Well I cannot believe how fast the past few weeks have gone! Since we left Japan we have been sailing every day except Thanksgiving which was spent in Honolulu, Hawaii. I have had a lot of catch up work to do considering I didn’t do any of it during the semester haha….but everyone else was in the same boat too…We had class pretty much every day and have been hanging out…with the exception of last night the seas have been amazingly calm and it has been hot and humid for the most part so I am sitting on the 7th deck right now along with the rest of the shipboard community laying out by the pool…everyday our acapella group has been practicing for the final talent show next week….our medley is almost 15 minutes long but it is always my favorite part of the day when we practice…I adore everyone in it…
Thanksgiving was a whirlwind day…we had only so many hours to spend in Hawaii in between 19 days at sea so we wanted to enjoy it as much as possible…it took forever to get off the ship because as we have now learned US customs is probably the worst of all...I think everyone was more excited for the fact that their phones worked for the first day since we left in August and it was nice considering that day fell on Thanksgiving…a group of us headed out toward Waikiki and picked a nice spot on the beach right by the Duke Kahanamoko (sp?) statue along with about 700 other students spread out along the beach….it was a very enjoyable day and we all got some much needed sun after the really cold China and Japan visits…we spent the whole day there and my family got to see me on the beach as there is a webcam right where we were so that was fun haha…a group of us tried to go to the Hooters that was right next to the ship but it was closing considering it was a holiday so we ate at Gordon Biersch instead and got back on the ship…
Since then shipboard life as actually been a little hectic for once…there was a talent show which the MC (who is a dear friend of mine in acapella with me) made me get up on stage and sing towards the end…. So that was interesting haha… Today I had to film the last 5 minutes of my personalized voyage DVD which went a lot faster than anticipated and I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to say but oh well…im sure it will turn out fine…I somehow finished all my papers and I have my easiest final tomorrow and then we will be n Costa Rica for three days! I am so excited…20 of us got a house in Puntarenas and Rodolfo is coming to meet up with us and take us out to the hot spots haha…it will be so nice to enjoy it without the weight of finals over our heads…this is the first time Semester at Sea has finished finals before the last port…which will be interesting haha….the day after we get back on the ship will be the infamous Ambassadors Ball where we all where ball gowns and tuxedos, have a fancy dinner, and dance the night away…I am really excited for this as well…now all I have to focus on is my marketing final, acapella practice, and my tan….miss everyone dearly and cant wait to see you all soon!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto...
…That song couldn’t have possibly been in my head more than it was while I was in Japan…and the funny thing is that I don’t even know the rest of the song! Oh Japan…great times haha…We actually had two ports in Japan…our first stop was sin Kobe, which I sadly didn’t get to see much of because I did a home stay which took place in Osaka. My host mom picked me up at the port terminal with a little sign with my name on it…it was so cute…she barely and I mean barely spoke English which made it a little difficult but it was fun…all of the other host families were there to pick up students as well and we did some songs and games to get to know each other…luckily, my mom was friends with a bunch of other moms so we all kind of stuck together…Another girl named Emily and her host family came with me in the car to drive to Osaka….she had a little sister named Ruri and she was adorable! Ok now for the weird part haha…there was this really weird English CD they were listening to in the car for what we assumed was to practice their English…but it was soooo weird! The voices were like little kid ghost voices…creepy…haha…Once we got to my house 4 other students and their families joined us for a little party type lunch which was nice because then I wasn’t the only English speaking person in the house haha…I met my 6 year old brother Yuta and his best friend Takara….they were adorable and Takara was the spitting image of my cousin Nikolai..it was scary! Their mannerisms were insanely identitcal…we spent all afternoon playing with the kids and then it was time for dinner…we had a great mixture of sushi, pizza, and some random soup with really weird things but it was actually good haha...On top of listening to the weird little children English voices in the car they played it 24/7 in the house haha…I almost had it memorized by the time I left…its all they listened to! I felt like they were being brainwashed haha…we then went to the grocery store to pick out some food for our picnic the next day…and then we had a get together with all of the families in Osaka to get to know each other some more…more brainwasahing time haha…we sat in a circle after playing more games and singing the 12 days of Christmas haha and they all even the three year olds) recited the damn recording in 5 different languages…it was amazing the first 3 times but after about 20 people did it we were exhausted and just wanted them to stop haha…well they finally did and we go to go to our respective homes…When I got back to my house…which was adorable…my dad was home from work but the poor thing couldn’t speak a word of English…the cool thing about the internet is that he could sit there with his computer and talk to me through the translator deal which helped a great deal…I presented them with a gift of Cambodian spices and they gave me two gorgeous silk pouches (one for jewelry and one for tissues made by my Japanese grandmother) …I then had to attempt to take a shower in the most advanced bathroom I have ever seen, but all in Japanese haha….Once I figured that out…which definitely took awhile, I got some sleep...
The next morning I woke up to a breakfast of more pizza (all I wanted was Japanese food but they kept serving what they thought I would like haha…) my mom made a fresh loaf of bread like she did the day before and it was amazing! We took a walk through our little suburb outside of Osaka and took all the kids to the park…which was the coolest park physically possible! The slides were like attractions at a theme park! It was a gorgeous day after playing with my brother that I always wanted we had a lovely picnic with massive sushi platter in hand…finally some Japanese food! After more playing with the kids and successfully teaching Yuta how to say “what’s up dude” we had to go back and get our stuff before going to another get together of the families…I had to say goodbye to my dad and we were all off to the party location…they had snacks and drinks and yet again everyone had to recite the story in 5 different languages haha…its just got to the point where it was really funny now…and then we had a talent show of the American students…my friend Todd and I sang the national anthem and then they all begged for Disney songs so we did a medley of the Disney songs they wanted together haha…after laughing and talking for the remainder of the afternoon it was time to get back to the ship…My mom, Yuta, and gang were all there to bid us farewell and once I had to leave they all started crying…which of course made me cry haha…I got on the ship and they stood at the port waving and crying for a good half an hour before we had to leave…it was such an amazing experience and a wonderful way to feel the culture...I will always remember my little Japanese family and hope they can come see us in America one day…it was so much fun and a wonderful learning experience…
The next day was spent on the ship and it was so nice because we didn’t have any classes since we were only on it for a day…they played movies and we played games all around the ship…we had a ball…we also had a formal dinner that night which was a lovely change of pace since all we get is pasta and potatoes everyday haha…a group of us played sardines which was hysterical on the entire upper half of the ship…and then they played Princess Bride in the union…
The next we arrived in Yokohama…I didn’t really have any plans since my trip got cancelled but luckily my roommate had an extra ticket to the Ramen Museum so I decided to on that trip…which I am so glad I did! Haha I had so much fun! It was like a mini indoor amusement park dedicated to Ramen Noodles! If you didn’t know…there are 8 different kinds…we got to try 2 because the portions were gigantic and we were so full by the end of the 2nd...it was modeled after a Japanese town in the 50’s and everything was adorable... we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find our way back to the ship through the Japanese subway system which was a riot….they are very nice however! It was a very enjoyable experience…we got back to the ship and took naps before what turned out to be a very long evening haha…it was one of my friends birthdays and she wanted Mexican food and karaoke…so we ventured off the ship to find this famous Mexican restaurant (in of all places Japan haha) and of course it was a Monday and apparently closed so we found an Italian restaurant instead (apparently Japan doesn’t like its own food haha) Luckily, there was karaoke right next door because we had walked everywhere around that city to find the restaurant…they do Karaoke a little differently in Asia then we do at home…You buy a room for the group of you and do karaoke in there…not in front of random people all together…we spent all night there and had a grand old time…everyone took a taxi back to the ship but Josh and I were still awake so we decided to go on an adventure and walk back…haha that was funny…because we both were stubborn and thought we knew where we were and we were both wrong haha…but we had fun…we finally found the port and of course it was closed and we didn’t know the way to go if it was closed…so that took another 45 minutes haha…it was fun and we talked about life and how this trip had gone so fast and what we could possibly be doing with our lives in 10 years…it was nice but it was wonderful to finally my bed around 5 in the morning…
The next day we walked around a little bit…I got some of my final postcards done…and then I made a few phone calls home and it was time to go through customs and back on the ship! As we watched the sunset over Yokohama as we pulled away it was hard to swallow that this would be my last port (in my mind since I have been to Hawaii and Costa Rica)….and a lot of us thought of it that way haha…and now I have a million things to get done before Hawaii (which is where we will be in a week on Thanksgiving Day) and then we have finals in between Hawaii and Costa Rica…and then I will be home in less than a month! Really crazy…well…I am going to try and attempt some work before my next class…miss everyone to pieces and can’t wait to show all of you pictures! Would still love some emails since all I see is ocean and class everyday J….Have a great day!!
