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ballaerina
Is it competitive? Would you recommend it? Do you have any advice for an applicant?
Answer
SAS is a FABULOUS PROGRAM!! You will not regret the decision to go - I PROMISE!
Here's some advice I've given others in the past:
as far as money is concerned - it's different for everyone. i brought a lot in the way of cash for trip expenditures. that is, i bought almost nothing in countries to take back with me (which was a damn good thing, too, because i would have just lost everything in katrina, anyway). my roommate, on the other hand, bought a huge backpack and filled it with trinkets and gifts for people. she only brought about a grand for this, as she did most of her trips with SAS. it totally depends on the type of person you are.
make sure you go through that itinery book thouroughly - my recommendation would be to do a good mix of trips. i personally picked about two big ones to go on with the group - i travelled in china with sas (i did tsingua university and the great wall with a short stint in shanghai for the new year) and i travelled kenya with the group (i did a 4 day safari and a day at the baby elephant orphange). for the rest of my sas adventures, i pretty much just wing'ed em. i hadn't had much travelling experience in the past, so i thought this was a great way to learn. haha.
this goes back to the applying early thing - the only way to secure your spot on sas trips is to apply early. point blank - even then, it's not a guarantee. don't stress out over this - no matter what you pick, you'll have an amazing experience!
as far as other advice is concerned:
-go knowing no one. you'll meet tons of people and have a blast. if you know someone, you're likely to shut the two of you out from the rest of the ship.
-don't invest in a satellite phone - it's just not worth it. they're expensive, and chances are, someone else will let you use theirs for a minimal fee if god-forbid there was a crisis (i.e. during our "storm incident" a few kids had em and just let us call our parents to let them know we were okay).
-bring USD! despite what you may think, most of these places think cashiers checks or travellers checks are worthless. i made this mistake. don't do it. there is a safe in your cabin where you can lock up any valuables.
-buy a "travellers belt" and use it! it looks stupid underneath your clothes, but it's a great way to ensure you don't get pick-pocketed (and as americans, that happens a lot).
-bring lots of singles because its a great way to haggle!! also, you can exchange currency one you get to a port - they offer this service right on the ship. easy. and don't sweat the exchange rates because they'll always be terrible. haha. in the long run, you'll only lose a few us dollars by doing it the day of. the onlyonly way you'll wind up risking more is if you exchange more than you need in each county (because the exchange back will always be less - just as a rule of thumb).
-don't pack more than you can carry. everyone else will have the same amount of crap and no one is going to help you because they have their own load to worry about.
-it's not a fashion show. being a girl, this was a hard lesson to learn. i brought a few "cute going-out outfits" and wound up exchanging with three or four other girls when we had adventures on the town. on this note, label your clothing! it will probably, at some point, get lost in the laundry.
-bring bathingsuits. lots of them. you're surrounded by water and hell, there's a pool.
-if you have a laptop, bring it, but be careful. while it is a small community with tons of trust, laptops, as with other expensive electronics (ie ipods), tend to disappear. you can rent one on the ship (which is what i had to do after my television fell on mine during the 'wave') for a minimal fee - the rentals are pretty crappy.
-use your ship internet time wisely. if you go to india, don't waste any of your shipboard internet minutes because internet cafes in india are like a penny a minute! by that same logic, use your free minutes in south africa where internet cafes are a dollar a minute. once you expend your shipboard internet minutes, using the on board computers get expensive.
-get your shots in advance. i applied late like i mentioned above. i had to get al 3490825875467862134 vaccines in two weeks before i left. NOT FUN! also, beware of your malaria medication. mine made me sick. turns out, i was allergic. i stopped taking mine and i was fine. i don't reccommend this, though. make sure that your body can handle all the meds and such.
-don't forget that this is school! the grades you earn will stay on your permanent transcript. excuses like "but i lost my paper to a fire-breathing chinese dragon" will only get you so far. the professors aboard are great ones and they are learning with you. open your mind and expand. you will learn more out of the classroom than in - they know this - but this is still no excuse to not take classes seriously.
-here's some advice you may not want your parents to read: don't go with a significat other. now i don't know whether you are dating someone or not. i wasn't when i went. my roommate was. needless to say, she broke it off with her long-term beau. if you ask almost anyone that has gone, it is just not wise to go attached. you are experiencing things with people that only they will understand. and truth be told, after two months of seeing the same people day in and day out, they start to look good, haha. so avert relationship disaster. and if it's meant to be, your sigother will be waiting for you when you get off that ship and you will be waiting for them as well. but let it be known that you will be a changed woman after this trip and your relationship may never be the same (plus, they'll get totally sick of you yapping: sas this...sas that..sas..sas..sas)!!
