November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Day

Hilo, Hawai’i

 

Today was like any other normal Thanksgiving except for the fact that:

 

A.    I was in Hawai’i

B.     Instead of being surrounded by snow and brisk winter winds, I was surrounded with palm trees and sunshine

 

It was similar in the sense that I was surrounded by delicious food and warm, loving people. I spent the day with Kyla and Wiliama’s family, alongside Lizzy, Nikki Souza, and Val Brown. After only a few hours of sleep from last night, I began the day at 6:30 in the morning on Deck 7 for the sunrise. The sun was actually visible, which is a relief in itself compared to the last few ports which have been abysmally disappointing. After the sunrise, I breakfasted with Kyla, Wiliama, Eva, and eventually Lizzy. (She likes to take her sweet old southern time). We all parted after eating, and planned to meet up later when Kyla and Wiliama’s family arrived on the ship. After getting dressed and what not, I found Lizzy who informed me that Kyla and Wiliama’s family had just gotten on the ship. We gave Kyla’s family, which consisted of her mom, dad, brother, and grandparents a tour of the ship. You can tell exactly where Kyla gets her witty humor from by listening to any and all of her family members speak. Wiliama’s family joined us in Tymitz Square and we headed out into the Hawaiian sunlight.

 

Lizzy and I rode in a van with all of Kyla’s family to Community of Christ Church, where we would be eating. There was a separate house that sat alongside the church which is where we set up shop. As cars and vans were unloaded, the tables began to groan in protest at the amounts of food that were weighing them down. Before we ate, we nibbled on mana pua and nachos smothered in crab dip. Mana pua was sold throughout most of Asia in a lot of the Family Marts, Seven Elevens, and simple convenience stores. Kyla raved about mana pua, and insisted that we had to try it when we got to Hilo, and try it we did. It is something like a super doughy roll stuffed with meat, and it was pure heaven.

 

Before we ate, I played with Wiliama’s brother and sister; Kalanikapu and Ku`ulei. We played Hangman, each trading off on who was picking the words. However, I was often Kalanikapu’s assistant since he kept coming over to me and whispering how to spell one word or another. They were both absolutely adorable J

 

For dinner, my plate was loaded with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, Christmas jello, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and I think that was all?.. Haha. For dessert was some type of Oreo cake. Mmmmm. After dinner, we gossiped about our voyage and answered questions about anything and everything. Wiliama’s Aunt Trudy gave us a 5 minute informational recap of the history of Hilo which was so interesting. I love the fact that Hawaii has so much culture embedded within it; I can truly see myself going to grad school here. I had been half-serious in contemplating Hawai’i as an option, but now I am almost 100% serious. Amazing people, great weather year-round, what’s not to like?

 

After our episode of gluttonous feasting, we piled into the cars and headed to Big Island Candies which was just down the street. We were immediately greeted with a sample of shortbread as well as some sort of chocolate with nuts. Samples were placed out everywhere, and despite the fact that I was feeling full to last me about a week, I tried many different chocolates and cookies. Live for the moment right? ;) One of the most interesting was a lavender cookie, which was somewhat like chewing on a tasty potpourri snack. Leaving Big Island Candies, we decided to fill our need for American exposure, and no we didn’t go to McDonald’s. We pulled into the parking lot of Wal-Mart, and I was filled with immediate happiness and a sense of home. Wal-Mart is heaven on earth. When I got my hair done in the salon on the ship, my hairdresser who hails from South Africa, said that every time the ship lands in the States all the foreigners head to Wal-Mart. I do not blame them whatsoever, and will never again take this lovely place for granted. We shopped around for about an hour, and most of everyone filled their carts with groceries. The ship food, although sometimes bearable, doesn’t compare to the wonders that Wal-Mart holds. We also did some souvenir shopping, which seemed sort of odd shopping for souvenirs in Wal-Mart, but hey, when in Rome right?

 

Unfortunately, the day had already flown by at this point. Wal-Mart concluded our day, and we headed back to the ship with heavy hearts, stomachs, and a heavy trunk full of Wal-Mart goodies. One day in Hawai’i is not NEARLY enough time. Rain was coming down as we walked up to the ship and said good-bye to Hawai’i; no need to be sad though, I have a feeling I will be back in just a short time J

November 8, 2011

 

Shanghai:

 

