Kenzie’s suite life: A voyage around the globe

By Mackenzie Rosenau
English ’26

For three and a half months, I lived on a ship traveling from country to country and taking classes to earn my degree.

I participated in a program called Semester at Sea, where we sailed around the world and took college courses while aboard the ship. I had always wanted to study abroad; however, I could not decide where I wanted to go because I wanted to experience the whole world.

I came across Semester at Sea through TikTok, and I realized it was the perfect program for me. I was able to travel to several different countries all while earning 12 college credits and gaining real-world experience. While on the ship, I visited 10 different countries and one country after disembarking: The Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, and finally. France.

Living on the ship

During these three-and-a-half months I lived in a tiny cabin with no windows at the bottom of the ship. It was depressing at times, but worth it to see the world. It also helped my roommate and I bond more throughout our time on this voyage. Also, we had a housekeeper who made our beds, did our laundry and cleaned for us. (I wish I still had this.) There were 433 students on board the ship, which made it a bit crowded at times, especially in the dining halls. But in my opinion, it was all worth it in the end.

Having classes on the ship was extremely different. Imagine sitting in class and everything on your desk just goes sliding onto the floor because a huge wave hit. This is something that was more common than not. Giving a presentation was also no easy feat on the ship. One time when giving a presentation I went stumbling across the room because the waves were so bad. Seasickness was also the most common excuse for missing class; I was a victim of this a few times and it was honestly worse than the flu.

While on the ship, I took four different classes. These included Writing Arguments, Reading Without Borders, Comparative Literature, and Global Studies. My favorite class was probably Reading Without Borders because we read a book from each country we went to. It was interesting to read the novel and then be able to visit and see some of the places that were mentioned throughout it. Reading these books also helped give me a better understanding of the culture in all the countries.

Comparative Literature was a close second. In this class, we read books that focused on food and how it is present in literature. I loved this class because we read about the food from each country and then we were able to try authentic dishes when we were in port.

Something that may come as a shock is we hardly had any access to Wi-Fi except for seven minutes a day. The only time we could really have access to social media or Google was when we were in port. Therefore, our only entertainment was WhatsApp and whatever movies and shows were on the ship television. Once again, it was worth it to see the world.

The Netherlands

Before boarding the ship, I had to travel to The Netherlands alone and stay there for a few days. I had never traveled alone before, so I was a bit scared, but I was ultimately so glad I did it. When I arrived in The Netherlands, I met my roommate Krymson for the first time. She is from Northern Alabama and attends the University of South Alabama as an early childhood studies major. We had only spoken a few times on social media, but we instantly clicked and became the best of friends throughout the entire voyage due to our intense love of travel.

Once we arrived in The Netherlands, Krymson and I stayed at a hotel in a small town just outside of Amsterdam called Ijmuiden. We chose to stay here because it was the port city where our ship was going to be docked. However, we arrived in The Netherlands at 6 a.m. and we were unable to check into our hotel, which resulted in Krymson and I sleeping on the beach until we could check in. We had been awake for 24 hours at this point. This was truly a bonding experience I will never forget.

Our second day there we were able to take a bus into the city of Amsterdam and experience it for ourselves. I had never been to Europe before, so the closeness of the buildings and the old exteriors were fascinating to me. I truly loved walking around and taking in all the architecture.

Another aspect I loved about Amsterdam was the number of dogs. It was so cool to see all the different types of dogs and how well-behaved they were in the city. The pastries in Amsterdam were an added bonus. There were several options to choose from and bakeries that lined every corner. A common pastry in Amsterdam was stroopwafles, which are thin waffle cookies with caramel filling.

My final favorite moment in Amsterdam was seeing the ship that would carry me from port to port for the next three months for the first time. It looked like a standard cruise ship. The difference was, it had the Semester at Sea logo on the side of it, so we knew it was ours. I remember thinking, “I am actually going to live on that?” The night before embarking the ship made me feel like a kid on Christmas Eve because I was so excited.

Portugal

Portugal was the first port we arrived in after embarking on the voyage. The energy was amazing because was so excited to experience a new place. We arrived in Lisbon on Sept. 15 after being at sea for six days. Lisbon was beautiful; it had so many older buildings and colorful architecture. The roads were also stunning because of the Portuguese tiles that covered the pavement. Walking through Lisbon felt like taking a walk through history because of the architecture and landmarks.