The next morning I woke up to a breakfast of more pizza (all I wanted was Japanese food but they kept serving what they thought I would like haha…) my mom made a fresh loaf of bread like she did the day before and it was amazing! We took a walk through our little suburb outside of Osaka and took all the kids to the park…which was the coolest park physically possible! The slides were like attractions at a theme park! It was a gorgeous day after playing with my brother that I always wanted we had a lovely picnic with massive sushi platter in hand…finally some Japanese food! After more playing with the kids and successfully teaching Yuta how to say “what’s up dude” we had to go back and get our stuff before going to another get together of the families…I had to say goodbye to my dad and we were all off to the party location…they had snacks and drinks and yet again everyone had to recite the story in 5 different languages haha…its just got to the point where it was really funny now…and then we had a talent show of the American students…my friend Todd and I sang the national anthem and then they all begged for Disney songs so we did a medley of the Disney songs they wanted together haha…after laughing and talking for the remainder of the afternoon it was time to get back to the ship…My mom, Yuta, and gang were all there to bid us farewell and once I had to leave they all started crying…which of course made me cry haha…I got on the ship and they stood at the port waving and crying for a good half an hour before we had to leave…it was such an amazing experience and a wonderful way to feel the culture...I will always remember my little Japanese family and hope they can come see us in America one day…it was so much fun and a wonderful learning experience…
The next day was spent on the ship and it was so nice because we didn’t have any classes since we were only on it for a day…they played movies and we played games all around the ship…we had a ball…we also had a formal dinner that night which was a lovely change of pace since all we get is pasta and potatoes everyday haha…a group of us played sardines which was hysterical on the entire upper half of the ship…and then they played Princess Bride in the union…
The next we arrived in Yokohama…I didn’t really have any plans since my trip got cancelled but luckily my roommate had an extra ticket to the Ramen Museum so I decided to on that trip…which I am so glad I did! Haha I had so much fun! It was like a mini indoor amusement park dedicated to Ramen Noodles! If you didn’t know…there are 8 different kinds…we got to try 2 because the portions were gigantic and we were so full by the end of the 2nd...it was modeled after a Japanese town in the 50’s and everything was adorable... we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find our way back to the ship through the Japanese subway system which was a riot….they are very nice however! It was a very enjoyable experience…we got back to the ship and took naps before what turned out to be a very long evening haha…it was one of my friends birthdays and she wanted Mexican food and karaoke…so we ventured off the ship to find this famous Mexican restaurant (in of all places Japan haha) and of course it was a Monday and apparently closed so we found an Italian restaurant instead (apparently Japan doesn’t like its own food haha) Luckily, there was karaoke right next door because we had walked everywhere around that city to find the restaurant…they do Karaoke a little differently in Asia then we do at home…You buy a room for the group of you and do karaoke in there…not in front of random people all together…we spent all night there and had a grand old time…everyone took a taxi back to the ship but Josh and I were still awake so we decided to go on an adventure and walk back…haha that was funny…because we both were stubborn and thought we knew where we were and we were both wrong haha…but we had fun…we finally found the port and of course it was closed and we didn’t know the way to go if it was closed…so that took another 45 minutes haha…it was fun and we talked about life and how this trip had gone so fast and what we could possibly be doing with our lives in 10 years…it was nice but it was wonderful to finally my bed around 5 in the morning…
The next day we walked around a little bit…I got some of my final postcards done…and then I made a few phone calls home and it was time to go through customs and back on the ship! As we watched the sunset over Yokohama as we pulled away it was hard to swallow that this would be my last port (in my mind since I have been to Hawaii and Costa Rica)….and a lot of us thought of it that way haha…and now I have a million things to get done before Hawaii (which is where we will be in a week on Thanksgiving Day) and then we have finals in between Hawaii and Costa Rica…and then I will be home in less than a month! Really crazy…well…I am going to try and attempt some work before my next class…miss everyone to pieces and can’t wait to show all of you pictures! Would still love some emails since all I see is ocean and class everyday J….Have a great day!!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
China: So Many Emotions…One Remarkably Surprising Country!
Wow….was China amazing or what? I can honestly say it thoroughly surprised me…in more ways than one haha! I think I went through every emotion possible while in China and despite the extremely pushy people I had a fabulous time….however, the day before we got to China was monumental in all of our lives as we sat and watched a new president emerge into the spotlight….luckily they cancelled class and had a live feed of the acceptance speech from president-elect Obama which was wonderful to see since we haven’t really seen anything else during the election…we sat in awe as we watched this historical moment in our lives and were also trying to realize we were watching it from the middle of the ocean south of China…
The first day we were in Hong Kong which I wish I would have had longer for because it was a great city…Our first priority was to get some Chinese papers with Obama on them which was not hard to find at all…the port where our ship was docked went right into the really high fashion mall and I think some of the girls were in heaven….every single expensive name brand you could possibly imagine…this place was massive and if we didn’t get out of there quick serious damage was going to occur to some of our credit cards haha….we took the ferry to the main part of Hong Kong and got on a bus to take us to a tram/trolley deal that took us to the top of the city…it was really pretty once we reached the top but pretty smoggy…it was a really old trolley that went straight up and we were a little scared if it was going to get up the mountain or not haha…there were lots of cute little shops and cafes so we hung out and just had a lovely afternoon overlooking Hong Kong…we had drinks at this gorgeous café at the top and took lots of pictures…we decided to go on an adventure and walk back towards the ship…luckily we were successful with a few stops in between…including this quaint little church where a wedding was being rehearsed…we also wandered into this cute garden…we finally found the ship and took the ferry back…that night, my roommate Rebecca’s family was in town because her brother is conveniently studying in Hong Kong…they took us out to dinner after we watched the light show in downtown Hong Kong…which was gorgeous…they have a full light show on all the building in the city along with music and everything! We went to a typical Chinese restaurant, which was hysterical…they boiled the live prawns right in front of us…her family was really funny…afterwards her brother took some of us out on the town…we took the subway to this ice bar where we had to put on big furry coats and basically go into this freezer that was a bar…it was really fun…then we went to the main part with all of the bars and clubs…and saw basically the entire shipboard community out and about…the evening was cut short when Adrienne had to play mom for one of her friends and take him back to the ship because someone had a little too much fun haha...but I also had to wake up early to go to Beijing so it was ok…
The next morning we met in the union and headed toward the airport for Beijing…once we got there it was around dinner time and we went straight to the host university (University of International Business and Economics) where the students had a little party planned for us…we talked with the students for awhile which was really nice and then we ate dinner…afterwards that split us into groups and we had to make a little skit representing a country and the rest of the people had to guess what country we were presenting…it took us forever to come up with an idea but some of the guys in my groups remembered I was Serbian so we twisted that into Russia since the Chinese students would know that better…so I taught them an easy kolo and we performed it…haha it was really cute…it then turned into a dance party after that which was hysterical…they had some interesting dances to show us…and then we taught them soulja boy…haha it was a great evening…
