“The world is my classroom.”

These words have transformed from just a phrase to a reality. My name is Claudia, a Margaritaville Campus Ambassador, and senior at The Ohio State University. Instead of finishing up my college education at my home institution, I decided to embark on a Semester at Sea. Semester at Sea is a program that offers college students the opportunity to experience the voyage of a lifetime. Over the course of the Spring 2017 semester, 595 students and myself will call the MV World Odyssey our home and the world as our classroom. This alternative to the typical study abroad program allows students to take college classes aboard a ship and travel from San Diego to Hawaii, Japan, China, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco and Germany. We have the privilege of spending 4, 5 or 6 days in each country. This unique form of transportation makes for a very different lifestyle than I have been used to.

Although my life at sea is just beginning, it has already been incredible. The ocean is my backyard, and with that comes the beauty of being able to simply sit and stare out at the water for hours. There’s something special about being able to look over the front of the ship with the wind blowing against you and nothing but the horizon in sight. I’ve never been a morning person but the sunrises over the Pacific Ocean have made waking up early extremely worthwhile.

Jimmy Buffett puts it best when he asks “What time zone am I on, what country am I in?” Living at sea allows for a unique experience of a loss of time. We are constantly changing time zones and the days of the week are unknown. I might not know where I am or what time it is, but it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere. On top of crossing time zones, we have crossed the International Date Line. This means that January 16^th 2017 is a day that did not exist for me. I went to sleep on January 15^th, and when I woke up, it was January 17^th. I may have lost that day, but in return I gained the world.

So far my travels have been mostly life at sea, but I am counting down the days until we start reaching land regularly. Waking up in a new country every week has been a dream of mine and I feel extremely lucky to make it a reality. I invite you to join me on my voyage and come ‘sea’ the world through my eyes!

Fins Up!