Friday, February 22, 2013
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The end for Now
Some sad news...The day before I was to get on the ship in Canada I became ill. Luckily I was with my parents the entire time and I was brought back to the US and hospitalized. I am recovering now and my life is getting back to normal. Semester at sea is working with me and I will most likely be able to go on a voyage next year. It is disappointing because it's a year from now but everything happens for a reason. As of now, I am still going to spend the winter and spring terms in Oregon at Western Oregon University.
Thanks for all of the support! :)
You can reach me at my iup email address, which is b.n.bonfiglio@iup.edu.
Thanks for all of the support! :)
You can reach me at my iup email address, which is b.n.bonfiglio@iup.edu.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Where in the World
Ok, so I leave for Nova Scotia in less than two weeks! I just wanted to update this with my itinerary and contact information.
Here is my itinerary:
Ok, so I leave for Nova Scotia in less than two weeks! I just wanted to update this with my itinerary and contact information.
Here is my itinerary:
| Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Depart | Friday | 28 August | 1700 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadiz, Spain | Arrive Depart | Saturday Tuesday | 05 September 08 September | 0800 2000 |
| Casablanca, Morocco | Arrive Depart | Thursday Monday | 10 September 14 September | 0800 2000 |
| Accra, Ghana | Arrive Depart | Tuesday Friday | 22 September 25 September | 0800 2000 |
| Cape Town, South Africa | Arrive Depart | Saturday Thursday | 03 October 08 October | 0800 2000 |
| Port Louis, Mauritius | Arrive Depart | Thursday Saturday | 15 October 17 October | 0800 2000 |
| Chennai, India | Arrive Depart | Friday Tuesday | 23 October 27 October | 0800 2000 |
| Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam | Arrive Depart | Tuesday Sunday | 03 November 08 November | 0800 0600 |
(On-ship time is 2100 on Saturday, November 07) | ||||
| Hong Kong / Shanghai, China | Arrive Depart | Wednesday Monday | 11 November 16 November | 0800 2000 |
| Yokohama / Kobe, Japan | Arrive Depart | Friday Tuesday | 20 November 24 November | 0800 2100 |
(Cross International Dateline; Add One Day) | ||||
| Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii, USA | Arrive Depart | Friday Monday | 04 December 07 December | 0600 2000 |
| San Diego, California, USA | Arrive | Monday | 14 December | 0800 |
***13 days!!***
Sunday, August 2, 2009
"The Checklist"
Ok, so I have 27 days until I get on the ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia! I wanted to update on everything I have been doing to prepare this past month.
Here is what I accomplished:
-I got my four vaccinations for polio, typhoid, yellow fever, and the flu
-I have the necessary malaria medication and thankfully they are the pills that don't cause night mares and hallucinations, haha
-I received the three visa's for Ghana, India, and Vietnam
-We booked the plane tickets for mom, dad, and me. We are driving from Presque Isle, Michigan to Sault St. Marie, Canada. And then taking a plane from there to Toronto and then to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The benefit of flying completely through Canada is that we are allowed to have two FREE bags per person. That will make packing a lot easier.
-Signed up for my four classes, which are Global Study A, International Service Learning, Intro to Intercultural Communication, and Race and Ethnicity in the US since Colonial Times
-Ordered my books that will be delivered to my cabin on the ship
-Signed up/paid for all pre-sale trips and trips planned by SAS'ers.
Highlights of trips I'll be doing:
*Morocco: Four days, three nights trip to Marrakech, going on a camel through the Sahara desert, and camping with the nomads.
*Safari in South Africa that was planned by a SAS student
*Trip in India where I will see the Taj Mahal at sunset and the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi
*While in Vietnam a trip to neighboring country Cambodia
*Trip planned by Ashley for China where we will actually sleep on the Great wall in a sleeping bag
*An international exchange and homestay in Japan.
*I will also volunteer in some orphanages and organizations in Ghana and South Africa. In Vietnam I will be part of the $100 solution that was organized by one of my professors. It is where we are given $100 and then try to improve a specific area with that money.
The country I am most excited for is Ghana because I have nothing planned for it and heard it is extremely beautiful. I am just excited to get to talk to locals, especially since this is the first time SAS has travelled there.