The next morning, the mood quickly turned from lighthearted and excited to see the Great Wall to sadness when we got word that one of our shipmates had been struck by a drunk driver and died instantly the night before in Hong Kong…I didn’t know him but I have friends that did and it was a shock to say the least…none of us thought that something like that could happen on this trip…and we slowly began to realize that it could have been anyone of us…we prayed a lot that day and are still a little shaken up about it…we tried to proceed with the day as best as we could…we headed toward the Great Wall…something all of us were excited to see for a very long time…the weather was absolutely freezing which made me really happy haha…we hiked up the mountain for what seemed like forever but the view from the top was definitely worth it…the guys and I had so much taking pictures and coming up with fun poses and stuff for our pictures…the wall is something to see in your life…the trees were all orange, brown, and red which made it even more beautiful…and being all bundled up made it really cozy and fun…the guys bought these hysterically large and furry hats to keep warm and shared a beer at the top while I took pictures…after spending about 2 hours walking around on the wall and taking pictures we had to head back down…which was sooo fun! We got to take this bobsled/slide type thing which was about an 8-10 minute ride back down! It went really fast and it was a blast to say the least…we went to lunch (sadly at a pizza place….they kept accommodating to what they thought we wanted but we wanted Chinese not pizza! Haha) and then went to the Silk Street Pearl Market massive shopping/bartering complex haha…it was 6 stories of market and made for a hilarious afternoon…I went around with my friend Jerry from Mexico who is crazy! For anyone who knows these people he is a mixture of Uncle Deder, Topher, and Adolfo Blanco…he was the bartering king….we had so much fun bartering all afternoon…he was even doing it in Spanish with some of the Chinese ladies…who seemed to know every language possible…we then went to an acrobatic show which was awesome! It was close to cirque du soleil without all the flash…
The next day was another big touristy day…we hit Mao’s tomb, Tiananmen Square, and The Forbidden City for a couple of hours…it was a fun day with lots of pictures and laughs happening…in the afternoon we went to the temple of heaven which was hysterical to say the least…on my trip we had Greg (the camera guy that is filming the entire trip for us…and Brittany the photographer) well, wherever we go with them it looks like we are famous anyway because of Greg’s massive professional camera, mic and all….so we get to the temple of heaven and the sign says that if you stand in the middle your voice sounds resonant and sonorous for miles or something like that haha…so we go in and Greg and the guys start chanting for me to sing…after being coerced for a couple of minutes I finally decide to do it and the results were hysterical! Picture hundreds of Chinese people, who already like to take pictures of us….see me singing in the middle with Greg the camera guy…well the put this together and start saying that I am from American Idol…so then they all start yelling and trying to take pictures with me and trying to get my autograph…Greg is playing it up and is saying that yes I was on American Idol…and my guy friends put on their sunglasses and pretend to be my body guards….it was soooo funny! So now all these Chinese people think that have pictures with this girl from American Idol…haha definitely something to remember…we had time that afternoon to go back to the market if we wanted to and I had a few things in mind I needed as gifts so we went back…I was on the lookout for something for my sister (I don’t want to say what it is because I don’t know if she is reading this or not haha) but it is a nice something that if it were real, you would have to pay a good amount for…so I finally find one I wanted for my sister but realized that I left my money on the bus and only had like 5 US dollars on me…So I was like great there is no way I can bargain this down to 5 dollars from like 40….well I was with Lindsey and she looked at me and said Adrienne! Sing for it! And I was like no way that is never going to work…but we tried it anyway haha…I told the lady I have no more money but I will give her the 5 dollars and sing any song she wanted…well of course she looked at me like I was crazy…but then Lindsey decided to play the American Idol card and told her I was from American Idol…I didn’t want to lie but I really wanted to get this for my sis…so I said why not…let's see if it works…so now this lady thinks I am from American Idol and I told her I would sing any song she wanted…she chose My Heart Will Go On haha…so I proceeded to sing for this gift for Alana and it worked!!! She freaked out and was amazed that this American Idol girl was here singing for her and gave me the “present”! It was so funny! Especially because I got back on the bus and some of the other girls said they had to pay like 20 bucks for it! Oh it was soo funny! We then had dinner with some fish soup with the full fish (head, eyes, everything…) inside….that was fun haha…that night we went to a hookah bar and hung out together which was fun…Jerry was hungry so we attempted to find somewhere with food…got to the KFC but it had just closed…so we went back and went to bed….
The next morning we were going to the summer palace…it took forever to get tickets and no one got up for breakfast and there just happened to be a McDonalds right next to it so we bombarded the poor McDonalds…which was pretty funny….we finally got to go in the summer palace which was beautiful! Again, we took lots of pictures and got to explore for about an hour and then took a little boat across to the other side…we had lunch at the biggest buffet I have ever seen in my life…it was amazing and it was finally all Chinese food…the guys were trying to be manly and see who could eat the most wasabi…I don’t remember ever laughing so hard….it was highly amusing to say the least haha…after lunch we were stoked to be going to some of the Olympic venues…we went into the Birds Nest which was unbelievably cool…took lots of pictures and walked around….we like it so much that we finally realized we barely had any time to go see the water cube…the next half an hour was spent literally running around trying to get tickets to get in and find the entrance…it was almost impossible…we barely had enough time to go in…take a picture or two and then try and run back to the bus before it left without us….inside was awesome though! It was so weird seeing these places that I watched on TV for like 2 weeks everyday! We somehow made it to the bus 20 minutes late and got scolded….but it was worth seeing the water cube haha….we got to the airport and flew to Shanghai (which is where the ship was…it sailed there while we were in Beijing)
That night I was going to meet Ted Leung who works at Wei Li in Shanghai (he works with my dad for those of you who don’t know) and is like an uncle to me…he told me that Carlos (an intern at Wei Li) was going to pick me up at the ship and take me to meet some of the guys for drinks at a hotel….so I rushed back from the airport…got dressed really quickly and met Carlos out in front of the ship…we got to the Jia hotel and Ted came downstairs to greet us..he said that some of the Wilden guys were in town and that I would know some of them…well sure enough…I walk upstairs and who is sitting there with the Wilden guys with a cigar look as suave as ever….but my father….I was ecstatic…I immediately started bawling and was so happy to see him…and the rest of the guys of course haha…we all talked and laughed and had some drinks….meanwhile never letting go of my dad’s hand haha…Carlos said it was time to go out and meet his friends but I really didn’t want to leave my dad…so dad, Ted, and Sammy went with us to the club! It was hysterical and wonderful to have my dad there! Some of my friends from the ship were there also so we all joined to together upstairs and had a ball…The guys finally left and it was such a fun evening out on the town in Shanghai….
The next day Carlos and Mike (Carlos’ roommate who I met at the bar the night before) picked me up and took me to the new Wei Li facility where dad and all the guys were doing business…we had some lunch and got a tour of the new factory…while the guys were doing business, Carlos and Mike took me down the street to get some steamed buns haha and then we walked back…Dad, the guys, and I all then drove back to downtown Shanghai where we had some champagne at the top of their hotel and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together…it was sad to say goodbye to my dad again but it was soo wonderful to see him…I just wish my mom and Alana could have been there too! I got back on the ship and watched as we sailed away from Shanghai…which was beautiful and I would love to go back and see more! China was amazing and it was definitely a highlight of the trip!
