the Elephant House cafe which is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter
• The lake district: any of the little towns will do. If you want to really experience the English countryside and small English towns with beautiful views, this is the place to go.
• Harry Potter Studio Tours: If you're a fan of the movies or the books, this is definitely worth it! it's a self guided tour, so you can take as long or short of time as needed.
• Portsmouth: this is a city I hadn't heard of before but I'm so glad I went! It used to be an old navy town, and now you can go explore old British Navy ships as well as see a once sunken ship that was one of the first naval ships in Britain.
• Brighton: worth it just for the pier and fun shops alone but also just a really cool city to explore with fun museums and historical sights.

Orientation Week March 2019 Kindai University Student Exchange Program

Okay, so I’ve been here for a little over a week now. Orientation was a lot to take and rough, but also helpful in almost everything. Getting from the airport to my dorm was tough. Because of airline timing, I missed the pickup deadline from the airport to the school and had to book my first time somewhere to stay my myself. Stayed at TRAD hotel, it was cheap and it’s basically an apartment to yourself for like $40/night. Also close to a station. The next day, I actually put one of my luggage(I brought 2 with me) in a locker at the station and just went to school with one first, because not all the stations have elevators so you have to carry everything up and downstairs by yourself, which was really tough the night I landed. I decided to pay the 300yen for the locker and come back for the other luggage later. After going to school, I had to lug my luggage to orientation for exchange students. There are about 20 of us and I’m the only one from America. Kinda shocked because I at least expected a few more from the states. Guess Kindai is not a popular choice for Americans. The majority of the exchange students are European, and a handful are Asian. By the way on the first day,  students living in different dorms meet separately. Meaning students who will be dorming with the school meets together while students who decided to live in a single apartment meets in a different group. On the second day, everyone meets together and they go over school stuff. 

After the first day of orientation which was mostly about living situations and filling out forms to stay there, someone from Nasic (the company in charge of our living quarters) took me to my apartment to check in. All your appliances are in Japanese so better remember when they teach you how to use it. The apartment, which is called Peacock House I, is right next to a convenience store and is a 5 minute walk to school (not the main entrance though, to one of the side gates). The building uses a card as a key (like hotels) and it’s important to not lose these because the find is like $250, or so I’ve been told. They also ask you to not keep it close to your cell (I guess some students used to put it in their phone cases) because this can mess with the magnetism or code of they key card. 

I also noticed that most students came in groups or with friends from their home universities so it kind of makes it hard on the first few days to meet new people. They are already sitting in cliques. But I did make a friend from Indonesia on the 2nd day since she also came solo and is a solo like me. We had lots to talk about. Just had to put myself out there and talk to new people. 

The second day of orientation, they went over rent payment. It’s two separate transactions via a machine like and ATM. It’s cash only and there are 2 separate deadlines to meet. You can pay it all at once, but just with two separate transactions and make sure to take the receipt and turn it in at the international center office for proof and to get it stamped. Unfortunately, the machine is only in Japanese. There is an English option but that option only works for teacher users. So, sucks for the rest of us. However, they do print out instructions for international students who can’t read Japanese in the orientation handout. Thank god. At the end, students separate into groups and there’s a local student who shows you where to make your payment (it’s in the food court). However, the local students aren’t all trained (or least mines wasn’t) because whenever we asked questions they couldn’t really answer us. We just ended up figuring out things ourselves. 

In the package they give you for orientation includes the classes offered as well as the syllabus for the classes. Full time requirements is 7 classes, but you can sign up for more. Each class only meets once a week and according to the syllabus, most of them are graded based only on a midterm and final exam. We’ll see how this goes. After going to the classes you want to attend, you will fill out a form electronically and email it to Makiko to register for classes. Can’t wait to see how school and classes go. Apparently Kindai is considered to be a prestigious private school (according to local students) so I have high expectations. Oh yeah, can’t forget about your student ID. This is really important because you have to scan your ID at the beginning of every class to take attendance! Fancy! A certain amount of late marks makes an absent and international students are not allowed to miss a class more than 3 times. If I remember correctly after the 4th time you automatically fail the course. You also have to check in with the international center during the beginning of every month so that they can make sure you are attending classes properly. You can keep track of your attendance record online on the school website. But unfortunately, it’s also only in Japanese so you just have to ask for help and memorize from there. You can pick up your student ID during the first week of school.

