On our voyage from Thailand to India, we had to pass through the Strait of Malacca, which is the most pirated area in the world! There were jokes and comments for a few days about seeing Captain Jack Sparrow and the hopes that the potential pirates would resemble Johnny Depp. The ship was at almost full speed and we had several other ships traveling very close to us for safety. Rumor has it that we also had the water cannons ready. We were not met with adventure and pirates, but we did have fun pretending like we would.
During this time there were also many dolphins around the ship. Watching the dolphins was quite fun and gave us an excuse not to study. We could also see outlines of islands and land for a while, which is different from all of the rest of our time on the open ocean.
I’ll also say here that I get to watch sunsets over the ocean every day. It is so awesome. I live on the east coast, so I never see sunsets on the ocean. I have realized, though, that I really love them. It is awesome that no 2 sunsets are the same. They are each beautiful and painted with unique colors and clouds. I love to sit on the back of the ship, eat dinner and watch the sun set.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thailand (October 4-8, 2007)
So my first day in Thailand was the most stressful day that I have had on this whole trip. We did not clear the ship until about 2:15 pm. This wouldn’t have been that big of a deal except for the fact that Tyson was going to meet me in Bangkok at 12:30 pm. Unfortunately, the clearing process took much longer than expected. I finally got to Bangkok around 4:30 pm and began searching for Tyson. The funny thing is that SAS chose a drop off point for the shuttle that is literally the largest mall that I have ever seen. I began searching for Tyson, thinking that it would be a quick thing and soon found out that it would take a while. Luckily, my friend Nick was there to stay with me and help me look. If it wasn’t for him I would have been freaking out big time. All in all, it took us until about 9pm to find Tyson. After finding him, we went to the hotel where Nick had reservations and Tyson and I got a room there. After checking in, we went to a market, ate Burger King and returned to the hotel.
The next day, Tyson and I got up early to head for the airport. Some of my friends met us there to fly and travel with us. We took a morning flight from Bangkok to Phuket. Even from the air, Phuket was beautiful. We flew over the northern part on the way down and could see the limestone pillars of Phang Nga. It was beautiful. We arrived at the airport, booked a hotel and caught a cab to Karon Beach, where the hotel was. The hotel was nice and the beach was pretty. We checked in, ate and went for a swim. The water was so clear. Even though it rained for a bit, we still had a blast that afternoon. We searched for sea shells and took a walk on the empty beach. This was not peak tourist time, mostly because it is right in the middle of the rainy season. Unfortunately, we had to deal with this rain most of the time we were there. After swimming, we cleaned up and went to dinner.
The next day, we took a tour to the Phi Phi Islands. It was the most beautiful place. The ferry ride was less than enjoyable because a storm was coming in as we were traveling to the islands. This meant rocky seas and rain, so everyone crowded inside on the ferry. If you ever go to these islands, take the speedboat. It is a little more expensive, but apparently you can go to a lot more places on the island. This is the option we wanted to take, but some of the people we were traveling with did not. The first stop was Monkey Beach, where we could swim to shore or snorkel. We chose to snorkel. It was absolutely amazing. This is the first time that Tyson had ever snorkeled, so it was really fun to swim next to him. I also snorkeled in Hawaii, but this was much better. The reef was colorful and alive and there were tons of fish. The water was so clear, too. I also took my camera with an underwater case, so I hope that I got some good pictures. This was awesome and it made me want to get SCUBA certified.
After snorkeling, we went to another island for lunch. After lunch, we rented kayaks and kayaked to another small beach with monkeys on it. The monkeys were curious and wanted to take things from our bags. In fact, had Tyson not caught one of them, it would have gotten away with my camera. We walked on the beach for a while, which was nice because we were the only ones there. The sand was so white and fine, it was unlike anything I have ever felt. The water, again, was so beautiful, too. It was clear and blue and just like the pictures.
After our adventure on the island, we took the ferry back to Phuket and returned to the hotel. That night, Tyson and I went to dinner and then we decided what to do the next. We decided to go to Phang Nga, which is a naturally beautiful water landscape with limestone caverns and mountains in the ocean.
The travel to Phang Nga was not bad; we took a bus. We got to the dock and rented a longboat for the day. Our guide was this sweet Thai man that told us, with broken English, as much as he could about the sights. We rode the boat in a cave and around many of the islands. We visited the James Bond Island, which is where one of the movies was filmed. Rain came as we were leaving the island, so we waited it out for a while. For lunch, we stopped in a Muslim fishing village and had a great lunch. Then, we returned to the dock. From there, we took a tuk tuk (essentially, a truck with the back made into a covered seating area for passengers) to an elephant village. We rode elephants and took lots of pictures. Finally, we returned to the bus station to head for the airport.
The last day, Tyson and I spent exploring Bangkok together. We went to a market, to a monastery/temple, and walked around the city. It was nice.
I really enjoyed visiting Thailand. The people were very respectful and kind to tourists. One thing that I loved is a greeting that the Thai people have. One holds their hands together in front of their chest and bows slightly. This is accompanied with a greeting, sawatdeekaa (the spelling is probably wrong, but this is how a female would say hello). This greeting is known as a wai and is quite respectful and common. I grew quite fond of greeting people this way and when I said hello in Thai, I was often asked if I actually spoke Thai, which I sadly had to respond with no. In the two days right before port, we have 2 pre-ports, one for culture and one for logistics. These get us prepared for everything we need for the next port. The cultural ones are very helpful because they generally give us instruction on a few greetings in the native language of the area that we are visiting. I have enjoyed picking up greetings in the various languages and have been met with a great deal of appreciation from the locals because I have made an effort to greet them in their language. I think this is important to remember when traveling because too often tourists visit a foreign country and expect standards to be at a Western level and expect people to all speak English. This ethnocentric attitude is rude and disrespectful. The reaction I got from attempting to speak their language was warm and appreciative and I got the impression that few people attempt this.
Finally, I will say that it was so good to see Tyson. It was very nice to have someone fly half way around the world to visit me. It was great to have someone here that I am so close to and comfortable with. So far, I have seen and done so much and I just wanted someone to listen to it all – I needed to emotionally vomit, I guess. That’s not to say that I don’t have good friends here because I do, it was just nice to have him here. It was also great that we got to do all of the things that we did and travel together. There are so many things I have done and seen that I want to share with people from home – my family and friends; I am glad that I got to share some of this.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (September 27-October 1, 2007)
More than anywhere else we have been, Vietnam was real. My visit to Vietnam showed me how so many people in the world actually live. People in Vietnam are very obviously poor. The Vietnamese Dong has an exchange rate of $1 USD = 16,100 Vietnamese Dong. A local told us that Vietnamese people actually use more American cash than Americans do. There is no credit system in Vietnam, so everything is paid for in cash. Small purchases on a daily basis are paid for in Dong. Anything larger than a few hundred thousand dong is paid for in US dollars. Anything larger than a few hundred or thousand dollars is paid for in gold. I thought it was interesting how willing local people were to take foreign currency. I thought about how it would be received if someone tried to use dong in America.
Vietnam has a lot of people that many from a Western point of view would consider to be in poverty. The people don’t seem to think of themselves as being in poverty. Some people begged on the street, but this isn’t what I mean. People that live in nothing more than shacks are still very happy. This is what they are used to. They seem to be content in the conditions that they live. We visited a house of a rather wealthy former photographer and it was still similar to other dwellings. There was a thatched roof and a wood floor. It wasn’t glamorous, but it is all that they need. I was quite impressed by the Vietnamese people’s ingenuity. We visited a village and were shown how many of their products are made. They use everything! Even the shells of nuts and things, they don’t discard them, but use them for fuel for fires. This was incredible and I thought about how different America would be if we just chose to be a bit less wasteful and use things even half as well or as long as the people in this village did.