-try everything once. i did stuff i never thought i would do: cage diving with great whites, jumping from a 75 foot cliff into a freezing pool of water, horseback riding through the winelands, riding in a rickshaw... i even ate things that got me so sick i thought i wouldn't see another day. no matter the outcome, i'll probably never have the chance to do these things again and i relished even in the not-so-pleasant times.
-prepare to see the worst. imagine the most horrible thing you have seen in your life thus far. you'll see worse. trust me. humanity can be cruel. learn from it and carry it with you.
-HAVE FUN! this is unavoidable but take time to write in journals, snap photos, and reflect on what you are doing. less than 1% of the world's population circumsail the world and you are one of them! it's awesome. it's better than awesome.
-keep in touch! i want e-mails, updates, pictures, whatever! sas was the best time of my life, and i promise it will be yours, too.
hope this was of some help! if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask! lots of luck,
Stephanie
stephattulane@yahoo.com
SAS is a FABULOUS PROGRAM!! You will not regret the decision to go - I PROMISE!
Here's some advice I've given others in the past:
as far as money is concerned - it's different for everyone. i brought a lot in the way of cash for trip expenditures. that is, i bought almost nothing in countries to take back with me (which was a damn good thing, too, because i would have just lost everything in katrina, anyway). my roommate, on the other hand, bought a huge backpack and filled it with trinkets and gifts for people. she only brought about a grand for this, as she did most of her trips with SAS. it totally depends on the type of person you are.
make sure you go through that itinery book thouroughly - my recommendation would be to do a good mix of trips. i personally picked about two big ones to go on with the group - i travelled in china with sas (i did tsingua university and the great wall with a short stint in shanghai for the new year) and i travelled kenya with the group (i did a 4 day safari and a day at the baby elephant orphange). for the rest of my sas adventures, i pretty much just wing'ed em. i hadn't had much travelling experience in the past, so i thought this was a great way to learn. haha.
this goes back to the applying early thing - the only way to secure your spot on sas trips is to apply early. point blank - even then, it's not a guarantee. don't stress out over this - no matter what you pick, you'll have an amazing experience!
as far as other advice is concerned:
-go knowing no one. you'll meet tons of people and have a blast. if you know someone, you're likely to shut the two of you out from the rest of the ship.
-don't invest in a satellite phone - it's just not worth it. they're expensive, and chances are, someone else will let you use theirs for a minimal fee if god-forbid there was a crisis (i.e. during our "storm incident" a few kids had em and just let us call our parents to let them know we were okay).
-bring USD! despite what you may think, most of these places think cashiers checks or travellers checks are worthless. i made this mistake. don't do it. there is a safe in your cabin where you can lock up any valuables.
-buy a "travellers belt" and use it! it looks stupid underneath your clothes, but it's a great way to ensure you don't get pick-pocketed (and as americans, that happens a lot).
-bring lots of singles because its a great way to haggle!! also, you can exchange currency one you get to a port - they offer this service right on the ship. easy. and don't sweat the exchange rates because they'll always be terrible. haha. in the long run, you'll only lose a few us dollars by doing it the day of. the onlyonly way you'll wind up risking more is if you exchange more than you need in each county (because the exchange back will always be less - just as a rule of thumb).
-don't pack more than you can carry. everyone else will have the same amount of crap and no one is going to help you because they have their own load to worry about.
-it's not a fashion show. being a girl, this was a hard lesson to learn. i brought a few "cute going-out outfits" and wound up exchanging with three or four other girls when we had adventures on the town. on this note, label your clothing! it will probably, at some point, get lost in the laundry.
-bring bathingsuits. lots of them. you're surrounded by water and hell, there's a pool.
-if you have a laptop, bring it, but be careful. while it is a small community with tons of trust, laptops, as with other expensive electronics (ie ipods), tend to disappear. you can rent one on the ship (which is what i had to do after my television fell on mine during the 'wave') for a minimal fee - the rentals are pretty crappy.
-use your ship internet time wisely. if you go to india, don't waste any of your shipboard internet minutes because internet cafes in india are like a penny a minute! by that same logic, use your free minutes in south africa where internet cafes are a dollar a minute. once you expend your shipboard internet minutes, using the on board computers get expensive.
