Our Semester at Sea Voyage

When I tell people about our upcoming trip, they all want to know how we managed to make it happen, so I should probably start with that.  I went on Semester at Sea as a college student in 1988.  It was a wonderful, life-changing experience. Recently, I'd been thinking about trying to get some travel-abroad experiences set up for my kids because I feel travel is a valuable learning experience that is difficult to duplicate any other way. I wish every kid could have some foreign travel experiences.

Some time in early 2010 I had a chance conversation at work with a pharmaceutical rep who had just spoken with a local physician assistant who had worked on Semester at Sea the previous Semester.  I hadn't realized that Semester at Sea hired PA's (in addition to many other staff), and was thrilled to see job postings on their web site.  About one year ago I applied for the Physician Assistant job after making sure my employer was ok with my taking a leave of absence until late December, should I get the job.  In the Semester at Sea medical arena, the ship physician is hired first by Semester at Sea staff, and then the physician hires a mid-level. I just happened to be lucky enough to land the job.

That was five months ago. Now we are a week away.  Yikes!  I've got to get packing!