After the orientation, they had an optional course for students to attend if they wanted to learn about and/or open a phone plan. According to the phone plan representative, plans changes depending on the semester but you basically buy SIM cards based on the amount of data you want per month. I decided to just stick with my original monthly plan from the states, although my data is a little slow, it still works. I don’t really need to make phone calls home and nowadays, you can do this through a lot of apps for free through wifi. So I opted out  for this, however if anyone needs  or uses a lot of data per month, I would highly recommend purchasing a plan. They help you with the process right then and there after the short course about it and it cancels automatically when you leave. 

I think that’s about it for orientation. Some weird thing to point out is that for my emergency contact, I wanted to put my brother on it and they wouldn’t let me. Which I thought was strange. I explained that it was because my mother is Chinese and doesn’t understand English but they explained that they would find a translator if needed. I still think that it’s weird that they wouldn’t allow me to put my younger brother as my emergency contact. Is this a cultural thing? Also, I want to take the Japanese language courses they are offering for international students, however you have to take a placement test. I explained to the teacher that I took Japanese over 10 years ago and would like to take the beginning level course but they still made me take the placement test so I basically just sat there for about 1.5hrs. I just filled in the dots randomly (I did try) for the ones I didn’t understand. 

Now that orientation is over, I have about 4-5 days of free time before school actually starts and will be going to Tokyo with a friend from home! Can’t wait.

Before going to Kindai University in Osaka, Japan. Spring 2019

So, I’m about to leave for Japan, and I am so not ready. To be honest, the university didn’t provide a lot of info. They don’t tell you anything until the first week of orientation for international students, so I have no idea what to expect. This is especially so since I’m the first student from HPU to attend Kindai. Jean tried to reach out to some Kindai students for me, who are studying in the English program in the ELS program at HPU but no one reached out. Too bad for me. Since I’ve been to Japan before (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima), I kind of know what to expect for some things. I’ve also researched what to expect weather wise. 

I’m most nervous about classes and payment. For rent, they gave us the amount for each month and only told us that we do not need to pay the full amount all at once before we arrive. So I’m assuming it’s a monthly payment? I hope so, because I’m not bringing that much cash with me. I’m not sure if we can pay with credit card or is it just cash? Good thing I’ll be flying home to walk the graduation ceremony so if I need more cash then at least I can get some here. 

For boarding, I also have no idea what to expect. They gave us 2 choices. Either room with a bunch of roommates in like a suite kind of apartment, or you get your own studio and live by yourself. The first option is provided by the school and I think it’s about $50 cheaper than the 2nd choice. You can also sign up for meals for an additional $150/month. You will get your own room but the living space as well as restrooms are shared. And I believe you will have 5 roommates? Each with their own rooms. I went with the 2nd choice just because I prefer my own privacy and I’ve heard horror stories about having bad roommates. 

As for the phone situation, I currently am apart of the T-Mobile monthly plan which includes unlimited international data, but just at a slower speed so we’ll see what they offer when I get there. We’ve been informed that they will help us with setting up phone plans. The dorms and school will have wifi so the only I will need it for is when I’m traveling around and need to use google maps. 

Kind of worried about connecting and making new friends but I’m also quite excited for the new experience. The only thing I’ll miss is my Leo (golden retriever)!

IMPACT Scholarship- Semester at Sea

Semester at Sea has a scholarship named the IMPACT Program Scholarship. Semester at Sea has partnered with a local NGO in Morocco and one in Ghana. The organizations that Semester at Sea has partnered up with are the Global Diversity Foundation in Morocco and Global Mamas in Ghana. Semester at Sea awards these organizations a grant and through this scholarship program a select number of students gets to visit these organizations through fully paid field programs. Additionally, 3 of the selected students will receive a scholarship towards their tuition. When I first applied for the scholarship I thought the program would be like a volunteer project. When I finally was able to see and spend some time with the organizations it was not what I had initially imagined.

The IMPACT Cohort (the group of students selected) got to spend 4 days with the Global Diversity Foundation. During the first day, we visited the Secret Garden Museum and the Water Museum to learn about the importance of water in the country of Morocco. On the second day, we visited the Dar Taliba School where the organization has an ethnobotanical school garden. We were able to meet with the girls that attend the boarding school and learning about agricultural practices. Day 3 consisted of a visit to the High Atlas Mountains to see one of the organization's plants nursery. There we learned more about agricultural practices and native plants. On the last day, we travelled to the market in Marrakech to learn about medicinal plants. Overall we learned a vast amount of things during our stay with Global Diversity Foundation.

