Shemar Blakeney
Semester at Sea
Fall 2017

Life is different on my study abroad program.  My commute to class is easy because I can get anywhere in about 3-5 minutes. I can always hear people talking about their experiences from the last country we visited, or their plans for the future countries.

My living space is nice and moderate. My room does not have any windows, so I wake up to pitch, blackness every morning as if it is 3’o clock in the morning, but it may 2’o clock in the afternoon. My roommate’s name is Curtis, he is from Connecticut and goes to Elon University. My home abroad is different from my home in the US because we are constantly moving, and my home abroad is always surrounded by water. Also, I had to get use to rocking side-to-side and not being able to walk in a straight line due to the rocking from the waves.

When packing for this trip, I wish I would have left behind a lot of the clothes I brought with me because you always buy a lot of clothes while you are abroad. I wish I could have packed my family and friends with me, so I could show them the world I am experiencing.

Most of the people dress just like at home because we are mostly American students. I have seen some traditional dress from our international community; however, I use the term international community sparingly because we ALL are international. #WeAreForeigners #GlobalCitizens While I was in country, I thought I would see more “traditional” dress; however, I noticed that people still dressed similar to what I was accustomed to. That is when I realized that I was thinking of the stereotypical image of the countries I visited, or the Single Story Phenomenon. The Single Story Phenomenon is when one generalizes a group based only on one aspect of what you hear or what the media portrays when in actuality the group is so much more than one’s opinion. Think about it; you cannot describe yourself with one word or one sentence. I have changed the way I dress by not always wearing basketball shorts and instead wearing pants or cargo shorts. However, I have not given up my crazy socks!

One thing I am trying to get used to is time. We use military time on the ship, and military time still sometimes confuses me. Also, I am going through around 11 different time changes while I am away.

My favorite food that I have tried so far is squid and jollof rice. This rice is made with tomatoes, onions and a blend of spices.

We have been to many places so far and have more to see. But, there is one in particular that I want to share.  For one of my classes, we went to Robben Island to learn about intergroup relations during the Apartheid Era. While at Robben Island, we visited Nelson Mandela’s cell where he spent 18 years of his life. The cell was barely twice the span of my arms. There was not a “bed”. Only a mat on the ground. It was a very humbling experience because I could not imagine enduring 18 years of physical and psychological abuse. Not only did Nelson Mandela do this, but he also never lost faith, and he forgave everyone in the process. It was a very inspirational experience.