No Longer a Polliwog, Call me a Shellback

Unless you have been on one of the 125 Semester at Sea voyages prior to mine, you cannot begin to understand what Neptune Day is all about on here. Definitely top 5 weirdest days of my entire life, but one that makes SAS the most unique abroad experience in the world. In what other abroad program are you woken up at 7am to the sound of drums in the hallway and an announcement from King Neptune himself. What other abroad program has a day where 600+ students bond over the smell of fish guts and shaving their heads.

If you are SAS alumni, you know this day is entangled in secrets only fellow SASers know, so I won’t spoil it for any future voyagers or uncover any secrets we are so proud to keep. There are multiple days on this voyage that have created inexplainable bonds between current and previous voyagers and countless “you had to be there” moments. I know all of you are dying with curiosity about what this whole day encompasses, so I’ll give you a little snapshot of parts not riddled with secret traditions.

Neptune Day is the day the World Odyssey passes the equator into the Southern Hemishpere. It is a long standing Maritime tradition when the men pass the equator, they shave their heads, so naturally, SAS adopted this tradition and made it their own.

After you kiss the fish and have the sweet remnants of salty fish guts on your lips, you run over to the side deck to watch your closest friends shave their heads. It became a sensation where if you were a male, and did not shave your head, you were automatically lame. If the boys with hair down to their shoulders were shaving their heads, you with just enough hair to put gel in it can shave it off too, okay?! Something that was shocking and extremely empowering was the amount of strong women who shaved their heads too.

They were sitting in the chairs smiling and crying at the same time while their long locks fell to the floor. Friends and strangers surrounded them with roars of cheers and it was such a goose-bump inducing moment. They still looked amazing as ever with their bald heads and I realized the chains hair puts on females. I got asked by close guy friends if I was going to shave my head and my answer was “Hell no.” It has taken years to grow my hair out and it is something I associate with my identity, which made me realize how controlling that beauty standard is. I talked to a few of the women that shaved their heads after the fact and almost all of them said they did it as a big F U to beauty standards and as a step towards empowerment. Women amaze me every day and their bravery was so inspiring. It is so hard to understand how hair can be a part of who you are, and that when it is gone, you feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself. I was in awe of these women, because I understand the strength I requires to forego something society says makes you pretty.

Every time I want to cut my hair short, every male in my life begs me not to and says “boys like girls with long hair.” I don’t care what they like, and I don’t care what they want, it’s my hair and my decision. Hair has become this symbol of beauty and femininity in society, and I was fired up by the women who said “screw that” to beauty standards and liberated themselves from those chains.

Here’s a picture of the brave women that shaved their heads, and believe me I was shocked by the amount too:

Overall, this day reminded me of how crazy this entire experience is, yet how lucky I am to be a part of the exclusive club of Semester at Sea. This program bonds people together in ways most cannot understand, and I’m so excited to unpack all of my experience with other SAS alumni when I return home. Neptune Day was by far the weirdest day of my life, and honestly felt like I was on a 90’s Nickelodeon game show. I’m no longer an inexperienced Polliwog, I am an experienced Shellback. Suck it – everyone

And the answer to the question I’m sure you’re all wondering – No, I did not shave my head. You’re welcome, Mom.