In Ghana, the IMPACT Cohort spent 3 days with Global Mamas. The first day we participated in a batik workshop and a drumming and dancing workshop. The next two days were focused on helping the organization with different projects. The cohort was split up into 4 different groups; Batik Design, Photography, Meet the Mamas and Social Media. I was in the batik design group and we had the task of creating possible batik designs for their fall 2020 collection. In the photography group, they worked on capturing stunning photos modelling some of the Global Mama products for their catalogue. In the meet the mamas group the students worked on creating a short profile of 5 of the batik workers. Lastly, the social media group worked on strategies to improve their social media platform. We all did some amazing work and learn about the organization.

Both trips were amazing experiences and I would recommend that you apply for this scholarship if you plan to study abroad with Semester at Sea. It truly was a unique experience I would not have been able to enjoy had it not been for this scholarship.

The past 6 weeks in 6 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag5dBVSqm0M&feature=youtu.be

If a photo is 1,000 words, then a video must be a bajillion words. Here is a little peek into what it was like to sail and live on a tall ship to what we did in American Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji to some pretty awesome coral footage off the coast of a recently formed landmass, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai. Thanks for giving it a watch!

Sailing through the South Pacific

Talofa, Malo e lelei, and Bula from the South Pacific!
I've just finished sailing nearly 3,000 nautical miles from Pago Pago, American Samoa to Auckland, Aotearoa (also known as New Zealand). Along the way, I stopped in Vava'u, Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai, and Nuku'alofa in the Kingdom of Tonga and Suva, Fiji.
When we're sailing the boat never stops. A Watch group is always awake to keep the boat on track to get to our next destination. And because this is a scientific sailing vessel, we would also be in the lab collecting data or processing it at all hours of the day. There were 26 students and we were divided into 3 groups. We had 6 hours on watch and 12 hours off to rest, eat, shower, read, journal, and do any homework we had. Through those 6 hours on you and your Watch would either be on deck or processing in the lab. While on the deck, one person had to be on the lookout (as pictured!), someone else at the helm steering the boat, someone was recording the weather, and another was on a boat check to make sure the lab wasn't on fire or something was out of place on board. We would be in those positions for an hour before switching off to the next task. If you were in the lab, you had a list of things to do depending on the time of day. Twice in a 24-hour day period, we would deploy a neuston tow to collect zooplankton. Once a day, we would deploy a hydrocast to collect water samples from different depths of the ocean to better understand the water we were sailing above. If you happened to be on watch during a time with no deployments needed, you would often be processing the data collected from the previous watch. Let me tell ya trying to do a 100 count of zooplankton with a microscope on a moving vessel is something else! The boat is moving, you are swaying, and the zooplankton sample is actively sloshing too!
There was so much going on while on the ship I don't know how I could possibly sum it all up!

A reflection post from my study abroad experience

If you had told freshmen year fern to go study abroad, she would have said no without even hesitating. Why would I want to leave a place like Hawai’i? I have fallen in love with this island. Why would I want to leave such an amazing place? However, after spending my time abroad at James Cook University, Australia, I can honestly say that studying abroad was one of the best decisions I have made throughout my journey at HPU. I promise I’m not just saying this for the sake of a blog post. IT WAS TRUELY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. 

I started thinking about studying abroad towards the end of my sophomore year. It was when I felt really burnt out with classes and everything that was going on around me. I felt like nothing inspires me anymore and I don’t enjoy my classes as much as I used to. I got used to the island. I know the ins and outs of the school. I know where to go for the best poke, I know what time to go to Marukame to avoid the crazy line, or what to do when you’re walking on Fort st. by yourself at night. I’ve become so used to everything around me that I am just constantly moving from one thing to another until I just got really tired of it. 

Being abroad, in a totally new environment and surrounded by a whole different group of people, I became more aware of my surroundings. I took time to stop and admire things. I think that is one most beautiful thing about studying abroad. You get to start all over. I felt like I was a freshmen again. I’m learning about a new culture, a new campus, a new way of life. I became very excited and inspired. I was so eager to learn more and absorb all that this experience has to offer. It was so amazing. I think it’s a feeling that you need to be there to experience yourself. 

Now that I’m back in Hawai’i again, I’m still in love with this island don’t get me wrong. However, I think I came back with a very new mindset. Everything that was once boring and common is new once again. At certain points during my abroad semester, I got really homesick and I just couldn’t believe how much connected I have become to this rock in the middle of the ocean. I have realized how much I actually admired and appreciated the beauty in my surroundings. 

