Saturday, May 5, 2012
Home
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Aloha!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
konnichiwa!!!
WOW! Japan was amazing! I definitely did not have enough time to do everything that I wanted to do. In one short week, I visited Kobe, Tokyo, and Yokohama. Japan had one of the biggest language barriers out of all the countries. Brazil and Japan are tied for 1st place for the hardest to communicate. From early on in the voyage, my group of friends had big plans for Japan. The first and most important thing on my itinerary was to go to Tokyo Disneyland! So of course I made it happen! The first day in Kobe was spent as most other first day's had been. We went exploring through the city, and found shopping malls and markets. It was here that I really got a feel for what I was going to experience my rest of the stay here. I did not really know what to expect in Japan, but it is a very modern and technologically advanced nation. The public transportation here is very efficient. We got all over Japan without every hiring a taxi driver! The next day was spent on the ship because I was injured again. Unfortunately, this country got short changed for me and many others. I feel like I was less motivated to be off the ship at all times. I ate most meals on the ship because it is free, and also didn't take much energy to find. So, I am glad that I had Tokyo planned to get me off and in to Japan!
To get to Tokyo, we had to take a 10-hour over-night bus ride. After a McDonalds dinner, we found our way to the bus station and waited. When we got on to the bus, I was hoping for the best, but was prepared for an “India” bus. When I got on, my eyes dropped! This was the fanciest bus that I had ever seen! I felt like I was flying first class. Although it was a bit difficult to sleep because we kept stopping, and the lights kept going on, I slept almost the whole night. When I woke up the next morning, I found myself in the Tokyo Disney Parking lot!!! I felt like a kid again. All of the people I was with were still trying to wake up and gather themselves, I was already jumping around and on the phone with my mom. I was so excited! Everything was the same. The character parking markers, the trash cans, and even the Pirates of the Caribbean music playing! After gathering myself I looked to the left and there it was. “Hilton at Tokyo Bay”. MY HOTEL!!! One of my friend's mom works with a travel agency and got us good deals on hotels and transportation, I really don't have THAT much left over $$.We walked to the hotel and we checked in. We were escorted to our room and what a surprise we had! We had a traditional Japanese style room. The table was on the floor, the chairs were pillows, there were no beds, and we had to take our shoes off before entering. It was so neat! The lady showed us the mats and blankets that they would set up for us later that evening. We all got settled in and found free wi-fi.
A while later, we headed for Shibuya! Shibuya is like the Times Square of Tokyo. It was amazing. It took a little over an hour of reading maps, transferring trains, and exploring the public transportation again before we stepped out in to a mad house. When we finally arrived, there were so many high rises, SO MANY PEOPLE, stores, loud cars, bright lights. First things first, Starbucks. It was after lunch time so we decided to find some food. Mc Donalds would work, but we came across a food court first. Outside of the restaurants there were pictures of the food that they serve. We found one that had a bunch of different noodles that we thought might be a safe bet. This port SAS gave us a list of helpful words and phrases in Japanese, and the pronunciation. I pointed to the characters that spelled out “do you have an English menu?” The lady said no, then I pointed to “I'm vegetarian”. I'm not really, but I had a long day ahead and didn't want to be slowed down by mystery meat. She brought me spaghetti with clams. Close enough. It wasn't the best, but it sure beat “ship pasta”!! We spent the rest of the day shopping and walking around. I didn't really buy anything because I was so excited for Disney, and I knew I wanted to spend my money there instead. Not much happened after this, we finally got back to the hotel and had plans to go out, but decided to sleep instead. True Life: We're cool kids.
The next day I was still unsure of if I wanted to go to Disneyland or DisneySea. Everyone had said that Disneyland was just like in California, but DisneySea was completely different, and only in Tokyo. We finally decided on DisneySea and I am so glad that we did! I put on my Disney shirt that I had already bought at the hotel, and practically ran to the gate. As soon as I got in the gate I was all smiles. 2 of our other friends were already in so we met up with them and had an amazing day in Tokyo DisneySea. It was fun seeing all of the characters, riding all of the rides, and just spending a day in Disney. My highlight was ending the day by forcing my friends to go to “Turtle Talk w/ Crush”. My mom made me in to a crazy turtle lady during this whole voyage. I have taken pictures of purtles everywhere! Haha. The worker told us that Crush speaks Japanese, but I still wanted to go. It was SO MUCH FUN! The whole time my friends were looking at me like I was crazy and like they weren't having a good time. I even wanted to participate, but I didn't understand what was happening. It is the same as in Cali, it is Crush the interactive talking turtle. SO FUN. We weren't able to stay for the water show/ fireworks because it started thunder storming and we had to be in Yokohama by midnight when the trains stopped running. Before leaving, we did some shopping, and were on another adventure called public transportation!
