Posted by: Editor on Sep 05, 2005 – 11:52 AM
excursions Scores of students from Universities across the United States and other international destinations arrived in Nassau Tuesday to board the MV Explorer cruise ship for the beginning of a Semester at Sea. Some of the 684 students boarding, were accompanied by friends and relatives who traveled with them to bid them farewell.
Sponsored by the University of Pittsburg, Semester at Sea has been in existence for over 10 years, with typically the winter/spring semester beginning in the Port of Nassau.
According to Julian Asenjo, Associate Director of Enrollment, “it is mandatory that all students joining for the first time travel to Nassau to begin the semester.”
He said, “the main reason for choosing the Port of Nassau is that, the Port is familiar to everyone when it comes to dealing with visitors and it’s easier for students to get to.”
The programme provides students with the “opportunity for comparative study of diverse cultures, combining ship-board classroom experience with on-land field study.” It is intended for students to “receive a cross-cultural perspective on the world that they could never receive on their home campuses.”
“We get an itinerary that exposes students to developing countries and take them to places where they wouldn’t normally travel,” Asenjo said. “Places that are not normally sightseeing places.”
This year, Semester at Sea will visit La Guardia, Venezuela; Salvador, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Mobassa, Kenya; Chennai, India; Yangon Myanmar; Ho Chi Min City; Vietnam, Hong Kong and Kobe, Japan. One of the highlights of the trip this year will be the arrival of Bishop Desmond Tutu who will join the trip to do a series of lectures and sail with the group to Cape Town, Africa.
Semester at Sea is open to all undergraduates in all fields of study, however students in the programme are required to take four courses and participate in international field programmes. Carissa Hoover, a student studying Elementary Education at the University of Nevada Reno received first hand knowledge about the programme from her sister who took the programme 4 years ago.
Hoover said “this is her first visit to Nassau and said its not like she thought it would be.” “I was blown away by how clear and beautiful the water is and the friendliness of the locals.”
Freida Hour, a student from California State University Fullerton, majoring in Human Services says her reason for joining the programme was to visit other countries and learn about their culture.
With amenities similar to that of a land based university, the ship has dormitory rooms manned by a resident assistant for students, classrooms, library, computer lab, recreational facility, student cafeteria, book store, study and faculty lounge. To enter the programme, Asenjo said each student must send in a transcript, written statement and be in good academic standing.
Note: Source: Bahamas Ministry of Tourism – Cruise Dept.