-get your shots in advance. i applied late like i mentioned above. i had to get al 3490825875467862134 vaccines in two weeks before i left. NOT FUN! also, beware of your malaria medication. mine made me sick. turns out, i was allergic. i stopped taking mine and i was fine. i don't reccommend this, though. make sure that your body can handle all the meds and such.
-don't forget that this is school! the grades you earn will stay on your permanent transcript. excuses like "but i lost my paper to a fire-breathing chinese dragon" will only get you so far. the professors aboard are great ones and they are learning with you. open your mind and expand. you will learn more out of the classroom than in - they know this - but this is still no excuse to not take classes seriously.
-here's some advice you may not want your parents to read: don't go with a significat other. now i don't know whether you are dating someone or not. i wasn't when i went. my roommate was. needless to say, she broke it off with her long-term beau. if you ask almost anyone that has gone, it is just not wise to go attached. you are experiencing things with people that only they will understand. and truth be told, after two months of seeing the same people day in and day out, they start to look good, haha. so avert relationship disaster. and if it's meant to be, your sigother will be waiting for you when you get off that ship and you will be waiting for them as well. but let it be known that you will be a changed woman after this trip and your relationship may never be the same (plus, they'll get totally sick of you yapping: sas this...sas that..sas..sas..sas)!!
-try everything once. i did stuff i never thought i would do: cage diving with great whites, jumping from a 75 foot cliff into a freezing pool of water, horseback riding through the winelands, riding in a rickshaw... i even ate things that got me so sick i thought i wouldn't see another day. no matter the outcome, i'll probably never have the chance to do these things again and i relished even in the not-so-pleasant times.
-prepare to see the worst. imagine the most horrible thing you have seen in your life thus far. you'll see worse. trust me. humanity can be cruel. learn from it and carry it with you.
-HAVE FUN! this is unavoidable but take time to write in journals, snap photos, and reflect on what you are doing. less than 1% of the world's population circumsail the world and you are one of them! it's awesome. it's better than awesome.
-keep in touch! i want e-mails, updates, pictures, whatever! sas was the best time of my life, and i promise it will be yours, too.
hope this was of some help! if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask! lots of luck,
Stephanie
stephattulane@yahoo.com
Matching tattoos for the kids? HELP! Idears?
So youâll never guess where I am right now........Dharamsala! Esperanza put aside here prejudices about tattooâs on women and we took up Aleah on her offer to go backpacking with them there!!! âThemâ is Aleah and Namir (the Israeli couple) and their daughter Netanya, and of course we are Esperanza, Ryan, and myself. Itâs so AMAZING. Weâve already done TONS of stuff...I just got time to come to an Internet Cafe (there are tons of them, due to all the hippieâs around hoping to catch a glimpse of the âDollyâ Lama).
Anyway, we all have really bonded, and last night at dinner we came up with an AMAZING idea. Of course, we made A + N aware of our quest to get Ryan his tattoo. Then they reminded us of an ancient custom of India. Sometimes if two couples (or two mothers) struck up a really good friendship, and if one had a boy and the other a girl (or was pregnant with same), they would vow to cement the alliance between their families by betrothing the children to one another. (For you guys that donât know, âbetrothâ means âengageâ.) Then when they got older, the kids would marry.
This got us thinking about Ryan and Netanya....and tattoos. Why not....get them matching tattooâs? It would be meaningful on so many levels. It would commemorate the fateful meeting between our two families, as well as strengthening our bond. Also, it would be a beautiful way of betrothing Ryan and Netanya.
Our only problem now is coming up with the PERFECT design. We were thinking some kind of six-pointed star with all of out names and what they mean....maybe even the symbols for each of our names at each point. Shareef means âhonor(able)â (Arabic), Esperanza means âhopeâ (Mexican), Aleah means âimmigrant to new homeâ (Jewish), Namir means âleopardâ (Israeli), Netanyu means âGift of Godâ (Hebrew), and Ryan means âKinglyâ (Irish). We could also have the names written in each of their scripts (Arabic, Mexican, Jewish, Israeli, Hebrew, and Irish). However, we still need to work in on Ryanâs the original idea of his birth date and âMIRACLEâ in Arabic. Plus we donât want it to get too big because theyâre just babies (6 + 7 months).
Any ideas would be AMAZING.
OK you guys have no right to judge us if you don't know the whole story...and I didn't ask for your opinions except on the DESIGN so...ideas? What is a symbol of "hope" and "immigrant"?
I don't have any tattoo's but Aleah has lots (like I explained last time) and she said they didn't hurt very badly....kind of like a cat scratch or a sunburn....she even fell asleep during one of them LOL
Answer
Hello again Shareef! I hope that you are all having a great time seeing the mighty greatness that is the dolly lama!!! lolz.
a couple of thing...