The first day we were in Hong Kong which I wish I would have had longer for because it was a great city…Our first priority was to get some Chinese papers with Obama on them which was not hard to find at all…the port where our ship was docked went right into the really high fashion mall and I think some of the girls were in heaven….every single expensive name brand you could possibly imagine…this place was massive and if we didn’t get out of there quick serious damage was going to occur to some of our credit cards haha….we took the ferry to the main part of Hong Kong and got on a bus to take us to a tram/trolley deal that took us to the top of the city…it was really pretty once we reached the top but pretty smoggy…it was a really old trolley that went straight up and we were a little scared if it was going to get up the mountain or not haha…there were lots of cute little shops and cafes so we hung out and just had a lovely afternoon overlooking Hong Kong…we had drinks at this gorgeous café at the top and took lots of pictures…we decided to go on an adventure and walk back towards the ship…luckily we were successful with a few stops in between…including this quaint little church where a wedding was being rehearsed…we also wandered into this cute garden…we finally found the ship and took the ferry back…that night, my roommate Rebecca’s family was in town because her brother is conveniently studying in Hong Kong…they took us out to dinner after we watched the light show in downtown Hong Kong…which was gorgeous…they have a full light show on all the building in the city along with music and everything! We went to a typical Chinese restaurant, which was hysterical…they boiled the live prawns right in front of us…her family was really funny…afterwards her brother took some of us out on the town…we took the subway to this ice bar where we had to put on big furry coats and basically go into this freezer that was a bar…it was really fun…then we went to the main part with all of the bars and clubs…and saw basically the entire shipboard community out and about…the evening was cut short when Adrienne had to play mom for one of her friends and take him back to the ship because someone had a little too much fun haha...but I also had to wake up early to go to Beijing so it was ok…
The next morning we met in the union and headed toward the airport for Beijing…once we got there it was around dinner time and we went straight to the host university (University of International Business and Economics) where the students had a little party planned for us…we talked with the students for awhile which was really nice and then we ate dinner…afterwards that split us into groups and we had to make a little skit representing a country and the rest of the people had to guess what country we were presenting…it took us forever to come up with an idea but some of the guys in my groups remembered I was Serbian so we twisted that into Russia since the Chinese students would know that better…so I taught them an easy kolo and we performed it…haha it was really cute…it then turned into a dance party after that which was hysterical…they had some interesting dances to show us…and then we taught them soulja boy…haha it was a great evening…
The next morning, the mood quickly turned from lighthearted and excited to see the Great Wall to sadness when we got word that one of our shipmates had been struck by a drunk driver and died instantly the night before in Hong Kong…I didn’t know him but I have friends that did and it was a shock to say the least…none of us thought that something like that could happen on this trip…and we slowly began to realize that it could have been anyone of us…we prayed a lot that day and are still a little shaken up about it…we tried to proceed with the day as best as we could…we headed toward the Great Wall…something all of us were excited to see for a very long time…the weather was absolutely freezing which made me really happy haha…we hiked up the mountain for what seemed like forever but the view from the top was definitely worth it…the guys and I had so much taking pictures and coming up with fun poses and stuff for our pictures…the wall is something to see in your life…the trees were all orange, brown, and red which made it even more beautiful…and being all bundled up made it really cozy and fun…the guys bought these hysterically large and furry hats to keep warm and shared a beer at the top while I took pictures…after spending about 2 hours walking around on the wall and taking pictures we had to head back down…which was sooo fun! We got to take this bobsled/slide type thing which was about an 8-10 minute ride back down! It went really fast and it was a blast to say the least…we went to lunch (sadly at a pizza place….they kept accommodating to what they thought we wanted but we wanted Chinese not pizza! Haha) and then went to the Silk Street Pearl Market massive shopping/bartering complex haha…it was 6 stories of market and made for a hilarious afternoon…I went around with my friend Jerry from Mexico who is crazy! For anyone who knows these people he is a mixture of Uncle Deder, Topher, and Adolfo Blanco…he was the bartering king….we had so much fun bartering all afternoon…he was even doing it in Spanish with some of the Chinese ladies…who seemed to know every language possible…we then went to an acrobatic show which was awesome! It was close to cirque du soleil without all the flash…
The next day was another big touristy day…we hit Mao’s tomb, Tiananmen Square, and The Forbidden City for a couple of hours…it was a fun day with lots of pictures and laughs happening…in the afternoon we went to the temple of heaven which was hysterical to say the least…on my trip we had Greg (the camera guy that is filming the entire trip for us…and Brittany the photographer) well, wherever we go with them it looks like we are famous anyway because of Greg’s massive professional camera, mic and all….so we get to the temple of heaven and the sign says that if you stand in the middle your voice sounds resonant and sonorous for miles or something like that haha…so we go in and Greg and the guys start chanting for me to sing…after being coerced for a couple of minutes I finally decide to do it and the results were hysterical! Picture hundreds of Chinese people, who already like to take pictures of us….see me singing in the middle with Greg the camera guy…well the put this together and start saying that I am from American Idol…so then they all start yelling and trying to take pictures with me and trying to get my autograph…Greg is playing it up and is saying that yes I was on American Idol…and my guy friends put on their sunglasses and pretend to be my body guards….it was soooo funny! So now all these Chinese people think that have pictures with this girl from American Idol…haha definitely something to remember…we had time that afternoon to go back to the market if we wanted to and I had a few things in mind I needed as gifts so we went back…I was on the lookout for something for my sister (I don’t want to say what it is because I don’t know if she is reading this or not haha) but it is a nice something that if it were real, you would have to pay a good amount for…so I finally find one I wanted for my sister but realized that I left my money on the bus and only had like 5 US dollars on me…So I was like great there is no way I can bargain this down to 5 dollars from like 40….well I was with Lindsey and she looked at me and said Adrienne! Sing for it! And I was like no way that is never going to work…but we tried it anyway haha…I told the lady I have no more money but I will give her the 5 dollars and sing any song she wanted…well of course she looked at me like I was crazy…but then Lindsey decided to play the American Idol card and told her I was from American Idol…I didn’t want to lie but I really wanted to get this for my sis…so I said why not…let's see if it works…so now this lady thinks I am from American Idol and I told her I would sing any song she wanted…she chose My Heart Will Go On haha…so I proceeded to sing for this gift for Alana and it worked!!! She freaked out and was amazed that this American Idol girl was here singing for her and gave me the “present”! It was so funny! Especially because I got back on the bus and some of the other girls said they had to pay like 20 bucks for it! Oh it was soo funny! We then had dinner with some fish soup with the full fish (head, eyes, everything…) inside….that was fun haha…that night we went to a hookah bar and hung out together which was fun…Jerry was hungry so we attempted to find somewhere with food…got to the KFC but it had just closed…so we went back and went to bed….
The next morning we were going to the summer palace…it took forever to get tickets and no one got up for breakfast and there just happened to be a McDonalds right next to it so we bombarded the poor McDonalds…which was pretty funny….we finally got to go in the summer palace which was beautiful! Again, we took lots of pictures and got to explore for about an hour and then took a little boat across to the other side…we had lunch at the biggest buffet I have ever seen in my life…it was amazing and it was finally all Chinese food…the guys were trying to be manly and see who could eat the most wasabi…I don’t remember ever laughing so hard….it was highly amusing to say the least haha…after lunch we were stoked to be going to some of the Olympic venues…we went into the Birds Nest which was unbelievably cool…took lots of pictures and walked around….we like it so much that we finally realized we barely had any time to go see the water cube…the next half an hour was spent literally running around trying to get tickets to get in and find the entrance…it was almost impossible…we barely had enough time to go in…take a picture or two and then try and run back to the bus before it left without us….inside was awesome though! It was so weird seeing these places that I watched on TV for like 2 weeks everyday! We somehow made it to the bus 20 minutes late and got scolded….but it was worth seeing the water cube haha….we got to the airport and flew to Shanghai (which is where the ship was…it sailed there while we were in Beijing)
That night I was going to meet Ted Leung who works at Wei Li in Shanghai (he works with my dad for those of you who don’t know) and is like an uncle to me…he told me that Carlos (an intern at Wei Li) was going to pick me up at the ship and take me to meet some of the guys for drinks at a hotel….so I rushed back from the airport…got dressed really quickly and met Carlos out in front of the ship…we got to the Jia hotel and Ted came downstairs to greet us..he said that some of the Wilden guys were in town and that I would know some of them…well sure enough…I walk upstairs and who is sitting there with the Wilden guys with a cigar look as suave as ever….but my father….I was ecstatic…I immediately started bawling and was so happy to see him…and the rest of the guys of course haha…we all talked and laughed and had some drinks….meanwhile never letting go of my dad’s hand haha…Carlos said it was time to go out and meet his friends but I really didn’t want to leave my dad…so dad, Ted, and Sammy went with us to the club! It was hysterical and wonderful to have my dad there! Some of my friends from the ship were there also so we all joined to together upstairs and had a ball…The guys finally left and it was such a fun evening out on the town in Shanghai….
The next day Carlos and Mike (Carlos’ roommate who I met at the bar the night before) picked me up and took me to the new Wei Li facility where dad and all the guys were doing business…we had some lunch and got a tour of the new factory…while the guys were doing business, Carlos and Mike took me down the street to get some steamed buns haha and then we walked back…Dad, the guys, and I all then drove back to downtown Shanghai where we had some champagne at the top of their hotel and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together…it was sad to say goodbye to my dad again but it was soo wonderful to see him…I just wish my mom and Alana could have been there too! I got back on the ship and watched as we sailed away from Shanghai…which was beautiful and I would love to go back and see more! China was amazing and it was definitely a highlight of the trip!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Halloween, Vietnam, and Cambodia: Rain Soaked Chocolate Covered Adventures!
