March 13, 1992
'Semester at sea'
Shellea Ewig visits ten countries on a floatiiig classroom
Keri-Ann Thomas
The Pendulum
To some, the living quarters in Elon dormitories
seem like a tight fit, but imagine living with 700 people
on a 450 foot ship... Shellea Ewig, an Elon College
junior had this experience when she spent the fall semester
exploring different countries around the world. She
participated in a "Semester at Sea" program sponsored by
the Institute of Shipboard Education.
Ewig set sail from Canada on September 12th and
returned to the United States on December 23. The
Pendulum spoke to Ewig about her experiences.
Ewig set sail from Canada on September 12th and
returned to the United States on December 23. The
Pendulum spoke to Ewig about her experiences.
Pendulum: How did you find out about the Study
at Sea Program?
Ewig: Through a friend of my family. He went on it
two years ago and had a great time. So I called University
of Pittsburgh and they sent information to me.
Pendulum: Was this a major decision in your life?
What made you decide to go?
Ewig: Yeah it was, traveling around the world by
myself, not knowing anybody. Visiting other countries,
not knowing the language, and knowing almost nothing
about any of the countries that I visited. It was hard
leaving school for a whole semester. I knew that I had to
go because I love to travel and it would give me the
opportunity to visit cities that I wouldn't normally go to.
It was a time for me to grow up and experience other
cultures that would broaden my horizons. It was a big
decision, but it was worth it.
Pendulum: Where did you visit during your
semester at sea ?
Ewig: We set sail from Vancouver, Canada. The first
place we went was Japan. It took us two weeks to sail
across the Pacific Ocean. Then we went to China, Taiwan,
Malaysia, India, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, and
Venezuela, and then the day before Christmas, we came
home to New Orleans. The entire trip took four months.
Pendulum: Was the ship similar to a college
environment?
Ewig: It was a big ship, about 450 feet and it was
exactly like a campus. They call it a floating campus
because they had classrooms, a computer center, a library,
a student union, a theater and other things. It was just like
a normal campus but it was on the water. Also, there were
organizations aboard the ship like the Student Union
Board and the Student Government Association and a
Shellea Ewig
Pendulum: How many students traveled on the
ship with you and where were they from?
Ewig: The ship can hold 450 students, but with the
economy, our ship wasn't full, we had about 415
students. The addition of crew and professors brought the
total number of passengers to 700 people. The students
were from everywhere. I think every state was represented.
Pendulum: What kind of academic curriculum did
you follow while on the ship?
Ewig: They advise you to only take 12 hours
because it is so difficult being on and off the ship.
Students are presented with the challenge of trying to soak
in countries while keeping up with the books. I took
History, Oceanography and Anthropology.
Pretty much all of the classes that you would want to
take were offered. Each class was worth three credits each.
There was one class that everyone on the ship had to take,
it was called Core Class. It met everyday, you had lectures
from the professors whose specialty was the country we
were going to. We also learned about each country, from
family to traditions before we got there.
Pendulum: What was your most memorable
experience ? '
Ewig: All of the countries were my favorite, but the
country that had the most impact on me was India -
because it's a third world country, it's so poor, it's so sad,
and it is so dirty. It's unreal, the begging and the stealing,
it's just so incredibly poor.
Pendulum: Why would you encourage other
students to a attend a study at sea program?
Ewig: First of all, you are seeing countries that you
would probably never go to in your entire life. I have
learned so much about myself. You learn how to push
your limits. Here, I got on a ship not knowing anyone,
and I got off knowing 415 people very well. You are on
your own in those countries, you have nothing to fall
back on. In these countries the people look different, there
aren't any similarities. To me, the whole experience was
worth it.
Pendulum: What type of student would be a good
candidate for this type of program?
Ewig: Someone who's adventurous, open-minded and
willing to take risks. They should be outgoing and stable
enough that they are able to handle different cultures and
different situations.
Pendulum: How often were you able to talk to
your family? Were they always just a phone call away?
Ewig: There was a phone on board the ship but it
cost ten dollars a minute, so nobody used it. In the
countries, I tried not to call my parents. I talked to them
three times during the whole semester. It was hard to get
connections to the United States and it was just too
expensive. 1 did a lot of letter writing. I wrote to my
family in every country.
Towards the end of the trip, when it seemed that I was
so far away from home, I wished 1 could have picked up
the phone and called. The ship uied to keep us as busy as
possible.
Pendulum: What was your most embarrassing
moment in a foreign country?
Ewig: We were in Venezuela talking rudely about
some people who were staring at us. We thought they
couldn't understand what we were saying, but they
understood every word because they were Americans!
Pendulum: Did you ever get claustrophobic while
on the ship?
Ewig: I would only get claustrophobic when we
were on the ship for long periods of time. We would all
be anxious to get off the ship. The longest length of time
we were on the ship was for two weeks when we went
from Canada to Japan.
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