Dalit Service Project

To date, the MV Explorer has called on 13 different ports in 11 countries. We have two more stops to go and in exactly 22 days, we all will have circumnavigated the globe. I feel very comfortable stating that no one will disembark in Ft. Lauderdale with the same world outlook as when they boarded the ship in Nassau two and half months ago.

Voyagers are exposed to so much of the world though that it often takes time to process our experiences. It may be weeks before something clicks in your mind. It is possible that you don’t appreciate something that happened until you are later able to place it into a regional or global context. Oftentimes, voyagers also find themselves always looking forward. With upcoming academic and field requirements, you just don’t always have the chance to reflect right away. I have found that it can be very beneficial to just take a step back, reread through some journal entries, maybe scan through some pictures, and just look back at some of the incredible things that were done during the course of this voyage.

Tomorrow will mark exactly six weeks since the ship departed from Chennai, India. Now that we have finished with the Asian segment of the voyage, I spoke with a few students about how the different countries compared to one another, and specifically where they saw India in the mix. “How do you even do that?” replied Whitney Bairstow. “It was a whole other world,” she continued. Another student, Gavin Booth joined in and said that, “You just can’t compare India with anything…its culture and religions were completely different, especially in contrast with Japan,” our last port. They were right.

Our videographer, Jerry Pratt, just finished putting together a great video on a service project with Bridge Education Trust. When I watched it earlier today, everything just came rushing back to me. The first excited child I saw as I exited our bus, the sounds of the band as we were led to the school where we would be working, and the incredible graciousness of our hosts and the important work that they do.

Bridge Education Trust works to improve the lives of the Dalits in India. Under the caste system, they were the poorest class, the “untouchables.” Historically, they were relegated to the lowest occupations, specifically those that were considered impure such as butchering and cleaning the streets. The Dalits were segregated from the rest of society and were literally untouchable, because it was believed that the tasks they performed made them unclean and that this pollution could be contagious to the rest of the population. Although much has been done in recent years to eliminate the segregation and discrimination against Dalits in Indian society, it is still a problem in many of the rural areas.

The Director of Bridge Education Trust, Dr. Henry Thiagaraj, described the work of his organization as, “building the emergence of community leaders as agents of social change.” The group started out as a centralized organization that went out into the dalit communities to help educate the people and assist them in their climb out of poverty. Over the years, it has transformed into more of an educational institute. While its mission is still the same, its methods now include more training for local leaders and greater grassroots initiatives.

Semester at Sea’s relationship with Dr. Thiagaraj and Bridge Education Trust dates back almost twenty years and they will be celebrating their 20th anniversary of working together during the fall 209 voyage. Every time that Semester at Sea has visited India over the past two decades, Voyagers have gone out and contributed in some way to help improve the lives of India’s Dalit population.

During our voyage, there were two service projects organized in conjunction with Bridge Education Trust. One was an overnight visit to a Dalit village where voyagers were given the chance to interact with the people there and learn how they are being trained with new skills to advance in society and break free of the caste system. The second project, which the video below focuses on, visited a Dalit school set up by Bridge Education Trust in the slums of Chennai. Voyagers who participated repainted the school and then interacted with the children and other community members. I really don’t know who benefitted more that day, the Semester at Sea Voyagers or the Dalit children, but I do know that it is an experience that none of us will ever forget.




Video by SAS Videographer, Jerry Pratt

Japan Part II: Kyoto and Tokyo

Kyoto

On the morning of our second day in Japan, I awoke early to join about 40 other voyagers for the SAS trip to Kyoto. It was one of the best excursions I have been on yet. Other participants described it as, “fabulous and a lot of fun.” One student told me that she “never thought we would get to see all of this in one day.”

Our first stop was the Nijo Castle. It is an incredibly large complex and contains two palaces, the Ninomaru Palace and Honmaru Palace. Construction began in 1601 and was completed twenty-five years later. Nijo became a residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns, who ruled Japan under a feudal system from about 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At that time, imperial rule was restored and the shogun was forced to submit to the emperor. Prior to 1868, the real power of Japan lay with the shogun, who controlled the nation's military power, while the emperor had been more of a religious and political leader.