Studying abroad has certainly gave me a lesson that I will never experience inside a classroom. Exposing myself to new people and experiences have really shaped me into who I choose to be today. I know Hawai’i is awesome and it’s comfortable being in the same common place. You feel safe and it’s comforting to have things the same way. But, believe me and go out there. Go out and feel a little uncomfortable. You never know what lies ahead, but I’m sure you will gain a lot from it. 

A trip during my lecture recess

During lecture recess in April, I had a great opportunities to do a little bit of traveling. I decided to visit Brisbane, Gold coast, and Melbourne. It was definitely a change from northern Australia in many aspects. It was a good change though. I made my first stop in Brisbane. Visiting Brisbane means spending a lot of time outdoors and enjoying the sunshine the city has to offer. There were a lot of art communities and a very diverse range of cuisines from around the world. For example, 

Gold Coast was my next stop. From theme parks to shopping malls, and even SURFING to ancient rainforest, this city has it it all! I think Gold Coast reminds me a lot of Waikiki or the east coast. Surfers paradise is a stretch of sandy beach - you see a lot of people chilling on the side, some are walking around the farmers the market, people are swimming and surfing etc. Possibly being Australia's most iconic holiday destination, the city is certainly fast-paced and busy, compared to the other cities. With that in mind, I think Gold Coast has to be one of the most multicultural city out of these three that I visited. 

My last stop was at Melbourne, where I did a bit of solo traveling. It was so much fun. I think Melbourne was my favorite city out of all of these. The city felt more open and free. There are so many brunch places and boutique cafe EVERYWHERE. They also have the best coffee. Melbourne is a surprise. You never know what you are gonna find as you walk up the rooftop or get lost in the art-alley. I think that's the perks about traveling. You can't really prepare for anything. The experience you're gonna get is all depending on you and your surrounding. 

Traveling around Thailand and outside (MUIC)

If you are looking into getting a multiple or single entry visa I have two different opinions about that. When I was getting my visa I didn't know there was a difference but if you would like to hop over to other countries during your term in Thailand make sure you ask the university for a letter so that they allow you to get approved for the multiple entry visa. If you can't do that don't worry. I had a single entry visa and I left the country twice going over to Indonesia and Vietnam. The way I was able to do this was by getting another single entry visa at the airport which was actually pretty easy and cheap, maybe even cheaper than the multiple entry visa. Just make sure you have lots of extra photo id copies so that you can give them one.

With other transportation, I got to experience city buses that cost less than a US dollar to ride, tuk tuks that tend to rip you off since you are a tourist, trains, and lots of night buses which was an experience within itself but very convenient. We would hop on a bus at night and arrive in 7-14 hours later at your destination depending on where you were headed. This might seem long and painful but you just sleep through the night. You save cause it's cheaper transportation and you don't have to pay for a night of sleep somewhere. You would arrive in the morning at so many great places and would be off to explore. Transportation was probably the biggest expense since I was traveling around so much but really it can be very cheap. So make sure you get out there and see everything you can.

I'd recommend Khao Sok and Khao Yai national park. If you want to get scuba certified go to Koh Tao it is one of the cheapest places in the world to do so!

view of Bangkok (such a huge city)

squished in a tuk-tuk

Local city bus 

Semester at Sea: Japan, India and South Africa

Hello All!

I just wanted to share a little bit about a few countries that I visited and what I did there. One of the most common questions I received after my experience abroad is, "What was your favorite place that you went to?" This is actually one of my least favorite questions that I get asked because I am unable to pick a favorite destination. All of the 11 countries that I visited are unique in so many different ways and are incomparable. I would have to say my top three places visited were Japan, India and South Africa! Below I am going to share some photos!

Japan

 Nara was one place in Japan that was on the top of my list! It is a small quiet town in the suburbs of Japan where there are domesticated deer running all over the streets and parks! Definitely worth a stop, especially if you are in the season of the burning mountain festival.

This is a buddha temple that I went to. There are many temples and shrines that you can visit in Japan that are worth seeing. It is a good way to dive into the culture a bit deeper. These beautiful structures are truly breath taking.

Another temple at sunset where we stopped to take a picture on our way to dinner. I ate some of the best sushi I have ever had in my life in Japan. Make sure to try Ramen, Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and lots of sushi!












India 

 This picture was taken at a lookout of the city of Jaipur. We took a bus all the way up a narrow winding road that overlooked the bustling city. This is a great place to watch sunset if you are visiting Jaipur!

