Bridget's Semester at Sea- Spring, 2011

Hey Everyone. I am finally back on my blog. I know it's been a LONG time. I have been so busy with graduation, post graduation celebrations, work, and more school. I will have an update very soon, maybe even a video update~
Right now I am working on the pictures and thank you's for all of the sticker donations. It has been so awesome to go through my photo library and see so many kids with stickers on their hands and faces, all because of you!

I'm posting because a a good friend of mine and sorority sister from Pacific, Megan MacLeod, is currently sailing on Semester at Sea's Summer 2011 voyage. I am so excited to start reading the blog she has set up, and wanted to give you all the opportunity to continue reading about the amazing adventures of Semester at Sea.

megsmacleod@blogspot.com

We are home! It is so weird to be back. For some reason my Taiwan and Hawaii posts were not added onto here, so I guess you guys are a little behind the loop. We docked in the San Diego Harbor at 8 am yesterday (Sunday) morning, and there were hundreds of excited parents waiting for us and yelling our names. We had stayed up all night hanging out for the last time, which was just surreal. We've been with this community for almost 4 months, away from our family and friends at home. Thinking about leaving each other after being together 24/7 in a confined space was a little shocking for us. We spent our last couple hours saying goodbyes and packing up the final things. Our luggage was taken the day before and put together on an outside deck, so it was nice to not worry about it during the last couple minutes. My parents and Connor, the Stones, and Grandma were all waiting for us to get off the ship. I can't explain the feeling of getting off the ship. It was so bittersweet. This is the longest I have ever been away from my family or home, and seeing them was just so exciting and fun. At the same time, we were leaving this ship that HAD become our home. When our group of friends walked off, and the security guards we had become friends with asked us to give them our keys, we all just broke down. I couldn't help but wonder when I will ever get the opportunity to sail on a ship with 800 other people and circumnavigate the globe. I have so much to write about the trip and what it meant to me, but I just need a couple days to settle down and think about every incredible story that needs to be told. The trip is over, but it is definitely just the beginning of a much longer journey. I've learned so much about myself during these four months, and this trip has opened my eyes to many problems throughout the world that before I would have overlooked. But it also taught me that there are two ways I can go about solving a problem. I can watch it from afar and think that someone else will do something to solve it, or I can take the initiative and put forth every effort to make a change. To be honest, I don't feel like the voyage changed me. But it did allow me to reevaluate my values and give me the choice to stand on the sidelines and watch people around this world suffer, or stand up and do everything possible to give every human the opportunity to be happy and feel like they matter. This was something I learned from professors, life long learners, students, and citizens of every country we visited. Something that people with different religious, political, and academic backgrounds all encouraged. I have never experienced so many views on the need of service and respect of differences, as well as encouragement to find the similarities within completely different cultures. I will never forget what this voyage has taught me, and I am so excited to share it with all of you.

These next 10 days are incredibly busy, but I will try to update this blog as often as I can. We had 35 people come to Easter dinner, including family, Semester at Sea students and professors. We had the most amazing day, and my parents were just so fabulous. 6 SAS students are staying for a couple days, and then Matt, Catherine, Gavin and I are going up to Northern California to begin the graduation stuff. May 7th is the actual graduation, but we are so excited to see all of our Pacific friends this week! This trip has been life changing in many ways, and I am so excited to tell you all about every story from every country as I de-stress from this overwhelming experiencing of leaving the ship. I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon as I integrate myself back into a world with facebook and cellphones 24/7!
Peace & love
Bridget