My New Home

Week 1 on the ship was a lot. A lot of new places to find, people to meet, but mostly, there was a lot of information thrown at us in regard to classes, rules, field programs, safety, etc… Like drinking water out of a fire hose. It was definitely overwhelming at times. Yet we made it through all of the orientation processes and began classes on Monday, the 11th. It didn’t take much longer than 2 hours to find our way throughout the ship. The first day of class

was by far the most memorable I have had in a while. My financial markets course was held on the 9th deck in the Lido Terrace. Thankfully our class only lasted 1 hour 20 minutes (per usual). 18 foot swells rocked the ship back and forth, back and forth. The 9th deck is not the place you want to be in rough waters. Students and teachers alike began feeling seasick without much notice. Some were lucky to make it to the bathroom, others not so lucky. Thus far, I haven’t had any problems with seasickness! Even the Global Studies professor said that it was okay if we threw up during his lecture and that he wouldn’t take it personally. He’s a character. 

After a full two-day roller coaster, the water finally began to calm as we made it through the English Channel. We were 10 hours behind schedule, but with helping winds coming out of the north for the remainder of our journey along side Portugal, we managed to arrive only 4 hours late into Barcelona. Let’s back up and talk about my roommates. Jake Baxter and Tanner Ralls are both from Southern California. Jake is a Finance major with a minor in religious studies, while Tanner is an Econ major. These guys are amazing. Once again, I lucked out choosing random roommates. I feel bad for our neighbors when we are talking and laughing each night sometimes until 2:00am. We live in a small cabin about 12 feet wide, 12 feet deep and our own personal hallway that is a full 2.5 feet wide. We do have our own bathroom which is extremely convenient. I couldn’t believe the amount of luggage people brought with them onto the ship. They say the maximum allowed baggage on the ship was 2 checked bags, 1 duffle bag, and 1 backpack. Surprisingly enough, it seemed as if just about every student brought the maximum amount! One girl I met said in total, it all weighed 120+ pounds! Fortunately, myself nor my roommates brought more than one checked bag and one duffle bag/backpack. I don’t know where we would put any more clothes. The small closets are full as well as all of the drawers.

I love the fact that there is no wi-fi on the ship. For the most part, everyone else feels the same. It gives us the opportunity to actually have true interactions with others without any kind of distractions. Everyone is able to sit down with people they’ve never met and play games such as president, nertz, Monopoly, or Catan for 3 hours straight… ugh. This environment is not only ideal, in my opinion, for young people my age, but for people from all walks of life. I love the fact that I can sit down with my Finance professor from Colorado State University and have dinner with her! My goal is to do the same with the rest of my teachers over the next couple weeks. If possible, I will do my best to sit down for a meal with the Dean of Students and even the President of Semester at Sea before the end of the voyage. This voyage is more than just traveling, learning about cultures and viewing different perspectives. This is incredibly special opportunity and I want to take absolute advantage of everything that I can.

Speaking of taking advantage, I may have gone a bit over board when it came to signing up for clubs/activities. I don’t want to bore you with the list, but I did sign up for 18 different clubs/activities. I will add all of the clubs at the end of this paragraph. Again, I’m just trying to do as much as I can in the short time I am living on a ship. Although I did sign up for all of these clubs, it doesn’t necessarily mean I will be participating in all of them. Realistically I would like to try each club at least once, but I know that school is my first priority. I simply wanted to have the option when it came time to go to the activity or not. Please feel free to email me if you would like. Like I said, I don’t have wi-fi but through the ship’s intranet, I can at least receive emails. My email is kevin.talcott.fa17@semesteratsea.org. Here are the 18 different clubs/activities I signed up for: basketball club, walking club, language exchange club, global business networking club, dependent children’s program, Christian Student Association, Waves of Impact, game club, swing dancing, photography, chess, poetry, star gazing, surfing, zumba, volleyball, soccer, and the Everest club.

Side note: Semester at Sea tends to have a leaning ratio of roughly 75% girls to 25% guys on each voyage. I have heard two different rumors. The first is that the Fall 2017 voyage (the one that I am on) is about equal to what it is usually. The other rumor I heard was that there was exactly 100 guys on the ship. There are 561 total students from 152 different colleges from around the world. This second rumor of exactly 100 guys would put the ratio at about 82% girls/18% guys. Either way, the number is significant. The Dean says this particular voyage is the most diverse compared to any other semester! The majority are from the States, but I have also met quite a few other students from other countries as well. Here are five fotos from my new home, the MV World Odyssey. 

Lido Terrace

Keiserral Lecture Hall

My roommate, Jake