This was especially fun because it was a Friday night during rush hour. During our pre-port for Japan, we were told that during rush hour, hundreds of people will fit in to one car. There will be no more room to even stand, and people will still push their way in. This was quite an experience! We were on the rapid train that didn't stop as often. This just meant that we were sardines for longer stretches. Every stop we picked up more people. By the second stop, I was touching 5 different people, all the windows on the train were fogged up, and it was hard to breath. It was crazy packed!!
2 hours later and only 30 min early we made it back to the ship safe and sound. What a day! The last day in Yokohama was pouring rain, so I only went out for a little bit to get some snacks to last this 11 day stretch I'm on now. I took in that this was my last day on foreign land. Next time we would be on land would be in Hawaii and then San Diego! Japan was so much fun! I really wish I had more time and energy to do more, but 3 months of traveling constantly wipes you out.
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE HOME! This experience does not even have the right words. I would say it has been fun, but it hasn't always been. I would say amazing, but there have been times when I couldn't take it. There are just no words. I will try my hardest to share what I have learned with everybody when I get home. You get a head start by following my blog! 2 WEEKS 2 WEEKS 2 WEEKS.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
MV Explorer. We will have an Easter dinner together followed by another
service during our regular time tonight. I wish I was home celebrating
with my family, but I know that I will be home soon enough!
Love and Blessings from somewhere between China and Japan.
Shanghai CHINA!
Shanghai!! WOW! Definitely not what I expected.
The first day in Shanghai, me and some friends tackled public transportation and found our way around Shanghai. Language barrier hit us hard again here. SAS problem #21 Walking in to a convenience store and everything being in Chinese. After guessing and hoping that I got something edible and not prawn flavored, we continued on. We came across a small shoe store. I was so excited to find a pair of shoes that fit me, so I bought them, and then they killed my feet the rest of the day. We found Mc Donald’s, H&M, and many other familiar places. Lesson learned real quick: Chinese sizes are “a bit” smaller. We spent the day exploring the city and talking to many people along the way. The rest of our friends were to return from Tibet and Beijing that night, so we headed back to meet up with them for the night. This is when it started to hit all of us. This journey is almost over. Me and 2 other girls were away from “the family” for 3 days, and we really missed them. When we all saw each other, it was like it had been years. We were all so excited to see each other and hear each others stories. It is going to be so hard going back to reality and not seeing my best friends every single day while traveling the world. We stayed up late talking, laughing, sharing stories, and just enjoying good company. We made plans for the next day to go shopping.
The second day in Shanghai, a group of us went to the “knock off” market. Along our 30 minute walk to town we met a man from Cape Town who told us about how he travels the world on his private jet and how he has companies and multiple properties. We all talked for hours about our travel adventures at a coffee shop before moving forward. We finally made it to the market which was a 5 story mall of the same stuff. It was like a swap meet with all of the same stuff. The fun in it came to bargain the lowest price. I got too much stuff, and went a little crazy. But I did get a lot of good stuff including a beautiful tea set! We literally spent the rest of the day in the market talking to locals, and buying things. That night, we headed back to the ship to get ready to go out for a nice dinner. Let me tell you right now, a group of 12 girls is a bit hard to work with. We had planned to go to “the needle” which is a fancy building with a revolving restaurant. It was $50US for dinner and museum. Unfortunately, we got there at 8:30pm and they closed at 9pm. We went to a mall to try and find some place to eat. It was here as people started running in to stores that the group split up. We split up in to 3 groups and I'm glad that we did. In my group there were 5 and we found a Hooters! We went and had the best night. The food was the same as was the atmosphere.
