Semester at Sea, Suite Life on Deck in real life!

Shavonne DeMattos Start Date: Oct 10, 2016 - End Date: Jan 2, 2017
  • Japan
  • China
  • Vietnam
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Mauritius
  • South Africa
  • Ghana
  • Morocco
  • Germany

My Travel Story

by: Shavonne DeMattos Start Date: Oct 10, 2016 - End Date: Jan 2, 2017
The first time I heard about Semester at Sea I knew it was something I wanted to pursue. It's four whole months away on a cruise ship that is literally taking you around the world. I have always had a craving to travel and to be able to do that while continuing to get my degree is unbelievable. 

I chose Semester at Sea specifically over the normal study abroad to once country experience because through this program you get to emerse in over ten countries. Most Americans don't even travel to more than three in their lifetime. I want to break the barrier of the states and expand my cultural diversity first hand. I know I am naive in what lies beyond the US, I know nothing more than stereotypes filtered through the media. But I'm ready to take in all the cultures, and diversity that these countries have to offer. It will deffinately be a learning experience of a lifetime. 

The spring voyage ends in April, and we will be docking in Germany which is a country that is dear to my heart. My grandma was born in Germany. German was her first language and she lived there for a good majority of her childhood. To be able to connect to her through her home country would touch my heart in ways that I can't even describe. The ideal goal is to fly her up to Germany when I arrive so she can show me herself all of the places I've only heard through stories. It would be such a sensational experience to not just visit the country she was born in, but to be there with her in person. 

I am doing this trip for me, but I am also doing it for my family.  To be able to actually be in Germany with my grandma, only a few people in my family have ever had that experience. This is my opportunity, and I am going to do everything in my power to make it a reality.
  • Japan
  • China
  • Vietnam
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Mauritius
  • South Africa
  • Ghana
  • Morocco
  • Germany