Study Abroad Semester At Sea 'Throwing the textbook out the window'

Prompt:How will your Semester at Sea voyage create (or enhance) your personal global perspective? Highlight your discussion by referencing at least one country on your itinerary and by explaining how your time there will further develop your awareness.

Books are vital in the learning process. However, we learn about cultures of the world and people out of textbooks as if those words on a page really represent the life of a people. I can't feel the rhythm of Latin America through a few colorful pictures. I can't see the everyday struggles of Moroccans through a well-crafted paragraph. I certainty can't smell the sweet aroma of Cape Town through second hand stories in a book. I strongly believe the way one becomes a real global citizen is by walking the streets of a country not their own and learning from a people different from them. I've started my journey to a global perspective by studying in San Ramon, Costa Rica for two months. I learned the importance of opening yourself up to others and fully immersing yourself in another culture. My journey is just beginning and I'm ready to continue with my process with Semester at Sea at the center of it right now.

Semester at Sea will provide me with the opportunity to further my awareness about people around the world. With this specific voyage I'd be traveling to the Latin American region, including Argentina. Because I've gained experience and knowledge about one Latin American country, Costa Rica, I can use this port as an opportunity to create a larger discourse about Latin America as a region. I'll be able to experience and witness the similarities as well as differences between multiple countries in the same region, forming a more comprehensive perspective about the region and the uniqueness of the individual countries. Furthering my global awareness, this voyage travels to Russia. It's assumed that this country's culture is different from the cultures of Latin American cultures. This sharp contrast will allow me to draw conclusions regarding cultural universals. Also it will show me a different perspective of the world. I'll be able to see the world through the eyes of a group of people from halfway around the world. As an aspiring cultural anthropologist, I want to be knowledgeable about different cultures from around the world. Through visiting countries and witnessing these cultures myself, I'm able to determine the structure and nuances of the unique cultures, thus being able to use this information to better address specific problems within each culture.

I won't come home a complete global citizen with all the knowledge about the world and people. However, I'll come home with new perspectives and ways of thinking about problems. I'll be better equipped with knowledge and tools to respond to the needs of others from around the world, which will be an important as an anthropologist. From my past study abroad, I know how to be open to stepping out of my comfort zone to learn about others that I share the Earth with and how to embrace the challenges that come with being a global citizen. I know Semester at Sea will enable me to do all of this and things I couldn't imagine.

I think this is very well written and the first paragraph was very creative! I'm not to good with grammar but it all looks good to me

That title is absolutely terrific, it's what brought me here. And I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading the introduction, but the rest of the piece fizzled out sounding a bit redundant and egotistical. This type of writing at its core is persuasive and you hit the audience running to \with fantastic persuasion (some grammatical and semantic errors here and there) and suddenly and drastically descended to an excessive " I will be able to from this" "..it will show me this" "I can get from this" informative piece.

I'll leave my critiques in order from smallest to largest. The first stone of criticism I want to cast is the semantics and the flow of the writing. Firstly, there was no contradiction between "Books are vital in the learning process. However , we learn about cultures of the world and people out of textbooks as if those words on a page really represent the life of a people." Instead replace however with typically/usually/regularly as students/scholars/etc i.e. [Typically as students, we learn about...']. The removed However belongs in the first sentence of argumentation "However, I can't feel the rhythm of Latin America through a few colorful pictures. The intro flows even more so then with those adjustments.

I re-did the last two paragraphs based on feedback:

Having a global perspective is respecting, accepting, and being aware of the differences between people and cultures around the world. It's about recognizing that each culture has unique characteristics, but also as members of the global community we share commonalities with all cultures. I realize that Costa Rica and a country like Argentina won't feel the same. They're both in the Latin America, but they have two distinct heartbeats. By exploring the differences between the food, dress, kinships, and even city layouts of each country a larger discourse about the region can be created for myself. The little things that make Argentina feel like Argentina can be experienced, as well as the things that define Costa Rica as a unique country in Latin America can be unearthed for my global perspective. Through observing commonalities between the two countries, the solid characteristics of the Latin American region will become clearer. However, one region doesn't shape a global perspective. Traveling to a country like Russia will enhance my global perspective because it's in such a different place of the world. The environmental and demographic changes alone allow for a different social structure and dynamic within the country, producing a unique culture. Glaring cultural differences will be evident in Russia, but so will subtle similarities with Latin American countries, but also with the United States. Cultural universals can be established because a larger perspective is being gained about the world and its cultures.

My global perspective grows as I recognize and understand the differences between cultures and the links between the lives of people throughout the world and myself. Developing and enhancing a global perspective is a life-long process and involves makings connections with people around the world. It involves understanding how they think, their values, and the individuality of their culture. Experiencing multiple cultures strengthens a global perspective and allows the transform into a global citizen, which is what I'm striving for. I know Semester at Sea will enable me to do all of this and things I couldn't imagine.

Sorry for the delay.

The writing is clearer and improved, but there is some new issues.

@"By exploring the differences between the food, dress, kinships, and even city layouts of each country a larger discourse about the region can be created for myself." AND "Through observing commonalities between the two countries, the solid characteristics of the Latin American region will become clearer. "

-Should be combined, same meaning basically and you can just have exploring and observing the differences and commonalities in one sentence.

@"However, one region doesn't shape a global perspective.
-" Make this the start of a new paragraph furthering the importance of exploring Russia in addition to those Latin American countries.

@"Developing and enhancing a global perspective is a life-long process and involves makings connections with people around the world."
-This is an introductory, bold statement. Why isn't it opening the third paragraph?

Also, you need to try to examine your own writing and ask yourself objectively, am I convinced by this? What specifically can being in each country do for me? What can I do for that country?