Before we got to Vietnam we had a Halloween dance on the ship! It took forever to figure out what we were going to be because obviously we don’t really have costumes or anything so we had to get extremely creative…I came up with my roommate and her two best friends being the three blind mice and they looked adorable…I ended up being the green M&M and my friend Greg was the red M&M I thought we were pretty creative for having nothing haha…hmm…lets try putting pictures in my blog! The dance was shortened when we hit the massive typhoon all around south east Asia….so we just danced in the rain…it was sooo much fun!
A couple days later we were in Vietnam...sadly I didn’t get to see a lot of Vietnam because I got really sick and because I was on the Cambodia trip I only got one day in Ho Chi Minh….which is a crazy town by the way haha…the second we got off the ship we were bombarded with hundreds of little Vietnamese men trying to get us to go on their motorcycles and not a single one could speak any English…it was funny now looking back on it, but at the time we couldn’t get them away from us haha…we finally got a taxi after a long ordeal and we attempted to go to a tailor because everyone wanted fitted suits and dresses for very cheap…Blake, Jared, Sachin, Brittany and I finally found a place and everyone got fitted for suits/dresses…I was feeling horrible so I just helped the guys pick out their suits haha…after that we went to buy a ton of DVD’s which mission accomplished because we got over 100 for like 10 bucks and they have all worked so far! I was feeling awful and it was pouring rain (it was actually on CNN that day about the rain in Vietnam, northern Vietnam was completely flooded) so we went back to the ship for dinner and got ready to go out…which completely ruined the trip because I was leaving for Cambodia the next morning and going out was not going to help…but when you have so many friends that are begging you to go out and saying that you only have one night in Ho Chi Minh how can you say no? haha…so we went to this place called Apocalypse Now which was PACKED with Semester at Sea students….apparently it was the most famous club in town haha….
I think I might be bold enough to say that Cambodia has been my favorite country so far! It was incredibly beautiful and I loved the people and the culture so much! I remember learning about Cambodia in elementary school thinking I want to go there someday and I am so happy I did…and Dad has never been there hahahaha! We flew to Phnom Penh and went straight to the Mekong River for a sunset cruise…when we go off the plane it was more complete downpour but as if we were in a movie it stopped right when we go to the river to get on the boats which was nice…
After the sunset cruise we got to visit an orphanage that was founded by a couple of Semester at Sea alum after they visited Cambodia…the ages of the children ranged from around 5 to in the mid teens…the children were so smart and extremely excited we were there! I was so sad we were only there for an hour! The facility was lovely and it was inspiring to see how willing they were to learn and travel as much as we have…all the girls kept saying to me was “I love you! I love you!”
After we visited the orphanage and shared our tearful goodbyes (its amazing how much you can bond in an hour) we went to dinner at a pretty Cambodian restaurant with some local music…afterwards we went to the prettiest hotel I have seen on the trip! It was gorgeous and very fun for college students like ourselves…some people got massages in their rooms while I took a long awaited bath in the massive bath along with slippers and robe in our room…sleep was much needed after the night before and the long day…
The next day we visited the heart wrenching genocide museum…which speaks for itself I guess…it is incredibly sad to hear that people were doing this to their own people…on a lighter note that was followed by a tour of the kings palaces and temples which were just striking…but then we had to visit the killing fields which I really don’t want to talk much about…again…something that speaks for itself….that night we watched sunset at our first view of Angkor Wat….which I must say has been the prettiest sunset I have ever seen in my life…yes, something actually beat my sunset on the rocks in Lisbon…I didn’t think it was possible haha…pictures couldn’t possibly do it justice....
That night we had dinner at another restaurant/show place which was lots of fun haha…
The next morning I had to wake up at 4 in order to go back to Angkor Wat to view the sunrise…which was stunning yet again…We spent the entire day in different parts of Angkor Wat….It was one of the coolest places I have ever been on the planet! I wish I could possibly describe how awesome these ruins are! The perfect place from anything to a honeymoon, family vacation, or Wilden seminar :)….literally I fell in love with this place! We then visited the part where Tomb Raider was filmed and where we believe the inspiration for Legends of the Hidden Temple (a show when I was little) was formed…it was the coolest place on earth! Because of all the floods we had a very hard time getting back to the bus haha….We then had a little while longer to explore until our flight back to Ho Chi Minh and I met this little boy who was adorable! Him and his friends were selling fruit outside the temple and he was so smart! He knew all of the capitals of all of the states and was asking about Obama and everything…it was amazing to see the intelligence being displayed by this 8 year old boy selling fruit…truly a life lesson….we then flew back to Ho Chi Minh with out forgetting to stop at the Dairy Queen in the airport which we all felt was hysterical…speaking of which I would like to make it a point to state that for those of you who don’t know…we have seen KFC in every single country (including Namibia and Cambodia!)…even more so than McDonalds! Who knew?! Haha
My last day in Ho Chi Minh was sadly spent on the ship….I had to get over whatever flu type thing I had before China…but the grand thunderstorm that took place over Ho Chi Minh as we were sailing away definitely cheered me up!
A couple days later we were in Vietnam...sadly I didn’t get to see a lot of Vietnam because I got really sick and because I was on the Cambodia trip I only got one day in Ho Chi Minh….which is a crazy town by the way haha…the second we got off the ship we were bombarded with hundreds of little Vietnamese men trying to get us to go on their motorcycles and not a single one could speak any English…it was funny now looking back on it, but at the time we couldn’t get them away from us haha…we finally got a taxi after a long ordeal and we attempted to go to a tailor because everyone wanted fitted suits and dresses for very cheap…Blake, Jared, Sachin, Brittany and I finally found a place and everyone got fitted for suits/dresses…I was feeling horrible so I just helped the guys pick out their suits haha…after that we went to buy a ton of DVD’s which mission accomplished because we got over 100 for like 10 bucks and they have all worked so far! I was feeling awful and it was pouring rain (it was actually on CNN that day about the rain in Vietnam, northern Vietnam was completely flooded) so we went back to the ship for dinner and got ready to go out…which completely ruined the trip because I was leaving for Cambodia the next morning and going out was not going to help…but when you have so many friends that are begging you to go out and saying that you only have one night in Ho Chi Minh how can you say no? haha…so we went to this place called Apocalypse Now which was PACKED with Semester at Sea students….apparently it was the most famous club in town haha….
I think I might be bold enough to say that Cambodia has been my favorite country so far! It was incredibly beautiful and I loved the people and the culture so much! I remember learning about Cambodia in elementary school thinking I want to go there someday and I am so happy I did…and Dad has never been there hahahaha! We flew to Phnom Penh and went straight to the Mekong River for a sunset cruise…when we go off the plane it was more complete downpour but as if we were in a movie it stopped right when we go to the river to get on the boats which was nice…
After the sunset cruise we got to visit an orphanage that was founded by a couple of Semester at Sea alum after they visited Cambodia…the ages of the children ranged from around 5 to in the mid teens…the children were so smart and extremely excited we were there! I was so sad we were only there for an hour! The facility was lovely and it was inspiring to see how willing they were to learn and travel as much as we have…all the girls kept saying to me was “I love you! I love you!”
After we visited the orphanage and shared our tearful goodbyes (its amazing how much you can bond in an hour) we went to dinner at a pretty Cambodian restaurant with some local music…afterwards we went to the prettiest hotel I have seen on the trip! It was gorgeous and very fun for college students like ourselves…some people got massages in their rooms while I took a long awaited bath in the massive bath along with slippers and robe in our room…sleep was much needed after the night before and the long day…
The next day we visited the heart wrenching genocide museum…which speaks for itself I guess…it is incredibly sad to hear that people were doing this to their own people…on a lighter note that was followed by a tour of the kings palaces and temples which were just striking…but then we had to visit the killing fields which I really don’t want to talk much about…again…something that speaks for itself….that night we watched sunset at our first view of Angkor Wat….which I must say has been the prettiest sunset I have ever seen in my life…yes, something actually beat my sunset on the rocks in Lisbon…I didn’t think it was possible haha…pictures couldn’t possibly do it justice....
