Student waves goodbye to CSC to study abroad
Joy Voss, senior of Chadron, is taking this semester at sea.
Her classroom is the ocean, her dorm a cruise ship, and her field trips encompass 15 different countries. Semester at sea is a global study abroad program, sponsored by the University of Virginia. Professors hold classes aboard the MV Explorer, a fantastic blue and white, 7-deck, 590-foot, 25,000-ton passenger ship. The program offers courses on anything from biology to economics, drama to Spanish, taught and facilitated by a faculty and staff of more than 50, including two resident psychologists and extensive collegiate professors.
During the 3-day sailing portions between ports, students study and live aboard.
Joy accessed this program, a roughly $25,000 endeavour, through the CSC study abroad office. She’s participating in the Fall 2013 voyage, which includes the program’s 50th anniversary. For four months, Voss will be traveling and studying across the globe. Currently she is traveling between Dublin, Ireland and Lisbon, Portugal. Voss, who only has two hours of internet access for the entire voyage, contacted the Eagle on Sept. 19th with her experiences thus far.
Life aboard the ship is, according to Voss, “very hectic and busy.” It’s not all sun-bathing and shuffleboard, since the students only have three days of instruction between docking, They also only have three days to complete their homework. The curriculum isn’t a walk on the beach, either Voss said.
“The homework is extremely hard and takes up all of my time on the ship. I am getting through but I have never had to study or work this hard at college, but I am trying my absolute hardest and I suppose thats all I can do.”
As of her correspondence, the ship has visited St. Petersburg, Russia, Hamburg, Germany, Antwerp, Belgium, Paris, and Le Havre, France. In Russia, the group’s first stop, Voss explored Peterhof Palace, The Hermitage Museum, and the Church of Spilled Blood. Of this last sight Voss said, “The Church was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen in my life. It took 27 years to restore and the entire inside is covered in beautiful mosaics. It’s so breathtaking inside that trying to describe it is impossible.”
Such awe-inspiring cultural immersions continued, as Voss traveled with her cadre of students. In Germany, Voss toured more cathedrals, and visited a cultural site she’s not likely to forget: a concentration camp.
Voss said, “that was really eye opening and emotional for all. That is something that I will never forget, and the worst part is I left my camera on the ship and have no pictures of it.”
Hopefully memories will suffice for Voss, as she continues to trot the globe, collecting experiences that photography can’t compare to. The trip will finally conclude on Dec. 16th, at Fort Lauderdale, Fl. Until then, Voss’ land-bound peers wish her an exciting, educational adventure, and smooth sailing.