1. DO NOT listen to these people that say not to tattoo a baby! I mean, we, in America, get babies ears pierced, get the little boys circumsized, and we even cut their umbilical cords! Talk about pain! However, I am under the impression that they babies can't remember all of these things, so now is the best time to get the tattoos done! I mean, from what I hear, tattoos are pretty PaInFuL and I wouldn't want to remember it unless I had to! They will thank you for it in the long run, I promise!!!
2. Congrats on "betrothing" little Ryan and Netanya! I am sure they will enjoy years of happiness together!
3. As for design... PLEASE don't get a nautical star! Those are SO played out! What you chiefly need to do, is incorporate something that has INTENSE meaning to all of you.... like maybe .... well, I think that butterflys would be best! What you can do for little Netanya, is get a string of butterflies on her lower back! That is a totally original place for a tattoo, plus, it will be cute because it won't show unless she wears lowrise diapers! Then everyone will get a little *peek*... lolZ!! Okay, so there will be a total of 5 butterflies... on the right side, you can have two butterflies, one with her mom's name in some pretty language, like sanscript or japanese, and the other with her dad's name in the same language! Make each butterfly the color of the parent's eyes to add deeper meaning. Also, on the left side of her lower back, you should put you and Ranza's names in chinese or whatever... you should see how the characters look first to see which language looks better. Once again, make the eye color of the parent the color of their corresponding butterfly! Then, for the centerpiece! You will have one butterfly that will symbolize the JOINING of the two families! The butterfly will be half Ryan's eye color and half Netanyu's eye color! The, to symbolize Ryan, you should have the butterfly wearing a crown and to add Netanyu's "Gift of God" added in, you could have the crowned butterfly have a halo on top of it's crown! Underneath the butterfly, you can have "Miracle" written and both babies birthdates!
For little Ryan, make the design the same, except instead of butterflies, make his flames or a tribal. Those are both SUPER manly designs! just make sure you still carry the colors of the eyes, etc, into the design! Also, make sure to leave room where they can tattoo their wedding date someday!
All in all, I think that my design will be much more symbolic than a star, and not as complicated.
Hello again Shareef! I hope that you are all having a great time seeing the mighty greatness that is the dolly lama!!! lolz.
a couple of thing...
1. DO NOT listen to these people that say not to tattoo a baby! I mean, we, in America, get babies ears pierced, get the little boys circumsized, and we even cut their umbilical cords! Talk about pain! However, I am under the impression that they babies can't remember all of these things, so now is the best time to get the tattoos done! I mean, from what I hear, tattoos are pretty PaInFuL and I wouldn't want to remember it unless I had to! They will thank you for it in the long run, I promise!!!
2. Congrats on "betrothing" little Ryan and Netanya! I am sure they will enjoy years of happiness together!
3. As for design... PLEASE don't get a nautical star! Those are SO played out! What you chiefly need to do, is incorporate something that has INTENSE meaning to all of you.... like maybe .... well, I think that butterflys would be best! What you can do for little Netanya, is get a string of butterflies on her lower back! That is a totally original place for a tattoo, plus, it will be cute because it won't show unless she wears lowrise diapers! Then everyone will get a little *peek*... lolZ!! Okay, so there will be a total of 5 butterflies... on the right side, you can have two butterflies, one with her mom's name in some pretty language, like sanscript or japanese, and the other with her dad's name in the same language! Make each butterfly the color of the parent's eyes to add deeper meaning. Also, on the left side of her lower back, you should put you and Ranza's names in chinese or whatever... you should see how the characters look first to see which language looks better. Once again, make the eye color of the parent the color of their corresponding butterfly! Then, for the centerpiece! You will have one butterfly that will symbolize the JOINING of the two families! The butterfly will be half Ryan's eye color and half Netanyu's eye color! The, to symbolize Ryan, you should have the butterfly wearing a crown and to add Netanyu's "Gift of God" added in, you could have the crowned butterfly have a halo on top of it's crown! Underneath the butterfly, you can have "Miracle" written and both babies birthdates!
For little Ryan, make the design the same, except instead of butterflies, make his flames or a tribal. Those are both SUPER manly designs! just make sure you still carry the colors of the eyes, etc, into the design! Also, make sure to leave room where they can tattoo their wedding date someday!
All in all, I think that my design will be much more symbolic than a star, and not as complicated.
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Title Post: Has anyone done Semester at Sea?
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Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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