Scrambling through the halls of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, biological sciences major Daniel Lebovitz knew that if he did not turn in his scholarship application before the Study Abroad office closed, his entire spring semester would be in jeopardy.
“I knew since the spring of 2016 that I wanted to do Semester at Sea,” Lebovitz said. “My friend had done it and she wouldn’t stop talking about it. That’s what really convinced me to apply.”
When he realized he had forgotten to submit the scholarship application, he panicked. Luckily for Lebovitz, he made the deadline and is now traveling on the Spring 2017 Semester at Sea Voyage.
“I could have chosen a more traditional study abroad experience,” Lebovitz explained. “But I realized that Semester at Sea went to a lot of places that I had only heard about in books or read about in the news.”
Sitting on Deck 9, working on a class paper, Lebovitz said he’s excited to actually see, experience, and immerse himself in the cultures he is going to visit.
“I had never been to Hawaii, and even after being there for 12 hours, I was able to get an experience I would never had gotten through reading or from hearing other’s stories,” he said.
When asked which country he was most excited to visit, Lebovitz said he was looking forward to exploring Myanmar (Burma).
“That country was not even on my radar before applying for this semester, and now that I’ve read into it, I couldn’t be more stoked to visit,” he said.
Lebovitz is also looking forward to exploring and learning with like-minded travelers. To him, he feels that the friends he has made onboard the MV World Odyssey already feel like friends he has known for years.
“Everyone is so welcoming, so happy to be here,” Lebovitz said.
For now though, it is back to his paper. The ship is five days out from Japan, and he has an ocean of homework to finish before docking in Kobe.
