Ok, now for some fun stuff! June = Planning Port Activities! The end of June means Semester at Sea finally posts their field programs (excursions you can buy while in various ports) and students/staff/faculty can register in advance. There are so many cool trips and its really hard to know which ones are worth purchasing vs. ones I can do on my own. How much of my time in port do I want to devote to planned/scheduled excursions? How much time do I want to explore on my own or just wander? Really tough questions, I know.
Let me give you a sliver of the options: Surfing lesson in Barbados's beautiful waters anyone? (That one filled up real quick, as you might imagine). Or how about a scenic drive to Ireland's Cliffs of Moher? Three day trip through the Amazon rainforest in a riverboat? Or maybe a cooking class in Morocco is more your cup of tea (which is also good in Morocco!). Russian ballet performance in St. Petersburg? Yeah, I want them all too.
So, what did I do? I made three decisions about these excursions. 1. I'd pick ones that seemed especially enriching to me academically and culturally. 2. I'd pick ones that I could not do on my own. 3. I decided to allow myself one or two that are an absolute musts and then buy some later if they do not fill up.
Now, there is a seriously good chance I will meet some incredibly cool people and travel with them as well so I opted out of the "Tour of the city by foot" tours available. I also said "um, no" to ones way over my budget (some excursions are over $1000!). I also began looking up sites/attractions/cultural points of interests in most of our ports to get a sense of my travel priorities. After some (still more to come) research, I've signed up for the following excursions:
1. St. Petersburg - Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace and City Walking Tour - I know, I just got through telling you that I said "no" to the walking tours but I got this one because of my visa situation. Since I opted not to get a Russian visa, I can't leave the ship without being on a SAS excursion. So, this tour will allow me to see many of the sites in STP at one go. Also, my class field lab is in Russia and it takes us to other locations on Day 2 of our visit there. I'm still contemplating what to do on Day 3.
2. Antwerp - Day Trip to Amsterdam - I choose this one because technically we are not allowed to leave the country we land in at each port. So, if we land in Belgium, we can go explore on our own, but can't leave Belgium. Amsterdam (in the Netherlands) is not on our itinerary so the only way to see it is through this SAS excursion. Can't wait to cruise through all the canals and add yet another country to my itinerary!
3. Dakar - University Welcome Reception - In Senegal, we have the opportunity to spend an evening with faculty and students from a university. I jumped at this chance to engage with academics because I'd love to see how their education compares with the US and learn about alternative educational pedagogy. I'd also like to make some contacts and network in the future. Easy peasy decision there.
4. Accra - Service Visit: Pencils of Promise - In Ghana, there are a number of opportunities to give back to families, students and schools. This service visit takes us to the Pencils of Promise grassroots organization that helps to build schools for children in underprivileged areas. This organization, started by a SAS alum, provides education, shelter and other resources for these children. On this excursion, we will get to meet and interact with these students for a few hours, talk with the district Director of Education, tutor students on various subjects and help build a school! For me, its an opportunity to provide a smile, a hug, a lesson and some gifts (like candy, school supplies, etc). Mostly though, I imagine they will be teaching me more than I can ever give them.
I could scan the list of SAS excursions for hours (ok, already have) and I get so giddy at the thought of seeing such amazing places along with students. Of course, there are a few on my "maybe" and "wishful thinking" lists as well, such as Salsa lessons in Cuba, visiting the Rock of Gibraltar in Cadiz, sharing a meal with a Moroccan family, and seeing the Tijuca Rainforest in Rio de Janeiro. Which of these sounds good to you?? SAS people, which ones did you pick? SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS, I'd love to hear from you all.
50 days left before the trip of a lifetime!!
Let me give you a sliver of the options: Surfing lesson in Barbados's beautiful waters anyone? (That one filled up real quick, as you might imagine). Or how about a scenic drive to Ireland's Cliffs of Moher? Three day trip through the Amazon rainforest in a riverboat? Or maybe a cooking class in Morocco is more your cup of tea (which is also good in Morocco!). Russian ballet performance in St. Petersburg? Yeah, I want them all too.
So, what did I do? I made three decisions about these excursions. 1. I'd pick ones that seemed especially enriching to me academically and culturally. 2. I'd pick ones that I could not do on my own. 3. I decided to allow myself one or two that are an absolute musts and then buy some later if they do not fill up.
Now, there is a seriously good chance I will meet some incredibly cool people and travel with them as well so I opted out of the "Tour of the city by foot" tours available. I also said "um, no" to ones way over my budget (some excursions are over $1000!). I also began looking up sites/attractions/cultural points of interests in most of our ports to get a sense of my travel priorities. After some (still more to come) research, I've signed up for the following excursions:
1. St. Petersburg - Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace and City Walking Tour - I know, I just got through telling you that I said "no" to the walking tours but I got this one because of my visa situation. Since I opted not to get a Russian visa, I can't leave the ship without being on a SAS excursion. So, this tour will allow me to see many of the sites in STP at one go. Also, my class field lab is in Russia and it takes us to other locations on Day 2 of our visit there. I'm still contemplating what to do on Day 3.
2. Antwerp - Day Trip to Amsterdam - I choose this one because technically we are not allowed to leave the country we land in at each port. So, if we land in Belgium, we can go explore on our own, but can't leave Belgium. Amsterdam (in the Netherlands) is not on our itinerary so the only way to see it is through this SAS excursion. Can't wait to cruise through all the canals and add yet another country to my itinerary!
3. Dakar - University Welcome Reception - In Senegal, we have the opportunity to spend an evening with faculty and students from a university. I jumped at this chance to engage with academics because I'd love to see how their education compares with the US and learn about alternative educational pedagogy. I'd also like to make some contacts and network in the future. Easy peasy decision there.
4. Accra - Service Visit: Pencils of Promise - In Ghana, there are a number of opportunities to give back to families, students and schools. This service visit takes us to the Pencils of Promise grassroots organization that helps to build schools for children in underprivileged areas. This organization, started by a SAS alum, provides education, shelter and other resources for these children. On this excursion, we will get to meet and interact with these students for a few hours, talk with the district Director of Education, tutor students on various subjects and help build a school! For me, its an opportunity to provide a smile, a hug, a lesson and some gifts (like candy, school supplies, etc). Mostly though, I imagine they will be teaching me more than I can ever give them.
I could scan the list of SAS excursions for hours (ok, already have) and I get so giddy at the thought of seeing such amazing places along with students. Of course, there are a few on my "maybe" and "wishful thinking" lists as well, such as Salsa lessons in Cuba, visiting the Rock of Gibraltar in Cadiz, sharing a meal with a Moroccan family, and seeing the Tijuca Rainforest in Rio de Janeiro. Which of these sounds good to you?? SAS people, which ones did you pick? SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS, I'd love to hear from you all.
50 days left before the trip of a lifetime!!
No comments:
Post a Comment