My last day in Shanghai, I had my last FDP with my favorite professor. This trip was called “Tasting the Daily Life of a Shanghai Citizen”. This was by far my favorite FDP that I did this whole semester!! To start, we went to a community center where we learned about all the services that the government provides for the residents. We took a tour of the facility and it was a great time. There was a ball room dance going on for the aged. They were dancing for hours at 9am on a Sat morning. Then, we went to where the teenagers were having dance class. Tied for the cutest dance was between the toddlers and the aged. The aged won of course. After leaving the center, we proceeded to another local market. This one was the craziest that I have yet to see. There were dead and live fish everywhere, the floor was soaking with fish water. (yes, I was wore flip flops). I will just post pictures, I cannot describe it. There was also a dentist office right next to the cage of live chickens that you can choose and they kill for you. Although the meat section almost made me go vegetarian, I had never seen such fresh and crisp vegetables in a market, and such a wide variety of fruits. After leaving the market, we split up in to smaller groups to go on a house visit with a local family where we would help prepare and eat lunch. When we arrived to the small condo, neither the wife or husband spoke English, but we still had a great time. The women showed us how to make dumplings! We then all sat around a round table with a spinning middle. The women was in the kitchen working hard and the man kept bringing out dish after dish of food for us! We ate so much food and it was the best Chinese food ever! We said good-bye and thanked them for inviting us in to their home. They were the nicest people with the biggest smiles in all of China. The trip concluded with a visit to a flower market.
My stay in Shanghai came to an end as we returned to the ship before on-ship time. I did not have enough time here, so I must come back! I really want to visit Beijing some day too. China is a beautiful country and politics and government aside, is a world giant. I love it here!! My last and final stop before returning to the US is Japan! I will be at sea for 2 days before we get there. For Japan, I am doing independent travel to Tokyo! I can't wait for Tokyo Disneyland! This independent travel shouldn't be as crazy as India because we actually have hotels and everything planned out already. :) Every once in a while it hits me that I am traveling the world on a ship. SO AWESOME! After Japan we have 17 days at sea to cross the Pacific Ocean to San Diego. We have a 1 day stop in Hawaii to refuel, but I know it is going to be rough! During this long stretch, we have a lot planned, including finals. I am on my way home!
Transit
Here is a picture of my cabin before 3 months of collecting stuff from around the world. I am the blue bed. The floor is not currently visible. It got to a point that my cabin steward came in to clean and threw all of my clothes from the floor in to a big trash bag. haha Just like at home!
my cousin calls it Honk Honk
I have come to the conclusion that the richest people in the world live in South Africa, Singapore, and Hong Kong. While most of the people on the ship traveled to Beijing for our week in China, I stayed in Hong Kong for 2 days, was in transit with the ship for 2 days, and then spent the last 3 days in Shanghai. I did not go to see the Great Wall of China because I had 3 required class trips planned during this stop. It would have been another “India” independent travel, and I couldn't risk missing my trips that are for class credit. Both days in Hong Kong were spent on FDPs. The first was a Family Insight Tour where we visited a community center at government housing facilities. Here, we learned about how families typically work, and where they live. The center provides educational services for kids, the aged, and everyone else. After a Q&A with volunteer students, we visited a families home for some tea. Here we saw how a family of 4 can live in a space the size of 1 standard bedroom. After spending some time there, we went to a local market to see where people get their things from. It was similar to the market in Cambodia, but a lot smaller.
After my FDP I spent the rest of the day in the largest mall that was attached to the cruise terminal. I have fallen almost everyday while in Asia. 2 days in a row I fell in Viet Nam. The first time I scraped my knee, the 2nd time, I fell and got 4 HUGE bruises all up and down both legs. The first day in Hong Kong I fell again and sliced my toe. My professor told me that this is pretty common. Because I have been living on a ship for 3 months, I am not used to a floor that does not move. It will take some time to get used to walking again, just like it took time to get my sea legs. That, and I'm just clumsy.
For my FDP on the 2nd day, I had no idea what I was in for. My trip was called “Sustainable Cities: Is high-density the new green?” I did not read any of my trip descriptions before signing up because they are required regardless. SO, I showed up for this FDP thinking we would be in a museum or presentation or something. NO. I wore my toms (with a hurt toe) and skinny jeans, and got all dressed up. When I showed up, I was told that we were going to be hiking 7 miles through rough terrain. GREAT. I had no choice but to suck it up and go. I had no water, snacks, anything. Luckily they provided lunch and water, but I was still not dressed properly. The first half of the day was on an urban walking tour where we saw development projects and walked through the city. The second half, we ventured up to Victoria's Peak which is the highest point in Hong Kong, and much like a jungle. It was nice to see this side of the city because I would have never thought there was any greenery in Hong Kong had I not gone on this trip. I ended this day again in the mall...Luckily, this was a really upscale mall so I could not afford the Prada and Coach stores.
