When I tell people that I will be participating in Semester at Sea for the next three and a half months, they usually ask what that consists of. After telling them, I have received a wide array of responses over the past few weeks. Here are some of my personal favorites.

“You’re going WHERE?”

“That is the neatest thing I’ve ever heard of!”

“Are you crazy?!?!”

“Don’t fall off the boat.”

“How is your mom taking this?”

“I want to be you.”

“What an incredible opportunity!”

“Watch out for those foreign women.”

“Your mother is going to lose her mind.”

“Aren’t you worried about pirates?”

“Don’t get the AIDS.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re kidding me!”

“How many countries are you visiting?” ***List countries I’m visiting. “I haven’t even been to that many US states.”

“You are about to kill your mother.”

“Say what?!?!”

“You lucky #@%$*&!”

“Do you need an honorary chaperone? If so, I would like to apply for the job.”

“I’m so proud of you!”

“You’re about to see more things in one semester than most people see in their lifetimes.”

“You’re going to have such a great experience. If I know your mama though, she won’t have such a great experience.”

“As long as you’re not going to Russia or any place like that, you should be fine.” ***State that I am indeed going to Russia. “Ohhh, well… you should be fine.”

“Bring me back something cool!”

“Oh dear goodness, that’s incredible!”

“I’ll pray for you. I’ll pray for your mother more.”

And my absolute favorite… “How much would this cost if you weren’t getting scholarships to cover it?” ***Proceed to tell cost. “THAT WOULD PAY FOR HALF OF MY HOUSE.”