Learning happens in every single corner of the ship.   You learn from professors, college student, crew members and the general population.  And, learning happens with every step you take on land.  The countries, cities and people, open themselves up to show us things we never imagined and often really cannot understand.  Our shipboard community is a place which allows you to process what you have learned.  It is a place to debate ideas and share new knowledge.  You cannot hide from learning on this sort of a journey.  We are a University.

For our boys, the rich environment they have been living in cannot be recreated.  They learned in Japan that there are societal rules that are followed, strictly. Respect is required to successfully manage within this culture.  What is good for the group is the way you will act.  Society works as a community to ensure that everyone has a chance. This well-oiled machine is stunning.  Organized and efficient.   A country to which you compare so many of our more experiences.

In India, we stayed in a family home, high upon a hill, surrounded by rubber tree plantations.  There was an incredible tree house perched on the cliff that had been built by a 77 year old man from the village below.  You could see for miles.   It was here that the boys learned that heavy tropical rains are an incredible force.  They wash out roads, create streams of water where it should not be, and can soak through your clothes and shoes in less than 1 minute.  Lincoln took advantage of our “rain shower challenge” remaining in the tropical downpour for 5 minutes.  It may be the cleanest he has been in the past 5 days of hot and humid India. With very little AC to be found, you are at the mercy of the steamy environment.

It was also in India, we learned that electricity is lost when it rains in such a dramatic fashion.  We saw a downpour every afternoon.  (I can say this with conviction as we come from the land of so much rain.) I believe it was a monsoon rain, our hosts suggested that the monsoon rains only happen the 1st week in June, however, our host admitted that the population has begun to note that the weather patterns are changing.  Last year they did not experience their 2nd season of monsoon, and are currently experiencing a severe drought.  When the rains begun, the villagers took to their drums to celebrate.  Their drums were heard across the hilltop.  It was a serious celebration.   We did our own rain dance right alongside of our new friends.  We were soaked.  And, laughing.

We now recognize that indoor bathroom plumbing is a luxury that may not be available when you are staying in a remote location near the top of a mountain.  Buckets and scoops will be the bathing method of choice.  The power can go out when you are bathing leaving you with a scoop full of water and no source of light.   It seems your mother comes to rescue you with a flashlight when such a thing happens, as you are now naked in the dark in a house you are not familiar with.  Flexibility will be learned.

In Myanmar we learned that children can take up residence in schools if their parents are unable to care for them.  400 students of elementary age can live together as a massive tribe.   It was in our kids group on the ship, a few days later, that we had an opportunity to reflect on what we saw.  We discussed how happy the children seemed.  And, how little they had in terms of personal space or personal possessions.  We talked about how basic their tables and chairs were.  And, how we might feel if we slept on a mat in a huge auditorium with 400 friends.  The discussion between the children in our group was direct.  They have perception we do not always recognize.  As a group we surmised that happiness may not be entirely based on “things”.   Perhaps, if your life is very difficult, and your parents have extremely limited resources, it is better to live with friends who are in similar circumstances that you find yourself in.  A tribe.  Your community.  To have a community of friends who are always with you, making games in the dirt and dust….but you are together.  Playmates, brothers and sisters, teachers and monks.  Are together.

Who knew that wi-fi is hard to come by in many corners of the planet?  Not our children.  They were born with wi-fi being all around them.  Maybe it just comes automatically when you are born?   (Ha!)  Not only is wi-fi scarce, if you do locate some, it may be unable to keep up with your sophisticated games and videos.  (Oh wow.  Who knew?)  Card games are all the rage.  The children have even taken to making up their own games and teaching others to play.  It is an “old-fashioned” life filled with human to human interaction.  You need to be able to communicate face-to-face to be heard on this ship.  What a unique concept that so many of us have forgotten.

The card games, word games, and made up activities are reminders of what children did when the activities were not pre-programmed.   The mind games just happen and the creativity oozes from all corners of the ship.  We just make fun appear.  It has been “re-learned”. I suspect my children did not know such magic was even possible.  If you have a few people, you will never be bored.  Each one seems to have a trick up their sleeve which does not take any materials to play.  Fun just happens when you live on a ship filled with 800 unique and diverse humans.

Fun happens when the captain invites you to join him in throwing a “float”, designed to monitor sea conditons for 1 year, into the ocean at particular coordinates.  This float, is recording data so that scientists will be able to learn more about our changing planet.  This type of opportunity does not happen every day.

We know that traveling with 600 college students means you can find any “expertise” you are seeking.  Lincoln has a private gymnastics lesson every other day.  He can do hand stands and back kick overs on a rocking ship.  He now knows how to recognize when someone stacks the deck of cards in their favor.  He has found ways to eat from a buffet that serves food he may not appreciate.  He can open our cabin door with a key (keys were a mysterious object prior to this trip).  He is bolder.  And, wiser.  And, more patient when someone cannot produce an answer.  Unknowns are accepted and somewhat anticipated now.   He recalls every single activity in such extreme details after some processing time is allowed.  He may not talk as much, but he IS experiencing it all.   And, the perceptive conclusions are teaching us a thing or two.

