“The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite.” Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

“It’s not down on any map; true places never are.” Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

A swimmer-writer-wanna-be-adventurer sets sail at the age of 21 for a semester away from the PNW, trading Walla Walla wineries for Cape Cod and subsequently…salt water as far as the eye can see.

Hey. My name’s Paige. I write things sometimes. This will be the home of my Off Campus Studies blog, where I’ll chronicle all things SEA Semester (well, all things about my particular voyage, whose mouthful of a name is Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures and Ecosystems or SPICE). You can probably expect it to be chalk full of philosophical revelation, literary references, and/or profound meditations on the metaphorical implications of different knots. Or not. But if you, like me, have ever wanted to know a little about life on a massive sailboat, this could be the place for you.