In my time in Vietnam, I had many adventures. I visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta, Monkey Island, the War Remnants Museum, an Orphanage and school for deaf children, and the market. From all of my trips around Ho Chi Minh City and beyond, I learned why we say “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. This is not some super American speech… haha. I just mean that the pursuit really is the most important part. Most people feel like they will reach happiness – as if it is a destination. My adventure in Vietnam showed me that the happiness is really in the journey. I rode busses that my Mom would be mortified to step foot into, I rode on the back of motor bikes with strangers, I was in the middle of nowhere, I stomped through a monsoon and mud in the woods to climb through tunnels – I had a BLAST!!!! (seriously, though – I am not reckless or trying to get into dangerous situations – this is just the way people travel here, it is an entirely different way of life; I did my best to embrace life the way that Vietnamese people live it every day). All of these things were part of the journey, but I probably remember them more than some of the destinations. This is what I mean – the pursuit means that you should be happy in every moment, not just at the destination – the journey should be the exciting part (because really in life we all have the same destination and I’m in no hurry to get the that point yet – I have too much life left to live).
A final thought I must mention from Vietnam is the result of my visit to the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels. I honestly know very little about the Vietnam War. We just don’t learn about it well in American public schools, which is sad. Considering that those that do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it, we really should learn from our mistakes. Obviously we haven’t, I mean look at our current situation in the world, but that is a different topic for a different blog. The museum was sad and had very gruesome depictions of the war including graphic photographs, artifacts, and detailed descriptions. The photographs showed US soldiers doing terrible things. It also had preserved deformed fetuses on display, which completely shocked and repulsed me. I say all of this to show that I had no idea what to expect at the museum and that it was incredibly difficult to see. It also left me with more questions than answers. I had no idea what to think because I did not have enough of a basis in my own history to know different from the museum’s description of the war. I do understand, of course, that when a communist regime creates a museum it is going to be biased have propaganda. The sad thing is, though, that I knew so little about the war that I didn’t know what was blatant propaganda and what wasn’t. I also left with questions about my own grandfather’s involvement in the war. Unfortunately, he doesn’t talk about his time in Vietnam because I know that he could answer some of the questions that I have about it all. I just want to understand why America thought it was our responsibility to interfere in internal struggles in a country half way around the world. I don’t understand why we went to Vietnam (except for the ideas about containment and the domino effect that don’t suffice, there was too much at stake for that to have been the only reason). These are the questions I have pondered, asked, and attempted to study since my visit. The exhibits did reveal to me why many Americans protested the war.
I also visited the Cu Chi Tunnels, which was quite an interesting experience. First of all, when we got there, it was pouring rain, like a monsoon and we toured in the downpour, which was kind of awesome. This gave me a feeling of what it really would have been like in the war as there were no other tourists around and it was pouring rain and kind of eerie with just the three of us and guide in the middle of the woods. We watched a video in which the American troops were referred to as “crazy devils”. This anti-American sentiment was evident throughout the whole video and made me quite uncomfortable.
The anti-American feelings in the museum and at the tunnels were in stark contrast to what I experienced from the individual citizens in Vietnam. For the most part, they were very welcoming and accepting of Americans. This conclusion is not just from the tourist areas that we visited, but from the average citizens on the busses and things that we used. We met several people that were quite kind and interested in our experiences in America. This shows the difference between a government and its citizens. I am glad that this distinction can be very obvious because I have noticed many people throughout this journey that do not like the foreign policy of the United States or some other governmental entity, but do not dislike American citizens. This has been fortunate as a traveler that most people can distinguish between my government and me as an individual.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Indescribable
At this point, we are on the way to Thailand and I am so excited about it. It is amazing that two days ago, I left Vietnam and now I am on the way to Thailand. This whole trip can only be described in one word – indescribable. I have tried to use words like amazing, incredible, and awesome, but they just don’t cut it. I truly can’t explain all of the things that I have experienced. It is just, in a word, indescribable. A friend of mine and I had a discussion about this trip the other day and this is the result. I appreciate the fact that there are things about this trip and my life that are beyond words. I appreciate this depth. I am blessed to do things that most people that I know have never imagined were possible. I have visited places that I never though I would. I have met people that I never though I would. I am truly having the experience of a lifetime, just like I hoped I would.
I am having the unique opportunity to have a comparative approach to so many cultures, countries, and ways of life. I love being able to compare one culture or place to one other than the United States. I love having another option for comparison. I love getting out of the ethnocentric bubble that most Americans live in. I love this trip!!
I want to describe everything that I am doing and completely explain everything that I am doing, but the truth is that I just can’t. I am traveling to and seeing things beyond words and the things that I am learning and experiencing are too tough to describe right now, maybe ever. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and prayed for me. I appreciate all of you at home doing all of this for me. Also, thanks for the letters.
Part of me can’t wait to get home and share all of this with everyone that will listen, but reality is smacking me in the face with the fact that nobody can understand all of this. So few people that I know have been abroad and can understand the feelings and emotions associated with seeing so many things. I hope that I can bring some of this to words so that I can share it because all that I am experiencing is truly amazing and I want for people to understand. I want to share it. I can’t keep it all in! Pray for me during this process. Thanks.
I am having the unique opportunity to have a comparative approach to so many cultures, countries, and ways of life. I love being able to compare one culture or place to one other than the United States. I love having another option for comparison. I love getting out of the ethnocentric bubble that most Americans live in. I love this trip!!
I want to describe everything that I am doing and completely explain everything that I am doing, but the truth is that I just can’t. I am traveling to and seeing things beyond words and the things that I am learning and experiencing are too tough to describe right now, maybe ever. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, and prayed for me. I appreciate all of you at home doing all of this for me. Also, thanks for the letters.
Part of me can’t wait to get home and share all of this with everyone that will listen, but reality is smacking me in the face with the fact that nobody can understand all of this. So few people that I know have been abroad and can understand the feelings and emotions associated with seeing so many things. I hope that I can bring some of this to words so that I can share it because all that I am experiencing is truly amazing and I want for people to understand. I want to share it. I can’t keep it all in! Pray for me during this process. Thanks.
Hong Kong (September 23-24, 2007)
As I stepped off of the plane in Hong Kong, I felt like I was back in the United States. Hong Kong is truly so westernized that it is difficult to believe that it is part of China. For example, there was a Krispy Kreme in the airport. There was also a McDonald’s right off of the dock. I ate at a Hard Rock Café in Hong Kong. There was Pizza Hut and California Pizza. It was crazy how many American companies have infiltrated Hong Kong. This is globalization in practice – Hong Kong is what globalization looks like.
The people in Hong Kong are proud of the characteristics that make them unique from China. We had a guide on the bus from the airport that explained some of the differences between China and Hong Kong. The languages, for example, are different. Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong and Mandarin is spoken in mainland China. These are just different dialects, but one language is not recognized by a speaker of the other. In Hong Kong, they drive on the opposite side of the road (like in Britain). This shows the influence of Britain in Hong Kong. In mainland China people drive on the right side of the road, instead of the left, like in Hong Kong. Also, more people speak and understand English in Hong Kong. This is another example of the influence of Britain. Hong Kong is much more modernized and westernized than mainland China. Hong Kong is also much cleaner than mainland China. It is difficult to believe that the two places are under the same government because of the distinct differences in the cultures, people, and development.
During my stay in Hong Kong, I visited Lantau Island, which was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was raining, but we had a great time. We saw a huge statue of Buddha that sits on top of a hill. We also visited a monastery. The drive to and from the monastery were the prettiest parts of the visit. Looking over the mountain from the road, you can see the beach and vegetation on the side of the mountain and it is incredible.
Later on, we just walked around Hong Kong, ate Pizza Hut and went back to the ship. I enjoyed Hong Kong a lot, partially because of the familiarity, but also because of the unique way that western culture has been accepted into an eastern place.
Beijing, China (September 20-23, 2007)
We arrived in Beijing a little later than expected because the flight (for whatever reason) was delayed from Qingdao. When we got there the sun was going down, but I noticed that it looked different than sunsets I had seen before. When we walked outside and I got breath of air, I realized why it looked so different. That haze I noticed was smog. I have never experienced smog before, so that aspect of Beijing was quite unpleasant. The landmarks that I was able to see, though, made up for the air. I did a university hosted trip in Beijing, so I got the chance to meet with several students from Tsinghua University. It was very interesting to get the chance to talk with these students. I learned about their perspectives on things, which made me understand Chinese culture more. I will discuss this a bit more later.