Yesterday we arrived in Shanghai. In the morning, Eric, Robin, and I went out to walk around the city and explore. We honestly saw nothing that seemed to strike our interest. We walked for over an hour, and were somewhat confused as to the lack of even things to see. We ended up taking a taxi back to the ship, and had lunch. We then found out from the field office that the entire downtown area was the opposite direction of where we were walking; I was still somewhat skeptical. Kyla called me when she got back from her trip around 2 or 3, and we decided to go out together. We had to wait for her passport to be processed by the Chinese officials, and then headed out. We took a taxi to Old Town, which I fell in love with. The area was amazing; it was almost like the markets in Marrakech but with less people. Old Town was intermixed with old and new shops; one corner had a Dairy Queen and Starbucks, while the opposite side of the street had Chinese street food and stalls. Kyla and I did some bargaining, and then headed to find some sesame balls, which I have absolutely become addicted to. We went to so many different food stalls asking about sesame balls, and showing the Chinese characters for them, that we had gotten from a woman at the tourist kiosques, but no one seemed to have them. Finally, we came upon something like a Chinese fast food court. You were supposed to grab a tray, and go from food place to food place and just put the plates on the tray until the checkout line. Again, we searched endlessly for sesame balls but to no avail. Kyla asked a random table of Chinese if they spoke English, and to our luck, one of the women did. We told her we were looking for sweet sesame balls, and she led us through the entire line of food until the very last stall, where we found them! They were well worth the search! We also grabbed some type of teriyaki rice and pork dumplings. We sat down with our food, and noticed that everyone seemed to have dumplings that had a straw in them. Slightly confused, we decided to try those as well. Kyla went and got us two; when in Rome. We had thought that maybe there was tea inside them, but to our surprise it was actually soup. I enjoyed both the soup and the dumpling, and Kyla gave me hers because she wasn’t a big fan of them. We then took a taxi to another part of Shanghai, which was definitely the European tourist area. Everything was extremely expensive, and there were numerous French boutiques and cafés everywhere. I am actually really surprised at the extent of the French influence in Asia. I wasn’t aware that there were so many French stores and restaurants in China and Japan. We browsed through a massive Apple store too, where I gazed longingly at the Macs. I have decided to make the switch from PC to Mac soon, so I am hoping I don’t regret it. Anyway, after the Mac store we decided to head back to the ship. We took a taxi back, and the waterfront alongside the ship was absolutely gorgeous so we tried to tell the taxi to pull over. After a few minutes, he finally understood what we were trying to convey. Laughing, he pulled the taxi over and said good night to us. We walked along the waterfront snapping pictures of downtown Shanghai. Each night they do a light show in Shanghai, so the buildings were lit up and colorful. Passing by us were so many fashionable people; everyone seemed dressed to impress. We came to a neon flashing bridge, where I told Kyla to take a picture of me. She decided that her camera wasn’t focused enough, so I stood posing by the bridge for such a long time, that a crowd had managed to gather around me. A group of younger Arabic guys had gathered, and I could make out a little of what they were saying. They kept motioning towards me, and finally one of them came over and asked if they could each have a picture with me, in broken English. I said yes, and one by one they each took a picture with me. When they were walking away, I said, “Shukron jazeelan” and they looked at me in shock. I guess they didn’t know that I could speak a little Arabic. Stricken, they almost ran away because they had probably guessed that I knew they were talking about me long before they asked to get a picture. It was too funny :] Finally, Kyla and I made it back to the ship and turned in for the night.

 

Day #2 in Shanghai

 

On Day 2 I went to Fudan University with Annie, Wiliama, and a few others to give a presentation about Semester at Sea. We took taxis to the uni which was about a half hour away. When we arrived, I was shocked at how tall the buildings were. Fudan is one of the most prestigious universities in China, and perhaps Asia if I am not mistaken. It is equivalent to what we know as an Ivy League prestige. The campus was beautiful; in between the majestic towering buildings were green square gardens and palm trees, as well as Chinese statues of what I am sure were prominent and well-known leaders. We were taken to the 15^th floor of one of the buildings, where we were to have our meeting. The floor doubled as both a restaurant and a space for meetings. We were led into a spacious meeting room with comfy chairs and a dark mahogany table. Slowly, Chinese students started to trickle in, and we were happy to find that many of the students were already applied and coming on the spring voyage. We were able to order drinks on the house, and I went straight for the chocolate milkshake. We led a presentation that started with a promotional video that was filled with all the things that you can do with Semester at Sea. At the end of the movie, there were video clips of students saying good-bye to one another at their debarkation port. I realized that we would be doing that in just one month.. This semester truly has flown by! I can’t believe that we only have a few more countries left; it is totally unreal. I was actually tearing up by the time the lights were turned back on :P C’est la vie. The presentation went well, with each of our administrative staff members giving a little speech, and then answering questions. When they were talking about their jobs, I was actually a little inspired to work with Semester at Sea when I graduate. I think that I would love a job with SAS honestly.