The majority of our time in Nijo Castle was spent seeing Ninomaru Palace and the extensive gardens of the complex. Most of the original palace, built out of Hinoki cypress, remains standing today just as it did over 400 years ago. There have been some modifications made by subsequent shoguns and emperors since its original construction but it remains an incredible symbol of the power of the Japanese shogunate.

The palace was built in concentric rings, the innermost being the shogun’s private sanctuary. As we walked through the different layers of the palace, the tone changed to reflect those who had been granted access to it. The outermost part of the palace was the most opulent and intimidating part, because this is where the shogun displayed his power to those he ruled over. As you moved closer to the center, the decorations became simpler until finally we reached the residence of the shogun, which was for the most part bereft of any lavish symbols of power. It was a simple room where the shogun could retreat and be with his own thoughts.

The gardens of Nijo Castle were equally if not more spectacular than the palaces themselves. The meticulously manicured trees and shrubbery with the ancient Japanese architecture of shrines and other buildings scattered throughout the grounds, coupled with the simple luck that we were there at the height of the cherry blossoms provided for a magnificent addition to the palace tour.



Another highlight for those of us on the Kyoto trip was the Garden of Heian Jingu Shrine. It was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the capital and the main entrance was built as a ¾ scale replica of the first Imperial Palace. Voyagers walked through the gardens at their own pace and were given the opportunity to enjoy the scenery, which was nothing less than stunning. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.


Tokyo

One of the great things about Japan is just how easy it is to get around. A number of Voyagers opted to travel independently from Kobe to Yokohama and meet the ship there at the end of our time in Japan. Robert Perry, an SAS student from San Diego State University who traveled Japan by rail explained that, “We just went from station to station. No matter where you got off, the longest you would have to wait for the next train was five minutes or so. It was a great way to travel.”

Robby shared one of his favorite experiences with me, something that I was lucky enough to see as well. For those of us who were willing to wake up just a tad on the early side, visiting the Tsukiji Fish Market of Tokyo was probably one of the most unique and fun experiences to have in Japan. Robby told me how he and the group he traveled with had a 4:45am wakeup call, dragged themselves out of bed and were off to the fish market, arriving by about 5:15am to see the live auction of that morning’s tuna catch. “It was just an intense experience,” Robby told me. “It was just something so unique to see, there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.”

Robert provided me with this video of the auction to share with everyone. Enjoy!



After observing the auction for a few minutes, visitors could just walk through the marketplace and in and out of the small stalls where you could encounter just about every type of fish and seafood imaginable. There were eels, crabs, lobsters, salmon, tuna, squid, and whale, amongst an even greater number of things that I could not name.

Just exploring Tokyo could show you so many different sides of the city. There were SAS trips that showcased Tokyo’s modern side, like the Akihabara Electric town, Tokyo Tower, and sleek car exhibits, as well as others that presented the historical and cultural aspects of the city. Voyagers on these trips were able to see the Imperial Palace, the Meiji Shinto Shrine, and the Asakusa Kannon Temple.

It was an incredible five days, but now it’s time to hit the books again. With the end of the academic semester in sight and exams in the not too distant future, students have really ratcheted up their studying and the entire ship has been consumed by students, busily pouring over their notes and organizing work completed in the field.

Reflections on Japan

There is a feeling on the ship that we have reached a turning point in our voyage. No one wants to say it or talk about it just yet, but it’s still there. With less than a month now until we return to Florida, it’s a mixture of sadness that we’re nearing the end of our journey and excitement to return home after being abroad for so long.

Our visit to Japan capped off an incredible few weeks in Asia. We couldn’t have picked a better time to be there. Cherry blossoms throughout the entire country were in full bloom and it was an incredibly beautiful landscape, wherever you were. Everyone was amazed. Dalia Auerhahn described the petals falling to the ground as appearing “like snow from a distance, but then as you moved closer, you realized they were pink flowers.”