My itinerary for the 4 days that I spent in Beijing was something like this (this is for those of you, like my sister, who prefer to see an abridged version of the things that I have done):
Day 1: Arrive in Beijing, Peking Duck dinner with Tsinghua University students, check into hotel, walk around hotel area at night
Day 2: Trip to the Great Wall of China (it was AWESOME!!), Mongolian hot pot for lunch, Giant Panda Zoo, Dinner and visiting with University Students, Bowling after dinner with some of our new friends from the University
Day 3: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Chinese Laundry (dumplings) for lunch, The Temple of Heaven, Silk Street Shopping, Chinese Acrobatics Show
Day 4: View of the “Bird’s Nest” where the 2008 Olympics will be held, The Summer Palace, Lunch at the University, Depart Beijing for Hong Kong
As you can see, we fit a lot into a short time. I felt busy the whole time. It was nice that I went with Semester at Sea on this trip, instead of trying to do it independently. It seems like it would have been very difficult to plan and travel independently in China. I am planning most of my trips in other countries independently, with small groups. The driving situation in downtown Beijing was unlike anything I have ever seen. Lanes really don’t seem to matter. The vehicle with the loudest horn and the courage to pull out is the one that gets to go. It was kind of scary, except for the fact that we were in a huge bus.
My favorite visit in China was to the Great Wall. I was just amazed at the size and length of it. I wondered how people could build such a thing so long ago. The earliest construction of the Great Wall began during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). I found this incredible considering the huge structure that stood before me. I cannot imagine how much time it must have taken to build the individual sections of the wall that were eventually joined together. The wall itself was quite steep. We were able to climb it. It has stairs to several different levels. We went about as far as we could in the time allotted. The views kept getting better the higher we went. The t-shirts for sale got cheaper the higher we went, which I thought was interesting. I loved staring out at the natural beauty of the area. The mountains are amazing there. I am not from a place with mountains, so just to see this was fun for me. The wall over all of it just added to the beauty because it is such an unreal thing to see. Another thing I really liked about the Great Wall was all of the languages that were spoken there. There were so many visitors from all over the world. It seemed like a modern day Babel with all of the languages and people gathering there together. I also liked that despite or varied backgrounds, everyone was there for the same purpose and everyone was very friendly.
I visited Tiananmen Square in Beijing, which is like their version of the Mall in Washington, D.C. Their Congress building and other important national monuments are there. There is also a building that houses the body of former leader, Mao Zedong. The citizens really seemed excited to visit this site. We arrived in Tiananmen Square at about 9 am and there was already a huge line waiting for entrance to see Mao’s body. I found it kind of odd that they were so excited to see the embalmed body of their former leader, but this just reinforced the idea of cultural differences. We walked around the Square and I got this eerie feeling remembering what had happened there almost 20 years ago. The Tiananmen Square Massacre (as it is referred to by many Americans) is not mentioned in China. The event basically was a bunch of students protesting communism by sitting in Tiananmen Square and participating in a hunger strike. There is a red book that is a compilation of sayings from Mao, which the students burned and desecrated in the Square during this time. The government responded to this uprising by bringing in tanks and military personnel to basically mow down the protest. Thousands of students died. As I stood there, knowing what had happened here, I wondered how many of the Chinese people there knew about this or were ever taught about it. I also wondered if I would have been one of those students had I lived in China twenty years ago. It was a strange feeling. I couldn’t take a picture of me smiling in Tiananmen Square because of the odd mix of emotions I was feeling.
We were given a pamphlet by the university that hosted us that describes the landmarks that we would be visiting. In the section about Tiananmen Square, it only mentions the Massacre in 1989 as the Tiananmen Square event of 1989. It does not say anything about the event and disregards it as unimportant. I found this so interesting. It reinforces the ideas of censorship and governmental control of speech and expression in China. Another interesting thing about speech and expression in China is that I could not access my blog while I was there. I tried to access my blog to update it a little, but when I entered the web address, a page appeared that said “this site does not exist”. I tried to access my blog several different times on 3 different computers to make sure that it wasn’t a computer glitch or a typo. I found it interesting that the Chinese government has strict enough censoring of websites that it would censor my blog. I asked some of my new friends from the University about this and they basically told me that freedom and speech are not important to the Chinese government, “propaganda is number one”. I found it interesting that the students themselves referred to the media as propaganda. I thought this word was something that people use about other governments or an idea that people are unaware is being used, but I was wrong. Wikipedia is also not allowed in China. I thought that this was interesting, as well.
All in all, China was quite an interesting port. I am very glad that I went there. I learned a lot about the Chinese people, culture, and government. Many of my preconceived notions were also challenged, which is something that I needed and am glad to have experienced.
Qingdao, China (September 19-20, 2007)
Qingdao is the port city that we docked in. This was not what I expected at all. The whole experience in Qingdao was literally culture shock after spending a week in Japan.
The ship docked in an industrial yard where huge trucks were moving large pieces of metal and some of us almost got run over. (don’t worry, I’m fine, haha). It was rainy and rather miserable when we got off the ship, which was not the best first impression of China, unfortunately. I walked around the port city the first day with my friend, Robin. We had a fun time and bargained a little at a market. I got some gifts and some things for myself. I bought a cool necklace with a dragon made from jade.
The city itself was incredibly poor. The buildings were in bad condition. The buses and public transportation looked very unsafe. The traffic was interesting because it seemed as if the largest vehicle or the loudest horn ran the traffic. There didn’t seem to be strict traffic laws that restrict the way that people drive. The people were fairly nice, not nearly as much so as in Japan. The locals really seemed to be quite poor. This was in stark contrast to what I expected in China. I have always understood that China is a communist nation. My understanding of communism has always been that equality is a key to the distribution of resources. In communism, people are supposed to have enough; they are supposed to have jobs, and enough to eat. This was not what I experienced. People were living in terrible conditions and literally begging us to buy things from them. There was an incredibly visible disparity between rich and poor. In areas of Qingdao, one could see large high rise apartments that were utilized by government officials when they visited the area. These apartments and leisure homes cost much more than most locals will probably make in their lives. There were also many people riding bicycles or other inexpensive means of transportation, while some people drove expensive cars. These things struck me as out of place in the supposed communistic state. The capitalism that I experienced in markets and such was also unexpected.
It is obvious from my trip to China that it is an area in transition. China joined the World Trade Organization recently and has opened itself up to a lot of western influence. China is also hosting the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, which is bringing renovations to many areas of China to assist with the influx of people during this event. The presence of both capitalism and communism was very interesting. It shows the western influence in the country, as well as the transition going on in China.
After spending a day and a half in Qingdao, I took a trip to China’s capitol, Beijing. This was a very different experience from Qingdao. To be honest, I was glad to leave Qingdao. I am very glad that I got to experience this real part of China. I am also glad that I have a better understanding of how most Chinese people actually live. This has given me a better understanding of the differences between communist theory and practice. Obviously, the theoretical ideas of communism are not being completely practiced in China, as evidenced by the disparity between rich and poor. This has given me a real picture of these differences, rather than just from reading about them. These are the things that I appreciate so much about this voyage.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Hiroshima, Japan
Now I know why the Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” (Jesus, Sermon on the Mount). Anyone who sees Hiroshima, Japan knows why peace is so important. Hiroshima is the toughest place so far for me to write about. It touched me in a way that I did not expect. From the second I stepped off of the bus, I knew that this was going to be much different than I expected. It was the saddest thing that I have ever seen, but the thing that I am most glad to have experienced while in Japan. Nothing could have prepared me for this.
