Hayley Kushner ‘17
Biology and History majors
SEA Semester: The Global Ocean, New Zealand
Fall 2015
Making the decision to leave Colby for a semester was most certainly a difficult one. I was hesitant to commit to studying abroad, knowing that it would mean an entire semester away from this school that I had come to love so much. However, my feelings were changed upon learning about the SEA Semester program. During some more extensive research after a brief encounter at the study abroad fair, I began to realize that there was no way for me to refuse this opportunity for the adventure of a lifetime.
In case you are unfamiliar, SEA Semester offers programs focused on rigorous academics and experiential learning. This program consists of both shore and ship components. The shore component takes place at the campus in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This scientific community is the perfect location for beginning your SEA journey. This is a time largely reserved for academics; during this time we attended class, completed homework, and began our research projects. We also had the opportunity to begin our maritime education through nautical science classes. After 6 weeks, we prepared to meet our ship, the SSV Robert C. Seamans, in Auckland, New Zealand. 
The first days on the ship were a whirlwind of new crew members and learning about our new home. The SSV Robert C. Seamans is a 40 meter steel brigantine, outfitted with sophisticated scientific equipment. She is a beautiful vessel and my classmates and I were excited to get underway. 
Life aboard a sailing vessel with 33 souls aboard is an experience like no other. There is no way to understand what this experience is going to bring until you are in the thick of it. From my first moments on the boat, I knew that this was going to be an experience that I would never forget. In addition to continuing our academic work, we students were tasked with learning how to take care of and operate our new home. This included everything from learning the exact position of all 25 fire extinguishers to memorizing the position and function of each and every line on deck. I can now proudly say that I know the difference between the jib jigger and mains’l halyard and what to do when my mate tells me to “take it to the pin and sweat it”. The lessons learned during my time aboard are ones that I cannot even begin to replicate. There is no better way to describe the mentality than the ever present saying: “ship, shipmate, self”. Take care of your home: the ship, take care of your shipmates, and take care of yourself, do your best at all tasks, remember that this is an experience that cannot be duplicated. This is the formula for success aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans. By the time my journey was at an end, I had gained 32 bonds with people I had only met at the start of the program, yet now felt inexplicably close with. There is no way to describe this feeling to those who were not aboard, but I hope that this serves to give an insight in to life aboard. Fair winds. 
Read more of Hayley’s blog posts from sea on the SEA Semester Blog SEA Currents:
Hello from Art Deco Land 12/24/15
An American Thanksgiving Abroad 11/26/15