Bluffton University student travels around the world

Each Bluffton University student must fulfill a cross-cultural requirement before graduation. Most students fulfill this requirement by going on a cross-cultural experience while others complete the requirement by taking foreign language classes. Bluffton offers many three week cross-cultural experiences each spring however some students decide to further stretch themselves by spending a semester abroad.

Kelsey Smith, a senior from Celina, Ohio, traveled to China in May 2009 for a three-week experience. "I had a quickly-growing interest to engage in other cultures after spending time in China," she said. Smith traveled around the world through the Semester at Sea (SAS) program. "I left China really wanting more, so it's perfect that I'm spending a semester embracing quite a few cultures!"

SAS blends both academic studies with a unique opportunity to see the world. Students and faculty travel the ocean on a cruise ship. While the ship was traveling in between ports, the students have a schedule of four classes. One of the unique aspects of SAS is that in the classroom, Smith would get homework that would require her to go visit another country.

On Aug. 28, Smith boarded the MV Explorer, a ship docked in Nova Scotia. Over the course of 109 days, the SAS students visited 11 countries including Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, China and Japan before stopping in Hawaii and finishing the journey in San Diego, Calif.

When the ship reached a port, the students would have around five days to explore the new destination. Smith took advantage of the opportunity to explore. She visited the cities, experienced the culture by staying with host families, worked with Habitat for Humanity and had the opportunity to take local children to the zoo.

Smith noted that her SAS experience allowed her to gain a truly global perspective. "If we live in the U.S. we only have a piece of the puzzle."