Seeing Two Very Different Worlds

Tyler Browne has seen the world in two very different ways: from the end of an automatic rifle while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and, now, as one of 700-plus students studying aboard the MV Explorer.

For four years, Tyler served in the Marines--having joined at age 18. He fought in Iraq for six months and Afghanistan for five months during his four-year military tenure.

He has seen friends die, has had to shoot in order to be shot and killed, has lost friends in battle, and has experienced anger in himself and in the people of the countries in which he battled, like no other anger he has seen or felt before.

“It was the worst four years of my life,” Tyler, now 24, recalls as he shows photos of himself, clad in his military fatigues and gripping a machine gun.

His world is vastly different now and the change is immediate in his appearance. His close-cropped red hair from his military days is now grown out to long surfer locks. He’s traded his gun in for a passport, pen and notebook. But his travel, at least for the past two months, has still been on a ship.

“It’s kind of cool to be on a ship again, especially one like this,” he said. “It’s no where near the same as when I was a Marine.”

In the Battlefield
Tyler always wanted to join the military and had been in and out of military academies while in high school. His father served in Vietnam and for Tyler—part of the 9/11 generation—representing his country just seemed like the right thing to do. During boot camp in San Diego he signed up for infantry. “I wanted to shoot a gun and go on the front lines,” he recalls.

His fleet was sent first to Kuwait and then to Iraq just as the Battle of Fallujah was happening. “It was a really crazy time; you basically lived your life in a live or die mentality. You don’t think about it then, but now, as I’m older I just think, ‘Wow, that was crazy.’ ”

Tyler left the military two years ago and, since then, has been enrolled at Santa Barbara City College.

Although he saw a number of countries while in the Marines and backpacked through Europe after leaving the military, Tyler was intrigued by what Semester at Sea had to offer. “Basically, I wanted to see the world and I thought this would be a cool way to do it,” he said. “And it’s been a pretty cool experience to visit eight countries.”

There was a bit of a culture shock for him, despite having been in college. “I’ve never been in the dorms or spent a lot of time with people who were so much younger,” he said. “But it was cool to see some of these places because their landscapes reminded me of Iraq and Afghanistan. You realize how similar the topography is for so much of this part of the world.”

Different Perspectives
Tyler’s view of the world is vastly different than that of his SAS classmates. “In the military you’re not going into tourist areas at all. You’re in areas where people don’t want to go. But you get to see the back roads of Afghanistan and some villages that have generators for their electricity and no running water.”

Those experiences have helped him appreciate what he’s seen and learned as a student.

And, his time aboard the MV Explorer has provided him with vastly different, but still important, views of the world and provided a different sense of community.

“I’ve learned a lot about foreign and European Union politics,” he said. “And traveling to the different countries re-emphasized the lessons on the cultural norms that we studied.”

Moving Forward
When not studying, in class, or touring a country, Tyler could often be found on the seventh deck of the MV Explorer, playing his guitar. He surprised, and wowed, the SAS community with his playing and singing talents during last night's Open Mic-Talent show.

“Tyler’s a real stand-up guy and a really good kid, pretty laid back,” said Shaun Crisler, Assistant Dean of Students for the summer voyage. “I especially appreciate hearing him play guitar at 12 in the morning when you’re outside stargazing. It’s nice to hear that soft guitar melody in the background.”

Tyler expects to graduate from S.B. City College this fall and plans to transfer to UC Berkeley or another UC campus to study economics.

SAS’s LifeLong Learners

Students will leave their experience on Semester at Sea in four days with friendships that extend beyond those made with classmates. They include bonds with professors, staff, and with a special group of SAS voyagers known as the lifelong learners.

The lifelong learners (better known as the LLLs) are a diverse group of travelers, most of whom have traveled the world throughout their lives, have retired from their jobs, and, for several, are repeat alums of Semester at Sea voyages.

The LLLs created a sort of extended family aboard the MV Explorer. They become the surrogate parents and grandparents for many students, and often keep in touch with them long after a voyage is over. But more than that, the lifelong learners help create an intergenerational learning community and provide different perspectives that can enhance the students’ learning on the ship.

“I think many of the students realize that in lifelong learners they have people who can talk about a place and about experiences,” says Carol Larson, coordinator of the summer voyage’s lifelong learner program and director of UPitt’s study abroad program.

She added: “You see many of the students coming up to us and asking ‘Have you been here before? What should I know?’ I think that community leads to an education that is unique.”

