The Beginning

Ten short days from now, I will be on a plane heading to Nassau.  Thirteen days from now, I will board the MV Explorer, and begin my work study job as a Communications Assistant.  Fourteen days from now, the ship will leave Nassau, and my Semester at Sea will begin.

It is hard to believe that I am about to leave.  I have been anticipating this journey for so long - about 11 years in fact, ever since my older sister went on the Spring 2001 voyage.  I will be studying abroad for my Spring 2012 semester of college through Semester at Sea.  I will go to 11 different countries, all around the world, while taking my classes and working on a ship, with about 650 other college students.  I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Colorado in Boulder, studying English and Business.  I'm in Boulder for two more weeks, and I feel like there are so many things I need to do before I leave. I have to keep reminding myself that I will be back, the night of May 2nd, so there's no need to worry about doing everything possible in Boulder for the rest of Winter Break!

The Itinerary: Listed below are all the places I will be going to.  I have never been to any of these places before, which makes me even more excited for all of them.
1st stop: Nassau, Bahamas.  This is where the ship will leave from.  I'm very excited to have two very good friends of mine, Melissa and Sabrina, come to Nassau with me!  They're not coming on Semester at Sea, but I think our three short days together in the Bahamas will be a lot of fun.  This is also where I'll be first meeting all the people coming with me on the voyage!
2nd stop: Manaus, Brazil.  The highlight of this port will be the Amazon.  I have always wanted to go to this rainforest, and I've signed up to go on an Eco Park Jungle Lodge trip.
3rd stop: Tema, Ghana.  Our first stop in Africa.  I've heard many good things about Ghana, and here I've signed up for one of the trips I'm most excited for: a homestay in a monkey village!
4th stop: Cape Town, South Africa.  I recently watched the movie Invictus, which was very good, and got me even more excited to come here.  I've signed up for a safari, a cycling tour through winelands, and there are a lot more things here that I want to do, like climb Table Mountain.  I think this will be a very busy port!
5th stop: Port Louis, Mauritius.  We are only on this island, which is between Africa and Asia, for one day.  I have no plans here yet, but it certainly seems like an amazing tropical island to experience!
6th stop: Cochin, India.  We were originally supposed to go to the more well-known city of Chennai, but our port changed a couple months ago.  Cochin is in the Indian state of Kerala, which is supposed to be very beautiful.  The Alleppey Backwaters are supposed to be amazing, and so far, that is my only plan for India!
7th stop: Singapore.  Again, we're only in Singapore for a day.  I've heard a lot about this big city, and will have to find a way to make the most out of my one day...
8th stop: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  This is a port that I'm very excited for.  I've heard a lot of really good things about Ho Chi Minh City, and I can't wait to explore it.  I'm also planning on going to the Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple while I'm here.
9th stop: Hong Kong, China.  From Hong Kong, I'm signed up to go on a multi-day trip to Beijing.  Something I'm really excited to see is the Great Wall of China!  After Beijing, I'll meet back with the ship in Shanghai.
10th stop: Kobe, Japan.  So far, I have nothing planned in Japan, but there's a lot I want to do!  I want to find a way to go to Tokyo and Mt. Fuji, but I don't want to miss the port cities, Kobe and Yokohama, either.
11th stop: Hilo, Hawaii.  I've been to Hawaii once before, but I was six weeks old, and so don't remember much of it.  I've always wanted to go back, so I'm glad this is one of our stops.
12th stop: San Diego, California.  The semester ends here, and I will be flying back to Boulder on the same day the ship gets to San Diego!

One of my favorite travel quotes, from Martin Buber, says, "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."  I'm not quite sure what to expect from my Semester at Sea.  My plan is to just immerse myself fully into the experience, enjoy all the "secret destinations", and see what happens!