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!