Student sails around the world
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

OVERSEAS STUDY- Amber Shevin, a graduate of Viewpoint School and a Calabasas resident, took a detour from her studies at the University of San Diego to circle the globe through the University of Virginia's Semester at Sea program.

After graduating from Calabasas' Viewpoint School in 2005, Amber Shevin looked forward to heading off to college at the University of San Diego. But after just a year, the international relations student decided to move to a different classroom for a semester- one on the sea.

The 100-day Semester at Sea program Shevin chose took her all over the world, with stops in Japan, Egypt, India, Spain and eight other countries.

"I've always loved traveling," said Shevin, who had visited Australia once and Mexico and Costa Rica a few times before going abroad. "Our school has a summer programs fair and I just happened to pick up one of the fliers at the booth. Three months later I was just bored in my dorm, so I went online and looked at it. I talked to friends who had done it and did more research. . . . It sounded like something I'd like a lot."

The study-abroad program chooses about 600 college students from all over the world to travel for 100 days aboard the 24,300ton MV Explorer ship. Classrooms with closed circuit television capabilities, a library, computer lab, student union and two dining rooms makes the ship, quite literally, a campus on the seas.

"It was really, really cool to meet people from all over the world," Shevin said. "I know you do that at college anyway, but it's a lot more at this degree with all these different backgrounds. It was honestly the coolest group of people I've ever met."

Shevin took classes on global studies, exploring the issues of the countries she visited, as well as English, history and music.

"We had class every day," Shevin said. "All the classes are geared toward the places we were going."

But perhaps the most valuable experiences were those that took place off the boat.

"When we got to countries, you could go on your own or do something planned by the Semester at Sea office. If you don't do that, you can do whatever, whenever. Half the countries I did the program and the other half I did stuff with friends I made on the ship. You are on your own just traveling- it's pretty amazing."

Shevin said highlights included doing an exchange at a Japanese university, as well as a trip to the Great Wall of China.

"My favorite two countries were hands down Egypt and Myanmar- I definitely couldn't choose between them. . . . You can't get past all the history in Egypt, but what really did it for me was the people there, so friendly, warm and open. We had tea with people who would just invite you into their homes. They didn't speak English well, but they just wanted to talk."

The toughest part about the trip, Shevin said, was coming home last month.

"It was really, really difficult," Shevin said. "It was hard to leave everyone, but even besides that, it was intense culture shock coming back to the U.S. They warn you about it, but after seeing the way so many people around the world live, coming back to a place where people have so much excess, it was more difficult than I expected."

Despite the challenge, Shevin said she'd love to travel abroad again during her college career.

"I would do Semester at Sea over again and again," Shevin said. "It was the most amazing experience ever. It was awesome."

Semester at Sea, sponsored by the University of Virginia, is administered by the Institute for Shipboard Education, a nonprofit 501c3 educational organization.