One hundred and eight days, 16 cities, 14 countries.

Instead of studying abroad in one location, Syracuse University students Laura Singer and Brady Burke are participating in Semester at Sea, where they are constantly traveling.

Semester at Sea is sponsored by the University of Virginia. In the program, participating students spend the semester on a cruise ship-like campus. They take classes while sailing and go on excursions while on land.

Singer, a junior political science major, said she was attracted to Semester at Sea because she wanted variety in her study abroad experience.

“The thought of studying abroad in one country was something I could never see fitting my personality,” Singer said.

Burke, a senior anthropology major, shared the same feeling.

“As a traveler, the opportunity to see so many places in such a unique way was extremely enticing,” Burke said in an email.

After setting sail from London, the group explored Europe, stopping in Russia, Germany and several other countries. Afterward, the ship crossed the Mediterranean Sea and docked in Morocco before cruising across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil. Future stops on their itinerary include Barbados and Cuba.

Participating in Semester at Sea encompasses more than world travels. Students take classes according to a schedule that divides the days into “A” days and “B” days. On “A” days, the students attend three classes and on “B” days they attend one.

“It’s a challenge, especially balancing schoolwork with traveling the world,” Singer said.

When students go on shore, they have field labs, which correlate with what they’re learning in the classroom. In Singer’s Religion and the First Amendment class, she learned about a court case in the European Court of Human Rights. When they were in Europe, they got to meet the lawyers who worked on the case.

“Education in the world has so much of an impact on how you’re able to relate things back in the classroom,” Singer said.

For Burke, his studies so far have taught him that experiences make the best teachers.

Burke said Semester at Sea was a “no brainer” for him. He thinks his education has given him certain understandings that allow him to critically reflect on the different cultures.

“Anthropology has allowed me to become a very mindful traveler,” Burke said. “Seeing the world like an anthropologist allows me to notice and understand so much more than I have before.”

One of Burke’s childhood friends, 2014 SU alumnus Jon Maser, also participated in Semester at Sea. When he got back, he told Burke about his trip and encouraged him to do it.

Maser thought Semester at Sea would benefit Burke the way it benefited him. While studying at SU, Maser always knew he wanted to go into entrepreneurship. Participating in Semester at Sea made him realize he wanted to start a business to connect locals with tourists around the world to promote adventure travel.

“The biggest bubble you could be in are college campuses,” Maser said. “(With Semester at Sea), every day you’re just in a completely different environment. It’s just so satisfying to meet new people and do new things.”

Students can also volunteer while the ship is docked. While in Germany, Singer and some of her classmates visited Peace Village International, a home that hosts children from impoverished or war-torn countries in need of medical help.”

“The kids didn’t shy away from us, and they just wanted to be loved,” Singer said.

One girl on the playground was crying hysterically, Singer said. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get the little girl to stop, and they couldn’t communicate because they didn’t speak the same language. Then, two boys started to point at the girl’s wrist and Singer later found out that the girl has a deformity that causes her regular pain.

“The fact that they were able to just communicate and pick up on the fact that I wasn’t able to express what I was trying to say to her, and they were able to do it,” Singer said. “It’s just a very unique environment, and seeing such young children who’ve been through so much also be so strong.”

As the trip nears its end, Burke says the program has changed him as a person in the way that it continues to reinforce his open-mindedness.

“New cultures and new people every day keeps you grounded and seeing all these different ports reminds me of how fortunate I am to have been given the life I have,” Burke said.

Semester at Sea has taught Singer to accept that she doesn’t know exactly who she is yet, but this experience is molding her into the person she wants to be.

Said Singer: “It’s an opportunity to find yourself, and even if you don’t come out necessarily knowing who you are, you start leading a path to saying, ‘This is what I want, this is what I’m learning about myself, this is where I’m growing.’”

In the Nov. 12 article “Students participate in Semester at Sea, travel to 14 countries,” Laura Singer’s name was misspelled. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

Published on November 12, 2014 at 12:31 am

Contact Emma: ekbaty@syr.edu