I would like to go back to Hong Kong someday, but I feel like I will return to a place like Cambodia first. The next 2 days I would be at sea until we arrive in Shanghai!
I went to Cambodia!
While with Semester at Sea the only way we are allowed to leave the original country is if on a SAS trip. I took advantage of adding another country to my itinerary and signed up for the trip to the capital of Cambodia and Angkor Wat. SAS has a way of making us in to tourists. We eat at fancy restaurants, we stay on the air-conditioned coach bus, and we have tour guides to all of the museums and sites. Regardless, it was still an amazing opportunity to visit Cambodia. I was fortunate to be in a good group of people. We had a small group of 19, with over half of them being life-long learners. President LBJ's daughter and her Senator husband were some of our fellow travelers.
I do enjoy learning about history and things like that, but I personally feel the most accomplished when I can actually be interacting with the local people, and making myself useful. This trip was a lot of museums and temples. The architecture was incredible, but again, there is only so much of fancy carving that will keep my attention. It was a foreign experience for me to tour the king's palace. It never crossed my mind to think that there are nations today that still have kings who live in a fancy palace and who sit on thrones. Another learning experience that I had was visiting the killing fields. This was grounds for the Cambodian genocide that took place by the Khmer. The thing that struck me the most about this site was how recent it was. From the looks and ideas of what happened, it seems that something so gruesome as this would have happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago. No, the last truck of victims arrived on January 7th 1979. Because of how recent this was, with annual rains, clothes particles are washed up and visible peeking out of the dirt. There are whole teeth and bones pieces laying on the ground where people lost their lives. This experience was similar to the burning ghats in Varanasi for me. It was something that I have never seen/felt/experienced. It was a harsh reality of history.
Following the Killing Fields, we went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This was a former schoolhouse that was used as a torture prison during the time of Genocide. The cells are still standing, and reminiscences of the torture devices were there along with still pictures. There were only 9 known survivors of this prison, 2 of which are still alive and were at the museum signing their books.
Later that evening we went to the biggest buffet that I have ever been to! The food wasn't the greatest, but was still amazing. During dinner the large venue put on a traditional Cambodian dance show. After dinner, we were free to visit the Night Market. While in Viet Nam, I learned about a fish massage. I was trying to find it, but couldn't. Lucky for me they were everywhere in Cambodia! At the night market there was a massage place where you could get a full leg massage for $1US. The fish massage was $2US for 40 minutes and it included a free soda. The massage is simple. There is a huge pool of fish that you put your feet in to the water and they eat all of the dead skin off! It was terrifying! I already have a hard time getting pedicures because how much it tickles. Imagine hundreds of little fish sucking and nibbling on your feet!! I survived, and my feet felt really soft after! We spent a few hours in the market before catching a rickshaw back to our hotel
The last day in Siem Reap started at 0430. Early in the morning, we woke up and saw the sunrise over Angkor Wat. It was absolutely beautiful to see the temple just light up with God's gracious sun. After getting some good pictures, we returned to our hotel for breakfast. After, we returned to spend time going through Angkor Wat. Next, we went to a fancy restaurant. Then, we had some free time to roam through the local market. This market had everything from clothes, house supplies, and food. Literally anything a local person needs, they can come to this huge market. The group that I was with wanted to find insects to eat. After walking around and asking people, we were lead to 2 small women sitting in the middle of the market with big containers of crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, frog legs, and other delicious delicacies. I was not brave enough to dig in, but some did. After the market, and 5 temples later, we were headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Viet Nam where the ship was. I am so grateful that I was able to go on this trip. It was 1 of 2 big SAS trips that I did, the other being Rio. By the way, my passport is looking so awesome right about now! Next.....HONG KONG!
I had the choice of a western and eastern toilet in the palace and I chose this!!