As picturesque as the scenery was though, that was not what impacted the SAS voyagers the most. What mattered were the people they encountered. As one student, Kara Zucker put it, “It’s not necessarily the sites you see or the museums you go to, or the mountains you climb, it’s the people that you do it with, maybe that you know from Semester at Sea or the people that you met in that country.”

For those looking for a genuine living experience with a Japanese family, Semester at Sea offered a home-stay field trip, where students were paired up with Japanese families for an overnight stay. Dalia’s family joined together with others for a dinner party where everyone made sushi together. They also taught the SAS students to make origami and dressed them in traditional kimonos for a tea ceremony. Another student, Greg Lessans, discovered the complexities of a Japanese style bath, when his host mother invited him up to the bathroom to bathe. He looked at the bath, realized he had no idea what to do and quickly ran downstairs to google “how to take a Japanese style bath.” (Check it out here).

In addition to the welcoming embrace of its residents, Japan also offered voyagers with a rich history. One of the more moving trips for all who undertook it was to the memorial in Hiroshima. Michael Sene described what he felt during the post port reflection earlier this evening. “I didn’t know what to expect in terms of the people, if there would be resentment…I didn’t know what the attitude would be like.” Like many others who visited, Michael was unsure what the Japanese response would be to Americans. He went to the museum and came out of saying that it was, “very powerful, unbiased, and just pitching peace the whole time. It was very inspiring.” As Michael explained, the museum does not attempt to be anti-American or biased in its account of the war. Rather, it aims to prevent the use of nuclear weapons again in the future.

The other major destinations for voyagers were Kyoto and Tokyo, and I’ll be posting tomorrow about some of the experiences there. My apologies to you all again for the gaps while we are in port.

Arrival in Kobe, Japan

The MV Explorer arrived in Kobe, Japan a few hours ago. The customs procedures to enter the country are very similar to those in the U.S., and we probably have a few more hours to go until the whole ship is cleared to disembark. We just finished receiving our diplomatic briefing from the U.S. Consulate and everyone is excitedly preparing for our time in Japan.

As was the case in China, Voyagers had the option to sail between Kobe and Yokohama or find their own way between ports. For most of those who are traveling independently, this will mean a ride on the Japanese Shinkansen, or Bullet Train. This high speed rail system connects most major cities in Japan, and can transport its passengers at speeds of upwards of 185 mph.

The most popular stops for Voyagers in the coming days seem to be Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, and Tokyo. This is our last stop in Asia and for those of you back home, today also marks 30 days until our arrival in Ft. Lauderdale!

Events in Hong Kong and Shanghai

The MV Explorer spent time in Hong Kong and Shanghai but Semester at Sea voyagers went far beyond those two cities. The greatest number went to Beijing where the Great Wall seems to have been the main attraction as well as Tiananmen Square. SAS students also had the opportunity to meet and interact with students from a number of Chinese universities.

What many voyagers have told me were the best experiences though were not the big tourist attractions, but the more intimate moments where they were able to experience China on a deeper level. It’s possible that the most fun was had by a group of students who were guided through Hong Kong by our interport student, Edmond.

Andrew Davis, Tomas Ramos, and Eric Stephenson were walking through Edmond’s neighborhood when they stumbled onto familiar territory, a basketball court. Within a few minutes, they had started a pickup game and pretty soon, the whole neighborhood had gathered to watch them play. “They were amazed…and yelling like I was some sort of hero,” Andrew said. The students were hugged and signed autographs, making them feel like they were celebrities. “It was a blessing for me to be able to do that and enjoy their company,” Andrew told the community last night at post-port reflection when describing how he felt that day.

There are also a number of students on board who are of Asian descent, and for them, our time in Hong Kong and Shanghai took on a more personal meaning. Some were able to become reacquainted with family, others saw the places where their parents were born or spent a large part of their lives. For others that had lived in Asia themselves, “it felt like home.”

