SEA Semester – Ocean Exploration

For my Study Abroad semester, I decided to go sailing with SEA Semester. This program is quite different from others because it mixes normal school work with sailing experiences. I spent six weeks in Woods Hole, MA at the SEA Semester campus and then I spent six weeks aboard their school sailing vessel, the Corwith Cramer.  The best thing is, you do not need to have any sailing/boat experience, they will teach you everything you need to know!

For this post, I will explain what to expect from the shore component of the semester.

Their campus is located in Woods Hole, which is a beautiful quiet little town. You live on campus in houses together with all your classmates (you also share a room with 1-3 other people). You will cook, clean, and do basically everything together with your classmates to prepare you for living together on a ship. The houses are located right next to the main building where all your classes will be held, it’s not even a minute walk away.

Academics on this program is a little different from normal. To be able to fit the academic schedule within just 12 weeks, whereas 6 weeks are on board a ship, the first weeks in Woods Hole will be asking a lot of you. If you’re thinking about going on SEA Semester, know that you cannot expect everything to go by easy without any work.  But, the hard work pays off!! Because when embarking on the Corwith Cramer it will all be worth it and you’ll have the time of your life!

The main building where classes are held

Watching the SSV Corwith Cramer arrive in Woods Hole

My shipmates at a field trip to Boston

The people :D

The friends you will make whilst you're gone are lasting and widespread. The people in the areas you go can give you so much more insight and compassion for the world. For me, all the people I encountered were nice, helpful, and caring. Lost? Someone will show you where to go. Someone will explain what to do. Most will stop and help you no matter what they were doing.

One experience characterizes this the most. We had scheduled a Bus home from southern Thailand from which we got the tickets off some website. When we arrived at the bus the teller was unable to process our tickets, however, did everything in her power to get us new tickets and a ride home.

Students proved just as helpful. Beyond just though local Mahidol students, we bonded with many other exchange students from all over the world. Living in the cheaper apartments just outside of campus we had the chance to mingle constantly with a variety of other students. This gave us the opportunity to not only experience the culture we were immersed in but also absorb and learn about many others.

Main suggestion, DON'T be afraid to approach and talk with others. Who knows that person could become a new great friend!

Getting Around!

Suggestion. Although studying is the first priority, you are studying abroad so experience ABROAD. Studying in Thailand allowed us to be close to many other Southeast Asian countries and experience them as well as many parts of Thailand.

Both photos above are from our travels in Vietnam. Being honest I have never had a major desire to go to Vietnam but it turned out to be my most favorite trip of the whole experience, including anywhere in Thailand. The first photo shows the Golden Bridge; it was a location I had seen in a post on facebook that I thought seemed cool, so, we went! A dream almost; the ability to see a photo of someplace than just decide, there! I will travel there! I will experience that! The second photo I just love as it shows the cultural diversity from our usual. I mean you might see this on a busy market day in Chinatown but mostly you don't see this in the United States. The open market, street bargaining, danger of possibly getting hit by a passing motorcyclist; it's a thrill ride full of excitement and adrenaline. 

The photo above shows me at Wat Phra in Cambodia. We only had one day here due to school but we made the most of it visiting the night market then waking up before 5 am to catch the sunrise above the main temple. 

I suggest experiencing all the different ways to travel! Traveled by so many ways: train, bus, plane, ferry, taxi's, and even little trucks called tuk-tuks. 

My final suggestion is to try and experience anything and everything! I loved having no limitations and trying all things no matter how strange from foods to experiences! Above I am eating a scorpion, I also ate a tarantula!

So, long story short, study and get good grades but also don't forget to HAVE FUN!!! 

Discovering My Future

I have always had a passion for cooking. Ever since I can remember I was always in the kitchen cooking up something. My favorite thing was to explore the cabinets and piece together recipes with the ingredients we had on hand. In deciding what I wanted to do with my life I chose my biggest dream of Marine Biology. However, with the help of this experience abroad, I have found it may not be my main goal. Taking a cooking class with the amazing Silom cooking school in Bangkok, coupled with not being able to cook in my small apartment, had me come to the realization of just how important cooking is in my life. Being away from the ocean and forced to take the hard science courses required for my degree allowed me to realize how field research, lab reports, and especially math or chemistry; will only leading to my stress and sadness. On the other hand, educating people about conservation and inspiring people with the passion I feel for the ocean is something I could thrive in doing. It is now my goal to graduate with a Bachelor of Marine Science and then further my education with a Culinary Business degree. With the help of these degrees, I hope to one day open my own Whale Watching Cruise exploring marine life while serving my guests a plant-based brunch and educating them on not only the animals but more sustainable practices in life in order to save them. This enlightening journey opened a new path for my future that I am excited to explore.

Winning at Life

Russell Matsumura

            This is more of a personal entry for me.  Towards the end of our time in Japan, we came across the area of malls that had a giant Gundam on display.  One of my favorite anime to watch when I was in my early teens was Gundam Wing and its movie Endless Waltz.  I’d spend time building models from the series and dreaming about piloting one of these robots in battle against over-whelming odds to accomplish a noble mission to save whatever I was trying to save.  So, when I found out that we were in the area where they had one on display, my inner child came to live as I swiftly made my way to see the statue.  Even though it wasn’t one of “my” Gundam’s, to see one on display and the amount of people surrounding the attraction is something I will never forget.  To see what was considered during my childhood as stupid nerd stuff become some of the most popular topics of entertainment, such as Star Wars and super hero movies, makes me feel like putting up with all of the bullying was worth it because in the end, I am the victor over my tormentors as they jump on the band wagon to see these films and purchase the merchandise.  Growing up ain’t so bad after all.

HOMESTAY!!!

Rebecca Carbajal

HOMESTAY! My FAVORITE part of this trip. 
After visiting the university, we were all so fortune to be welcomed into the home of a traditional style Japanese family in the town of Asakura. I joined the Umeno Family for one night. I had grandparents, a mom, two brothers, and a dog! Their home was gorgeous!! They were a family of carpenters and built the home 50 years ago. They had many different trees including plum trees that the grandpa takes care of and prunes each year. He is also known for a special kind of mochi that he taught us how to make. Our host mom made us at least 25 traditional Japanese dishes that all came from their garden! It was delicious. They even took us to the Onsen, a natural hot spring from the mountains. The littlest brother taught us origami. They didn’t speak an ounce of English but that was the best part. We were able to connect with them even though we could not communicate through our languages. This was an incredible experience that I will never forget and I am so grateful for my host family and the culture and traditions that they showed me.

Japan Cutlture

Dakota Jackson

Culture. The beautiful Japanese culture and art. One of the biggest and important things I will remember about Japan is the culture. Something so strong and persistent like the culture in Japan will have such a strong impact on me now and the long future. Whether it be the shrines we visited or the temples, every visit made me think indepthly about the person I am today. One of my biggest mottos in life is to enjoy the simple things. And what I feel like really connected me to Japan is how important things are to people, no matter what it is. The meanings people are able to interpret out of any situation is a different level of conceptual thinking. For example, the frog shrine. something that people might think is so silly and immature may be extremely meaningful or powerful to the other person. The way the people are able to make any situation into something so powerful and meaningful has my utmost respect.