Melanie Korner 

Definitely one of the most memorable and enjoyable time of my life. If you have the opportunity to take a semester abroad - take it, even if you think it is last minute, sign up ! Traveling abroad, gives you a once in your life experience to understand and immerse yourself in different cultures, while still a student.….

During the summer of 2012, I accepted into Semester at Sea through the University of Virginia, to study on an past cruise ship- turned student ship, for 62 days with 600+ college students and lifelong learners. When I received my acceptance letter, I was beyond elated! My journey during Semester at Sea summer 2012 would begin in the Bahamas, traveled across the Atlantic Ocean for eight day, explored Spain for three days, Italy for six ( two ports), Greece for three days, Croatia for three days, Turkey for four days, Morocco for three, and finally Portugal for threes days before sailing another eight days back to Boston. All the while between ports taking classes, exams, studying, and planning for the coming adventures. Talk about going Global ! Given that the voyage was so long, I will spotlight a few countries .

 

The first days across the sea were a completely unique experience ( having never been on a cruise or ship before, I got pretty lucky with not being seasick), during this time I explored the ship, got to meet people from all over the US that I would have never met otherwise, as well as students from as far as China, Panama, Hong Kong, and Italy. While, I got my sea legs, I also studied a lot, bonded with the crew and professors, and learned a lot about life at sea.

After eight days at sea, many of us were happy to see land and touch land - luckily we were at our first port - Barcelona, Spain. During my three days in Spain, I visited Las Ramblas, attended a flamenco show, watched the Euro Cup compete, had gazpacho, paella, churros con chocolate caliente ( at three in the morning), went to the Picasso museum, enjoyed a scavenger hunt sponsored by on of my professors that took me all over city, saw La Sagrada familia, and Gaudi Park, and much much more. Luckily, I speak Spanish so it was easy for me to move around the city and speak to locals and get to know the city. One thing I recommend is always talk to the locals, spend as much time as you can enjoying the city get a feel for its pulse - its vibe, take in the city, and let the city take you. One of the most memorable things, that has always left me in awe of Barcelona is that it and its inhabitants never sleep ( except for Siestas). People say New York or Paris are the cities that never sleep, but I beg to differ, arguing for Barcelona to retain the title. One of the nights I was out with my friends in Barcelona, I remembering all of us looking our watches at about three in the morning, thinking we better head back to the ship because everything would be closing; however, just as we turned the corner into la Plaza, we knew it e were not ready to leave - we stayed until five in the morning ( all the cafes, shops, and restaurants remained open all night/morning). Barcelona's beat is one that pulses loudly through the night, and takes a siesta at about mid-day to recover and refuel for the night to come.  

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After three wonderful days in Spain ( and on land), we went onto Italy . We arrived first in Civitavecchia ( docked for three days), then celebrated the 4th of July traveling to the next port in Naples. While in Italy, I explored Civitavecchia, with my friend that was a local - she took us to the most incredible hole-in-wall restaurant ( that only locals would know about) and treated us to a six course meal - absolutely amazing. From there, I took a train to Rome and walked for two hours to get to our tent hostel ( very cool experience) we got to meet people from all over the world, just in the hostel alone. In Rome we explored all the sites, the Colosseum, Vatican city, the ruins,the market places, the Spanish steps, the Trevi fountain, enjoyed gelato & square pizzas. Rome felt like a hustle and bustle kind of city, but somehow the people seemed to move as though they were in slow motion. The heat was dry, and the sun was strong - thank goodness for all the public water fountains.When we relocated the Naples port, I visited parts of Napoli through a tour bus, went to Capri with friends on a boat we rented, dove off cliffs, and visited the caves. I then went to Latina to visit and say with a cousin - she is originally Romanian, so it was interesting to see how she lived in Italy. The people were always very friendly in Italy - generally helping to find a place, train stop and even borrow their phones.

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing on we sailed to Dubrovnik, Croatia - one of the cities I was most excited to visit and explore. Dubrovnik is a small, quiet, slow paced fishing & beach city. It is surrounded by city walls from its former fort. The people of the city are humble and down to earth, while its visitors refer to it as Rich Europeans' Playground. Croatia has had to recover from horrible wars and has turned itself into a gem, preserving its history and natural landscape with a passion. Its town center reminded me of a pristine Jerusalem - with its ancient city walls and cobblestone floors. During my visit to Dubrovnik, I visited the oldest Sephardic synagogue in Eastern Europe, visited an non-profit organization that is helping women grow silk worms to recreate their national outfits and costumes that were lost in the war. In addition, I went on a sunset kayaking trip to on of Croatia's most preserved islands and national parks, and walked the city walls. Many of my friends took part in cliff diving. Additionally, one of the nights we were there there was a festival of music and lights -complete with a concert and fireworks over the beach. But mostly, I enjoyed walking around alone discovering all the nooks and crannies this gem of a city had to offer - getting to know the locals is always a great idea. Fun fact : Croatia invented bow-ties and Dubrovnik's gelato is AMAZING !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my voyage, I was always grateful for the opportunity my parents and grandma allowed me to have the amazing and eyeopening opportunity. Therefore, as I traveled along I  took pictures with signs that combined said "Thank you for giving me the world" for my parents and grandma. Heres is a collection of the pictures.