As I stepped off of the bus, my heart sunk when I saw the dilapidated skeleton of a building that was once the heart of Hiroshima. This building, now known as A-bomb Dome was once a busy building with many people working. Now, it is a memorial for the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in August of 1945. The park, called Peace Park, was difficult for me to get through, not because of the terrain, but because of the emotional significance of this place. It was not only a place for tourists either as I also saw school groups and what seemed to be locals walking in the park. There was a large monument with a goddess of peace and doves around it. This was also covered in paper cranes because people make these as an offering and they stand for peace. There is a belief that if you make one thousand paper cranes and hang them, then your wish will come true. At this monument, there was a noise box that explained in Japanese first, then English, the significance of the monument. It described the lives lost, the children who gave up their youth for their country and very sad depictions of the day that the bomb was dropped. As I sat there listening to the number of teenagers that had died in the bombing, I imagined how I would feel if this were to happen in my home, to my friends. I thought about people the same age as those described in the recording. I thought about my youth group from home, I wondered how it must have felt for so many parents to lose their children. After this sad contemplation, I headed for the museum.
We were making our way to the museum, when somehow we began a conversation with a Japanese man and 3 Japanese women who were walking in the park. This was interesting as I almost expected them to be hostile toward Americans, but they were some of the kindest and most accepting people that I have ever met. It was incredible. The man spoke to us about our travels and appeared to be very interested and accepting of America. The women had paper cranes that they had made and placed in plastic bags to hand out. They gave each of us one and smiled a lot and spoke with us in English.
Then, we crossed the street toward the museum. We were stopped by an older woman with an umbrella, shielding the sun. She stopped each of us to bless us (or pray) for us specifically. We did not know what she said, but she closed her eyes, bowed her head, put her hand in front of one of our faces, and said some words in Japanese. After a long silent pause, she lowered her hand and said thank you many times. This was interesting and we didn’t know what it meant, but were glad to have experienced it as the lady was very glad to have done what she did.
We arrived at the museum and paid 50 yen to enter, which is less than a dollar in America. We entered and watched a video that had English subtitles, which described the gruesome events. After the video, we waited in line with people that were mostly of Asian descent to see artifacts of the bombing and historical documents that led to the event. There were letters from US presidents and former heads of state from other countries. There were the letters from Einstein that led to the creation of the bomb. There were things that I had no idea existed because we don’t learn about this event very well in American public schools.
The saddest artifacts came after the factual documents. There were clothes from school children that were killed in the bombing. There were plaques next to the clothes that told the names and ages of the children and teens who had worn those clothes the day they died. The plaques described where the victims were and what they were doing that fateful morning at 8:15. Most of the children struggled home with deep and deadly burns and died hours later by their parents. There was hair and even fingernails that parents had kept because it was all that remained of their children. I had no idea that I would see things like this. The museum and park put the whole event into a different perspective for me. It was also interesting to be one of few Americans in the museum. Most visitors appeared to be Japanese or of Asian descent. This was an awkward experience for me because I would expect for the victims of such a horrific incident to be hostile toward Americans, but they were not. For the most part, the other visitors were accepting and kind. I was very emotional in parts of the museum and even cried. This was met with sympathy, instead of hostility. Of all of the things that I expected to experience, sympathy was not one of them – wow! I could not believe this; my country is responsible for what happened and they were kind to me when I got upset.
Something that I found particularly interesting is that in the museum and Peace Park, the historical references were incredibly objective. The plaques and information did not implicate Americans as terrible people or harshly describe the events. This was surprising to me and shows the importance of the betterment of humanity. Even though the United States was responsible for this terrible tragedy, the Japanese did not express this truth in a harsh way. This shows their desire for peace and the ability for the Japanese to be humble and seek this peace without trying to blame anyone for their suffering.
At last, my trip to the museum was over, but I left with this overwhelming feeling of sorrow for the people of Hiroshima and a deep desire to not ever let something like this happen again. This leads me to what may be the saddest memory from the museum. In the museum are copies of over 500 letters written from the mayor of Hiroshima to heads of state in nations that are testing and developing nuclear weapons. These letters implore the leaders to reconsider their use of nuclear weapons and use the experience of Hiroshima to convince them how destructive these weapons can be. The leaders have never responded and have obviously not learned from the sad and destructive example of Hiroshima.
I think that Hiroshima is something that everyone should see. I think that witnessing something like this can really lead to the peace that the people of Hiroshima seek. If everyone understood how destructive and devastating these weapons are, maybe we would truly move toward disarmament (instead of just talking about it). I am very glad to have had the opportunity to see this incredible place. I know I have several readers on this blog and I don’t know how you feel about war, but know that the victims are real people – just like you and me. Think about it.
Japan - September 12-16, 2007
Japan is amazing – I loved it!! I also adore the Japanese people. They are so kind, welcoming, and helpful. This conclusion is not just from my visit to Japan, but from my interactions with Japanese students aboard the ship. We are blessed to have several Japanese girls studying with us this semester. Of all of the people on the ship, they tend to be the most helpful. I asked one girl about Hiroshima and she drew me a map in English so that I would know exactly where to go when I got there. These are things that typical Americans just don’t do.
Japan itself is awesome. I visited Yokohama, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe. We docked in Yokohama on September 12, 2007. In Yokohama, we sent some letters, exchanged money and set out for the train station. We took the train into Tokyo, where we exchanged our rail passes. After what seemed like an eternity on trains, busses, and subways, we arrived in Asakusa, which is the district of Tokyo that our hostel was in. We settled in at the hostel then went for dinner at a nice traditional restaurant. My friends and I removed our shoes and sat on the floor to eat our dinner. It was awesome. We had soba noodles and each of us ordered different other things. The noodles were very good and I also got shrimp tempura, which was also very tasty. After eating, we explored the city and found a karaoke box to sing in. It was fun and the walls had bright lights on them depicting an underwater scene. After singing karaoke, we returned to the hostel, spent some time on the internet and then went to bed.
The next morning, we got up early so that we could be in Ryoguku by 8 am. This is where people buy tickets for sumo wrestling. We didn’t actually get there until 9 am because we were traveling in a rather large group and it took some people forever to get ready and leave. We got to Ryoguku and bought our tickets, which were about 2100 yen (the equivalent of about 20 bucks in the US). The tournament lasted all day, but the better fighters did not start until around 4 pm, so we decided to explore the city and meet back together later. From Ryoguku, I went with a group to see the Imperial Palace and to Shibuya (a district of Tokyo with lots of shopping and restaurants. We walked a lot that day to try to see lots of sights. We ate lunch in Shibuya at a restaurant that didn’t have any English menus. We just pointed at a small picture of something that looked good and waited to see what we had ordered. Mine came and it was chicken tempura, which was really good. After lunch, we did some shopping until it was time to return to the sumo arena.
Sumo was very fun. It was tough to get used to at first and figure out what they were doing and how one person won. We stayed for about 2 and a half hours and really enjoyed the experience. The sumo wrestlers were very nice and allowed us to take pictures with them. After sumo, we went to the capsule hotel where we were staying. It was quite an interesting experience, especially the communal shower. The girls I traveled with, though, put our bathing suits on and showered. The capsule hotel was really neat and was basically a row of capsules on each side of the room. The capsules were like bunk beds that were encapsulated with a mattress on the floor of the capsule and a television and a light in each one. After checking out and showering, we went to Shibuya to have dinner and hang out. We returned to the hotel by taxi, which was rather expensive.
The next morning, we got up at 6am to catch the train for Hiroshima at 7am. I have an entire blog to put up about Hiroshima, so check it out. We left Hiroshima and went to Kyoto. Everyone was saying how difficult it would be to find a place to stay in Kyoto, but we found a nice place the first hotel we stopped at. It was a little more expensive – 15000 yen, but that equals about 50 dollars per person. This was definitely the most expensive place we stayed, but it still wasn’t very bad. The hotel was really nice and a good change from the places we had stayed the few nights before.
The next morning we got up and visited the tower at our hotel that overlooked the whole city. We headed for temples and sights and ended up running into the guys that we had been traveling with and got separated from. They are very nice guys and it was good to run into them again because that day it was only the three of us girls traveling together. It was Christen (my roommate), Robin, and me that were traveling together. We ran into Blake, Aaron, and Drew. They are really nice and fun to travel with. We went to the Golden Pavilion, which is one of the most famous temples in Japan. Then, we went to Nijo castle, which was huge and a large property. We went to Gion, which is the geisha district of Kyoto. We had fun, shopped, ate lunch, and actually saw a few geishas. They do not stop for photographs, but we snapped a few anyway. From Gion, we went back to the station and took off for Kobe, where the ship was docked.