I
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Chinese Authorities
union, and walked right out. Then as we were leaving they said that we
walked by a what looked like a camcorder that took our temperature. I
was joking that temperature was not the only thing that it took! It
probably took our picture, stem cell count, DNA sample. Technology
around the world is 10 million times ahead of us. TRUE STORY
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Viet Nam
Viet Nam! The night prior to our arrival in VietNam, I was very anxious and more excited than anything! I knew that while in Viet Nam I wanted to learn more about the War. I also had a big Cambodia trip planned while in this port. The day started out by getting on the shuttle in to town. The shuttle dropped us off right in front of the Burberry store. I did not have very many expectations about Viet Nam, but this certainly was not it! We walked around for about an hour before stumbling upon a travel agency. We went in and looked at possible day trips. We found a city tour that would cost us each $7 USD. The trip included a private driver and a 6 hour tour through the city to see all of the major highlights. We booked the trip! Before leaving, we stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. I ordered the spicy curry of course, and it was delicious! We headed back to the agency and met our driver. We got in to the air conditioned, new, good smelling SUV, and were ready to go!
The first stop on our tour was to the War Remembrance Museum. This museum was very interesting in that it was the “American War” from the Vietnamese perspective. In school, I thought that I was taught all about the War, but being in this museum was a wake up call. While people were talking about how one-sided the museum was, it just made me realize how one-sided and censored OUR material is. As I kept moving through the exhibit I was growing more and more frustrated, confused, sad, and annoyed. In Viet Nam, when talking about the war, we are the “enemy”. The first part of the museum was portraying the entire world's support in Viet Nam against the US aggression. As I moved through the museum, there was a small corner of musicians. The musicians were singing, playing instruments, and making bead crafts. I took a closer look. The people were severely disabled, all of them. I then read the big sign hanging above them that said that they were victims of agent orange. The entire visit to the museum was an eye-opener for me. I was disgusted, I felt like I have been lied to my entire life. Yes, occasionally in school we talked about the war, but we NEVER talked about what I was seeing. I felt guilty. Why? I shouldn't because I wasn't there right? I feel like I am guilty by association. Even if it wasn't my generation, it is my generation that is still living with effects of the War today. I left the museum numb. I had questions that were left unanswered, and a heavy heart.
In the evening me and some friends had bought tickets to see a traditional Vietnamese Water Puppet show. The puppet show was in Vietnamese so I could not understand what they were saying, but it was still fun to make believe a story. The show was held in a small theater. There was a pool of water at the floor of the stage and the musicians and voices were on the sides. The show was only 45 minutes, but it was a lot of fun! We caught an over-priced taxi back to the ship, and did some more shopping right outside the ship where some vendors were set up.
The next day, me and my friend Danielle bought tickets from the same agency to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. The tunnels are where the Viet Cong set up an underground world in the fields to hide from the enemy. On the way the bus full of tourists stopped at a rest stop. Here there was a huge store with goods to buy, a juice bar, and a workshop where people were making the goods. I had an orange-mango-pineapple smoothie made with milk, ice, water, and everything else they told us to avoid. It was delicious! Once at the tunnels, the one-sided story continued. In the first part of the tour, we watched a movie with a basic background about the tunnels and their purpose. During the movie, the narrator was talking about how the Viet Cong were given awards for who could kill the most Americans. In a single sentence, the movie said “kill Americans” a minimum of 6 times. It was interesting to watch, but again, I was glad to finally be hearing the other side of the story. Once in the fields, we saw where the past had been preserved. The holes in the ground are still open, and I even had the chance to crawl through a tunnel. It was small and hot! I only made it 20 meters, but the entirety was 100 meters. At the tunnels, there was a chance to shoot guns. I do not understand what the purpose of this was, but I can only imagine what it must be like for veterans to return to this site and hear real guns being shot.
We ended the day by stopping at a small restaurant for dinner. Here, Danielle and I ordered appetizers, a main course, and a soda for $6USD. It was a lot of good food for $3 a piece! OH, throughout my 2 day stay in Viet Nam, I fell 2 times. The first time I scraped my knee, the second time I tripped on a wire. Later I found out that this is common because after being on a ship for so long, many people have trouble adjusting to walking on land. My legs are all bruised up, but it is funny to think that I do not know how to walk on still ground anymore! That night, I packed my new $12US North Face backpack, and prepared for my early departure to Cambodia!
OH MY! I forgot to talk about crossing the street. YouTube "crossing the street in Vietnam". You will understand.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
what's going on?
