Student attends 'Floating University'

Tracy Moore interacts with children she met on her seaborne journey. photo provided Tracy Moore is just a junior at Oregon State University, yet has already realized a lifelong dream.

Walking through the basement of a building at her college, this Sisters High School graduate noticed a poster on a bulletin board for a "semester at sea." Moore had always wanted to travel so she checked out the program at http://www.semesteratsea.com and planned to take her college classes overseas.

To attend fall semester aboard a ship took effort. Moore worked two jobs seven days a week last summer so she would have spending money. She also secured a loan for the tuition. Her hard work paid off when she boarded the ship for a 100-day cruise through several countries.

"It was a chance of a lifetime," said Moore.

She and about 650 other students from across the United States visited Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, South Africa, Brazil, and other countries.They attended classes aboard the ship between ports. Once on land, they continued their studies, often writing in journals about their experiences.

One day, while walking through the busy ship, Moore was surprised to see a familiar face. There was one other student who had graduated from Sisters High School. Karna Ellis was in her Spanish class.

But most of her experiences were more exotic.Moore saw the breathtaking Iguassu Falls in the jungle of Brazil, she climbed the Great Wall in China, and she voted in her first presidential election while aboard the ship.

For more than 30 years, the Semester at Sea program has offered a floating university to thousands of students.In their mission, they recognize "a vital need to advance the exchange of knowledge and understanding between cultures."

Moore wanted to gather as many experiences as possible to gain that cultural understanding. She often rose early in port so she could see all the sights she wanted to before the ship sailed on. "I didn't get a lot of sleep!"

Even though Moore is a vegetarian, she tasted raw beef in Japan and ostrich meat in South Africa.

"I tried everything!" said Moore.

However, Moore drew the line at participating in Neptune Day. She learned of a custom in which shipgoers shave their head or kiss a fish when crossing the equator.While some students participated, she did neither.

Some experiences were difficult.One of the ports "hit everyone hard,"Moore said.

She knew about the poverty in India but "it was so much worse actually seeing it."

The hardships in another country affected her future career plans. In South Africa, she joined an Operation Hunger project in which she weighed children to check their level of malnourishment. That day, she and the other students gave their box lunches to the children. As a major in nutrition, she is now considering working abroad.

"I want to help Third World countries," she said.

She said it "was weird to be back" the first week. But she was ready to be home and enjoy Christmas with her family in Camp Sherman. "The hardest thing was leaving the ship and saying good-byes."