Buckle up kids, this is gonna be the longest one yet.
To introduce the fam is to sum up some of the best people I’ve ever met into a short ‘few’ pictures and words, and that is bound to be difficult. So here goes nothing.
Disclaimer: The family has changed and grown so much over time, so we’ll start with the OG’s.
Dragosh-OG
Pronounces pasta wrong.
Token Canadian friend.
Cosmo and Wanda aren’t slick, as seen in these pictures.
We like to play bloody knuckles, fist bump and yeah it. The basics.
He might be an idiot and a nark, yes with a k, BUT he is the best roommate (to everyone).
He loves Asia so much.
Our friendship song is It Wasn’t Me, but he’s the one who loves it the most.
We danced outside restaurants in India and then in a room full of just locals and us on his birthday and that is the absolute epitome of our friendship.
Chad
This is Dragosh’s frat boy alter ego, definitely who he would have been in another life.
He likes dance parties after coming back from Myanmar and also losing people’s things.
Hanna-OG
We whip and pound it as our handshake…weird flex, but okay?
She is creative as helllllll.
We love penguins paddles and a third p I can’t remember for some reason?
She walks on her hands a lot when she isn’t busy being a photographer, singing, drawing, or lending out her shoes to the needy.
The best safari tour guide around #SouthAfrica and LOVES Strong Zero #Japan.
Jenna-OG
Whips a LOT when she isn’t busy giving the best advice.
Huge fan of Table Mountain hikes in the dark and cold.
Wears two different shoes when she visits Japan.
She always has movies snacks, and a side of the bed to crash on.
Loves tea, trees, and honestly sometimes even onions.
All-nighters are her favourite activity besides facetiming Michael.
Sabrina-OG
Princess, need I say more?
Loves her stitch stuffed animal almost as much as she loves throwing it at people.
BUT, not as much as she enjoys holding birds in South Africa.
Fav phrase: Je vous deteste.
She was adopted from China, and thought the papers were faulty but it was just an idiot pranking her.
Thinks she’s a snake but she is actually the sweetest.
Sierra-OG
Loves to fly to the Eiffel tower w friends.
She lets everyone use her bed, like 4 people sleeping on it is not as uncommon as you’d think.
Dances to Barcelona, in Barcelona, in the rain like nobody’s business.
She is a HUGE fan of Halong Bay and kayaking at sunset.
Also the best Secret Santa.
Kelsey-OG
A little mean but it’s cause she loves you.
If she’s not busy giving great advice and being blunt as hell, she’s probably making friends with tour guides in Vietnam.
She is THE Wine Aunt.
Karaoke champion? I think yes.
Favourite Movie: Shrek.
She had some very moving meditation experiences in Myanmar.
Anna-OG
Started out as Kimmy Gibbler, ended up as Jenna’s kid despite Dragosh’s pleading otherwise.
Big Amarula fan.
Doesn’t know when to stop sending it, especially when it comes to flights in India.
Loves Vietnam and the number 14.
Also an idiot weirdly enough?
Loves tea, trees and onions, dance parties and bloody knuckles.
All
Really love British accents and speaking multiple languages to get away from scary people.
Hate snakes.
LOVE dancing and karaoke.
Like not eating carbs or gluten for long periods of time, mostly between South Africa and India.
Steven
Gay uncle 1.
Mad skater vibes even on the ship.
Loves the song Gold Digger.
He enjoys pulling all-nighters to work on our on-ship magazine, The Wave.
Clubs in China were his jam for sure.
He has a good friend named Wesley who Jenna and I met while I cut her hair at 4 am once.
He’s secretly a village chief in Ghana by extension. #Humble
Also thought about getting a strawberry tattoo for a long time, still might one day.
Would eat peanut butter all day every day (or scrambled eggs).
Jun
Gay uncle 2.
Daddy is his preferred title.
LOVES to dance to headphone music on airplanes.
Wears leggings from the ship store and a fanny pack from Ghana like nobody is watching.
His favourite animals are bus geckos from India.
Omar
He’s that weird family member that only just became official even though he’s been there since day 1.
He loves dancing and being loud.
Likes long bus rides in India almost as much as skipping work on study days.
Goes to Pitt?? I think? Not sure, he doesn’t mention it.
