Semester at Sea

A semester (or summer) program operated by the University of Pittsburgh as a unique way to study abroad--in a cruise ship that travels, literally, across the world. Study on the boat and then party in the cities of Vietnam, Egypt, Japan, and India.

For more info:
http://www.semesteratsea.com

It's true that there's plenty of opportunity to party on Semester at Sea, but the voyage itself is so much more--the act of circumnavigating the globe in 100 days or so is a life-changing event.

This counts as a semester of college, and as such, classes are involved. The credits earned will transfer back to your home university. Regardless of the day of the week, when at sea, classes are in session. Professors arrange special field trips to places of interest when in port, but for the most part, while the ship is docked your time is your own. Everyone takes CORE, an overview of the countries to be visited; also offered are Religion, Art, Music, Anthropology, Biology, History, Economics, Literature...you get the idea. Where else, though, would a Women's Studies class be interrupted because Africa has been sighted in the distance?

Life on board a moving ship is an adventure in itself, but the heart of the voyage is the 4-6 days spent in each port. Nothing can prepare you for:

• Being tired and lost in a ghetto in Hong Kong
• The feeling of triumph when you realize you've successfully navigated the subway system of Tokyo or Moscow, or the twisting streets of Istanbul
• Successfully communicating--even if it's only a brief exchange--with someone who shares neither your language or cultural background
• Realizing that you know the difference between the smell of incense in a temple in Kyoto, and one in Bombay
• Standing in the dimly lit interior of the Great Pyramid of Giza, or in the freezing cold in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, or off to one side of the Taj Mahal, watching the native green parrots swoop around the minarets
• Spending a day rambling around the walled city of Dubrovnik and exploring the nearby monastery and castle ruins
• Realizing suddenly in Gibraltar that, for the first time in months, you're in a place where the radios are broadcasting in English and you can understand the words.

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Itineraries vary from semester to semester, as does the direction (east to west or vice versa) in which you circle the globe. Traveling west means you gain time as you go; sailing east will jump you forward an hour each time you enter a new time zone. The Fall '87 ports of call were:

• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Kobe, Japan
• Keelung, Taiwan
• Hong Kong
• Manila, Philippines
• Penang, Malaysia
• Bombay, India
• Port Said, Egypt
• Odessa, Soviet Union
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
• Cadiz, Spain
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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From the SAS brochure:

Semester at Sea is available to qualified students from all accredited colleges and universities. In keeping with the policies of the Institute for Shipboard Education and the University of Pittsburg, qualified students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin are accepted for the program. For more information, contact:

Semester at Sea/ Institute for Shipboard Education
2E Forbes Quadrangle
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

(412)624-6021

http://www.semesteratsea.com