 The Taj Mahal was on my bucket list ever since I was a little girl so I had to go. This one was a bit more tricky to reach because it is pretty far from where the boat was docked. I had to take a flight to get here and a long bus ride because it is in the middle of the country. If you are able to visit here it is even more beautiful in person. I was astonished that people were able to build such an amazing structure.

The roads in India are very narrow and small and most of them can not fit cars through. The streets are very dirty and impoverished but you are able to find true gems within the streets. People are so kind and willing to lend a helping hand. Watch out for theft though and make sure that you are dressed modestly, covering shoulders and legs. Here we took a rickshaw ride through the streets and markets.

 I visited many structures on this trip because they play a prevalent role in the Indian culture. A lot of these places I went to were tombs for families. The architecture and paintings were like nothing I have ever seen. Quite incredible to see this structure in person.

This is a photo of one of my favorite dinners! I know that it doesn't look too appetizing but Indian food was by far my favorite food on my whole entire trip. The curry was amazing and so was the dessert! You need to try all of the food in India even if it looks gross I promise it will taste amazing. Most of the food in India is also vegetarian because they see animals, especially cows as sacred.

















South Africa 

 Because I am 21 years of age I was able to go on a wine tour in South Africa. I have never been on one before at home and I thought that it would be a fun thing to do for the first time with friends. We drank wine, ate cheese and chocolate and it was a really fun time. I learned a lot about the wine making process as well as some fun facts!

 I was able to meet up with a family friend at the famous penguin beach in South Africa. There are actually penguins that live and survive on the beach here! It was incredible! I have never seen anything like it before. This was more on the touristy side and very crowded but if you want to see the penguins I do recommend doing it.

One of my favorite things about South Africa was the hikes that I was able to do. I did about three different ones that took my breath away. This hike was called Lions Head and I would recommend it if you are up for a workout and adventure. The 360 view of the city and beaches were worth the hike up!

 This picture was taken on a game drive that I was able to go on. I went to this property where there were a bunch of wild animals and went on a jeep to go see them. This was also an awesome experience but I would recommend doing an actual safari instead of a game drive because you are able to see the animals in their natural habitat.

Last but not least my favorite day! I surf here on the Island so it was a relief to be able to go out and surf in South Africa. I felt at home at the beach and on a board. A bunch of students rented boards and went out to catch some waves. If you are a surfer and are looking to surf Cape Town is definitely the place to do so!

Thailand MUIC Getting Ready

If you are getting ready to apply for MUIC Thailand, first thing you need to know is that Mahidol University International College is pronounced as you would say Mahidon not Mahidol. Next make sure you send in your application early and make sure you are on it with receiving your acceptance letter because it took a while to get mine in due to a form that wasn't sent to me. Other than that, causing me to receive my visa just barely in time, it was smooth sailing. Yes, you do have to wear a uniform but they are cheap and it makes it easy to know what you can wear for class. 

One thing that I had trouble on deciding was where to live during my time there. Our school gave us quite a few options but really the only options you will really want are between Bundit Home/ House or the September. This is because that is where all the international students live and it feels really great to have that community there for you while your attending school. I stayed at the Bundit Home which was an excellent choice for me. It is a bit cheaper than the September but I believe more students lived there over than the September even though they are both great options and right next door to each other. They are both really great nice clean places to live and I had a room all to myself for about $350 a month! I would have gotten a roommate but the only way you can do this is if you know someone going there since it is an apartment building, they do not match roommates for you. The place is lovely, has air conditioning and sheets already provided for the beds. You can't cook in them but that really isn't necessary especially since just in walking distance there are so many options for food ranging from $1-$3! It was insane how cheap it really was living there. The place also has a really nice pool. 

Some food recommendations I have in the area are what we would just call the pad Thai place it has an orange sign, bean bag cafe for curry, the smoothie guy which I would practice my Thai phrases with, and honestly 711 with their toasties!

Inside Mahidol International college building 

The Groove is a place with lots of food options near the apartments and has live music and bars!

The view from my room at Bundit Home.

The smoothie guy sending us off after our time in Thailand. Such a nice guy!

Why attend MUIC Thailand? Here's why! (Juliana Freire)

Before I even started school at HPU, I knew I wanted to study abroad but I wasn't sure where. There are so many different places in the world I wanted to travel to. I ended up choosing Thailand, one because I heard it was cheap and I could afford it but also because it was a place that would be so different from anywhere, I have ever seen or heard about. Leading up to my trip I was excited and also worried if I had everything and also if my visa would come in on time! 