In addition to the events taking place on shore while the MV Explorer was docked in China though, there was something very special transpiring on board the ship. Semester at Sea announced the launch of a milestone program in its academic history, the C.Y. Tung Program in Sino-U.S. Relations.

In the words of Les McCabe, our Executive Dean and the president of the Institute for Shipboard Education, “This program marks a new era by offering a timely and integrated study of China – one of the world’s most influential global powers – and its relations with the United States. It will bring together students, scholars, and prominent figures to explore the history and cultures of China and the United States, and to consider how to ensure productive economic and diplomatic relationships between the two in the future.”

This program will be an incredible opportunity to further develop Semester at Sea as an heir to Thomas Jefferson’s vision of an “academical village,” a place where students and scholars would come together and interact in the pursuit of knowledge. There is no more fitting an example of this vision than the MV Explorer, where students and faculty live together for months at a time, traveling the globe together in a journey of academic pursuit and personal introspection.

University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III remarked of the new program that, “Our collaboration with Semester at Sea has provided thousands of students from colleges and universities around the world with unique opportunities to experience and understand world cultures, political systems and literature. This program builds on Semester at Sea’s successful educational mission and dovetails with the University’s ongoing initiatives to expand its global footprint.”

The design of the program builds on the vision of its namesake, C.Y. Tung. Mr. Tung, a Chinese shipping magnate was a longtime supporter of Semester at Sea and one of the greatest proponents of shipboard education. He always believed that ships could transport more than cargo and that is why he founded the predecessor program to Semester at Sea, World Campus Afloat, in 1963. Under Mr. Tung’s vision, his ships began to transport ideas and advance the education of thousands of college students. More than 45,000 alumni, hailing from approximately 1,500 different academic institutions have benefitted from C.Y. Tung’s creation of the floating campus.

The C.Y. Tung Program on Sino-U.S. Relations will bring together distinguished faculty from the University of Virginia and Fudan University in Shanghai, China to lead upper level courses that will “serve as a forum for constructive analysis of Chinese and American worldviews, economies, and diplomacy.” Additionally, five Chinese and five American university students will be selected as C.Y. Tung Program Scholars, receiving scholarships that will cover the costs of tuition and room and board. It will be an exceptional forum for the best and brightest students of both nations to come together and examine the relations between their two countries.

Reuniting with the Past

First off, I’d like to apologize for the gaps in between posts. As I mentioned earlier on in the voyage, it is often difficult to get to a computer when I am off the ship and our travel schedule throughout Asia contains relatively short periods of time aboard the MV Explorer in between longer stretches in port.

We departed Hong Kong late last night after a two day stay in what can only be described as a remarkable city. However, we are short about five hundred Voyagers, as most are currently on trips to mainland China and will be meeting the rest of us in Shanghai in a few days.

I wanted to backtrack a little though and share an incredible story that Pamela Werner, one of our lifelong learners shared with me the other day. Twelve years ago, Pamela and her husband Michael traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to meet the newest member of their family, Tami, an 8 year old Vietnamese girl they had chosen to adopt.

The Werners already had four children at home but Pamela explained to me that she and her husband saw the hardships that people around the world endured and while they knew they could not help everybody, “we just wanted to reach out and help one [child]…and we were blessed to have gotten Tami.”

Today, Tami is about 20 years old and is in her sophomore year at a university in her home state of Florida. It was a long and difficult journey to get where she is today though. It was the warm embrace, love, and support that Tami received from her new family that allowed her to adjust and flourish in her new home.

Pamela explained how tough those first weeks were when everything was so new to Tami. She could barely speak any English, which only compounded all of the difficulties she faced in her new environment. Tami’s self-chosen guide through this period was her new sister, Hannah. Two years younger than Tami, Pamela described her as Tami’s “medium.” When Tami wanted something but couldn’t find the English words, Hannah was the one who understood what her sister wanted. “There’s just something about children, they know each other,” Pamela said. “Hannah also shared her room, clothes, games, books, toys, and friends,” with Tami.

