Student Testimonials
With sumo wrestling in Tokyo, tea ceremonies in kyoto, Kung Fu shows in Beijing, elephant riding in Thailand, cricket games with teenagers in India, exploration through pharaoh's tombs in Egypt, discovery of the Hagia Sofia in Turkey, collection of pebbles along the dalmatian coast in Croatia and horse racing around flamenco performers in Spain, not a single day of my study abroad was a repetition. Did I mention that I climbed up the Great Wall in China, watched the sunset at the Taj Mahal and rode a camel at the Great Pyramids of
Giza?
And to think that I almost didn't study abroad, stressing for months with questions such as: Will I graduate on time? Will I have friends? Will I miss out on senior events at MIT? Indeed, despite all the criticism I heard, despite friends guilt tripping me for leaving them and despite professors telling me that it would be hard to get credit for a study abroad program, I took the leap and sent in my deposit for Semester at Sea and bought an air ticket to San Diego where the ship hosting 626 students for one semester would be departing for a circumnavigation of the world. Yes, I'm only 21 and I have completed a full circle around the world with fellow MITers Valerie Willard('07) and Krasimira Alexandrova ('09).
The three of us embarked on a "voyage of discovery" to 9 countries, and 15 ports, including Honolulu and Hong Kong. On August 28, 2007, we jumped on shuttle buses in San Diego to Ensenada, Mexi
co and 9 days later, we were enjoying some "Ahi Poke" on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Our next stops were Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, Spain and back to Uncle Sam in Miami.
I had always wanted to back pack in Asia for a few months, and being an MIT student with the constant stress of internships, completing majors and jumping right into the professional world after graduation, Semester at Sea presented the only option for me. Nothing in the world can substitute the months of discovering different cultures, diverse people and eclectic cuisines I got to experience.
In between ports on the ship, we would take an average of four classes and every student would take Global Studies, a class geared to analyze the major issues that the world faces today from the importance of demography to the problem of AIDS to the intricacies of cultural practices in the different continents. I chose to take Oceanography and Astronomy as I felt that cruising across different latitudes and longitudes offered a unique opportunity of studying the skies, the stars, the oceans and the waterways hands on. I also developed a deep interest in photography, an addiction to BBC World and most importantly an urge to join the expatriate club in Asia for a few years. The ship is a gorgeous cruise liner with two dining halls, a pool deck, a gym, several classrooms, a library, a computer lab and a coffee shop. Days sailing were spent mostly going to classes, sitting at breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets for about 6 hours and doing more reading than I have ever had to do at MIT!
Semester at Sea also organizes various trips to orphanages, schools and economic and cultural institutions in the countries we visit, making it possible to interact with local people and really feel their pain and listen to their pleas. I recall having a 
woman in Vietnam offering me her child-she believed that the child would be better off in the riches of America. I definitely plan to undertakean international career for an NGO when I am in my early thirties.
Having heard the pleas of people living under the poverty line in Asia, I cannot turn my back on joining a humanitarian organization. After all, MIT teaches us everyday to provide assistance to the needy in the world, and studying abroad was an eye opener in how to actually achieve this goal.