Deans Memo
| Friday March 30 & Saturday March 31, 2012 | Issue # 42 |
| Friday, March 30 Agenda · 1700-1800 – Health Careers Panel. Physicians, nurses, medical researchers, health care administrators, etc. will discuss their respective career paths (why they chose this profession, what training is required, what has changed during their professional lifetimes, etc.) and then the platform will open to a question and answer discussion so that we target our comments to what the students really want to know. Panelists include Executive Dean Bob Vieira and members of our visiting medical team. (Union) · 1800-1900 – Shabbat Dinner at Sea. All are welcome. (Classroom 1) · 1900-2000 – Meditation/Qi Gong. (Classroom 8) · 1900-2100 – Cultural Pre-port: China. Chinese students will offer a sample of Chinese music and dance from 1900 to 1945, followed by conversations with those students, Profs. Farmer and Zhang, and Senator Robb. (Union)
· 2100-2330 Film Club Movie: Enter the Dragon. (Classroom 5) Saturday, March 31 Agenda · 0900 – Family Photo. All dependent children and their families, caretakers, et al are invited to participate in the family photo. (Pool Deck) · 1600-1730 – Mandatory Shipwide Temperature Taking. Hong Kong health authorities require everyone to have their temperature taken prior to our arrival in Hong Kong. Please have your shipboard ID ready and enter the Union on the Portside. There could be classes in session in rooms 6 & 7 so please be quiet when you go to have your temperature taken. (Union) · 1700-1830 – Gumshoe Enigma Schnitzel Road kill Improv Workshop. (Classroom 8) · 1700-1800 – Politics of China. Professors Edward Farmer and Ruizhang Zhang, and former US Senator Charles Robb, on US-China relations and Chinese politics. (Classroom 4) · 1800-1900 – Language Workshop. (Union) · 2000-2100 – Mandatory Logistical Pre-port: China. (Union) · 2100-2300 – Movie Night: Up. (Union) · 2100 – Chess Club. Come join chess club as Gavin Se teaches us the basics of Chinese Chess. Bring your chess boards for a friendly match afterward! Beginners are always welcome. Announcements Japan Transit Forms are Due. Get those forms to the Admin Office ASAP! Immigration Forms. Don’t forget to get those forms at the purser’s desk signed by 1200 on March 31. China Transit Passengers. There will be a mandatory lifeboat drill just after On Ship time… April 2 at 2130-ish. Shipboard Group Photos. Want to know what happens to those Shipboard Group photos that were taken on Vietnam Preparation Day. Several weeks after our voyage, you will receive an electronic copy of the Spring 2012 Voyage Directory via email. The Directory will include photos, names and email addresses of all students, faculty, staff, Lifelong Learners and dependents, along with the group photos. Passover Seder. If you are interested in attending a Passover Seder on April 8th 1730-1930, please sign up at the Student Activities desk. You must sign up by 1200 March 31st in order to attend. Space is limited so we ask that priority goes to community members of the Jewish faith. Zumba! Every morning at 0700 in the Union. Information from the Captain and Crew ISE Explorer is committed to reduction of water use onboard by means of increased awareness and engineering solutions (e.g. water flow restricting devices). Crew onboard are encouraged and motivated to be environmentally innovative by a monetary award for contributing the best environmental ideas for further improving management practices. | Today’s Quote “The art of learning fundamental common values is perhaps the greatest gain of travel to those who wish to live at ease among their fellows.” -Freya Stark Laundry Service B17: Deck 2 April 1: CLOSED Happy Birthday! Farrell Saunders Question of the Day On what date did China resume sovereignty over Hong Kong? Last question: What is the Vietnamese common name for the herb Polygonum odoratum? Answer: rau ram, or Vietnamese coriander (source: Oxford Companion to Food, p. 656) Television Programming Ch. 2: Japan's Killer Quake – for Natural Hazards and Evolution of the Earth Ch. 3: Nell (1994, 112min, PG-13)– for Cognitive Psychology Ch. 5: Hearts and Minds (1974, 112min, R) – for Global Cinema Ch. 6: Is Wal-Mart Good For America? (2005, 60min, NR)– for Modern China Other Gratitude Meditation I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teacher, friends, and all beings. I vow to be worthy of their trust, to practice wholeheartedly, so that Understanding and Compassion will flower, and I can help living beings be free from their suffering. -Thich Nhat Hanh field office hours – tymitz sq. At Sea 1130-1300 In Port CLOSED Dining Hours Breakfast 0700 – 0830 Lunch 1130 – 1330 Dinner 1730 – 1930 Medical Clinic – Deck 2 Hours: At Sea 0800–0900 and 1630–1730 In Port 0730–0800 and for 1 hour following “on ship” time Counseling Center – Deck 2 Hours: 1500-1700 and by appointment Dependent Children’s Program– Main Dining Room Hours: 0845-1145 Home Schooling 1345-1545 Afternoon Activity |
Singapore
Another 1 day stop..Singapore!
