When I was a child, I thought that I could see the other side of the world across the ocean.

I never believed myself to be superhuman in this endeavor; on the contrary, I believed that it was something everything but my (at that naïve age) old mother with her ‘failing eyesight’ could see. It was only just sitting on the horizon; a whole new experience just waiting to be reached. Sitting on the beach by my grandparents' house in New Hampshire, the world seemed so small—if I hopped on a boat I could be in another continent by noon, and there were no doubts in my mind that I would someday make that trek...

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

2/6/2007- Breakfast with Desmond Tutu (Atlantic Ocean)



It was my first day of classes onboard Semester at Sea when I managed to get out of bed for breakfast. The dining room was nearly empty due to the ungodly hour of seven to a university student, and so I collected my food and noticed the Archbishop Desmond Tutu sitting alone in the corner. As we’d only been on our journey three or four days at this time I wasn’t sure how to address him or how he would act towards students, but I decided that this was a once in a lifetime risk to take.

“Good morning, father,” I remember saying softly, afraid of a roll of the eyes or a heavy sigh from the well sought-out man. “My name is Sharon. Are you waiting for someone?” There was a moment of the awkward silence I’d been dreading. But then something happened that I will never forget—the South African Archbishop grinned a toothy grin and waved to the table.

“I was waiting for you, Sharon”

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