 

 

November 11, 2011

 

Today we arrived in Kobe, Japan. I woke up for the sunrise around 6:15 in the morning, but unfortunately it was rainy and cloudy. After the sunrise, I went and worked out at the gym until breakfast at 8:00am. I then went out into the city with Lizzy, Eva, and Caroline. We took the subway from Kobe to Simmoniya where we got off and tried to find a place that had free Wi-Fi, but were not successful. Even Starbucks required you to purchase internet time. We ended up at an internet café called Litz where we each got our own cubicle. It was the strangest thing; each cubicle was somewhat elevated, and there was a cushion in each compartment with a very nice desktop. We went on the internet for one hour, and then headed out and went window-shopping. We had McDonald’s for lunch which was AMAZING. I tried a Teriyaki McBurger, which is basically what it sounds like, as well as some French fries. After, we went shopping at a massive mall called SOGO that had streets upon streets of shops. Lizzy got her and me a necklace; me an anchor necklace and her a leaf necklace. We walked around for a long time, and finally ended up getting dinner at a place called Mo’s Burgers. After Mo’s, we headed back to the ship and turned in for the night.

On October 28^th, I went to the Mekong Delta with Wiliama, Kelsey, Michael, and Brian and his parents. The night before had been pretty rough; we had went out dancing, and we came back around 3am. I didn’t want to miss the Mekong Delta, as the trip was at 8am, so I just didn’t go to sleep. Instead, I did some homework and answered all my emails, which took a few hours. I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t tired the entire day. We took a bus ride to the Mekong area, where we stopped at a local market and were taken on a tour by one of our tour guides. We got to snap some pictures, and were then scurried back onto the bus. Another 15 minutes later, we hopped onto our small boat where we took a cruise around the Mekong Delta. It was strange to think that Americans and Vietnamese were fighting in these same waters not too long ago. Our cruise dropped us off on an island, where we were able to take a tour of a coconut candy assembly line. There was also snake wine to sample, as well as snakeskin bags. After, we took a pony ride a little ways away to where we were going to have lunch. Lunch was delicious; we used transparent rice paper and stuffed it with rice and noodles. There was also a few elephant fish displays set up at each table, where you could rip off pieces off the fish with your chopsticks. I have become very accustomed to eating with chopsticks now, and will be able to show off my skills when we get back to the States whenever I visit a Chinese restaurant. After lunch, we took a short bicycle ride, which was one of the fondest memories of my trip so far. To say the least, the bikes were not in the best working condition. I actually picked a bike that had no brakes or pedals; what an adventure. Every time Wiliama or Brian suddenly stopped, I smashed into them or went careening into the grass. There were some near misses of me falling off the bridge, and too many times did I have to stop my bike by dragging my feet on the ground. It has been over a week, and I still have massive bruises on my legs from our bike ride. What hurt the most though was the ab workout I got from laughing so much. Good times in Viet Nam. On our way back to the tour bus, we were given coconuts to sip on, which were very refreshing. On the way back from the Mekong Delta, I slept the entire way. When we got back to the ship, the shower I took was absolutely fabulous. I went out again that night with Lizzy, Wiliama, and Adam. Many Europeans were around the backpacker district that we were frequenting, and they were all dressed up for Halloween. We went to the GoGo Bar again, and then attempted to go to a place called Sky Bar, which was beyond fancy. Adam actually got yelled at and roughed up by a body-guard because he was wearing a tank-top. Not having fun at all, we decided to head back to the backpacker district. We spent the rest of the night at the Crazy Buffalo, and people-watched. There were a few people from Semester at Sea that were a little too drunk, and actually tried fighting workers of the bars. So classy. Causey, one of my friends from California, and Matt, from Texas, both bought me roses that I unfortunately couldn’t carry back onto the ship L Lizzy and I then met a guy named J, who was from Toronto, but had come to Viet Nam to play soccer. Then, Causey, Lizzy, and I headed back to the ship in a taxi, since I had another early day ahead of me.

 

