|
SEMESTER AT SEA
-
Cheryl Knobel - leeknobel@bresnan.net
Years Abroad: Fall 2005
Name of Program/University: Semester at Sea
Countries: (The World) Bahamas, Venezuela, Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Myanmar/Burma, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, and Japan)
Major: English Literature
Favorite Memory: "After hiking to the top of Table Mountain in South Africa, I sat for a moment to take in the city of Cape Town far below me. I saw the small wealthy sector and the miles and miles of townships. At that moment I realized how large the world was, how many people lived in it, and how wherever I went there would be an opportunity to help someone in need. I had seen so many places with so many hurting people, and to see this vast amount of people suffering in their townships from such a view as that gave me a fulfilling perspective of the world around me. I am so lucky, and have such an opportunity to give of myself to the millions of lives out there.
Comments: "Do not be afraid. Be aware of your surroundings and be intelligently cautious, but explore beyond your wildest dreams and have no fear of the road ahead - that's when the most fulffilling events will occur. A second favorite memory was when I was traveling in Myanmar and heard of a small hostel in Yangon through Lonely Planet with an open rooftop to see the city. I was determined to find it, and finally, at eleven at night (in a city with only a rare streetlight) after walking most of the evening through narrow sidestreets and past packs of homeless people near fires I found this tiny mom'n'pop hostel. The "A/C" they said they had consisted of a tiny, half-broken fan, and the shower I did not even try to operate. But the mini rooftop (probably 6x10 with two little metal chairs) had the best view of the Schwedagon Pagoda. It was a beautiful end to a day of great discovery. The next morning, I walked in the opposite direction I had come the night before, to a quieter part of the city where I had a fifty-cent breakfast of unlimited, great coffee and amazing food. You have to love it."
"One piece of advice I didn't heed and wish I had before I left was "Pack, but then unpack and take half the amount of clothes and twice the amount of money...then you'll be ready." It's true!
|