Let’s people give haircuts in his bathroom at 4 am even when he’s annoyed.
Gleb
Likes playing Dancing Queen after wine tours.
Loves playing Dancing Queen at pre-ports.
Dances to Dancing Queen on the pool deck at Halloween.
Dancing Queen.
Absolutely LOVES the song This Girl is On Fire.
He was in the fam pic from Spain, but we weren’t friends until South Africa, it was meant to be.
Max
A fashion ICON.
Lowkey a computer genius.
He’s also a dope photographer, and loves taking pics of girls drinking wine in a safari vehicle for like 15 minutes???
His favourite number is 2, not sure why.
Dislikes people coming into his room at 3am to hang, which seems mean.
Does love tea, trees, and onions….Jenna is that you?
Estevan
Came in at the end but he’s definitely the life of the party.
Loves handstands and ship tours.
Also can be found wandering the alleyways of Shibuya at night.
Lauren
She can be found sleeping literally anywhere at anytime.
Loves sweatpants more than most people.
Lowkey a genius, loves doing her MCAT book.
Really likes having the top bunk.
Preferred method of introduction is a fist bump.
Julia
Likes to walk on beaches in Vietnam and dance the night away.
She can rally without having anything to even rally from. #icon
Loves vine and memes.
Adeline
Funny as hell
Likes last minute birthday haircuts from amateurs
She walks 5ks just to snatch the peanut butter cookies sometimes.
Personality Pics
From Our First Day of Class
To Our Last Sunset
And Everything In Between
Traveling
Barcelona Cape Town India Vietnam South Africa Japan Cape Town New Delhi Spain
Gaining New Generations
OG Generations The Couple & Their Kids The Couple & Their Kids Grandma, Son, Granddaughter Grandma, Daughter, Grandson Grandma, Daughter, Grandsons The Parents A Mom and Her Kids A Mom and Her Kids 2.0 Mother Son Outing A Boy & His Mom on His Birthday Working Parents
(Brand Deal?)A Mom and Her Kids 3.0
On Ship Activities
Sea Olympics Runner-Ups Cuddle Puddle Yellow Sea Girls 3rd Place Best Place Sea Olympics Neptune Day 6 Hours into the Second December 11 (International Date Line)
Celebrating Birthdays
Max’s 20th Dragosh’s 20th Sabrina’s 20th
Lots of Wine (Among Other Drinks)
Womb-Tokyo Castaways-Vietnam SOS-Shanghai Safari-South Africa Rooftop Restaurant-Myanmar Safari-South Africa The Radisson (We LOVE)- Cape Town
Dancing & Ship Parties
PJ Party Alumni Ball Alumni Ball Alumni Ball
Celebrating Holidays
Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas
And Sunsets & Ocean Views To Die For
Until The Very End
Last Night Last Morning Last Sunset
In all honesty, these people became family so quickly. Faster than I would have ever expected some kids from Canada/Moldova, Mexico, California, Oregon, Tennessee, Russia/Washington/Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to become.
Sometimes people walk into your life at the exact point that you need them to and it becomes the best part of it so suddenly, but so surely. I have nothing but love for all of these people and I cannot express how grateful I am that I had the privilege of traveling the world with them for months.
I was talking to a friend toward the end of the trip and mentioned how we had all been together on our first day in Spain. He was so shocked that we had all known each other, let alone been friends so early on in the voyage. Thinking about it, it really is crazy that we all connected so instantly, most of us the first day or two, and then stayed together until the minute we had to step off of our ship.
People called us The Fam pretty commonly on the ship, and I am going to miss hearing that so much. It was so fitting, we were such a close-knit unit even when we weren’t together, for the most part. That’s not something I had ever had before, such an amazing group of friends who were all so close, and it’s something I cherish the most from Semester at Sea.
We spent one of our last nights with the OG fam, watching videos from as early as Spain. We got to all sit in a cabin that was so familiar to us and watch as we all grew and changed throughout the last four months. And we did, so much. We got closer and dynamics changed, and we learned so much about ourselves and the world that we couldn’t possibly be the same as when we got on the ship.
I love you all so much and I love having so many amazing, funny, tragic, educational, and life-changing memories with you.
Stay cool, family reunion soon. xoxo
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