While some college students are content to read about the Egyptian pyramids or google world poverty, Bermudian Vanessa Bean wanted to see the wonders of the world for herself.

Miss Bean, 21, recently returned from a special Semester at Sea programme offered by the Institute of Shipboard Learning. It allowed her to visit 12 countries and four different continents in a single college semester.

"I graduated from Bermuda College in May 2007," she said. "I decided to go and do this programme after I graduated as a transitional thing. I really loved cultures and I love to travel. I was an exchange student before in Venezuela. I just needed that break while studying to experience some more cultures and travel at the same time." The Semester at Sea programme was done aboard a refurbished cruise ship. There were around 650 students and 900 people on the ship including crew members and staff and others.

"It was a wonderful experience for me," she said. "I was able to meet so many new people. I didn't realise how much I was going to enjoy being on the ship." During her semester at sea, Miss Bean took classes in global art and music and introduction to sociology.

"With that class it was interesting to see how different music is in other countries," she said. "I learned why the music in India, for example, is so different, and what makes it so unique and how we can compare and contrast our own music with music from other countries." Miss Bean is studying interior design, but said the Semester at Sea programme is for anyone. She received 12 credits from the classes she took which was equivalent to one semester in a landbased college or university.

"I took a class called global art history," she said. "I have taken four other art history classes here in Bermuda at the Bermuda College. They were excellent courses, but general art history classes do not allow you to see art from Egypt or Japan or places like that. This course allowed me to really go in-depth even in smaller countries like Vietnam and look at their art history." She thought the experience was very beneficial to her future career as an interior designer. She visited many art galleries, took pictures of everything from people's homes to the interiors of restaurants and also put together a portfolio of architectural photographs.

"The art history course allowed me to create a trip journal," she said. "I chose the theme, 'sacred coverings'. I chose the roof and ceiling and interior and exterior over sacred buildings such as Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, gothic and catholic buildings in Spain. All the sacred buildings I saw I took pictures and really studied them. "I believe I would like to specialize in small spaces. I enjoy taking a small space and making it functional." For the next few months she will be working at OBM International, Bermuda's first architectural and international company.

"I will be working with the head interior designer there.I am very excited to learn about the business as I was previously working there this summer." Students on the Semester at Sea programme spent five days in each country. Egypt was Miss Bean's favourite country during the semester.

"I wish I could go back for about a month," she said. "I enjoyed not only the historical part of Egypt, but I was also intrigued by my impressions of modern day Egypt." She dismissed the notion of Egypt being a dangerous country to visit.

"I went to Venezuela as an exchange student and people said, 'isn't that supposed to be dangerous?'. They said the same thing about Egypt. I think anywhere you go you have to be conscious of where you are and who you are going with. I found the people of Egypt to be very welcoming and generally loving people. I had two tour guides while I was there and I felt like they were my family, just from the way they treated us." She said visitors need to be cautious in any country, but they also have to keep an open mind to understand the culture in a new way.

With such a rigorous schedule, she said it was difficult finding the time to actually study.

"When we were travelling in the Asian countries which were the first five countries, we only had two days in between each country. Sometimes I came back exhausted, but I still had to read because I had a test or an assignment due the following day. You just had to give it the best effort. I did fairly well for the circumstances of travelling." She said that the Semester at Sea programme was both emotionally and academically challenging.

"I was part of the spirituality committee," she said. "Five of us put together services for the student body. It grew from five to about fifty who would attend the services." She said visiting the Mei-Kong delta in Vietnam taught her about another side of poverty.

"I think one of my most powerful experiences was visiting the Mei-Kong delta in Vietnam," she said. "I'd learned about poverty and how bad it was. But the people there were so rich in culture.

"They were very happy people. That was one of my most powerful experiences on the voyage. My heart was really warmed after leaving Vietnam to see how people were still functioning and creating life for themselves in a country that is still affected by the war that happened so many years ago."

This week, another Bermudian, Laura Bolton, left to join the next Semester at Sea voyage. Miss Bean would like to see a scholarship fund set up so that more Bermudian young people can experience the world through this project. She is currently looking for sponsorship for the scholarship. Tuition is about $24,000.

"It is my desire that other Bermudians can have this opportunity. It truly is a voyage of discovery and a voyage of a lifetime," Miss Bean said.

For more information, email her at Semesteratsea_bda@live.com or follow Miss Bolton's journey at

http://bermudaatsea.blogspot.com/