All the decorations are off the wall: the birthday card, Valentines, and Easter cards mostly from my loving sister, aunt, Daun, and grandma (nothing from my parents or boyfriend… hmm….). The world map with all of the destinations and progress is gone. No more photos. It is a very eerie feeling to walk into my small dungeon of a room, suitcases everywhere and nothing on the walls. It is sad to say the least.

I was trying to organize some video picks and photos on my overloaded computer when I came across an email that I had saved but never read from my sister. She was talking about graduating from high school and said “I am trying not to cry that it is over but smiled that it happened.” And that is exactly how I feel right now. I am not sad to be leaving but I am very glad that I came on this trip. I know that the things that I learned and experienced for the past 98 days would have far surpassed anything I could have done at home.

When I hear people talk about how sad they are, that’s when I get sad… but for the most part I am not. I am content that I spent the last 98 days circumference the globe. All good things must come to end and the end is almost here. And I am a better person for it.

Thanks for everyone who emailed me and encouraged me to keep writing my blog… it was the only way that I kept at it and used my precious internet minutes to do it! I hope that everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to leave more comments and make my day. I will try to update my blog again when I get off the ship and back home.

I forgot this picture of the Japanese baseball game I went to.. of course the weather has was less then sastifactory 

Cheers to a great semester, finals, and getting off the boat! 

So its been awhile....

Here is what has been happening since Japan. Once Jesse and I spilt an $80 Kobe steak (which was absolutely phenomenal) we headed to the grocery store to stock up on edible food correctly foreseeing that the ship food would go from bad to absolutely disgusting on our two week ride home.
Once on the ship I tried not to think about the two weeks that layed ahead. I had three 10-page papers and five 2-page papers to write within 3 days so I was kept very busy. Besides that I had the global studies exam and another final on the last day of regular class. Unfortunately, I did really bad on both. I don’t know what happened with the GS exam but the theater exam was absolutely ridiculous and I am kicking myself that I didn’t drop the class. I have never ever experienced had so a poor teacher in my life. She is a very talented actor/director but cannot teach to save her life….and her tests are even worse. It was a very frustrating class but I am sure I passed and sometimes that’s all you can ask for.

During this time we had the ambassador’s ball which was a lovely event. The price was $20 but for that I actually got some good, edible food including smoked salmon, a garden salad, soup, and a good steak. Then there was a huge desert bar and I mean gargantuous. The deserts all looked good, but not all of them tasted that way (as with many of the things on the ship). I had some homemade chocolate and chocolate bar and that was my favorite part(… sigh… ) then we headed to the dance for a little while and had a good time.

An on ship service organization put on a silent and live auction and sold a whole bunch of cool items. Some kids spent hundreds and thousands of dollars on stuff… My favorite items included a week stay on the England coast for $2500ish, a map that was signed by the crew and had our cordinances plotted $400ish, and to raise the flag in San Diego went for hundreds of dollars also… ridiculous! I wish I was rich… no actually I don’t because then I would have overpaid for highly unnecessary items. Needless to say I didn’t buy (wasn’t able to afford) anything.

Moving to the present: I had two finals yesterday (which I feel I did good on) and one tomorrow and then I am done. I packed almost all of my unnecessary items last night and it felt great to unclutter my room but I have no idea how I am going to get all of this stuff home! Tonight is our last BBQ nights (the only time I get to have a hamburger without paying for it!) and I have a little more studying to do. But tomorrow will be spent basking in the sun and chill-axing.

Welcome to Japan! 

Kon nishi wa!

Hey everybody! I am leaving Japan today... I wish I could say that I didn:t want to go but I sure am ready. I found Japan while unique rather unineteresting. The people are nice but very shy and quiet. There is never anything going on in the streets and it seems most entertainment you have to pay for. Japan is a very, very expensive country, much more expensive then the states. I spent 3 days walking around by myself and it was just really boring. There are few people to observe and for once people didn`t take much notice of me. Not once did anyone stare or the men take second glances... It was nice not to be bothered but at the same time it seemed that I was just as uninteresting to them as they were to me.

I wasn`t able to go to Hiroshima b/c I double booked myself the day and wasn`t able to sell my ticket (I would have had to pay antoher $100 to go on a different day b/c SAS wouldn`t let me use my old ticket) I did get to experience some Noh theater. All the characters were played by men. The women characters were played bt big sumo wrestler type men with big burley, baratone voices. The movements were very slow and symbolic. We were given a headset and were able to watch the performance while someone translated the play. Thank god, because I never would have understood half the stuff.

Much like the states there are mini marts everywhere, but these ones sell sushi. I have eaten 7-11 sushi many times now and its incredible!

