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Vietnam (My Favorite Port)
Vietnam ended up being my favorite port out of all eleven countries we visited on Semester at Sea, and I didn’t expect that going in. The food was unreal. From street food to McDonald’s, every single meal was good. There was never a moment where I felt disappointed by what I was eating. Food became something I looked forward to every day, and it somehow always delivered. At night, the streets felt electric. The lights were so bright it barely felt like nighttime. Everything s
Luke Castelly
Jan 262 min read


My India Experience
Perspective is what determines whether an experience feels unbearable or transformative. India tested mine immediately. The first thing I noticed was the air. Thick with pollution. Trash everywhere. People walking barefoot through the streets. Street vendors prepared food with their feet inches away. Drinks with things floating in them that I could not identify. Bugs everywhere. Constant honking, somehow louder than LA and New York combined. Driving felt chaotic. Motorcycles
Luke Castelly
Nov 30, 20252 min read


A Spoken Word
Recently, I had a spoken word project where I had to create a poem on a chosen topic. I chose to write about my struggles being black growing up in a predominantly white community. When I mean struggles, I don't mean physical, financial, or really emotional, as I've been very blessed. My main point is that when I am in either white or black dominated spaces, I constantly feel outcast because of either my blackness or lack thereof. I realized this was something that impacted m
Luke Castelly
Nov 5, 20252 min read


Feeling the Power of Belonging in Ghana
Ghana was one of the most powerful and emotional experiences of this entire journey. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who looked like me everywhere I went. From the billboards and shop signs to the waiters, security guards, and business owners, every face reflected a version of me that I rarely get to see represented back home. It was powerful to walk through spaces where Blackness was not an exception but the norm. I did not have to think about stand
Luke Castelly
Nov 1, 20251 min read
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