SEA Semester was a life-changing, unbelievable, outstanding program!!! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Especially during the shore component, the workload is HUGE, but everything is so new and exciting and interesting that it's totally worth every second. You'll cram a ton of information into your head in a very short period of time and it's AMAZING. I chose this program because I was an Anthropology major and wanted to learn more about the history and culture of the Caribbean; this was the BEST possible way to learn because it was all hands-on, and I got to do direct field research in the places I was studying. As a "non-sciency person" I was nervous about the oceanography component, but the program is designed for humanities majors so their approach to learning science is carefully crafted to suit the students. Plus, the net deployments and chemistry tests and the amazing flora and fauna that you see and collect are so fascinating that you totally forget you're doing science!

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

On the ship, we had to bring everything we would need for five and a half weeks at sea, and we had to fit all of it into tiny, cramped bunks with only a curtain for privacy. There were certainly days when I was frustrated by the tight living conditions and claustrophobia, but it was all worth it for what I gained in self

Jenn Weber was our steward and she was THE BOMB. She taught all of so much about cooking and food safety, and the meals were always delicious! She was flexible when we were choosing our menus for our Assistant Steward days and always made it fun, even when the ship was rolling and heaving and you had to fight through the seasickness to get food on the table for the crew. I have to admit, my favorite thing in the world is homemade bread, and we made EVERYTHING from scratch, even pita pockets and hamburger rolls and bagels! Jenn was also one of my closest confidants and I am still in contact and good friends with her to this day.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

One of my favorite stories is from our port stop in Samana, Dominican Republic. We decided to use our day off to take a trip up to a waterfall we had heard about, so six of us hired a motorbike-rickshaw to take us up the mountain. Well, with so many people to carry, the poor little bike overheated and started spitting flames out of the tailpipe! We pulled over, the driver put out the flames, hit the tailpipe with a rock, and kept going! Fortunately, we made it there safely and he even gave us an uneventful ride back to the dock. My favorite story is of the night I was at the helm and the rest of my watch group was off handling other duties around the ship, except for Stephanie, who was in the doghouse looking at charts. It was only a week into the trip, so I was still pretty nervous at the helm. It was pitch-black, because we needed our night vision to work in the dark, and the ship was heaving something fierce. All of a sudden, something goes flying past my headon the starboard side, just inches from my face, smashes into the back rail and falls to the deck. I can't see anything, so I shout, "Oh my God! Stephanie, get the flashlight!" She comes running of the doghouse with the light and shines the light back to where a very unfortunate flying fish is flopping about on the deck, incredibly confused and gasping for air. Apparently, the captain heard me shout, because he comes barreling down the deck and comes around the corner to find me jumping around, trying desperately not to step on this poor fish and not release my grip on the helm at the same time, and Stephanie just standing there, totally at a loss for what to do. Seeing that the situation was not as dire as he had feared, Steve sighed, shook his head, picked up the fish and walked away without a word. In the official logbook, in which we recorded our location, navigation, sail plan and weather conditions every hour for the entire trip and which was submitted to the US Coast Guard at the end of the voyage, there is an entry for that night that reads, "Helmswoman almost taken out by flying fish."

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We all understood that the ship was a dangerous place, and took safety very seriously, but the various scrapes and bruises we sustained were well-tending and certainly well worth the experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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