Six months ago, my experience with boats was limited to paddle boating in Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin and getting stuck on sandbars while attempting to kayak in the Outer Banks. My knowledge of Asia was similarly limited. Though I could have told you the capital of China or Japan, the chance that I could find Singapore on a map was, I'm ashamed to say, pretty slim. Yet as soon as I found out that the University would sponsor the Semester at Sea program and would be sending students to Asia during the summer, I couldn't wait to sign up. Not only would I be able to escape the prospect of a dull, two-month desk job, I would get to travel with professors who knew something about where we were going.
Only a few weeks after I made the decision that I would participate, negative publicity about Semester at Sea began pouring into The Cavalier Daily. A Google search provided me with information about a giant wave hitting the Semester at Sea ship as well as stories about tragic deaths on past voyages. I began to think that perhaps there was a reason the University offered a 50 percent discount to those of us brave enough to sign up for the inaugural Summer 2006 voyage.
After my summer with the program, I am happy to report that Semester at Sea turned out to be neither a "booze cruise" nor "kindergarten at sea," at least for the vast majority of voyagers. That certainly does not mean the University shouldn't try to improve certain aspects of the program, but even in its current state, I suspect most of this summer's voyagers would consider the trip to have been the best -- and quite possibly most educational -- 65 days of our lives.
Before setting sail, I considered our ship, the M.V. Explorer, as primarily a means of transportation to Asia. However, during my first few days onboard I realized the ship was a lot more than a vehicle; it became a tight-knit community within only a few days. In fact, more than just a few voyagers, both young and old, noted by the end that their favorite part of the trip was not visiting any particular Asian country, but getting to know the people onboard. Most students soon found themselves not only interacting with their new peers, but also taking the opportunity to get to know professors and other adult passengers through dinner conversations or games of ping pong.
Though simply talking with all of my new friends could take up all of my free time, other activities also provided a break from studying. The deans and resident life staff worked to create an atmosphere similar to a regular college campus through organizing clubs, holding evening socials, and offering lectures on unusual topics like traveling to Antarctica.
Despite all of the other interesting ways to spend time on the ship, academics remained the focus of our time at sea, at least for most of us. As many schools did not offer direct credit for the classes, there were many students who would not be affected whether they earned A's or C's. Though I was occasionally frustrated when my friends could go swimming or watch a movie instead of seriously reviewing for an exam, I found the vast majority of students really were interested in learning more about Asia.
Though students may have been eager to learn, I quickly discovered that many were not eager to become temporary University students. In fact, the amount of distaste expressed for -- and anger directed toward -- the University was pretty surprising, at least for the 12 true Cavaliers onboard. From day one, when students learned from some professors that their course syllabi had to be revised to meet University standards, more than just a few students took the opportunity to blame the University for their dissatisfaction with professors, performance on tests, the Honor Code -- even the number of drinks one could purchase at evening socials. By the time the voyage was about halfway over, I wished I had told people I went to Virginia Tech, just to avoid constantly having to hear everyone's complaints -- often misinformed -- about my school.
One of the biggest complaints I heard from all of my new friends dealt with the Global Studies course, a mandatory course for all passengers on board. Though the class sounded good in theory, it turned out to be an academic disaster. Instead of lectures which compared and contrasted our different destinations in a useful way, we spent many days listening to a mishmash of random facts. Though the lectures were often interesting, if not particularly useful, it was somewhat embarrassing to discover upon arriving in Taiwan that many students still didn't know the differences among Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. To their credit the professors improved the class during the latter half of the voyage; the cohesion of later lectures demonstrated that Global Studies could be both interesting and educational on future voyages.
The other courses offered onboard were truly unique ... in a good way, not in a kindergarten-at-sea sort of way. While I chose to enroll in two somewhat more traditional classes -- History of World War Two in Asia and the Pacific and Writing for Media -- there were a couple dozen other courses offered, ranging from Asian Puppetry to History of Asian Americans. The professors chosen to teach these classes were some of the most interesting I have ever encountered, ranging from my history professor who has starred in Quaker Oatmeal commercials to a Transylvanian who grew up under Communist rule before moving to the United States. It was a privilege to not only be taught by these individuals, but to also have the opportunity to explore Asia with them.
After making the long 17-day voyage across the Pacific, with a one-day stop in Hawaii, the M. V. Explorer finally made it to our first Asian port of Keelung, Taiwan. After staying for four days, we headed back out to sea, stopping in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. In each port, we had the option of traveling independently to nearby cities -- or in some cases, neighboring countries -- or signing up in advance for trips sponsored by Semester at Sea. Due to these nearly limitless options, each of the 285 students had a unique experience during his or her time in Asia. While I remember a trip to the floating villages of Cambodia as the most memorable part of my journey, others who climbed Mount Fuji or visited Malaysia's rainforests have entirely different memories. Certainly all students share one thing in common regarding their experience: We learned constantly, whether we were figuring out how to use a Taiwanese toilet or examining Malaysian architecture.
The entire Semester at Sea experience, both in port and onboard, was kind of like living on the set of "Dirty Dancing" while mostly following the script of "Star Trek." In just 65 days, we went where few Americans had gone before and saw, touched and ate an uncountable quantity of alien objects. And most of us did have the time of our lives.
Read More
The White Spot: an iconic diner etched in student nightlife
By Alexa Graham | 2 hours agoThe White Spot is a timeless diner for Charlottesville residents and students looking for a greasy spoon infused with University spirit.
Dreaming of drunken noodles at Thai Cuisine and Noodle House
By Lizzy Goldstein | 2 days agoI was amazed by how the tamarind sauce and variety of spices created a cohesive link among all the dishes, tying the dinner together and leaving everyone feeling satiated.
Breaking my silence
By Cecy Juárez | 5 days agoI, Cecy Juárez, am one of the three “squirrels of U.Va.” running the @thesquirrelsofuva page.