That night we had dinner at another restaurant/show place which was lots of fun haha…
The next morning I had to wake up at 4 in order to go back to Angkor Wat to view the sunrise…which was stunning yet again…We spent the entire day in different parts of Angkor Wat….It was one of the coolest places I have ever been on the planet! I wish I could possibly describe how awesome these ruins are! The perfect place from anything to a honeymoon, family vacation, or Wilden seminar :)….literally I fell in love with this place! We then visited the part where Tomb Raider was filmed and where we believe the inspiration for Legends of the Hidden Temple (a show when I was little) was formed…it was the coolest place on earth! Because of all the floods we had a very hard time getting back to the bus haha….We then had a little while longer to explore until our flight back to Ho Chi Minh and I met this little boy who was adorable! Him and his friends were selling fruit outside the temple and he was so smart! He knew all of the capitals of all of the states and was asking about Obama and everything…it was amazing to see the intelligence being displayed by this 8 year old boy selling fruit…truly a life lesson….we then flew back to Ho Chi Minh with out forgetting to stop at the Dairy Queen in the airport which we all felt was hysterical…speaking of which I would like to make it a point to state that for those of you who don’t know…we have seen KFC in every single country (including Namibia and Cambodia!)…even more so than McDonalds! Who knew?! Haha
My last day in Ho Chi Minh was sadly spent on the ship….I had to get over whatever flu type thing I had before China…but the grand thunderstorm that took place over Ho Chi Minh as we were sailing away definitely cheered me up!
Malaysia: The Melting Pot of Asia
Ok….I am soooo sorry it has taken me this long to catch up….but better late than never right? Ok…so I was in Malaysia like a year ago…haha no a couple weeks ago and it was fabulous! So much has happened and I hope I remember it all…ok here we go…
The first day we got to Penang and it was an absolute downpour outside, which kind of put a damper on things…I had an FDP for my marketing class that day and it was probably the worst trip ever haha! We first drove for an hour or so to the palm oil factory…now listen up people, I thought I smelled some of the worst smells in India, but I have never ever ever smelled anything so rank in my life until I went to the palm oil plant haha…it was horrible…It was cool to see how they made the palm oil by squeezing the nut and everything but I honestly have no idea how those people worked there…we then drove 2 hours to the rice paddy museum….which was one of the weirdest places I have ever been to haha….The rain outside was frightfully loud and made it impossible to actually go out in to the flooded rice paddy fields so we had to stay inside…we walked upstairs through this fake tree thing which was the coolest part….and sat in a rotating 360 degree room showing the paddy fields…super weird haha…then we walked around and stared at the mannequins working in the fake paddy fields and then stared at each other thinking what the hell we were doing haha…then we got in the bus and drove 3 and a half hours back to the ship, while thinking why we just wasted a day….on the up side it was absolutely breathtaking outside….the rain had made everything so lush and green….once we got back to the ship we had to take the tenders back because there was no port…so we stood there in line for an hour to get back on the ship, in the rain….a not so exciting day but the beauty of Penang helped a lot…
The next day I went on a trip to Kuala Lumpur which I completely adored…we stopped at a Chinese restaurant on the way and ate some great chicken head haha…this was one of the many examples of how diverse Malaysia was…it was a really cool mixture of Indian and Asian cultures….it was incredible to see the peaceful harmony of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian lifestyles live together…it was very refreshing….we got Kuala Lumpur after a 5 hour bus ride to a lovely hotel….It was splendidly lit up with lights because we were there during Diwali…That night we went to a beautiful restaurant right beneath the Petronas Towers with a cultural show…which I definitely danced in haha…the food was amazing and another tasty example of the melding of cultures…some of us then went out on the town to the great aray of bars and clubs….the do it a little differently in Malaysia…instead of a DJ it is a band or group and they sing all American songs haha it was kind of funny…we finally found this stunning club on top of a hotel….it was incredible! It had a perfect view of both the Petronas Towers and the KL tower and there was a gorgeous pool in the middle of it…the music was very chill/lounge and definitely a dad/wilden place haha…my friends thought it was weird how I knew all the music…it was so much fun…
The next day was a typical touristy day…we saw the palace, a Malaysian history museum, discovered that corn in a cup is as readily available as bottle water haha…., a mosque, a memorial, the tallest flagpole in the world haha, a pewter factory, the largest beer mug in the world (Malaysia likes big things apparently), then the coolest thing of all was the Hindu temple build inside a mountain that we had to hike up…it was out of this world! Simply remarkable! We enjoyed the hundreds of monkeys on the hike back down too haha…that night we went out on the town…we felt compelled to go to the Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur and then find some clubs…after a lot of looking we finally found this amazing club which was two stories…down stairs was American music and upstairs was techno…we somehow got bottle service and had our own little booth upstairs…definitely an unforgettable night and yet another club with a pool in the middle haha…
The next morning Jamie and I went out to Starbucks and found Malaysia’s famous doughnut place….they had the coolest gourmet doughnuts ever! We got a couple to try…if I can remember right we got an Oreo one, one filled with peanut butter, one with white chocolate and jack cheese, and a couple others…they were amazing haha…then we drove back to Penang and sailed that night...I thought Malaysia was beautiful and I would love to go back again…KL was so much fun and I cant wait to go back!
The first day we got to Penang and it was an absolute downpour outside, which kind of put a damper on things…I had an FDP for my marketing class that day and it was probably the worst trip ever haha! We first drove for an hour or so to the palm oil factory…now listen up people, I thought I smelled some of the worst smells in India, but I have never ever ever smelled anything so rank in my life until I went to the palm oil plant haha…it was horrible…It was cool to see how they made the palm oil by squeezing the nut and everything but I honestly have no idea how those people worked there…we then drove 2 hours to the rice paddy museum….which was one of the weirdest places I have ever been to haha….The rain outside was frightfully loud and made it impossible to actually go out in to the flooded rice paddy fields so we had to stay inside…we walked upstairs through this fake tree thing which was the coolest part….and sat in a rotating 360 degree room showing the paddy fields…super weird haha…then we walked around and stared at the mannequins working in the fake paddy fields and then stared at each other thinking what the hell we were doing haha…then we got in the bus and drove 3 and a half hours back to the ship, while thinking why we just wasted a day….on the up side it was absolutely breathtaking outside….the rain had made everything so lush and green….once we got back to the ship we had to take the tenders back because there was no port…so we stood there in line for an hour to get back on the ship, in the rain….a not so exciting day but the beauty of Penang helped a lot…
The next day I went on a trip to Kuala Lumpur which I completely adored…we stopped at a Chinese restaurant on the way and ate some great chicken head haha…this was one of the many examples of how diverse Malaysia was…it was a really cool mixture of Indian and Asian cultures….it was incredible to see the peaceful harmony of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian lifestyles live together…it was very refreshing….we got Kuala Lumpur after a 5 hour bus ride to a lovely hotel….It was splendidly lit up with lights because we were there during Diwali…That night we went to a beautiful restaurant right beneath the Petronas Towers with a cultural show…which I definitely danced in haha…the food was amazing and another tasty example of the melding of cultures…some of us then went out on the town to the great aray of bars and clubs….the do it a little differently in Malaysia…instead of a DJ it is a band or group and they sing all American songs haha it was kind of funny…we finally found this stunning club on top of a hotel….it was incredible! It had a perfect view of both the Petronas Towers and the KL tower and there was a gorgeous pool in the middle of it…the music was very chill/lounge and definitely a dad/wilden place haha…my friends thought it was weird how I knew all the music…it was so much fun…
The next day was a typical touristy day…we saw the palace, a Malaysian history museum, discovered that corn in a cup is as readily available as bottle water haha…., a mosque, a memorial, the tallest flagpole in the world haha, a pewter factory, the largest beer mug in the world (Malaysia likes big things apparently), then the coolest thing of all was the Hindu temple build inside a mountain that we had to hike up…it was out of this world! Simply remarkable! We enjoyed the hundreds of monkeys on the hike back down too haha…that night we went out on the town…we felt compelled to go to the Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur and then find some clubs…after a lot of looking we finally found this amazing club which was two stories…down stairs was American music and upstairs was techno…we somehow got bottle service and had our own little booth upstairs…definitely an unforgettable night and yet another club with a pool in the middle haha…
The next morning Jamie and I went out to Starbucks and found Malaysia’s famous doughnut place….they had the coolest gourmet doughnuts ever! We got a couple to try…if I can remember right we got an Oreo one, one filled with peanut butter, one with white chocolate and jack cheese, and a couple others…they were amazing haha…then we drove back to Penang and sailed that night...I thought Malaysia was beautiful and I would love to go back again…KL was so much fun and I cant wait to go back!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Indian Experience: Life Changing...