We got to the ship and settled in a bit. Then, Christen and I went looking for a pay phone to call home. It was about 1:30 am when we got back to the ship, but at no point that the two of us were walking around did either of us feel unsafe. It was incredible how safe Japan felt – I felt safer there than walking around downtown Charleston at night. It was comforting to know that a safe place like this exists.
The final day of our trip in Japan, we visited Nara. In Nara, there are deer that walk around everywhere and are very friendly and domesticated. We went to Todaiji temple, where the largest copper statue of Buddha ever cast is displayed. It really was huge!! I had a great time in Nara. It was a short trip. We only went to the one temple and the deer park. We got lunch, did a little shopping and went back to the train station.
When we got back to Kobe, we looked for a place that served Kobe beef, but they were all really expensive, so we just went to a local place and had some Japanese cuisine, which was really good. Then we went back to the station to ride the tram back to the ship. We got on the ship pretty early. I fell asleep by 9 pm because I was so exhausted.
Japan in general was amazing – I really enjoyed every part of it. I did a lot of things and traveled with some good friends. I also learned that traveling in smaller groups is better than traveling in big ones. I learned about a different culture than my own. I met some very kind people that were able to help me despite the language barrier. It was awesome!!! I love Japan.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
HAWAII
Hawaii was absolutely the most amazingly beautiful place that I have ever seen. I remember thinking before I got there if it would really live up to the pictures and if a place could really be that beautiful. I leave with the overwhelming answer of yes!!! In fact, the pictures don’t even do it justice – it is just that beautiful. As I looked at Hawaii, I couldn’t help but feel that God had created this beautiful place for us to enjoy and I am so glad that I got to experience it.
We woke up at 5:45 am to watch the sunrise as we entered the port. The beautiful purples, oranges, and pinks in the sky were amazing. It was unlike anything I have ever seen. Also, the view of land for the first time in a week was quite amazing, too. Not to mention the fact that this land was the most beautiful place ever! We pulled into the port at Honolulu, Oahu and began to wait to go through immigration. We had to go through immigration because we had come from Mexico. While we were waiting, Christen and I ate breakfast. I was too excited to eat and only had a yogurt. I went through the immigration line around 7:30 or 7:45 am. The guy looked at me and my passport to make sure that I was the person in the picture. He said, “welcome to Hawaii”, stamped my passport and I exited the room. Just because I was done with the immigration process did not mean, however, that we could get off of the ship. We had to wait for the ship to clear, which means that everyone has been cleared by immigration. Unfortunately, this was a pretty lengthy process.
I got off of the ship around 9:15 or 9:30 am. From the port, we set out for Hanauma Bay, which is a little cove on the southeastern side of Oahu. I have bought a Go Oahu card, which is essentially a discount card for everything on Oahu, but the company for snorkeling used by the company was completely booked. I took a taxi with three other people to Hanauma Bay. It was about 42 dollars, but split four ways it wasn’t bad. The taxi ride itself was beautiful. We passed by Diamond Head and many other beautiful landscapes. When we arrived at Hanauma Bay, I was truly surprised at how clear the water was. From all the way up on the top of the hill, we could see the beautiful color of the water. We bought tickets to the park, which is a wildlife refuge. Before we could go in the water we had to watch a video about protecting the wildlife in the bay. Then, we hiked down to the water. I say hike because it was quite a long and rather steep incline down to the beach. We rented equipment, put things in a locker and got in the ocean as quickly as possible. The water was surprisingly cool. I was rather shocked at the cool temperature of the water. I thought that because it was Hawaii that the water would be really warm. It was refreshing, though, after I got over the chill bumps when I entered the water. The fish were beautiful and there were lots of them. They had the deepest, most vibrant colors. There was one that was my favorite, it had pink and green and blue streaks all over it. I also saw a sea turtle. The sea turtle was really neat and it just swam there next to me, unafraid and unbothered by my staring. I stayed there for several minutes amazed at this large and beautiful creature. I also got to take an underwater camera, so I will have these pictures developed eventually and share them. We stayed at Hanauma Bay for a couple of hours and then left for Waikiki. We caught a bus, which I had to sprint up to in order to get it to stop because it was already leaving. It was very nice that the bus driver stopped, even though she was not a very nice lady. We got to Waikiki and walked around for what seemed like forever before finding a place to eat. After eating, a surfboard company dropped a rental off for me at the beach. I paddled out and just sat enjoying the view. As I paddled out, I stared down at the reef and was actually afraid of hitting it with my board, even though it was several feet beneath me. The water was so clear that I couldn’t tell how deep it really was because I could see all the way to the bottom. If there wasn’t a more perfect ending to the day, I sat on the beach and watched the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen. It was just like the pictures. The palm trees, surfboards on the beach, and beautiful beach set the scene for the vibrant colors that painted the sky. As the sun set, there was a group preparing for a public hula show. We watched for a little while and then caught a cab back to where the port was. We mailed some letters and postcards, grabbed some food and ran for the ship because we didn’t want to be late. We had to be back to the ship (on the ship) by 9 pm. If we were even minutes late, we would be penalized with dock time in the next port, which means that we would have to wait an extended period of time before being able to leave.
This day was absolutely amazing. I wish that we could have spent a bit more time in Hawaii. It was beautiful and I loved it! It truly seemed like much more than one day because of all of the things I got to fit into the short period of time that we were there. I definitely want to go back there one day.
To be quite honest, I have never really considered Hawaii all that different of a culture. We had to have a cultural pre-port meeting on the ship where they discuss aspects of the culture of the port that we are about to dock at and I wondered why, until I went. There were a few students that were from Hawaii and they basically ran the meeting. One of the boys did a native dance and a girl did a hula. They were such beautiful dances. While they were dancing, you could see the passion for their home on their faces. As they spoke, I began to understand the unique culture of Hawaii. I began to appreciate this other culture. I also have learned a lot about Hawaii’s past and how America took it over just over a hundred years ago. America overturned their queen and took it over because they thought it was a good idea. This sad story is true and I began to understand how brutal imperialism was. I began to understand this impact on the Hawaiian people. It has never seemed real to me. The students’ passion made it real, their eyes told the story of their culture.
Life on a Ship
Life on a ship is very interesting. I literally get rocked to sleep every night by the ocean. It’s when we get rocked in the day time that is the toughest to get used to. I have a roommate named Christen (yeah, funny isn’t it??). She is from Seattle, Washington and she is an art major. I really like her – we are getting along great so far. Our room is a little bigger than I though it would be. We have a closet that we share, which is not as bad as it sounds. We have plenty of drawer space and closet space for the two of us. We also have our own bathroom, which is nice because it is the first time since I started college that I have had that kind of luxury. Speaking of luxury, we have a cabin steward, Edwin, who cleans our room EVERYDAY. He makes our beds and vacuums and cleans the bathroom and everything. I feel so spoiled. When we go to meals in the dining rooms, we have waiters that bring our drinks and take our trays and clean up after us. It is quite an interesting thing to get used to.
I have been getting quite used to watching the sunset on the ocean everyday. It is so beautiful and no two sunsets are the same, which makes me want to watch every night. It is just so beautiful and awesome to be able to do this everyday. Also, the deep blue color of the ocean from the ship is unlike anything I have ever seen. To stand on the deck and look out and only see ocean is a very humbling thing. It makes me realize how small I am and how big the world and ocean are. It is amazing. I stare out at the horizon and wonder what is on the other side of that ocean, in a few days, though, I will see it.
We started classes a few days ago and I am really enjoying my classes so far. One of the classes is very different from anything that I could take at College of Charleston and I think it is very interesting – international terrorism. It is quite interesting how little we know about this topic, but how much it has begun to affect our lives. I am also taking a class on intercultural communication and an international communication course. All students are required to take Global Studies, which is an interdisciplinary course that covers just about everything and introduces the individual ports from various perspectives. All of my courses are interesting and I enjoy what I am learning. I did decide to only take 12 hours (4 classes) this semester, instead of the usual 15 at home. This is what is considered a full load on the ship and I agree with that precedent. I will, however, have a tough time next semester because I will have to take 18 hours. I am required to keep 30 hours per year to keep scholarships and such, so I will have to make up for my lighter load this semester. It is only light in the number of hours, because there is quite a bit of reading. It is also interesting to have only classes while at sea (every day including weekends) and have the whole time off while in port. I imagine this is kind of a modified week/weekend schedule. The coolest thing about classes is that our field trips are in different countries. Our professors suggest various practica for us while we are in different ports to supplement our learning in class.
