Post-ship Reflections

Semester at Sea has changed my entire outlook on life, my future, the world. How could it not? And being home is very bittersweet. But what I have learned will always stay with me. It has been a fantastic start to the summer, and I know much of that is due to the absolute exuberance I have for life thanks to SAS.

I thought I would share with you some of my post-SAS reflections, written in my handwritten journal. They really express what the journey has done for me, and these are just the things that I recognize now. Imagine how I will discover how I have been changed later on down the line.

“108 days of suns rising and falling and hearts rising and falling. What have I learned? What will I take with me always?

-Things work out the way they are supposed to. They always do.

-If someone or something makes you sad, get rid of it. No one, no thing, is worth it.

-There is something better out there. Don’t settle until you find it.

-You can do anything. Anything. And all on your own too.

-You really can get through anything. You already knew this, but now it will be engrained in your mind forever.

-Be proud of yourself, but never too proud. You too have many flaws and should constantly strive to be better. Isn’t that what you expect from everyone else?

-Love is out there. Real love. Keep giving it, and it will continue to find you and wrap you up.

-Don’t discount anyone. You have a tendency to close yourself off from some people for really no reason at all. Instead, open yourself up for no reason at all.”


I have always been a self-confident person. But the amount of confidence I have now is positively overflowing. I can do anything I want to, and I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. And I can be exactly who I want, and I will not settle in any area of my life, and I will choose my own happiness.

And I will never, ever stop traveling.