The past 4 days have changed my life forever…India was truly an experience and know I understand why everyone says that when they go there. The past 3 ports we visited were very Americanized and yes it felt like we were in a different country…but the past week seemed like I was in a completely different world…I feel like I have no idea why I deserve the things I have…and coming back to this resort of a boat started an inner struggle of relief and sadness…yes it was nice to be back on the ship because I could shower and drink water…but sadness because these things are such luxuries that I don’t feel like I deserve….and having seen what I saw in India, I will always keep that in mind…
My first morning in Chennai was an immediate awakening to what we were getting ourselves into. The stench that crept onto the boat slowly reached all of our rooms at 7 that morning and we realized this was going to be a much different port than the previous ones. We had our diplomatic briefing with the ambassadors to the U.S. who were both great! I then had an FDP on the ship for my marketing class about some business guy in India...who was old and boring haha…then I have to pack for my Taj Mahal and Varanasi trip. We spent a few glorious hours in Indian traffic (you have to see pics to believe it) and finally got to the airport. The spectacle that occurred when 140 American students entered the airport was definitely a sight to see. After being stared at for hours we got on the plane (which was much nicer than we were expecting! Everyone had their own video screens and everything) So I watched a Bollywood movie based on The Notebook… haha…We finally got to Delhi and our hotel…They had a lovely dinner prepared for us along with really cheesy 80’s American music, which was a little disappointing considering was dying for some Indian music….the food was great and we all devoured the naan (Indian fried bread) till we had to go to bed.
The next morning we woke up at a splendid 4 in the morning to board our train for Agra…it was about a 2 hour trains ride and along with the dirty sunset (which I vote are actually some of the prettiest) we enjoyed some tea…we got to Agra and immediately got on a bus (I swear this was a tour of how many forms of transportation can one use in India haha) We stopped at Fatehpur Sikri (one of the fort monument deals the king made for his different wives haha) and then on to various other monuments and forts throughout Agra….We actually ran into a woman who was an SAS alum…that was pretty cool…but we were all awaiting to infamous Taj Mahal…Well…I had to get into the Taj first, which was an ordeal in of itself…this is a long story but in trying to keep it short if you don’t know the three boys I babysit while I am at school gave me pictures of themselves a year ago to take with me all over the world (they have been to around 15 countries with me and I try to take pictures with them at all the main monuments) well the security guard lady said they were “toys” and told me they weren’t allowed…well this was not going to fly with me because no one was going to take me boys away from me…so I proceeded to the back of the line and hid them…well the other security guard saw me do this and told the other one once I got to the front of the line…after a large amount of pat downs in many areas I did not want to be patted down she gave up and let me through, with the other security guard outraged…So…after that whole ordeal I got to see the Taj Mahal and take the famous picture with my boys…at the same time worrying that Indian police were going to put me in jail lol….the Taj Mahal was just gorgeous and we were there during sunset which made it even more breathtaking…we got in line and met the most adorable old Sikhs….who smiled every time we talked…we walked through the Taj which was pitch black and pretty much just the tombs of the guy and his wife (who he built the Taj for)…we then had a long rest of the evening because we had to drive back to the train station (which was also an interesting experience with poor and sick children begging for food and rats crawling everywhere) and then drove back to our hotel in New Delhi.
The next morning we got to finally sleep in! Till 6 haha….we drove around New Delhi and saw the nicer parts where all the government buildings and embassies are…then we had to go to the airport and fly to Varanasi. Once we got there we saw some Buddhists temples and forts and then we had a really nice traditional lunch at our hotel. We then took a bus to meet our rickshaw drivers….this was definitely a sight to see as 70 students had to pile in two by two into these tiny rickshaws…of course, I had the tiniest driver in all of India, it was pretty funny…The rickshaw rise was crazy! You aren’t protected by anything and you are just going to have to see pictures to believe the insanity that is driving in a rickshaw in the middle of Varanasi. That was about an hour and then we came to the river Ganges where we had seats awaiting our arrival to watch the Hindu ceremony. This was absolutely beautiful…it was during sunset and they had candles and music all around the river…The moon came out and was a deep orange due to the pollution…after experiencing the exquisiteness of the ceremony we went back to the hotel for dinner and dancing which they had set up for us…
The next day was probably the most life changing of all…we woke up at sunrise and got in boats to go down the Ganges river…we got these little candles in beds of flowers and had to make a wish and float them down the river…there was music playing and hundreds of people come to the banks every morning to bathe in this river…but then you learn that this is one of the dirtiest and most polluted rivers in the world…a dead body floated by and that is when we realized the truth in that statement…the smells were poignant and sickening but the twisted beauty of it all was prevalent. We continued floating down the river and found where they burn the dead bodies…this was also an remarkable sight to see… we got out of the boats and continued to walk through disgusting alley ways filled with poverty like you couldn’t even imagine…it was absolutely filthy and describing all the details would just ruin your day…so I won’t…haha…we then went back to the hotel for breakfast and then got the chance to go to a silk factory and a bead shop…after that, we had hours of traveling back to Chennai…involving two buses, two planes, and a 4 hour layover in New Delhi…but we finally made it back to the ship in one peace…
My last day in Chennai we didn’t get to do much because there was some famous Bollywood actor coming to lead a protest downtown so EVERYTHING was blocked…we drove around with our taxi driver and accomplished nothing…coming back we argued with the price and that was definitely interesting…yelling definitely occurred on both ends haha…finally we got to the port and they wouldn’t let us in because of the rally…so our taxi driver pointed to this underground tunnel that we were supposed to take that would supposedly lead us to the port…yeah sketchy I know but we had no choice…we uneasily headed down the dirty tunnel and came up to the entrance to the port which was such an amazing occurrence haha…I had one last FDP on the ship about the environment in India and then we sailed away…
I had a presentation today which went really well…and now I must begin my marketing project about introducing Absolut Vodka into Malaysia (my teacher picked it mind you haha) so that will be fun…The water is calm which is nice and its warm and humid so everyone is out here on the pool deck laying out…I hope all is well back home with everyone and hope to hear from people soon! We will be in Penang, Malaysia on Wednesday for my next adventure! Wish everyone a great week from the Strait of Malacca... :)
My first morning in Chennai was an immediate awakening to what we were getting ourselves into. The stench that crept onto the boat slowly reached all of our rooms at 7 that morning and we realized this was going to be a much different port than the previous ones. We had our diplomatic briefing with the ambassadors to the U.S. who were both great! I then had an FDP on the ship for my marketing class about some business guy in India...who was old and boring haha…then I have to pack for my Taj Mahal and Varanasi trip. We spent a few glorious hours in Indian traffic (you have to see pics to believe it) and finally got to the airport. The spectacle that occurred when 140 American students entered the airport was definitely a sight to see. After being stared at for hours we got on the plane (which was much nicer than we were expecting! Everyone had their own video screens and everything) So I watched a Bollywood movie based on The Notebook… haha…We finally got to Delhi and our hotel…They had a lovely dinner prepared for us along with really cheesy 80’s American music, which was a little disappointing considering was dying for some Indian music….the food was great and we all devoured the naan (Indian fried bread) till we had to go to bed.