Enough about class… I have met some awesome people since I have been here. I think it is so neat how people that would probably never be in the same city at once are suddenly put on a ship to live together for a semester. We live next to our professors and eat with them and get sea sick with them. The students on this ship represent a wide variety of backgrounds. There are students from 48 states and 15 countries (including the United States). I am so blessed to be able to have a multicultural experience before we even get to port. I also find it amazing how we are instantly able to connect to people. We are all in the same situation, though. We have left our homes, families, boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, home institutions, and everything we’ve ever known to travel the world and have a one-of-a-kind experience. I am so glad to be here. I do think that most of us have a similar outlook on the world and this journey. We generally want to experience all that the world has to offer and meet people from other countries and experience various cultures. Most of all, I want to look on the map and see a county and not see a geographic outline, but see faces. I want to look at Vietnam and remember the kids I saw in the orphanage and the people that I hope to see in the market. I want to look at the many places that I will be going this semester and see people that are like me, people that love, smile, laugh, hurt, cry, and live. I want to remember that most of all.
We have been talking a lot about being citizens of the world and widening our borders. I am excited to look back on this journey and see this transition that we have been told will happen.
I have been getting quite used to watching the sunset on the ocean everyday. It is so beautiful and no two sunsets are the same, which makes me want to watch every night. It is just so beautiful and awesome to be able to do this everyday. Also, the deep blue color of the ocean from the ship is unlike anything I have ever seen. To stand on the deck and look out and only see ocean is a very humbling thing. It makes me realize how small I am and how big the world and ocean are. It is amazing. I stare out at the horizon and wonder what is on the other side of that ocean, in a few days, though, I will see it.
We started classes a few days ago and I am really enjoying my classes so far. One of the classes is very different from anything that I could take at College of Charleston and I think it is very interesting – international terrorism. It is quite interesting how little we know about this topic, but how much it has begun to affect our lives. I am also taking a class on intercultural communication and an international communication course. All students are required to take Global Studies, which is an interdisciplinary course that covers just about everything and introduces the individual ports from various perspectives. All of my courses are interesting and I enjoy what I am learning. I did decide to only take 12 hours (4 classes) this semester, instead of the usual 15 at home. This is what is considered a full load on the ship and I agree with that precedent. I will, however, have a tough time next semester because I will have to take 18 hours. I am required to keep 30 hours per year to keep scholarships and such, so I will have to make up for my lighter load this semester. It is only light in the number of hours, because there is quite a bit of reading. It is also interesting to have only classes while at sea (every day including weekends) and have the whole time off while in port. I imagine this is kind of a modified week/weekend schedule. The coolest thing about classes is that our field trips are in different countries. Our professors suggest various practica for us while we are in different ports to supplement our learning in class.
Enough about class… I have met some awesome people since I have been here. I think it is so neat how people that would probably never be in the same city at once are suddenly put on a ship to live together for a semester. We live next to our professors and eat with them and get sea sick with them. The students on this ship represent a wide variety of backgrounds. There are students from 48 states and 15 countries (including the United States). I am so blessed to be able to have a multicultural experience before we even get to port. I also find it amazing how we are instantly able to connect to people. We are all in the same situation, though. We have left our homes, families, boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, home institutions, and everything we’ve ever known to travel the world and have a one-of-a-kind experience. I am so glad to be here. I do think that most of us have a similar outlook on the world and this journey. We generally want to experience all that the world has to offer and meet people from other countries and experience various cultures. Most of all, I want to look on the map and see a county and not see a geographic outline, but see faces. I want to look at Vietnam and remember the kids I saw in the orphanage and the people that I hope to see in the market. I want to look at the many places that I will be going this semester and see people that are like me, people that love, smile, laugh, hurt, cry, and live. I want to remember that most of all.
We have been talking a lot about being citizens of the world and widening our borders. I am excited to look back on this journey and see this transition that we have been told will happen.
Monday, August 27, 2007
San DieGO - Good bye America
I leave tomorrow morning at 9 am from San Diego, California (where i am now) for a shuttle to Ensenada, Mexico to board the ship that will carry me around the world. My first port is Honolulu, Hawaii where I will be a week from now on September 2. I am very excited and i look forward to sending many messages explaining my adventures abroad. feel free to send me letters as that will probably be your easiest way to communicate with me other than email. Please pray for the safety of the students, faculty, and crew of the MV Explorer , which is the ship responsible for Semester at Sea.
This is the strangest mix of emotions i have ever felt - i actually had this strange break down earlier in which I explained to Tyson (my boyfriend, for those of you that don't know) that, for the first time in my life, people that I love and will need won't be right there - it is so strange and sad. But this sadness is mixed with anxiety and excitement and the feeling of adventure and i don't know what I will experience next - i love it !!
San Diego has been awesome. Tyson and i have gotten to spend several days here exploring together and have had the chance to spend some much needed time together. Also, I road the trolley for the first time, which was a really neat experience. I used several forms of public transportation, actually and we did quite well catching buses and travelling around town. We went to the zoo. We watched the sun set on the Pacific ocean, twice! We ate at this little part of town called Little Italy and it was Amazing!!! This has been an awesome beginning to what I hope will be an even more awesome trip !!! Thanks Tyson - for being here with me and making me feel safe in a new place- i can't wait for Thailand! :)
Last sunday - a week ago today - my youth had this awesome going away party for me - it was incredible!!! They had this super cake and a really beautiful scrapbook and all the youth and my family - it was awesome!!! It was a great ending to a great summer and i thank yall for it !! I love yall soooo much and i will miss you !!
For everyone else - i love you and will miss you!! I hope that you will pray for me and think of me, maybe even send me letters. I will update this blog as frequently as i can with details of my adventures!
God Bless!!
This is the strangest mix of emotions i have ever felt - i actually had this strange break down earlier in which I explained to Tyson (my boyfriend, for those of you that don't know) that, for the first time in my life, people that I love and will need won't be right there - it is so strange and sad. But this sadness is mixed with anxiety and excitement and the feeling of adventure and i don't know what I will experience next - i love it !!
San Diego has been awesome. Tyson and i have gotten to spend several days here exploring together and have had the chance to spend some much needed time together. Also, I road the trolley for the first time, which was a really neat experience. I used several forms of public transportation, actually and we did quite well catching buses and travelling around town. We went to the zoo. We watched the sun set on the Pacific ocean, twice! We ate at this little part of town called Little Italy and it was Amazing!!! This has been an awesome beginning to what I hope will be an even more awesome trip !!! Thanks Tyson - for being here with me and making me feel safe in a new place- i can't wait for Thailand! :)
Last sunday - a week ago today - my youth had this awesome going away party for me - it was incredible!!! They had this super cake and a really beautiful scrapbook and all the youth and my family - it was awesome!!! It was a great ending to a great summer and i thank yall for it !! I love yall soooo much and i will miss you !!
For everyone else - i love you and will miss you!! I hope that you will pray for me and think of me, maybe even send me letters. I will update this blog as frequently as i can with details of my adventures!
God Bless!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Keep in touch!!!
I will be updating this blog frequently. I will also email as often as I can, but I will have very limited Internet time while at sea. Please do not feel sad if I do not get right back to your emails, I will try to get to them as soon as I can. I will also be sending post cards as often as I can, but I can't do that without your addresses, so send me an email and let me know where to send a post card.