How It Started
Adult learners have sailed with Semester at Sea for almost as long as SAS has been around. However, an organized program—that includes daily meetings with guest speakers and special programs—was created about 16 years ago and has been operating as such ever since. The uniqueness of this sailing experience has inspired repeat lifelong learner voyagers, some as many as 20 times!

“This is an experience of a lifetime, even for lifelong learners,” says Betty Waldron who, with her husband Milt, has sailed on more than a dozen voyages.

The Waldrons were introduced to Semester at Sea by their daughter, who sailed as a student. She encouraged them to come on as lifelong learners. Milt, instead, joined as the doctor for a voyage and continued in that role for many years after and Betty eventually became coordinator of the LLL program when they both sailed. Milt has reprised his role as physician on the Summer 2009 voyage and Betty is co-coordinator this summer.

“We have definitely changed from being on these voyages and we feel very lucky,” says Betty.

A Change for All
Students change as well from their time spent with the lifelong learners.

“It is so nice to sit and talk with people who have such extensive life experiences and have traveled all around the globe,” says student Nhesty Ong. “I enjoy hearing their opinion in class, even if I don’t agree with it. It forces you to think a bit differently and look at things differently. And that’s all part of the experience.”

The intellectual engagement entices many lifelong learners to sail with Semester at Sea, including current lifelong learner Linda Berbrick. “I like learning about the countries I’m going to. I like interacting with the students and with the professors; it’s such a nice community,” says Berbrick, who is sailing for a second time as an LLL.

“You don’t get this when you go on any other cruise or group travel.”

Carol Larson agrees. “We’ve been on the fluffy cruise ships with the feather dancer show at 8 o’clock at night. It’s get old, fast. But to sit over dinner and discuss world politics, to learn a language and culture, to listen to the interport lecturers—it’s incredibly eye-opening.”

Carol’s husband, George Bentrem, has been pleasantly surprised by his first voyage experience. “As a lifelong physician, and with my military experience, I thought I had seen a lot,” he explains. “It was small in comparison to what I’ve seen on this voyage, in terms of a life experience: meeting and talking with people, visiting ports, the classroom work (I’ve attended 4 classes). It’s an expedition of discovery and that’s always fun.”

Learners Who Span Generations
This summer’s lifelong learners are a diverse group of individuals who range in age from their early 20s to their late 80s. They include a founding member of the Granny Peace Brigade, retirees (school teachers, physicians, business leaders), and professionals on leave.

Included in the group are three working teachers who make up SAS’s “Teachers at Sea” program. The program is open to all certified K-12 teachers and allows them to take course for which they can gain professional development credits.

Jenny Kim is one of three teachers on the Summer ’09 voyage. “This is my first time on a ship and my first time crossing the Atlantic, ever,” says Kim, a high school history teacher in northern California. “I’ve been teaching about all of these countries and for me to never have seen them is shameful. But now I can go back to my students with actual pictures of these places and stories.”

Stories and Relationships for a Lifetime
Jenny and the rest of the lifelong learners this summer have developed relationships as strong as those the students have made with one another. They are relationships that will carry on for years, as is the case with the Waldrons and other repeat LLL voyagers.

“We take something away from every voyage no matter how many times we’ve done it,” Betty says. “It’s a special experience. One that just makes you want to come back.”

Click on the image at right to watch the YouTube video about Semester at Sea's Lifelong Learner program.

A Fleet Footed View of the Mediterranean

SAS voyager Matthew Pollinger has taken a novel approach to touring most of the ports the program has visited this summer: he runs them.

It’s not a simple jog; Matthew has logged between 50 to 100 miles per port, averaging two hours for each run. Matthew is an ultra-marathon runner, which means that he runs races that are marathon length (26.2 miles) and above. His longest race was 72 miles.

As an ultra-long-distance runner, Matthew has had to maintain his training between long stretches at sea and participating in tours in each country. He is also training for a 100-mile race in Vermont in early October. The running regiment has been quite educational for the Ithaca College student.

“Each city has presented its own unique challenges. As the voyage went on it got more difficult to navigate a good running route,” he notes.

Between cultural differences (being stopped in Istanbul for running without a shirt and then for not covering his shoulders) and navigating roadways (drivers rarely stop for pedestrians in Piraeus, Greece), Matthew has understood the differences of countries from his unique perspective.

