Genie Bindi Lee, a Chapman Alumna, shares her story and photos from her Semester at Sea in 1968.

On October 9, 1968, an 18 year old girl from, Monongahela, a small town in Southwestern, Pennsylvania embarked upon a journey that would alter the trajectory of her life when she became a student on Chapman College’s World Campus Afloat. Over five-hundred students, faculty and staff sailed on the Holland America ship the SS Ryndam from New York, past the Statue of Liberty on a four month voyage to see the world through European, African and South American windows. It is still hard to believe that the girl was me.

I learned about WCA from the daughter of friends of my parents, when she came to dinner and shared pictures of her semester at sea.  From that moment I knew I wanted to do the same. I applied to Chapman and was accepted and given grants and scholarships to cover the cost of the trip.

My new home on the ship was a cabin on one of the lower decks that I shared with my two roommates. The cabin was, to put it nicely, claustrophobic. There were four bunks, no portholes, a sink and the width of the cabin could be measured by outstretched hands that could touch both sides. Yet, all three of us believed we were on a great adventure that couldn’t be dampened by the size of the cabin.

While at sea I had regular college classes, including gym class on deck with the ship pitching and rolling while I tried to do jumping jacks without falling over.  I learned how to “fantail jump” and found cozy nooks in which to have some alone time.

As we had a Dutch crew, I became accustomed to Dutch food, but I must admit that I never knew what “Nasi Goreng with Bitak Sauce” really was. It was so funny to see the menu names that the cook came up with, like “Consumme Conchita” or “Fricasee Burma Style”. We ate at tables covered by linen tablecloths and were served by waiters. I wish I’d gotten the recipe for the Dutch shortbread that was a staple in our port box lunches as it was so tasty!

 

I spent four months with eyes wide open while experiencing the beautiful, lush green of Ireland, spent time in the home of a London family whose Mum fixed me a mixed grill breakfast before sending me on my way. While in Paris, my friend from Monongahela who had joined me on the semester and I stayed in the hotel Monponsier on Le Rue de Quatre Septembre where we could see the Eiffel Tower from our balcony. We were served hot chocolate and croissants for breakfast in our room. We had dinner at the Gastronomic Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower after taking an incline elevator to the top.  We toured the Louvre and Notre Dame and bought perfume at a shop on the Champs Elysees.

 

 

In Greece, I walked around the Acropolis, marveled at the Parthenon and experienced Cape Sounion at sunset. I learned some Greek dances and that Ouzo wasn’t my favorite drink. While visiting Crete I helped with an archeological dig at the Palace of Knossos.

 

 

In Vatican City I was touched by beauty and pain expressed in the marble of The Pieta. We were honored to have a private audience with Pope Paul VI.  At the Baptistery in Florence, the Bernini Bronze Doors were spectacular. Everywhere we visited there were architectural and natural wonders that were a feast for the senses, like the Gaudi Cathedral in Barcelona. One unexpected occurrence in Spain was the arrival of the Sixth Fleet of over one thousand US sailors. We hosted a reception for them on the Ryndam and for one evening the girls no longer outnumbered the guys!

 

In Rio de Janeiro, I volunteered at an orphanage located in the favela and was so moved by the openness of the children. The juxtaposition of the poverty of the favela with the beauty of Ipanema Beach, Corcovado and the Christ Statue welcoming us into the harbor caused me to wonder if things would ever change for those children.

I also visited Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost city in South America. It was very cold and windy and yet there were many students who stood in line outside a grocery store because they heard you could buy the American orange drink, Tang there.  At that point in our voyage we’d do anything for a taste of home! Our trip around Cape Horn was frightening and exhilarating as we encountered a storm that required us all to stay inside until it cleared.

After four months at sea I was welcomed to Chapman’s main campus and while it would take time to process all of my experiences, I knew that I was forever changed.   I loved the diversity I found at Chapman with students from all around the world. I attributed that diversity in part to all of the student ambassadors who attended WCA and touched the lives of those we met in every port of call. I had the opportunity to become an RA in my junior and senior years in order to be able to continue my education at Chapman. During those years I became politically involved in ending the war in Vietnam. One night I got a call from my Mother who had been watching the evening news and saw a video of me and about 50 other Chapman students picketing Nixon’s Western White House in San Clemente. Much to my Mother’s surprise I was carrying a sign that had a not so subtle message as to what Nixon should do. But, she knew that I felt a deep commitment to ending the war as my brother, Jim was in the Navy stationed in Da Nang during that time.

The liberal arts education I received at Chapman paired with my semester on WCA provided me the opportunity to become engaged in my community, to give back for all I had been given, to have a global view of the world and its people and to believe that no matter what corner of the world we come from we all want the best for our families and our countries.

Finally, I want to share the lyrics of a song we sang many times on the ship, entitled Brother’s Around the World, as it sums up what I learned then about all of the things the people of the world have in common and what connects us. I share it in the hope that we can again find the similarities and make those the focus of our interactions with all of our brothers and sisters here in the US and around the world.

Brothers around the world,

Friendships across the sea,

We raise our voices high in harmony,

The world lies just ahead,

The sun will shine,

In each and every land for all mankind.

We have traveled many a highway and sailed the seven seas,

Been met by smiling faces of one great family.

Brothers around the world,

Friendships across the sea,

We raise our voices high in harmony.

The world lies just ahead,

The sun will shine,

In each and every land for all mankind.