America became Tami’s new home and the Werners became her family. However, the move had separated Tami from her birth family. Her closest relative was her sister Tu, who is five years older than Tami. For twelve years, they did not speak or have any contact with one another.

When Pamela saw her itinerary for her upcoming Semester at Sea voyage, she contacted the adoption agency that she had used to find Tami to see if it would be possible to contact Tu. Within days, she was provided with all of the information she needed. Pamela was able to reach Tu once our voyage began and they made arrangements to meet when the MV Explorer arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tu, now 25 years old, traveled over 12 hours by bus with her husband, 4 year old son, and grandmother to meet Pamela when she arrived in Vietnam. There was absolute joy when they were finally together. “They treated me like I was a queen,” Pamela told me. She continued that the family could not show enough thanks and gratitude to both her and Michael for giving Tami a home and raising her as one of their own.

Pamela (center) with Tami's Vietnamese family. To her immediate left is Tu and to her immediate right is Tami's grandmother.

As wonderful as it was for Pamela to meet Tu and her family though, the rest of the Werners, including Tami, wanted to see and talk to them. I’m just going to say right here that you have to love technology. Pamela and Michael were able to set up webcams on opposite ends of the world and after twelve years, Tami and Tu were finally able to look into each other's eyes, see the other's face, and talk to one another.

According to Pamela, Tami was lectured to quite extensively by all of her Vietnamese relatives to be a good daughter and keep up with her studies. Tu also threw in some elderly-sister dating advice. The two sisters loved talking with one another and have made a commitment to keep their relationship going and growing.

Tami no longer speaks Vietnamese and Tu does not speak English (everyone spoke through a translator who was with Pamela) so each of them is taking lessons in the other’s language, and they will be able to put their new linguistic skills to use in June when Tami travels to Vietnam to spend the summer with her sister.

Pictured are Tu (left), her son (center) and Tami (right).

Did We Really Do All of That?

I always have an odd mix of feelings when I leave a country that we have visited, and departing Ho Chi Minh City was no different. It hit my during my last cab ride back to the ship. As I looked out the window at the street passing by, I first thought to myself that it felt like I had just arrived. However, as I reviewed everything that I had actually done during our five days in Vietnam, I couldn’t believe that I had been there for only five days. The four Semester at Sea trips that I had been on with other Voyagers had taken me through most of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), introduced me to Vietnamese university students, exposed me to the different religions that are prevalent in the country, allowed me to crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels, and showed me what life was like out on the Mekong Delta.

In my last post, I gave a little bit of the historical background on HCMC, but as I found out firsthand, that really does not do it justice. You truly have to be there to experience it. One example of this is the unique experience of crossing the street in Vietnam. In a city where motorbikes only cost between $200-300 USD, to say they are everywhere would be an understatement A lack of traffic signals and a propensity to ignore the few that are there also adds to the excitement of trying to get from one side of the road to the other. After recently snorkeling in Thailand, I likened it to be a lot like trying to make your way through a school of fish with all of them just swarming around you, coming close enough to make you squirm, but in the end just speeding right around you. It was chaotic and constantly moving, but after a day, you began to get a feel for it.

City Orientation


My first trip was the SAS City Orientation. We began with a visit to the Thien Hau Pagoda, a traditional Vietnamese temple. Besides the incredible building itself, the main attraction here were the long coils of incense, which can burn for roughly a month. Next was the Reunification Palace, which before 1975 housed the President of South Vietnam. Our other stops included the HCMC post office, the Notre Dame Cathedral of HCMC, and the history museum, which was a favorite. SAS Voyagers were treated to a wonderful display of water puppetry there, which is an ancient Vietnamese tradition.


It dates back to the 11th century when farmers in the northern part of the country created this form of puppetry to entertain one another when their rice fields flooded. They used their own flooded rice paddies and ponds as the stages for these shows. The water puppet performances seen today usually depict rural Vietnamese life. The show that we saw was a wonderful portrayal of river life and farming.