“It’s definitely been a challenge and a growing experience,” he said. “You get a real different feel for each city that you can only gain by smelling it, getting lost in it, feeling a bit threatened it and allowing yourself to really explore it.”

Matthew said his two best running cities were Cadiz, Spain and Dubrovnik, Croatia. His best memory: Seeing a bear during a run in the hills just outside Dubrovnik. “I just waited for it to move on before I did.”

First Annual SAS Short Film Festival is a Hit

From an "infomercial" for an alarm clock featuring "The Voice" of the voyage (aka-Asst. Exec. Dean Dia Draper) to a test of smarts against small kids (Can you say "Civitavecchia"?), Semester at Sea students, faculty, staff and even small kids joined in for the first annual short film festival during the last week of the voyage.

Ten films ranging in length from 30 seconds to about five minutes were screened to a standing-room only audience in the ship's Union. Winning videos included traveling form a deaf person's perspective, a photo slideshow of Istanbul, a kid-inspired cookie caper and a top prize, student-created film on the power of art.

The winning student video, by Tia Dawkins-Hendricks, will be included in the official DVD commemorating the summer voyage. You can view the other winners by clicking on the videos below.


Second Place Winner: Detective Stamper Film


First Place Tie Winner (non-student): "Istanbul" by SAS Staffer Casey Hudetz

Istanbul .

Third Place Winner: "Egypt from a Deaf Person's Perspective" by SAS Staffer Lissa Place

A Life Marked by Travel & SAS Voyages

When she steps off the MV Explorer, in Norfolk, Virginia, in less than a week, Kara Gregory will end her third Semester at Sea voyage and added three new countries to her current total of 36 countries and 35 states.

It’s a lot of traveling for someone so young (she’s 23), and not quite expected from a girl who grew up in Anadarko, Oklahoma, a town of 6,000 people, and attends college in another small town, in Emporia, Kansas.

But Kara belies her small town image. She is a self-described risk taker, adventurer, and experienced traveler. She started at age16 as a foreign exchange student in Australia for the summer. And, she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. (Aside from her SAS voyages, she’s has been on six cruises and plans to go on another, short one in January to the Cayman Islands and Mexico.)

Kara first sailed with Semester at Sea on the Fall 2007 voyage. “I knew the moment I got off that voyage that I was coming back,” she recalls. She returned in May 2008 for an Enrichment Voyage to Central America and then again for this summer’s voyage.

Kara’s wanderlust didn’t start with Semester at Sea. She credits her father with the initial spark in traveling. He traveled around the world in the Army and now works in China setting up an Asian division for his job. He has used Kara's voyages on SAS as an excuse to travel to Vietnam and, most recently, Greece to visit her.

Kara does cite her experience with Semester at Sea as having stoked her interest in international travel.

“I just absolutely loved getting to see the world, especially experiencing the different cultures,” she says. “It just made me want to continually come back and see different parts of the world. And I think this is the best opportunity because you not only get to take classes, you get to learn about [the countries] in depth.”

The experience on Semester at Sea also prompted Kara to travel to South Korea last summer to teach English to college students through a program at her home university.

Kara could have studied abroad elsewhere, but returned to Semester at Sea because of its unique opportunities for global learning and exploration.

“I did have the opportunity to study abroad at Oxford, but I chose Semester at Sea again because you get to go to a lot of countries and see so much more. You get to experience a lot more versus just being in England for a whole summer. I think it’s a better learning experience to go to several instead of just staying in one,” she says.

Kara doesn’t have an unlimited bank account to pay for the voyages. A combination of financial aid, grants from her home school, and long-term saving helped her afford the Fall ’07 and Summer ’09 voyages.

Kara returns to her college ready to complete her final year and graduate with a double major in business marketing and psychology. Her post-college plan for now is to move to China to join her father and brother to either teach English, work for a business, learn Mandarin, or all of the above.

She is certain, however, that her life will mirror her passport: filled with as many adventures and experiences abroad as there are stamps from those countries.

How Students Afford Semester at Sea

Many students would love to be a part of the Semester at Sea experience, but often don’t think it’s possible because of their financial constraints.

Quite the contrary. Lots of students get financial assistance.

In fact, nearly half of the students on the Summer ’09 voyage received financial aid from the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE). For the past several years, ISE has been working diligently to build an annual fund to support scholarships and aid to make voyages accessible for all interested students.

“ISE is committed to making sure that all students who want to participate in Semester at Sea have the opportunity to do so,” said Mike Zoll, executive dean of the Summer ’09 voyage and Vice President of Enrollment and Student Affairs for the Institute for Shipboard Education.