WOW! Singapore is up there on my list of favorite countries! After being in India, Singapore is 100% different. The country is so technologically advanced, I felt like I was living in the future for a day! The day was spent with friends, exploring all Singapore has to offer. During our pre-port meeting the night before we were told of the intense laws that this country holds. For example, chewing gum has a $1000 fine. Jay-walking and you will be caned. And drug trafficking gets the death penalty. This explains why SAS cannot be trusted to spend more time in this amazing country. Singapore is one of very few cities that is also it's own nation. SO we started the day by getting a metro day pass. The metro station is an underground world. The train runs all throughout the city and also has the largest shopping mall. There are restaurants, and everything else that anyone would ever need. No need to ever go above ground! The train was the cleanest train that I have ever seen, and the whole country, above ground and under ground, was spotless!
We spent the day wondering around the city, and seeing as many highlights as possible. Singapore is home to the world's largest Ferris Wheel. This was another peak in to the future. We boarded the sealed vessel and saw the country from way up high! On a clear day, you can see Indonesia and Malaysia. Unfortunately, it was not a clear day, but we still get to see all of Singapore from an aerial view. After this, we came across a Starbucks! The whole day was spent exploring the city, and seeing as much as we could. We managed to stumble upon a University which was a part of the underground world. For lunch, we had Wendy's, and for dinner before heading back to the ship, we had Pizza Hut. In the shopping mall in Singapore, there were many familiar name brands and stores. Because it is a very modern city, there were many tourists there, and also many business people that were there for work. Everything in Singapore is very expensive, and I did not do as much shopping here. Headed to Vietnam where everything will be cheap, I was looking forward to buying a lot!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
I.N.D.I.A.
In Agra, we got separated from the other girls, and with no way of communication, we just went to the train station and hoped that they showed up. Earlier in the day we had talked about catching the 4pm train to Delhi. We arrived to the train station and it was an absolute mess. It was so crazy and stressful that I didn't get any pictures at any of the train stations. There were people everywhere. Everyone was in a hurry. There were small children beggars everywhere. There were people curled up in the middle of the walk way asleep. It was loud, it was smelly. There is no air conditioning at any public place in India. The platforms were full of people sitting waiting for the train. There were many stray dogs and other animals wandering around. I went to stand in line to buy 4 tickets, while Ashley waited outside to see if they showed up. There were about 12 different lines and only 1 of them was for women. So I waited in the line patiently. As I got to the front, women were shoving me out of the way and reaching their hand to get in front of me. I was not the only one, I watched this happen to everyone as I got closer. I had my bags and I stood with a firm foot as I bought the tickets. 4 tickets to New Delhi (3 hrs away) cost US$5. Concerned that the man had not asked what class I wanted, I found someone to ask where we were to board the train (the ticket was in Hindi). We found an English speaking man who told us that they were bad tickets that we bought because there were no assigned seats. When we got on, we would have to fight for seats, and there was a chance that we would be standing the entire time because of over crowding. 30 minutes until the train was to leave, the other girls were still not there. We were so stressed out that we decided to ditch our bad tickets and purchase bus tickets.
We found a driver to take us to a travel agency that would sell them to us. (By the way, notice how trusting we had to be of strangers...). When we got the agency, the man said that they bus would leave in 15 minutes. There were pictures of nice coach air-conditioned buses, so we paid and got our tickets. When the bus arrived, SURPRISE! We were on a “local” bus, which meant that every seat was broken, there was no air-conditioning, and it looked as if they picked it up in the junk yard. Me and Ashley were 2 of 3 women on the bus. By this time, the sun is starting to go down, so we find our seats and again, and say a little prayer! Exhausted from the day, we both fell right to sleep. About an hour passed and I woke up. We were pulled over in a random small town somewhere between Agra and Delhi. The bus had broken down. GREAT. Have no fear though, they got it running again pretty fast! As we were pulling out of a mechanic, the bus backed in to a person and a pole! Someone looked back and said “they're ok!” and we continued on our way. The “2” hour drive turned in to a 6 hour drive. We kept stopping for breaks at some more random truck stops, but this time, we decided it was safest to stay on the bus. It was around this time that it hit us.. “what in the world are we doing?! We are so crazy!” We had no idea where we were, no idea that this bus was actually going to Delhi, we had no plans of where to go when we got there. We met a couple of Germans on the same bus, that we conversed with about how crazy we all are to be in this situation right now. They were our age, brother and sister, traveling around India. Finally, it was after 10pm and the bus pulled over on the side of the road. I guess we were in Delhi? We got off to find men swarming us trying to get us to get in their taxi. We tried to explain that we needed to get to a hotel by the airport. Language barrier hit us hard.