But nonetheless, I was off on my journey by myself with an open mind and ready to see what Thailand had in store for me. I arrived the day after New Year’s, what a way to start the year! Then just like that, I was experiencing all that Thailand had to offer. I was living just right outside of Bangkok in an area called Salaya. A nice local area by the university which was full of Thai students who were learning in English and about another 100 international students. Although my classes weren't in Thai except my one Thai class, I was truly having the full Thai experience. From pointing at menus to eat or trying to pick up and use some of the words I learned in my Thai class to all our travels around Thailand learning all the transportation ways. 

There was so much to see and experience in Thailand. So many different areas, so much culture, and kind people. I was taking classes Tuesday and Thursdays and then Thursday night I’d be off on a night bus to a different part of Thailand and be back Monday night for school the next day. From traveling up north to visit elephant sanctuaries, temples, and the more typical Thai living spots to down south with islands, beaches, monkeys, and full moon parties to beautiful national parks that I highly recommend! Thailand was such a fun new experience! It does have its poverty but if you go there with an open mind the country can show you so much beauty with all it’s beautiful landscape and people. It’s definitely a place that you’ve got to check out!

Semester at Sea Activities

Since I have been back from my trip,  a lot of people have been asking me questions about what I did while the ship was sailing at sea. A lot of people assume that Semester at Sea is just a big college party cruise which is false!!!! It is the complete opposite from that. It is a time where you are able to experience the world in four short months and meet some of the most amazing people of your lifetime.

While sailing on the ship you have a full class schedule and are taking courses everyday while at sea. There are no such thing as weekends while on the ship because everyday is a school day. This may seem overwhelming but it is reasonable because you get so much time when docked in country to do anything that you desire.

After you get out of class there are plenty of things to do after such as:

• Go to the gym  (I used this almost everyday in order to stay active)
• Basketball court 
• Pool
• Study Rooms 
• Clubs 
• Lecture information sessions (goal setting, story time, etc.)
• Movie Theater 

There are also certain days that are saved for fun activities on the ship:

• Sea Olympics - a day where different teams compete in fun activities set up around the ship 
• Neptune Day - where we cross the dateline, jump in the pool and kiss a fish
• Crossing the Equator - Reach the 0,0 buoy in the middle of the ocean 
• Semester at Sea Ball - get dressed up and eat fancy dinner with everyone to celebrate the last leg of the voyage 

There are plenty of fun activities that staff and students put on in order to keep you busy. There was always something going on after class each day. Make sure to join the clubs and information lectures because you will learn so many new things about yourself but also the others around you! It truly is an incredible experience.

Semester at Sea Embarkation

Hello All!

I am going to tell you a little bit about my planning for Semester at Sea before and during embarkation. For all of you who do not know what Semester at Sea is a multi-country study abroad program on a ship that is open to all students of all majors. The program emphasizes on global comparative study and ocean awareness.

I was lucky enough to attend the Fall 2019 Voyage.. the 126th voyage of the program!

In this blog I just wanted to share a few tips that I wish I knew before hand:

•  Apply EARLY to the program because you do not want to be rushed or miss anything during the enrollment process. Unfortunately I applied late to the program and missed the scholarship deadline which I was pretty bummed about so try to keep track of deadlines!
• PACKING! Pack light because you will buy many things along the voyage. I will leave a drop down of things that I packed that weren't on the list that came in handy!
• snacks (lots of them)
• blanket
• map (for people to sign after the voyage)
• shoe rack or clothes organizer (the closets on the ship are small)
• small gifts to give children you meet on the way / people you meet 
• books (no internet so lots of free time to yourself) 
• Don't plan or book flights for countries prior to getting on the ship because you will meet tons of people and change your plans as you go  

I embarked from San Diego and had my parents come with me to drop me off. This is probably one of the weirdest feelings you will experience. I felt very uncomfortable and almost as if I was starting a whole new year at school. I had so many emotions leaving my parents and stepping aboard the ship. I was solo excited at one point and then got scared and nervous. Everything seemed to be hitting me at once but then once I calmed down I realized that everyone was in the same position as I was. The people around me were incredibly kind and wanted to get to know you. I was nervous about making friends for a while but it is so easy to bond with people quickly.  Don't be scared to be yourself because you will meet some of the most incredible people on this journey!

If you have any more questions prior to embarkation let me know below!