This voyage has made me far more confident as now I know that I can do anything and I don't have to wait for other people to do something first or to tell me what I should do. I now see that you don't have to be constantly with the people that you close with - it's good to do things by yourself and spend the time to work on yourself as a person and not how other people perceive you because at the end of the day you will not get anywhere like that. This opportunity has also given me something to work towards - after talking with the chief engineer on the boat I understand how to become a marine engineer and what I need to do to get to that point. I also now realise that life isn't all about school and school work but also the experience that you can get out of life - it isn't all about being trapped in a classroom but also the opportunities outside of that. And one day I really hope to get back on a ship be it the Pelican of London or another ship like it.

I have since had tunnel vision on my exams this year, my professional career, relationships with family and friends and myself as a person. All this motivation is focused on bettering myself and the things important to me. It also taught me that the things I can't control, I can't control. This seems obvious but I finally realised that I have to do exams or I have to face my fears or I have to own up when I’ve done wrong instead of controlling the consequences. This trip gave me a sense of clarity about what’s truly important and what I can do to keep things going in the right direction.

I think that I have changed mentally, not in terms of ‘trying new things’ even though it has helped with that. But ultimately my perspective on life, it allowed me to reset and learn my true self and form strong bonds with people I never would have.