In Lisbon, I had my first taste of European walking and traveling. We walked pretty much everywhere and Lisbon is filled with hills. In fact, it is known as the “City of Seven Hills.” Whenever I am walking up a hill, I still think about Lisbon and how much I had to walk.

While in Portugal, I was also convinced to take a surfing class with Krymson. It was a really fun experience even though I wasn’t that great at it. We were taught by several professional surfers, and they guided us through all the steps to ensure we were safe and comfortable. Afterward, we had the opportunity to participate in a yoga and meditation class on the beach.

Morocco

Morocco is one of the top three countries I have visited because the culture is so rich and dynamic, and there are so many things to do and see. I was lucky enough to spend my 20th birthday in Morocco. I went on a sunrise hot air balloon ride with my friend Harper, rode camels through the desert and went to the Jardin Majorelle Gardens, one of the world’s most famous botanical gardens. Everything is royal blue in color.

While in Morocco, we stayed in Marrakech in a gorgeous AirBnb. It had an indoor pool and everyone had their own bedroom. We even had an upstairs balcony area where we could tan and enjoy the sunshine. We also had the most amazing hosts who arranged henna tattoos for us, meals, transportation and even our camel ride.

One day, our hosts took us on a trip through a market near our AirBnb. It was so fun to learn how to haggle and see all the products people were selling. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Tea is one of the main staples of Morocco. Anytime we would go anywhere, people would offer us mint tea in these little glasses. It tasted amazing.

Ghana

My friend Mallory and I connected a lot more in this port. We went on a tour together, where we did the Kakum Canopy walk, a bridge walk that is more than 100 feet above ground. On this tour, we also had the opportunity to try real coconut water and learn about the history of the castles in Ghana that date back thousands of years.

While in Ghana, Krymson and I went to a dance and music show that featured Ghana’s Ankos dancers. Every year the Ankos dancers have a festival to celebrate their culture through bright costumes and loud music. It was extremely entertaining. It was truly like stepping back in time when visiting Ghana because their customs are so different from those in the United States. Ghana truly opened my eyes to how different cultures live.

South Africa

South Africa was the second-favorite country I visited. While in this port, I went on many different field programs that involved animals. I had the opportunity to go on a safari with Aquila Safari Reserve, pet a cheetah at the Cheetah Conservation, go to Boulder Beach and see a penguin colony, and ride a boat past Seal Island. I love animals so much and was fascinated by all I learned about them and the beauty of their natural habitats.

Since South Africa has been so heavily colonized, it was interesting to see how those native to South Africa still embrace their culture and fight for their beliefs. The aftereffects of apartheid can still be seen, which was very disheartening, but still fascinating to witness firsthand after learning about the nation’s history while aboard the ship.

Mauritius

Mauritius is a small island just off the coast of Africa. I had never heard about it before, but it was truly beautiful. The water was part of the Indian Ocean. It was bright blue in color and extremely clear. I loved swimming in it to collect seashells. Unfortunately, we were only in Mauritius for two days, so I was not able to experience the island as much as I would have liked, but it was still lovely.

While on a field class in Mauritius, I was able to attend a class full of other English majors at the University of Mauritius. I loved having the opportunity to experience this, because I was able to see how similar English majors in Mauritius are to those in the U.S. and the differences we have. I enjoyed having something mutual to bond over and learning about the struggles of publishing in Mauritius.

My final day in Mauritius, I was on a field program to visit the Seven Colored Earth, a hill that has all different colors of sand. While on this program, I also had the opportunity to see some of Mauritius' beautiful waterfalls. Sadly, I will probably never have the opportunity to travel to Mauritius again, because flights are astronomically expensive. However, I am happy to have had the opportunity to go there.

India

The highlight of traveling to India was definitely seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World: the Taj Mahal. It was so beautiful, despite the fog that covered it. The details on it were so beautiful and intricate and it felt like something out of a movie. The pretty water leading up to it added to the experience. We learned that the emperor of India at the time had the Taj Mahal built for his wife in her memory. I will always say I expect nothing less from my future husband.

The culture in India was extremely vibrant and similar to Morocco. There were many markets and the clothes were absolutely gorgeous. I also had the opportunity to have high tea with an Indian family to learn more about their culture. They provided a lot of information about their family life, and how they view the importance of academia for their children.

