By Lauren K.
My study abroad experience has not been the typical one in Spain or Italy. Instead of living in a student housing dorm or apartment, I have been living on a ship, the MV World Odyssey, for the past four months. About every other week, we would dock and get to explore new countries, but our home base, and where some of our favorite memories came from, was the ship. I have gotten so accustomed to living with two other roommates, sharing a bathroom, and making my room an amazing space, and now I have to leave. To some, it almost feels like the experience never even happened, because we will all soon go back to our home institutions, and have nothing left but memories of our study abroad experiences. While I am nervous to go back to every day life at Alabama, I am so grateful for the amazing time I had throughout Semester at Sea. If anyone reading this is thinking about studying abroad, but not completely sure (the same boat I was in), I would 100% encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone and decide to study abroad because it is truly the most fun and an experience of a lifetime. I am so sad that this experience is coming to an end, but excited to go home and share the knowledge I have gained with all of my friends and family. I may be saying goodbye to Semester at Sea, but I am stepping into new opportunities and my senior year, and for that I am so excited!