Traveling is something that I have always been very passionate about.

I have been able to travel to many different states in the United States but I haven't really had the opportunity to do much traveling outside of the country. I have been to Mexico and Guatemala one time each and it was amazing. I think experiencing different cultures around the world is such a wonderful opportunity that everyone should try to do at some point in their lifetime. You can learn so much from stepping out of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to a different environment.

That is why I am taking the opportunity to study abroad during college.

Last year when I transferred colleges, I lost a semester of credits which in turn made me think I would not have time to study abroad. I had always wanted to study abroad and when I sat down to look at my 4-year plan, it seemed like studying abroad would not fit in. I talked to my advisor about it and she encouraged me to study abroad even if it meant spending another semester in school. She told me most students don't graduate in four years and that studying abroad is the opportunity of a lifetime. It didn't take much convincing for me to decide that I would make studying abroad work. So I decided to look at some options and see what I wanted to do.

A friend of mine had said something about a program called Semester At Sea.

She told me that you basically travel the world on a ship while going to class. That night, I went back to my room and watched hours of videos on YouTube about the program and instantly fell in love. I knew this was something I had to do. I applied for Semester At Sea in January of 2015 for the Spring 2017 voyage. I waited patiently and when I got my acceptance letter I was ecstatic. I could not believe I had been excepted and not only that but two of my very best friends would also be going on the journey with me. I leave in less than a month and it is so surreal. I do not think it will feel like it is actually happening until I am on the ship. This is going to be the most amazing opportunity for me and I am beyond thankful that my parents are allowing me to go.

For those of you who have not heard me gush about Semester At Sea yet here is a little preview.

We will be going to 11 different countries: USA, Japan, China, Vietnam, Burma, India, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, and Germany! In every country we are allowed to do our own thing and explore however we would like to. I am so overjoyed at the idea of getting to experience 11 countries in four months and cannot wait to fill everyone in along the way!