For those of you that are interested in sending me letters while I am abroad, I have listed my addresses below. The heading includes whichever port it is and the date that you should send it by. All letters should be sent via airmail (go to the post office and they will help you). Semester at Sea recommends that you not send large packages because of the difficulty with customs in various countries. They also suggest that you not send currency, but if you want to take the risk, I don't mind!!! :)
HAWAII - AIR MAIL BY: August 26
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 2, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
521 Ala Moana Blvd.
Suite 256
Honolulu, HI 96813
JAPAN, Yokohama - AIR MAIL BY: August 29
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 12, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg. 36
Honcho 4-chome, Naka-ku, Yokohama
231-0005 JAPAN
JAPAN, Kobe - AIR MAIL BY: September 1
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 15, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Kenryu Bldg, Room 502
6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku Kobe-shi
Hyogo-ken 650-0024, JAPAN
CHINA - AIR MAIL BY: September 5, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 19, 2007
Shipping Dept (11th Floor)
Penavico Qingdao
21 Wuxia Road
Qingdao, 266002, P.R. CHINA
HONG KONG - AIR MAIL BY: September 9
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 23, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
N° 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG - CHINA
VIETNAM - AIRMAIL BY: September 13, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 27, 2007
General Forwarding Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
THAILAND - AIRMAIL BY: September 20, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 4, 2007
C.F. Sharp (Thailand) Co., Ltd
3366/36 Soi Manorom, Rama 4 Road
Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, THAILAND
INDIA - AIRMAIL BY: October 1, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 15, 2007
J.M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA
EGYPT - AIRMAIL BY: October 17, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 31, 2007
Worms Alexandria Cargo Services
47 Sultan Hussein Street
Khartoum Square, Azarita
Alexandria, EGYPT
TURKEY - AIRMAIL BY: October 24, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 7, 2007
c/o ITS - International Travel Services
Buyukdere cad. Kaya Aldogan Sok. No:12/1
34394 Zincirlikuyu, Istanbul TURKEY
CROATIA - AIRMAIL BY: October 31, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 14, 2007
ATLANTAGENT
Obala Stjepana Radica 26
P.O. Box 40
HR - 2000 Dubrovnik, CROATIA
SPAIN - AIRMAIL BY: November 9
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 23, 2007
Perez Y CIA S.L.
Ecuador, 2
11007 Cadiz, SPAIN
For those of you that are interested in sending me letters while I am abroad, I have listed my addresses below. The heading includes whichever port it is and the date that you should send it by. All letters should be sent via airmail (go to the post office and they will help you). Semester at Sea recommends that you not send large packages because of the difficulty with customs in various countries. They also suggest that you not send currency, but if you want to take the risk, I don't mind!!! :)
HAWAII - AIR MAIL BY: August 26
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 2, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services
521 Ala Moana Blvd.
Suite 256
Honolulu, HI 96813
JAPAN, Yokohama - AIR MAIL BY: August 29
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 12, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Asahi Seimei Yokohama Honcho Bldg. 36
Honcho 4-chome, Naka-ku, Yokohama
231-0005 JAPAN
JAPAN, Kobe - AIR MAIL BY: September 1
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 15, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (Japan) Ltd.
Kenryu Bldg, Room 502
6, Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku Kobe-shi
Hyogo-ken 650-0024, JAPAN
CHINA - AIR MAIL BY: September 5, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 19, 2007
Shipping Dept (11th Floor)
Penavico Qingdao
21 Wuxia Road
Qingdao, 266002, P.R. CHINA
HONG KONG - AIR MAIL BY: September 9
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 23, 2007
Inchcape Shipping Services (HK) Ltd.
Units 1802-1805, 18th Floor
N° 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai, HONG KONG - CHINA
VIETNAM - AIRMAIL BY: September 13, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: September 27, 2007
General Forwarding Agency
5th Floor Osic Building
8 Nguyen Hue Avenue
D. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
THAILAND - AIRMAIL BY: September 20, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 4, 2007
C.F. Sharp (Thailand) Co., Ltd
3366/36 Soi Manorom, Rama 4 Road
Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110, THAILAND
INDIA - AIRMAIL BY: October 1, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 15, 2007
J.M. Baxi & Co.
3rd Floor, Clive Battery Complex
4 & 4A, Rajaji Salai
Chennai 600 001, INDIA
EGYPT - AIRMAIL BY: October 17, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: October 31, 2007
Worms Alexandria Cargo Services
47 Sultan Hussein Street
Khartoum Square, Azarita
Alexandria, EGYPT
TURKEY - AIRMAIL BY: October 24, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 7, 2007
c/o ITS - International Travel Services
Buyukdere cad. Kaya Aldogan Sok. No:12/1
34394 Zincirlikuyu, Istanbul TURKEY
CROATIA - AIRMAIL BY: October 31, 2007
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 14, 2007
ATLANTAGENT
Obala Stjepana Radica 26
P.O. Box 40
HR - 2000 Dubrovnik, CROATIA
SPAIN - AIRMAIL BY: November 9
Kristen Thompson
C/O: Explorer
Arrival Date: November 23, 2007
Perez Y CIA S.L.
Ecuador, 2
11007 Cadiz, SPAIN
Monday, August 13, 2007
wrapping up loose ends
SOOO this is starting to feel too real!! For months all I have been thinking is that this is so far away and that I don't have to worry about it yet. Well, I have less than two weeks before I leave for San Diego and exactly two weeks from today I will be embarking on the greatest adventure ever. This arouses sooo many different emotions that I didn't know were possible to feel at the same time. I feel anxious and excited and scared and nervous and sad and a ton of other unexplainable feelings. I am excited about my adventure and all that I will experience, but I am sad about all that I will be leaving behind. I will miss my family and friends and my youth.
I have been a youth leader this summer at Glenns Bay Baptist Church (woo woo!!! ) and it has been awesome!!! We had our youth Sunday yesterday and I am so proud of my youth - they did great and I love them. I have helped build a youth program from almost nothing and now I feel like I am leaving them and it really makes me very sad. They are all so great and have taught me so much this summer. I really think that this has been the best summer ever!! I remember thinking at the beginning of the summer that I had no idea what I would be getting myself into and so nervous about it all. As the summer comes to a close, I have no doubt that Iwas exactly where I was supposed to be this summer. God had me here for a reason this summer and it has been sooo incredible!! Thanks to all my youth that are reading now - I love yall and I will miss you soooo much!! I wish I didnt have to leave yall ...
Tyson (my boyfriend) left almost a week ago to go to Ohio, which really sucks. I miss him a lot and I am very sad that I will not get to spend my last few weeks here with him. He will be meeting me in San Diego to see me off, though. I am very excited about our time in San Diego.
So I have been getting a lot of my things together for my trip. This includes large quantities of tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo, etc... that I will need and won't be able to easily buy while abroad. I can only take two large duffel bags of stuff for the whole semester. I hope all of my stuff fits - I will post about the specifics of that later.
I still have to buy malaria pills, which will cost 200$$$. I couldn't believe that the medicine would cost this much. I guess treating malaria after the fact would cost a lot more, though. I hope I don't have bad side effects from the medicine, but I won't know until a few days before I arrive in China, which is when I will start taking it.
I bought a new camera the other day and I am very excited about it. My brother, Steven, helped me pick it out. For those of you that don't know - he isn't really my brother, but we have grown up together and we might as well be related. Anyway, he helped me pick out this awesome camera that I will take super pictures with to show all of you when I get home. I will also try to load pictures on my blog along the way.
I wanted to post to update some of my information and reveal the strange mass of emotions that I am currently dealing with.
I have been a youth leader this summer at Glenns Bay Baptist Church (woo woo!!! ) and it has been awesome!!! We had our youth Sunday yesterday and I am so proud of my youth - they did great and I love them. I have helped build a youth program from almost nothing and now I feel like I am leaving them and it really makes me very sad. They are all so great and have taught me so much this summer. I really think that this has been the best summer ever!! I remember thinking at the beginning of the summer that I had no idea what I would be getting myself into and so nervous about it all. As the summer comes to a close, I have no doubt that Iwas exactly where I was supposed to be this summer. God had me here for a reason this summer and it has been sooo incredible!! Thanks to all my youth that are reading now - I love yall and I will miss you soooo much!! I wish I didnt have to leave yall ...