"We believe strongly in the program’s mission and that the experience truly deepen one’s understanding of issues and cultures around the world and one’s place in the world," Zoll said. "Everyone—regardless of their financial situation—should be able to be a part of that.”

In the past three years, the fund for financial assistance has doubled from $1.6 million to $3.25 million. For the summer voyage, ISE provided just over $1 million in aid to nearly 44% of the students, averaging $3,300 per student—the most financial assistance ever given for a summer voyage. Of that aid, 49% was in need-based grants; 38% were scholarships and 13% were student leadership awards.

Students have also managed to afford the Semester at Sea voyage in a number of other ways. Read on to learn how some of the Summer 2009 voyagers have paid for Semester at Sea to have an experience of a lifetime.

Sarah Shepherd, Bowling Green State University
I applied for a lot of scholarships both through SAS and my home university. I also did a lot of work and saved a lot of money before coming. My parents did a parent-student loan, but most of it is through my own.

Emily Bialas, U-Pitt
I almost wasn’t able to come because I didn’t have the means to come on the ship. I applied for all the scholarships that Semester at Sea offered and I got a needs-based grant a small merit-based scholarship. I took out a loan from my bank to cover the remainder. It was important enough for me to do this; I wanted to make sure I could come.

Ana Alexandrescu, Lehigh University
I applied for tons of financial aid. I was pretty much on the e-mail almost every day. IAnd I applied for all the scholarships that were available and I got a few of them. So, combined, I got a financial aid package that allowed me to be able to come.

Shani Graves, Temple Univ.
My mother and stepfather gave me $2,000 and then I took out a little over $3,000 in Stafford loans and a $5,000 private loan. It was definitely important enough for me to do that I wanted to take out loans to help me pay for it.

Audrey Rupnow, North Texas University
My entire voyage was paid for with scholarships and grants—about $9,000 through SAS and $1,700 was from my home school. I also worked a lot before I came (to pay for books and tours) and my family also helped me out. I specifically came for the summer because it was a better financial option for me.

Chelsea Person, Virginia Commonwealth Univ.
I applied for and received some financial aid through ISE and I also applied for two other scholarships and I got one from the Golden Key International Honor Society. I paid for the rest through a $4,000 student loan I took out myself. I am using that to cover the tuition balance, books, tours, FDPs (faculty directed practica), and spending money.

Amy Robinson, Flagler College
I’m paying for this whole thing myself. I paid for a lot of it myself through scholarships at school and work as an R.A. (resident advisor) at school. I saved about $9,000 by working as an RA at my home school. I also got the R.A. program here and I got a $500 scholarship from SAS. Plus, I worked for six weeks before I left for this trip and then have relied on whatever money is in my bank account.

Erica Morrissette, SUNY Oswego
I’m paying for this myself. I applied the day you could apply for the Summer voyage and decided on the summer because it was less expensive than a fall or spring voyage. Then, I basically spent nearly a year trying to find ways to save. Some things I did were:
• Apply to be an R.A. at my school and to be an R.A. on the ship
• Purposely take online classes at home and live at home (I go to school 3 hours away).
• I took out a Stafford loan to cover my room and board, even though I was living at home, and just applied that money to my SAS voyage.

Lauren Armstrong, Michigan State University
My parents each paid half of the tuition and I worked before I came to save money. I also received an R.A. position on the ship, which has helped cover the cost of trips and incidentals.

Colby Melvin, Spring Hill College
I applied for as many scholarships as I could and my family helped pay for the rest. It was probably my Christmas, birthday and even graduation present.

Nico Kerr, UC Santa Cruz
I’ve been planning on Semester at Sea for over a year and have been saving for all that time. I mainly afforded it through SAS’s financial aid. They granted me $7,000 total, including my R.A. position on the ship. I saved another $6,000 working as an R.A. at my university. I also received some help from my grandparents and family friends. The money I saved from my R.A. work at my home institution allowed me to pay for tours and traveling expenses like air flights and books.

Eric Paulino, Sarah Lawrence College
I was fortunate enough to receive a full tuition scholarship through that National Society of High School Scholars. I still had to pay for books, tours and everything else and my family helped scrape together some money for me to do that.