The next morning we woke up at a splendid 4 in the morning to board our train for Agra…it was about a 2 hour trains ride and along with the dirty sunset (which I vote are actually some of the prettiest) we enjoyed some tea…we got to Agra and immediately got on a bus (I swear this was a tour of how many forms of transportation can one use in India haha) We stopped at Fatehpur Sikri (one of the fort monument deals the king made for his different wives haha) and then on to various other monuments and forts throughout Agra….We actually ran into a woman who was an SAS alum…that was pretty cool…but we were all awaiting to infamous Taj Mahal…Well…I had to get into the Taj first, which was an ordeal in of itself…this is a long story but in trying to keep it short if you don’t know the three boys I babysit while I am at school gave me pictures of themselves a year ago to take with me all over the world (they have been to around 15 countries with me and I try to take pictures with them at all the main monuments) well the security guard lady said they were “toys” and told me they weren’t allowed…well this was not going to fly with me because no one was going to take me boys away from me…so I proceeded to the back of the line and hid them…well the other security guard saw me do this and told the other one once I got to the front of the line…after a large amount of pat downs in many areas I did not want to be patted down she gave up and let me through, with the other security guard outraged…So…after that whole ordeal I got to see the Taj Mahal and take the famous picture with my boys…at the same time worrying that Indian police were going to put me in jail lol….the Taj Mahal was just gorgeous and we were there during sunset which made it even more breathtaking…we got in line and met the most adorable old Sikhs….who smiled every time we talked…we walked through the Taj which was pitch black and pretty much just the tombs of the guy and his wife (who he built the Taj for)…we then had a long rest of the evening because we had to drive back to the train station (which was also an interesting experience with poor and sick children begging for food and rats crawling everywhere) and then drove back to our hotel in New Delhi.
The next morning we got to finally sleep in! Till 6 haha….we drove around New Delhi and saw the nicer parts where all the government buildings and embassies are…then we had to go to the airport and fly to Varanasi. Once we got there we saw some Buddhists temples and forts and then we had a really nice traditional lunch at our hotel. We then took a bus to meet our rickshaw drivers….this was definitely a sight to see as 70 students had to pile in two by two into these tiny rickshaws…of course, I had the tiniest driver in all of India, it was pretty funny…The rickshaw rise was crazy! You aren’t protected by anything and you are just going to have to see pictures to believe the insanity that is driving in a rickshaw in the middle of Varanasi. That was about an hour and then we came to the river Ganges where we had seats awaiting our arrival to watch the Hindu ceremony. This was absolutely beautiful…it was during sunset and they had candles and music all around the river…The moon came out and was a deep orange due to the pollution…after experiencing the exquisiteness of the ceremony we went back to the hotel for dinner and dancing which they had set up for us…
The next day was probably the most life changing of all…we woke up at sunrise and got in boats to go down the Ganges river…we got these little candles in beds of flowers and had to make a wish and float them down the river…there was music playing and hundreds of people come to the banks every morning to bathe in this river…but then you learn that this is one of the dirtiest and most polluted rivers in the world…a dead body floated by and that is when we realized the truth in that statement…the smells were poignant and sickening but the twisted beauty of it all was prevalent. We continued floating down the river and found where they burn the dead bodies…this was also an remarkable sight to see… we got out of the boats and continued to walk through disgusting alley ways filled with poverty like you couldn’t even imagine…it was absolutely filthy and describing all the details would just ruin your day…so I won’t…haha…we then went back to the hotel for breakfast and then got the chance to go to a silk factory and a bead shop…after that, we had hours of traveling back to Chennai…involving two buses, two planes, and a 4 hour layover in New Delhi…but we finally made it back to the ship in one peace…
My last day in Chennai we didn’t get to do much because there was some famous Bollywood actor coming to lead a protest downtown so EVERYTHING was blocked…we drove around with our taxi driver and accomplished nothing…coming back we argued with the price and that was definitely interesting…yelling definitely occurred on both ends haha…finally we got to the port and they wouldn’t let us in because of the rally…so our taxi driver pointed to this underground tunnel that we were supposed to take that would supposedly lead us to the port…yeah sketchy I know but we had no choice…we uneasily headed down the dirty tunnel and came up to the entrance to the port which was such an amazing occurrence haha…I had one last FDP on the ship about the environment in India and then we sailed away…
I had a presentation today which went really well…and now I must begin my marketing project about introducing Absolut Vodka into Malaysia (my teacher picked it mind you haha) so that will be fun…The water is calm which is nice and its warm and humid so everyone is out here on the pool deck laying out…I hope all is well back home with everyone and hope to hear from people soon! We will be in Penang, Malaysia on Wednesday for my next adventure! Wish everyone a great week from the Strait of Malacca... :)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Olympics, Midterms, and Harry Potter…all in the Indian Ocean?!
Ever wonder what happens when you are on a ship for more than a week without seeing any land? You go CRAZY! We have officially established that…haha…these days we seem to be very amused by anything and it is pretty hysterical….the first few days were quite hard because we had just spent an incredible week in South Africa and no one wanted to go to class…but alas, we kind of had to…the lovely half way point came on Thursday with the Sea Olympics (and no classes)….Wednesday night was the opening ceremonies and each sea (hall) had to make a flag and a chant and wear their sea colors…I am in the Red Sea so we got all decked out in red and got ready for the opening ceremonies. We decided on a team name (The Electric Squid Warriors….don’t even ask haha) and we had this amazing artist in our hall so our flag was absolutely amazing! I was a judge at the opening ceremonies for the best flag and best team chant…it was a fun and very spirited evening
The next day we had the Olympics with about 20 different events…I was on the Red Sea’s volleyball team and we didn’t do that great, but it was a lot of fun haha…my team placed gold in dodgeball, gold in the workout relay, silver in jeopardy, and silver in tug-o-war….some of the other events that were held were: hot dog eating contest, spelling bee, Sudoku, synchronized swimming (which had to be in the union cause it was too choppy haha and it was hysterical), pizza making contest, Pictionary, hula hoop, twister, human knot, flip cup, limbo, and an m&m pie eating contest…it was a great day…we didn’t place in the final but we did win the flag competition! (and no…I couldn’t vote for my own flag haha) That night was the gods and goddesses dance out on the 7th deck which was a lot of fun…trying to put together a costume with very little resources is quite hard but with a little hair and makeup you can do anything haha (I was some sort of Egyptian goddess lol)…it ended kind of early so we decided to continue the party and got our iPods together and danced and sang the night away in my neighbors room and then went back outside again…it was pretty much hysterical…
After that, the past two days have been packed with studying (pretty much because no one had done any since we had been on the ship) so the sales at the coffee bar drastically went up for the hundreds of all nighters that were being pulled…I had my 1st midterm this morning for global studies and then I have my marketing midterm on Monday (my half birthday, which we are totally celebrating because it’s something fun to do and get dressed up for hahaha) and then Tuesday we get to Chennai, India! Well…I am off to dinner….and then Harry Potter 3! (I totally forgot to mention that since we are creative and bored out of our minds lol… about 10 of us are having a Harry Potter marathon and tonight we are on number 3 haha….fun stuff…)
Miss everyone lots and hope all is well back home! Keep me posted and send me an email (cause I have nothing else to do and I don’t want to study J)
The next day we had the Olympics with about 20 different events…I was on the Red Sea’s volleyball team and we didn’t do that great, but it was a lot of fun haha…my team placed gold in dodgeball, gold in the workout relay, silver in jeopardy, and silver in tug-o-war….some of the other events that were held were: hot dog eating contest, spelling bee, Sudoku, synchronized swimming (which had to be in the union cause it was too choppy haha and it was hysterical), pizza making contest, Pictionary, hula hoop, twister, human knot, flip cup, limbo, and an m&m pie eating contest…it was a great day…we didn’t place in the final but we did win the flag competition! (and no…I couldn’t vote for my own flag haha) That night was the gods and goddesses dance out on the 7th deck which was a lot of fun…trying to put together a costume with very little resources is quite hard but with a little hair and makeup you can do anything haha (I was some sort of Egyptian goddess lol)…it ended kind of early so we decided to continue the party and got our iPods together and danced and sang the night away in my neighbors room and then went back outside again…it was pretty much hysterical…
After that, the past two days have been packed with studying (pretty much because no one had done any since we had been on the ship) so the sales at the coffee bar drastically went up for the hundreds of all nighters that were being pulled…I had my 1st midterm this morning for global studies and then I have my marketing midterm on Monday (my half birthday, which we are totally celebrating because it’s something fun to do and get dressed up for hahaha) and then Tuesday we get to Chennai, India! Well…I am off to dinner….and then Harry Potter 3! (I totally forgot to mention that since we are creative and bored out of our minds lol… about 10 of us are having a Harry Potter marathon and tonight we are on number 3 haha….fun stuff…)
Miss everyone lots and hope all is well back home! Keep me posted and send me an email (cause I have nothing else to do and I don’t want to study J)
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