English in Vietnam

The next day, I joined about 15 students on a Faculty-Directed Practica (FDP) under the guidance of Professor George Thomas. For those of you who do not know, at least 30% of a student’s grade in every course is comprised of work done in the field. This particular FDP explored the use of English in Vietnam.

I think that a lot of times, many of us take it for granted that wherever we go, there are people who speak English, and in most cases, that is true for just about everyone we encounter. Professor Thomas, a professor in linguistics (for full bio, please click here) teaches three courses on the MV Explorer that trace the origins of language, examines how they have developed and spread throughout the world, and looks at what types of policies are being implemented to reform and modernize languages. One course in particular, English as a Global Language, deals with the question of a need for a global language and then explores why English has fulfilled this role in the world today.

Considering America’s history in Vietnam, one might think that Americans and our language might not be very welcome in the country. However, we all were happy to discover that the Vietnamese people have fully embraced both. The first stop on this FDP was the Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Stephanie Malone, a student of Professor Thomas called it, “the perfect compliment to my world languages course.”

Professor Nguyen Van Hue of the university proclaimed to us that, “the topic of English in Vietnam is terrific one.” He went on to explain how English is being used and taught in the university. It differs from department to department, however, all students are required to pass an English entrance exam before being admitted to the school and in order to graduate, it is necessary to pass a proficiency exam. For those majoring in English, all lectures, presentations, and exams are completely in English. The school even offers English writing and speaking clubs that are cosponsored by the US Consulate.


Why is English so important? As Professor Van Hue explained it, “English is the means to obtaining a job and rising to the top of your field.” Another Professor commented that, “English is the most important language in Vietnam.” Kiersten Boehm, another student of Professor Thomas has been learning about the migrations of languages around the world and saw this FDP as a great way to see the spread of a language in action and to see firsthand the importance and great role that English plays in Vietnamese society.

Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple


In 1926, a new religion based upon the fusion of Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, native Vietnamese spirits, Christianity, and Islam was founded in Tay Ninh, Vietnam. The Holy See of Caodaism was our first stop of this trip. We made it just in time for the noon services, which included music, song, and meditation. The temple itself was beautiful, with colors and a design reminiscent of many of the Hindu temples I visited in India. Voyagers found the service to be beautiful, one remarking to me that it was, “different than any ceremony I have seen before.”

This sanctuary of peace and tranquility could not have stood in more stark contrast with our next stop, the Cu Chi Tunnels. Originally built by the Viet Cong in their struggle against the French and then later expanded for use against the Americans, the Cu Chi tunnels are a roughly 200-kilometer long network of tunnels running underneath the Cu Chi district outside of HCMC. They provided the Vietnamese fighters with quick escape routes and places to hide that allowed them to almost strike out of thin air and disappear just as quickly. The extensive subterranean system housed kitchens, hospital rooms, and military headquarters, although most fighters did not spend more than 24 hours underground at a time.

Crawling through the tunnels and seeing the remnants of the war, like the Vietnamese booby traps used on American soldiers and the craters left by B-52 bombers, were a sobering reminder to many of the Voyagers of the war that ravaged this country not so long ago. Many Voyagers also chose to visit the War Remnants Museum, which provided a similar experience.


Mekong Delta

My last SAS trip in Vietnam was an excursion to the Mekong Delta. We visited the My Tho area, which is renowned for its many fruit orchards. Voyagers were able to see firsthand how the Vietnamese people in this region live and work, deriving much of their sustenance from the river environment around them. Until the 1500s, the area mostly consisted of marshlands and forests but over time, the Khmer people reclaimed the marshes and built a canal system to support the cultivation of rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts, tobacco, and melons. The Vietnamese annexed the territory from the Khmers in the late 18th century and to this day, it continues to be a major agricultural and fishing region.



Photo #10 by SAS Photographer John Weakley