I loved India and I would love to go back and see the Taj Mahal again one day when it isn’t as foggy.

Vietnam

Vietnam was my favorite country on the voyage, which was unexpected. The culture there was so amazing and everyone was so nice. I visited a dog, cat and capybara cafe. We were able to pet and play with the animals as much as we wanted to and take pictures with them. I missed my dog so much while on this journey, so it was amazing to be able to have this experience while in Vietnam.

Another thing I did in this country was take a cooking class. It was so fun because my group worked together to make all the dishes and then we had the opportunity to try them at the end. A bonus of this port was how cheap everything was. I got three piercings for $30!

We also went to a stunning cafe where koi fish swam up and you could feed them. We sat at tables that were almost immersed in the water and we had to walk on stones across a pond to be able to sit at them. This was unlike anything I had experienced before, and I thought it was so cool.

My final favorite aspect of Vietnam was Book Street. This is a street that no cars can drive down and it is lined with bookstores and tables containing books. I loved walking down this street because it was so peaceful compared to the rest of the city and there were many books in Vietnamese, which I found interesting. I wish I could have taken some books home but unfortunately there was no room in my suitcase.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong was definitely one of the more overwhelming ports because it was so busy and populated. However, it was still a fun time and felt most like home in terms of the food and stores available. One of the strange and fun things about this port (although not fun for my bank account) is that our ship was ported in a mall. We were able to step off the ship and directly into the biggest mall I had ever been in. It was nice to see because there were many stores and restaurants that were familiar like Shake Shack and The Cheesecake Factory. At this point in the voyage, I was a bit homesick, so having this made me extremely happy.

The highlight of Hong Kong was DisneyLand. I am a huge Disney lover, so I was so happy that I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong Disney. I had the best time with my friends Krymson, Mallory and Liz. This trip to Disney was definitely a bonding experience for us and it was so much fun!

Thailand

I spent under 24 hours in Thailand so I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to experience much of the culture. Thailand was also sad because it is the country where we disembarked the ship for the final time and had to say goodbye to all the amazing friends we made on the voyage.

During the 24 hours I was in Thailand, I went to a rooftop restaurant for a final meal with my friends. The food was delicious and we had a gorgeous view of the city. There were also pink cabs in Thailand, which I loved because pink is my favorite color.

France

After I disembarked the ship, I visited Paris with my roommate Krymson. Being the travelers that we are, we figured why not travel more after the voyage? This is how we came to spend Christmas in Paris. Seeing Paris at Christmas was truly a dream. The decorations were gorgeous and the city and culture was so vibrant. There were Christmas lights all throughout the city, and several Christmas markets with food vendors and special products for sale.

One of my favorite parts of Paris was visiting the Opera Garnier. Unfortunately, I was not able to see a show there, but I was able to tour the building and it was gorgeous. They had several exhibits of costumes from older shows and historical information about the theater.

We also visited Cafe Laduree; they had the best hot chocolate and macaroons. The cafe was gorgeous as well. Everything was mint green and light pink; it reminded me of the show Bridgerton.

Connections and homesickness

I struggled to make connections at first when on the ship, which made me homesick for Trine and my friends here. Eventually, I did find my people and they are some of the most genuine and comfortable friendships I have ever had. For example, my roommate Krymson and I went through pretty much everything together. Our moms are even friends and we hope to all travel together at some point in the future. We are bonded in a way that I have experienced with nobody else.

There were many ups and downs of the voyage like there is with anything in life. There were times when I struggled and missed home more than anything, whether that be friends, family, pets, classes at Trine or even food (especially ranch dressing). Ultimately, it made me stronger as a person and I grew into an even better version of myself. I learned that it is okay to be lonely sometimes and you just need to embrace that loneliness to have some of the best experiences and make some amazing connections

Why should you Study Abroad?

Through study abroad, I learned so much about different cultures that I never knew before. I also made so many connections with people from all over the world. I am currently working on a project for one of my classes advocating for traveling internationally and I have contacts all over the world from Semester at Sea to use as references to gain information.

I also am part of the Study Abroad Club on campus.

There are also many unique courses abroad that may not even be offered in the United States. Studying abroad was the best experience of my life.

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