Aboard the TSS

I have put this off long enough. I need to start my story....In 2007, I had the great fortune to board a ship in Athens and cruise half way around the globe to Hong Kong. The Scholar Ship's inaugural voyage was the first in the world to provide learning at sea for students from all over the world. Our community of students from vast backgrounds became close and are still bonded in a special way today. I felt accepted from day one, even though I was the oldest and only wheelchair bound student aboard. I was in graduate school at  Sonoma State University when I read about TSS in the campus newsletter. I was 48 years old and had been a paraplegic for over half my life, so I figured I could handle this adventure. The Scholar Ship (formerly Mona Lisa) was a good sailing vessel, she was built in the '60s, made for navigating the globe. The "handicapped cabin" was recently modified to accommodate a wheelchair. There I found my refuge while visiting seven countries over a three month period.

More to come...