On October 29^th, we went to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple. First was the temple, which was breathtakingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the Hindu temples in India; it was full of color and decorative detail. We were forbidden from walking in the middle of the temple where the worship happened. We were allowed to walk on the outer rim, and gaze upon the beauty. The Cao Dai faith is unique in the fact that it takes facets from many different religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. They also look to Victor Hugo as one of their main supporters, and there was a large painting of him in the entranceway of the temple. At noon, we stayed to watch the beginning of a service. It was beautiful; a choir sang as the followers walked in ceremoniously. There was a lot of bowing and touching of the ground with the head. We left the temple in search of lunch, for everyone was starving at this point. We went to a large airy place for lunch, where we were served so much food. Fried chicken, lo mein noodles, white rice, and many other dishes weighted down the tables. After lunch, we made our way to the Cu Chi Tunnels. We were led around the area of the tunnels by our tour guide, who told of the ways the tunnels were used and built. It was somewhat eerie, walking on a path that could have perhaps been walked by young American soldiers not so long ago. The majority of the group was silent, possibly contemplating and reflecting upon the same thoughts that I was having. We learned about the booby traps that the Vietnamese had placed all around the jungle, all of them terribly inhumane. But, when has war ever been humane? We were able to crawl through the tunnels, and it was an experience I won’t forget. The walls of the tunnel were extremely narrow and cramped, and the musty air seemed to be suffocating us. I can’t imagine how the Vietnamese lived in these tunnels during the war. After the tour, we were led back to the bus. It had been both an emotional and physically exhausting day. I slept soundly the entire way back on the bus, as did most of the other people on my trip.  

 

November 3^rd: The first day in China was spent at Hong Kong Disney with Wiliama, Kyla, Adam, and Carol. It was such a blast. We took the subway to the Disney subway line, where we were dropped off in front of the park. We bought tickets, and immediately began snapping pictures. It was very humid, and I was already regretting wearing capris and not shorts. We watched a performance called “Festival of the Lion King,” which was captivating. They acted out the Lion King in a span of 30 minutes, performing all the major songs. The performers were all very talented, and I especially liked the Samoan fire-twirlers. We had lunch, and I chose braised beef brisket with yellow curried rice. I felt as if we were in the States at Disney World, except we were eating Chinese food. The food was of course delicious, and we then headed out to explore more of Disney. We went on the Astro Blasters, which is a ride where you get guns to shoot at Zurg with Buzz Lightyear; TOY STORY IS AWESOME J We rode in the Teacups, and me, Wiliama, and Kyla spun the teacup like it has never been spun before. I swear we were about to lift off the ground! We saw some more performances such as The Golden Mickeys, which was acted out as a Grammy awards show, where they played many of the famous Disney songs. My personal favorite was Mickey’s PhilharMagic which was a 4-D performance. I had never even been to a 3-D movie before, so it was a real treat. In the beginning, the song “Be our Guest,” was shown, and when the wine bottles were popping on the table, you could actually feel the wind from the cork popping, and it smelled like bubbles and wine. When The Little Mermaid sang “Part of their world” the audience got splashed more than once! It was a really cool experience! We went to Tarzan’s tree house, and went on a Jungle River cruise later on in the night. For dinner, I had chicken and pineapple pizza with a coke float; talk about a little bit of America J We also went to It’s a Small World After All ride, which was interesting, and on a Winnie the Pooh ride. It was slightly uncomfortable since the pole that holds you in was actually between my legs, and every time there was a sudden jolt or braking, I really felt it. I was definitely sore the next day. Haha. We watched the light show over the castle, and then headed to the subway to head back to the ship. On our way back to the ship, Adam and Carol decided that they were hungry, so we stopped at a place called the Spaghetti House. I wasn’t that hungry, so I just ordered dessert; a sugar and lemon crepe. We made it back to the ship, and I passed out on my bed. It had been a long, fun-filled day.

 

November 4^th: My 21^st BIRTHDAY!

 

I actually didn’t do much for my birthday; I simply got internet from the mall that was directly connected to the ship entrance. Everyone else had already left for their big trips in China. There are only 120 people staying on the ship right now, in transit from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Everyone else had opted to travel independently. I wandered about the mall for a few hours, ogling things that I couldn’t even dream of buying in the Louis Vuitton and Coach stores. One of the bad things about China is that it is definitely not as cheap as Viet Nam or Malaysia. I had all my meals on the ship, and simply relaxed all day. On Facebook, I got to talk to a lot of people from home which made me happy J After dinner, Eric and I went back out to the mall to grab some more internet. We got Starbucks before heading back to the ship.

 

November 5^th:

 

First day on the ship in transit, which was sooo quiet. Definitely a ghost ship. I just caught up on homework and laundry all day, and watched District 9 in the Union with Robin from Colorado. Dinner was somewhat unique though, in the fact that it was waiter-serviced and the food was amazing! I had cheddar broccoli soup, Caesar salad, and chicken parmesan. For dessert there was chocolate mousse! Yum. I sat with Robin, Gina (also from Cleveland), Shaldeira, Megan, and Steven. We all got into a deep conversation about love and relationships that lasted long after our plates had been cleared.

 

November 6, 2011

 

Today was another relaxing day. I finished up some more homework, and then did the rest of my laundry. Exciting I know. And then I had a hair appointment at one, where I got my hair colored darker as a treat to myself for my birthday. I love it! :]

Dinner is going to be another serviced dinner, and the menu looks delicious J