(Breaker High was teen comedy-drama that ran from 1997 to 1998, about a high school located on a cruise ship.)

Who would have thought this show is responsible for one of the most amazing life-changing experiences I’ll ever have: Semester At Sea. It came on every Sunday morning (from ‘97-‘98), right before another masterpiece, Sweet Vally High, and I would watch it before going to my Unitarian church.

I remember thinking those were the coolest kids I had ever seen, and the fact that they WENT TO SCHOOL ON A BOAT(!) made their lives exponentially more glamorous than mine. Also, Ryan Gosling’s character was such a trickster! Laugh-Out-Loud.

Fast forward 18 years to my freshmen year of college. I noticed a Semester At Sea brochure lying on my dorm room floor during a boring party. It was my destiny. Needless to say my SAS experience was EXACTLY like Breaker High, neon clothing and wacky music included.

This month marks the 5 year Anniversary of that fateful voyage, and I own someone a very big thank you :)