Tyson (my boyfriend) left almost a week ago to go to Ohio, which really sucks. I miss him a lot and I am very sad that I will not get to spend my last few weeks here with him. He will be meeting me in San Diego to see me off, though. I am very excited about our time in San Diego.
So I have been getting a lot of my things together for my trip. This includes large quantities of tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo, etc... that I will need and won't be able to easily buy while abroad. I can only take two large duffel bags of stuff for the whole semester. I hope all of my stuff fits - I will post about the specifics of that later.
I still have to buy malaria pills, which will cost 200$$$. I couldn't believe that the medicine would cost this much. I guess treating malaria after the fact would cost a lot more, though. I hope I don't have bad side effects from the medicine, but I won't know until a few days before I arrive in China, which is when I will start taking it.
I bought a new camera the other day and I am very excited about it. My brother, Steven, helped me pick it out. For those of you that don't know - he isn't really my brother, but we have grown up together and we might as well be related. Anyway, he helped me pick out this awesome camera that I will take super pictures with to show all of you when I get home. I will also try to load pictures on my blog along the way.
I wanted to post to update some of my information and reveal the strange mass of emotions that I am currently dealing with.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
This is going to be the trip of a lifetime
I am so excited for this trip that it is basically all I talk or think about. I have never been out of the country (except for a short cruise when I was 8), so this is the best opportunity for me to see so much of the world in three and a half months. We will go to 12 different ports in one semester. These are countries that I have been researching and googling since I decided to go on this trip. The entry below shows our specific itinerary. I am the most excited about seeing the pyramids in Egypt. Other than that landmark, I am also intrigued by experiencing so many different cultures, ways of life, and people. I love people and hearing people's stories, so this should prove to be a unique opportunity to do just that. We have been sent a field program that outlines various excursions that we can do while in port. There are many opportunities to visit orphanages, children's homes, and do service visits; these are the Semester at Sea sponsored trips that I am the most excited about.
I am doing this trip for several reasons:
- to learn about different cultures
- to visit different countries
- to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world
- to learn about myself
- to be independent for the first time in my life (sorry mom, dad, tyson, and everyone, but I am actually excited about taking this voyage by myself - i need it - that is not to say that I won't miss you tremendously or that I am not incredibly nervous/scared/anxious, but I need to do this and I will be home and you will be waiting for me and I can't tell you how thankful I am for that)
there are other reasons that led to my decision to participate in this program, but these are the specific ones that come to mind.
I hope that this blog will serve as a tool for my family and friends at home to keep up with what I am doing. I also want for this blog to enlighten people about the world around them and force you (whoever you are reading right now) to consider things from a global perspective - America is NOT what it's all about - it's just a part of it all. I appreciate the freedom I have been afforded as an American, but I am also very excited to see things from another perspective, I want to know how a farmer in rural India feels and how they are affected by global issues and how they in turn affect those issues. I am a political science major, so some of this is deeply political, as well. We live in a global society in which we are incredibly interconnected and need to understand this fact in order to function in it properly.
This is my promise to be less ethnocentric (that is a big word that means that people from a particular culture or country, say America, believe that their way of life is superior to others or majorly influences all other ways of life). My goal in this blog is also to reveal aspects about the rest of the world that can only be experienced by being there - something you can't get from a newspaper or television program. Yes, i will tell all of you that are interested about my daily adventures and my huge sea adventure, but I also hope to provide information and insight into the more personal and specific details of the individual cultures that I will be so blessed to experience.
Thanks for reading this rather lengthy introduction to what I hope will be a thorough and interesting discussion of my time abroad.
God Bless!!!
I am doing this trip for several reasons:
- to learn about different cultures
- to visit different countries
- to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world
- to learn about myself
- to be independent for the first time in my life (sorry mom, dad, tyson, and everyone, but I am actually excited about taking this voyage by myself - i need it - that is not to say that I won't miss you tremendously or that I am not incredibly nervous/scared/anxious, but I need to do this and I will be home and you will be waiting for me and I can't tell you how thankful I am for that)
there are other reasons that led to my decision to participate in this program, but these are the specific ones that come to mind.
I hope that this blog will serve as a tool for my family and friends at home to keep up with what I am doing. I also want for this blog to enlighten people about the world around them and force you (whoever you are reading right now) to consider things from a global perspective - America is NOT what it's all about - it's just a part of it all. I appreciate the freedom I have been afforded as an American, but I am also very excited to see things from another perspective, I want to know how a farmer in rural India feels and how they are affected by global issues and how they in turn affect those issues. I am a political science major, so some of this is deeply political, as well. We live in a global society in which we are incredibly interconnected and need to understand this fact in order to function in it properly.
This is my promise to be less ethnocentric (that is a big word that means that people from a particular culture or country, say America, believe that their way of life is superior to others or majorly influences all other ways of life). My goal in this blog is also to reveal aspects about the rest of the world that can only be experienced by being there - something you can't get from a newspaper or television program. Yes, i will tell all of you that are interested about my daily adventures and my huge sea adventure, but I also hope to provide information and insight into the more personal and specific details of the individual cultures that I will be so blessed to experience.
Thanks for reading this rather lengthy introduction to what I hope will be a thorough and interesting discussion of my time abroad.
God Bless!!!
Semester at Sea Itinerary
August 27th, 2007 - Decemeber 7th, 2007Destination
Ensenada, Mexico - Depart: Monday, 27 August 1700
Honolulu, Hawaii - Arrive: Sunday, 02 September 0700
Depart: Sunday, 02 September 2300
(Cross International Dateline; Lose one day)
Yokohama, Japan - Arrive: 12 September 0800
Depart: 13 September 2400
Kobe, Japan - Arrive: 15 September 0700
Depart: 16 September 2200
Qingdao, China - Arrive: 19 September 0800
Depart: 20 September 2300
Hong Kong - Arrive: 23 September 0800
Depart: 24 September 2300
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Arrive: Thursday, 27 Septemer 0800
Depart: Tuesday, 02 October 0600
Bangkok, Thailand - Arrive: Thursday, 04 October 0800
Depart: Monday, 08 October 2300
Chennai, India - Arrive: Monday, 15 October 0800
Depart: Friday, 19 October 2300
(Transit Suez Canal on Tuesday, 30 October)
Alexandria, Egypt - Arrive: Wednesday, 31 October 0800
Depart: Sunday, 04 November 2300
Istanbul, Turkey - Arrive: Wednesday, 07 November 0800
Depart: Sunday, 11 November 2300
Dubrovnik, Croatia - Arrive: Wednesday, 14 November 0800
Depart: Sunday, 18 November 2200
Cadiz, Spain - Arrive: Friday, 23 November 0800
Depart: Tuesday, 27 November 2300
Miami, Florida - Arrive: Friday, 07 December 0800
Ensenada, Mexico - Depart: Monday, 27 August 1700
Honolulu, Hawaii - Arrive: Sunday, 02 September 0700
Depart: Sunday, 02 September 2300
(Cross International Dateline; Lose one day)
Yokohama, Japan - Arrive: 12 September 0800
Depart: 13 September 2400
Kobe, Japan - Arrive: 15 September 0700
Depart: 16 September 2200
Qingdao, China - Arrive: 19 September 0800
Depart: 20 September 2300
Hong Kong - Arrive: 23 September 0800
Depart: 24 September 2300
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Arrive: Thursday, 27 Septemer 0800
Depart: Tuesday, 02 October 0600
Bangkok, Thailand - Arrive: Thursday, 04 October 0800
Depart: Monday, 08 October 2300
Chennai, India - Arrive: Monday, 15 October 0800
Depart: Friday, 19 October 2300
(Transit Suez Canal on Tuesday, 30 October)
Alexandria, Egypt - Arrive: Wednesday, 31 October 0800
Depart: Sunday, 04 November 2300
Istanbul, Turkey - Arrive: Wednesday, 07 November 0800
Depart: Sunday, 11 November 2300
Dubrovnik, Croatia - Arrive: Wednesday, 14 November 0800
Depart: Sunday, 18 November 2200
Cadiz, Spain - Arrive: Friday, 23 November 0800
Depart: Tuesday, 27 November 2300
Miami, Florida - Arrive: Friday, 07 December 0800
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