We finally found a man who spoke enough English to get us in to his car. Again, no proof that he was legit, or that he understood what we were saying (which he didn't). Drivers in India work off of commission, so every time they take people to their friends, they get a cut of what we pay. This driver was the WORST. First, he did not speak English, and had no idea of where we wanted to go. After taking us to about 9-10 nasty hotels, we asked him to take us to the Radisson that we had passed a while ago. He didn't understand, so when he took us to some one else, we asked them to translate. The translator was just as bad! He told us that there was not such a hotel, even though we had just seen it, and he said that it would be 20,000 rupees for one night. Ashley got mad, threatened to call the police, and the guy finally took us to the Radisson. When we got to the 5 star hotel (which was really nice), we were desperate. It was almost midnight, and we were beyond frustrated and tiered. The Radisson was completely full, so they helped us find another hotel. After calling several hotels, they finally found a hotel that had rooms available. We asked to use the Radisson's driver because ours was not going to take us to the right place. We finally arrived to the Hans Hotel. It was paradise. It was a “5 star hotel”, which was really like a 3-4 star according to American standards. After filling out some paperwork and paying for the room, we were escorted to a room with 2 beds, and a Western flushing toilet. AMEN. By the time we got to our room, it was already after midnight. We had not eaten a single thing ALL day, since the night before at the truck stop. I had been wearing the same shirt for 4 days, and had only brushed my teeth once. I took the longest and best shower of my life and ended the night with room service dinner, before climbing in to the hardest/ most comfortable/ stained sheet bed. That night, I slept like a baby. In the morning, we had complimentary breakfast which puts to shame American continental breakfast. It was a feast! After being refreshed, we headed for the airport via subway. Once on the subway, we randomly saw our German friends again! What a coincidence that we were in the same place at the same time! They were too headed for the airport. We told them about out horror story, and then exchanged contact info with them. Once at the airport, we could finally breath. Things started getting SASy as we ran in to some familiar faces headed back to Cochin.
2 connecting flights later, and the biggest sense of accomplishment I have ever experienced, we landed in the Cochin International Airport. Waiting for us right outside was our driver who dropped us off. He took us back to the ship and we returned home.
The first thing that I did once back on board was head straight to the 7th deck and ordered a Cheeseburger and Fries. NO SHAME. I deserved it! We met up with our other friends to make plans for the last day in India. We ended up taking a water taxi in to town to do some more shopping and exploring. I was told on multiple occasions throughout my trip that I look 100% Indian, especially with my name. I also had 2 different people on 2 different occasions say that I look 16. In Agra, I had another old man propose to me. He said he was in love with me. He also confessed that he was married and had kids my age. Gross. Crazy.. There were articles published in the local Cochin newspaper about our visit. They said that the program costs 1.5 million rupees, and that if someone had that much money, they would never have to work another day in their life. This explains why people inflated the prices so much. Something that I am grateful for from this trip is that I did not get travelers diarrhea as predicted from the ship doctor. This was good and bad. It was good for obvious reasons, including the lack of toilets, but it was bad because we didn't get sick because we barely ate anything the whole week, and we were also VERY dehydrated. Because we were backpacking, we couldn't carry much, and there was very limited safe water for us along our journey. The next week after returning to the ship, I had to replenish by eating fruits, veges, and meats, and drinking A LOT of water. India was a success! I am alive. I am well. I am blessed. As our German friends said “Nepal stands for Never Ending Peace And Love” and I recited from a movie “India stands for I'll Never Do It Again”. I am very happy that I went, I am very happy that I did everything that I did, but my India urge has been satisfied, and I will most likely never do it again.
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