Lincoln has learned that the world does not function how he thinks things are to be.  Forced creativity.  Forced to flex.  He is 8.  And, has seen things his mother never imagined she would be able to see.  He has been around the world.  There was never a better time to stretch this child. He knows his parents do not know all that much.  And, cannot control so many, many things.  He now knows his reaction is the only thing that can be controlled on most days.  He also knows that once the family goes to sleep, he can pop out of bed and go to an event named Midnight Snacks.  He can slip out of our room and eat cake with college students.  He is under his own power.  And, this is a power he needed to become aware of as it has added such a level of confidence we are astonished.  He will not be contained by our 4 walls at home.  It is a big world and he is ready to grab it all.

Tate can speak simple sentences in Japanese.  He takes Japanese from a native speaker every single day.  Learning a new language, which he has fought up until now, has become a great interest.  He wants to complete a family  in Japan this summer and plans to apply to boarding schools for his last 2 years in high-school.  He dines with international students, and has been invited to travel Europe for 3 weeks after our voyage with a group of gap year young adults.  His parents have suggested this will not happen, but he has not given up the cause yet.  He is interested in supporting one of the group homes we have visited as part as his birthday gifts. These experiences will change these children.  We will see where they go.

Opportunity exists when you have academics all around you.  Tate has taken to going to college classes, including being at every single class that Scott teaches.  Much to our delight, the Oceanography professor has seen his interest, and is feeding it.  We have beakers of sea water for him to observe.  He is running his experiments next to my computer.  We place the beakers into the sun, chop up plastic and place it into the water.  I have brushed up on my scientific skills and delighted in sharing my rusty scientific skills.  Tate has aced tests, loans his note books out to students that failed to make class, and feels completely empowered to tell anyone who will listen what facts he has recently learned.  It can make for a long conversation.  Similar to listening to someone recite an encyclopedia, but his peers will put him back into the world of teen-like talk upon our return.  Re-entry may be difficult for this one.  But, we know each of us will struggle.  He will not be alone.

The learning by experience opportunities are unreal when you travel on Semester at Sea.  The things you see are certain to be stored away until you can process them.  Or, they break your heart and you are left attempting to make sense of it all.  Our community re-hashes theories over lunch.  We learn as much from one another, our land based experiences, as we do from our individual travel.  It is remarkable.  And, many times exhausting.  Reflection is simply part of the conversation no matter where you sit for dinner.

While in Ghana, Scott was chatting with a woman from Ghana discussing the amazingly oppressive heat.  This woman clucked her tongue and said, “It must be difficult to have that skin that you have.”  She felt that the white skin was a huge disadvantage in the heat.  What a relief to be able to simply discuss potential disadvantages of having a particular skin color when the sun burns in minutes.   How fantastic to be able to talk about this difference in a simple and casual conversation. There have been numerous academic presentations about inclusion and diversity during evening seminars while we are at sea.   About skin color and race.   About the privileges which white skin affords.   About discrimination.  Who knew that this simple discussion of skin color would take place in this African country?  In a place where our skin color set us up to visually be “visitors”.  We could not blend into a crowd in Ghana.  Everyone knew we were not from around those parts.  What a relief to discuss such difference in a non-accusatory way.  Just a matter of fact.  Our skin color put us at a disadvantage according to this woman. And, who knows….she may have been correct. Ghana.  What a breath of air in so many ways.

After all of this travel, astonishingly, I find myself less and less anxious about the “problems” I “see” in our country.  I do attempt to access the news sources and stay up on the current changes and issues.  I know we must dig into doing The Work and raising our voices.  This is only just beginning.   I am not naïve in this.  Dig in and support what you believe to be the right way.

If we all do a little something to make the world better, we will get there.  I just know it.  Pick your passion.  I can admit, I take great comfort in the fact that 800 voyagers have come to know so much more about the world and to learn more about the incredible humans these “youngsters” are.   For me, this experience is education at its highest level.   The younger generation that are aboard this ship, forming their views, are formidable, brilliant and kind.  We have much to look forward to.  This is a bright group of deeply concerned almost adults.  They are nearly formed and ready to work.

One of our voyager friends said to me last night; “If our children do not form a deep love for our amazing country after these experiences, they may never know how fortunate they are to hold a US passport.”

This statement has been swirling in my mind for 24 hours.  They said it best.   I recognize the greatness, especially after being fortunate enough to travel to so many different countries….. and I will do my little part.  Which added to another part, and another, and another…..change will be made.

That is opportunity.  There is a ton of it out in this big wide planet.  There is a ton of it on our ship.  I might even believe there is opportunity wherever exactly it needs to be.