Sarah Cogdill, Univ. of Texas
I started working in high school at 16 because I knew that, in college, I wanted to study abroad and that I would have to pay for it. I was preparing for the Semester at Sea voyage for a year and saving up for the idea of studying abroad for three years. So, through my own savings and taking out a loan, I was able to do it all on my own.

Nexus Cook, Temple University
I got almost all of it covered by SAS (through the partnership with the Diversity Abroad program) and the rest was my mom and family friends.

Francisco Martinez, Stanford University
I got most of my money from the Diversity Abroad Scholarship. Then I got additional financial assistance from Semester at Sea, saved some from a previous job, and took out a federal loan.

Jessica Bingham, Brigham Young University
Financial aid covered most of my costs. My family can’t help. I have six little brothers and sisters. Whatever financial aid didn’t cover came from money I’ve saved from working.

Postscript: Morocco

The Summer voyage's final port of Morocco was a blend of wonderful food, dynamic architecture, a more laid back environment than Egypt, and a port that capped off a memorable summer for the students. Here are some of their adventures:

Claire Hunter, Wesleyan University (CT)
I went to Marrakesh and camel riding in palm groves as part of my time in Morocco and it was a really nice time in the country. I was able to speak with people in French which was helpful. And the trek through the palm groves was beautiful. Yes, we had a bit of a tourist experience, but we also had an authentic experience to travel as current and past Moroccans had done. And we were able to have mint tea in a traditional Berber house. I found in Morocco that no matter what degree of wealth or poverty people were very generous. They were filled with so much joy and different things were important to them.

My only disappointment with Morocco was that I didn’t really feel like I was in Africa. The French presence was very strong and I didn’t expect it to be so imbedded in the culture. It was very reminiscent of colonization there. Still, I would have liked to have stayed there for longer.

Suci Madjidji, U-Pitt
While in Morocco, I was fortunate enough to stay at the homes of two families in Rabat and Fes, who were friends of a friend of mine from home.

First, my friends and I met with a 25-year-old and his friends to visit Rabat. Seeing the city from a Moroccan’s perspective was a wonderful and special experience. I was able to experience Rabat like other tourists couldn’t, which first meant eating camel burgers at a place where the guys are regulars. Eating camel was an interesting experience, but what made it especially memorable—and somewhat disturbing—was the camel head hanging in front of the restaurant. It was one thing to eat camel; it was another to stare at camel parts while my meal was being prepared. Surprisingly, the camel was pretty good. Hanging out with the guys showed me that we could have things in common despite our different cultures and that those differences made our experience all the more memorable.

In Fes, I was invited to the home of an 18-year-old girl whose family is somewhat conservative. The family was very welcoming and kind but, in talking with the girl, I realized the disparity between what she wanted to do and what she was allowed to do because of her family’s values. Our conversation made me appreciate the independence my parents afford me and the support they provide.

My time in Morocco was fun and very enlightening. I learned a lot about the culture and I was also able to teach them about mine. I also left with the best thing I had gotten from any of the countries we have visited— new friends.

Baron Yeh, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC
I had a really terrific time in Morocco. The countryside is gorgeous. Parts of it look like places you would see in the states with the mountains and dry lands. The people are gracious and friendly. And having the chance to see how people live, how they make oil and spices, make tea. A group of us did zip-lining just outside of Marrakech and it was an absolutely amazing experience. It may not have been directly connected to Moroccan culture, but I think it’s still a unique and really fun way to see the diversity of the landscape. And, in going there, our guide took us to homes where people were living and it’s a wonderful view, a different view of a part of the country and the people.

Maia Kobabe, Dominican University (CA)
I heard before that Casablanca was not an interesting city, but I found it to be the complete opposite. The [Hassan II] Mosque was definitely the big highlight. My tour of it was too fast for me to draw, so I went back again to really admire the architecture and sketch all the different aspects of the building. It was really nice to have the time to reflect on my time in the country and listen to the ocean.

I also enjoyed a one-day tour we had of Rabat and seeing the Casbah that they turned into a public garden. I also thought the unfinished mosque there was really interesting from an architectural point of view with the half-completed minoret and a field full of incomplete columns, but no walls. I almost went back to Rabat again just to go there again.

Overall, it was nice to have Morocco be our last port. Casablanca wasn’t as hectic as Alexandria and Cairo. Plus, I had some of the most amazing mint tea and Moroccan pastries and enjoyed going out for a Moroccan dinner or dessert almost every night after having dinner on the ship. They were really nice evenings with friends and a special way to explore Moroccan cuisine, culture and people.