A Unique Style of Learning

Today was an "A" day, the schedule here works based off of two alternating  days of class labeled "A" and "B" days.  I am a busy busy person on A days, as you can see from my schedule below:

 Breakfast \ The Business of food \ Global Studies \ U.S. Ethics and Foreign Policy \ Lunch \ Work-Study  \ Academic Writing Workshop \ Dinner \ Free Time.

Thankfully "B" Looks like this:

Breakfast \ Free Time \ Lunch \ Marine Biology \ Work-Study \ Dinner \ Free Time.

Today struck me with how different the learning experience is on this floating campus vs. my beloved swamp.  Class  sizes are small, one as small as four students, with world class professors who actually know my name, a feat rarely accomplished at my home institution.  You get the sense that professors are just as excited to be here as the students with one saying "We have been waiting for you (the students), after five days straight of orientation I am excited to finally meet you all." It's happened many a time where professors will mention a country off hand during a lecture, pause for a moment to think, then add on "You can see this for yourself in about a month when we dock in ______________."

In addition to the academics there is a wealth of other experience aboard shared through the SAS version of TED talks titled Explorer  Seminars. We have travels writers aboard (Journey Woman; follow her blog for something a little more eloquent than mine detailing our journey) along with a full time photographer and videographer. The last two were on display this evening and delivered a presentation on how to be an effective photographer while in port. The most important piece of advice for me was this:

"Don't walk around with huge DSLR around your neck, take a day or two to let the culture sink in before you start taking pictures. Taking out that camera immediately changes the dynamic between you and everyone else you meet in port, in many cases, that is a year or even decades worth of their pay dangling around your neck and it speaks loudly.  If you want to prevent that wall from going up between you and your subject than introduce your self first, learn a few phrases in their language and build a relationship before you start snapping away. The pictures you walk away with will be much better in the end."

Again the difference between a traveler and tourist was reiterated.  In photography as well as all aspects of the journey we should participate in the countries we visit instead of snapping a picture, buying a souvenir and then boarding the ship for the next destination.