…Getting to the Bahamas

As most probably know, yesterday there was historic snow fall in Atlanta and as a result, my original flight to Nassau was canceled (I had a layover in ATL). Ironically, the cancellation allowed me to get another duffle bag to accommodate all of my things. My rescheduled flight was also pushed back…but Airtran actually came through and got me on a flight with another airline that didn’t have to go through atlanta. I got to Fort Lauderdale at about 10 and had a 6 hour layover…my voyage is finally underway and I am definitely enjoying the change of weather haha.

After a flight to Fort Lauderdale and a decent layover, I finally boarded the plane to Nassau…and took the 55 minute flight

While on the flight, we got the immigration travel card and had to fill it out for before entering the Bahamas.

Upon landing, I was officially welcomed into the Bahamas!

Finally in the Bahamas…and the the weather didn’t disappoint

The real journey begins…packing

In preparation  for my voyage, one thing that I definitely could not avoid was packing. It was a long and strenuous journey but I finally got it under wraps. After weeks of slowly checking item after item off of “the recommended packing list” I have everything I’ll need for the semester and a two checked bag limit. This is where the hard part comes in…figuring out how to condense 104 days worth of clothes and supplies into 2 collapsable duffle bags. After all was said and done, I made it happen with a little room to spare.

My two wheeled duffle bags and my day pack

 

 

My family’s kitchen table was on over load for a few days with all of the toiletries and other miscellaneous things I’m bringing along on the trip

I took random pictures of the packing process too

The painful price of international travel

One aspect of preparing for the voyage that I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to was the required vaccinations. Fortunately enough I only had to get one shot, but I got a lot of prescriptions and a binder full of information from the Center for Disease Control on the different countries I would be visiting. Not to mention, I got lectured for nearly two hours on all the precautionary measures I should take while traveling abroad.

I got a yellow fever shot to protect me in South America and Africa

In addition to the prescriptions I got for malaria medication and travelers diarrhea, I also got a prescription to protect me against typhoid fever in the Asian countries

I also got my international certificate of vaccination booklet which certifies that I have all of the required inoculations

“I’m Global, Baby”

Welcome to my blog. You’ve taken the first step towards seeing what I see, as I depart on the Journey of a lifetime.

This semester, I will be setting sail on the MV Explorer as one of hundreds of students participating in the Semester at Sea program sponsored by the University of Virginia.

Throughout the semester, we will dock in countries in South America, Africa, and Asia. Unlike most other study abroad programs, we wont be in one location for more than a week, so as you can imagine there are great costs involved in such an experience.

Fortunately, diversity is a big component of the voyage and they offer diversity scholarships to increase the minority attendance.

I was selected as one of five “Diversity Abroad Scholars” for a video essay I completed answering the question, How does a deep understanding of diversity make you a more effective global citizen?

***Check out the “ABOUT” tab too