Right now the only thing I have left to do is pack! That should be interesting trying to pack for four months, but I am definitely going to try and pack as little as I can. I will have a lot of souvenirs to bring back. They say that you should lay out everything you think you need and then put half back...I will try to stick to that philosophy. (Easier said than done though)
**27 more days**
Here is what I accomplished:
-I got my four vaccinations for polio, typhoid, yellow fever, and the flu
-I have the necessary malaria medication and thankfully they are the pills that don't cause night mares and hallucinations, haha
-I received the three visa's for Ghana, India, and Vietnam
-We booked the plane tickets for mom, dad, and me. We are driving from Presque Isle, Michigan to Sault St. Marie, Canada. And then taking a plane from there to Toronto and then to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The benefit of flying completely through Canada is that we are allowed to have two FREE bags per person. That will make packing a lot easier.
-Signed up for my four classes, which are Global Study A, International Service Learning, Intro to Intercultural Communication, and Race and Ethnicity in the US since Colonial Times
-Ordered my books that will be delivered to my cabin on the ship
-Signed up/paid for all pre-sale trips and trips planned by SAS'ers.
Highlights of trips I'll be doing:
*Morocco: Four days, three nights trip to Marrakech, going on a camel through the Sahara desert, and camping with the nomads.
*Safari in South Africa that was planned by a SAS student
*Trip in India where I will see the Taj Mahal at sunset and the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi
*While in Vietnam a trip to neighboring country Cambodia
*Trip planned by Ashley for China where we will actually sleep on the Great wall in a sleeping bag
*An international exchange and homestay in Japan.
*I will also volunteer in some orphanages and organizations in Ghana and South Africa. In Vietnam I will be part of the $100 solution that was organized by one of my professors. It is where we are given $100 and then try to improve a specific area with that money.
The country I am most excited for is Ghana because I have nothing planned for it and heard it is extremely beautiful. I am just excited to get to talk to locals, especially since this is the first time SAS has travelled there.
Right now the only thing I have left to do is pack! That should be interesting trying to pack for four months, but I am definitely going to try and pack as little as I can. I will have a lot of souvenirs to bring back. They say that you should lay out everything you think you need and then put half back...I will try to stick to that philosophy. (Easier said than done though)
**27 more days**
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Beginning
Hello everyone! :) Most of you already know this, but on August 28th I'll be sailing away on the 100th voyage of Semester at Sea. I have wanted to go on a SAS voyage ever since I heard about it in the 9th grade, so I'm really excited that it's almost here. I will be able to take classes on the ship while I travel to ten different countries. While I'm at each port I won't have classes and will be able to travel within that country. SAS is through the University of Virginia, but they accept around 700 students from universities all across the United States. They even accept International students. If you want more information about it visit semesteratsea.org.
I was lucky enough to get a work study scholarship, so I will have a job for two hours everyday while I'm on the ship. That really helped in bringing the price of the semester down. My job will be working in the campus store. I have already worked in merchandise stores, so it shouldn't be too difficult.
I have to be in Canada on August 27th for my work study, but we don't set sail until the next day. It will be nice to get on the ship a day before everyone else, so I can get used to it a day before the adventure begins. :) December 14th is the last day of the trip and the ship will drop me off in San Diego, California. On my voyage I will be visiting these places:
I was lucky enough to get a work study scholarship, so I will have a job for two hours everyday while I'm on the ship. That really helped in bringing the price of the semester down. My job will be working in the campus store. I have already worked in merchandise stores, so it shouldn't be too difficult.
I have to be in Canada on August 27th for my work study, but we don't set sail until the next day. It will be nice to get on the ship a day before everyone else, so I can get used to it a day before the adventure begins. :) December 14th is the last day of the trip and the ship will drop me off in San Diego, California. On my voyage I will be visiting these places:
- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Cadiz, Spain
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Accra, Ghana
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Chennai, India
- Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
- Hong Kong / Shanghai, China
- Yokohama / Kobe, Japan
- Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii, USA
- San Diego, California, USA
This will truly be an experience of a lifetime, so wish me luck! I will try and stay in touch as much as possible. I'll have limited Internet minutes, but SAS gives everyone a free e-mail account, so I'll post my address as soon as I receive it. I'll also try and update this with everything that is happening on board and with my excursions in each country.
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