I went to a baseball game yesterday. It reminded me of a high school football game. The crowd brings musical instruments, clappers, banners and flags. It was cool but it was really cold so we left after a few innings.

And that is about my entire time in Japan. Its a very nice place but I think I would only come back on business- never to vacation. Today I am planning to take Jesse to the 100￥(yen) store... which is equivalent to a dollar store in the us. I went a couple of days ago and spent $30 but I want to pick up some more chopsticks. Then we need to go to a cigar shop (buy some cubans), the grocery store (two weeks of ship food ahead... yuck!) and finish our stay in Kobe at a steakhouse, partaking in a wonderful Kobe beef stake!

My new chinese friends at a party they threw for us... I`ll tell you more about them later! Camby is the one with her arm around me and pointing at me! 

The summer palace... still cold but not raining! 

The forbidden City with my starbucks bag in hand... My fur hat is the plastic bag b/c it got wet in the rain and smelled like wet dog... eww! 

Tianan Square moments before the rain and snow... 

The fabled Great Wall! 

Hong Kong Revisited... China begun

Hong Kong was a mecca for shopping… stores I has only read about in magazines littered the most common malls and streets. Every street was like walking down 5th avenue. Most everthing was so expensive! I found lots of knock off stuff for a good price however. Come nightfall Jesse and I headed over to HK island to check out the nightlife. What we found was a street filled with restaurant/bars, many strip clubs and a few clubs. The two clubs we went to were of the same demography: 90% Chinese women, 5% white businessmen, 5% other (white females and Chinese men). It was absolutely disgusting to watch the Chinese women pursue with the “rich foreigners”, while the men picked out which one they’d be taking home that night. One thing is for sure after seeing what I saw in those bars is I will never ever let my husband go to HK on business. Ever.
I flew out of HK the next morning to Beijing with my SAS university trip. My group was really small (30 people) compared to the other university trips (70people). The three hour flight was spent catching up on sleep from the night before. On the way to the hotel, I couldn’t get over the fact that I was actually in fact in china!! Never in a million years would I have ever pictured myself in china. I remember being little and being told of the persecuted Christians, the “Bible smuggling,” and other atrocities committed by the communists in China. I just couldn’t believe that I had made it to China. We passed by the national stadium being built and for once I felt really proud of myself for coming on this trip. My admission essay had been on the topic of china and its excitement and preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. And here I was… witnessing it all! How cool to see my essay unfold before my eyes. In the afternoon we met with the university students. My student’s English name was Camby. She was nice girl who was originally from the Chinese countryside. I learned a lot of China and its people from talking with her as she gave me a tour around The University of International Business and Economics. I had a really good time. The next day we all headed to the Great Wall. It was spectacular to see the wall weave its way through the mountains and countryside. It was so cold that day that I ended up buying a huge fox fur hat… which made the coldness slightly more bearable. After two hours at the great wall everyone was pretty chilled and ready to go. Our next stop was the silk market where we had to bargain down the price of everything by more then 90%. It was so ridiculous and tiring. I was looking at an abercromie zip up hoodie (since it was so cold!) and the saleslady tried selling it to me for $120 b/c she said it sold in the US for over $160. I laughed… and after attempting to walk our of her shop numerous times she finally gave it up for $20 (still more then I think I should have paid for it…) The next day we visited Tianan Square, Mao’s Body, and the Forbidden City. It was so cold that I barely made an effort to culture myself once it started rain, hailing, sleeting and then snowing. By the time I was in the Forbidden City I was drenched and I headed straight to the Starbucks inside…the ultimate symbol of globalization….Later that afternoon we went to the summer palace. The palace was very beautiful although our visit was quick.

.... Alright that is all I have for now... the ship has been pitching for the last two days which has made anything but napping impossible. I am so exhausted! I am sitting in a internet in Kobe and the weather is so nasty out right... I am just not feeling Japan right now.... But anyway I hope the weather clears and the sun comes out!

Finally... Vietnam!

Days 1 and 2: A shopping experience like no other…
I literally spent all two days shopping. The plan was to head towards the War Remnants museum and stop if we saw any cool shops. Well two hours later we finally arrived at the museum, only after making a conscious effort to stop stopping and get to the museum before it closed.
The museum is known for its “other side of the story” depiction it gives of the Vietnam War, which is called the American War in Vietnam. It was especially hard to walk through seeing the devastating pictures and know that your country inflicted so much unnecessary pain, suffering, and hardships. I know only the footnote versions of the causes of the Vietnam War but what I saw in the museum gives little justification for any of them. My eyes filled with tears as I walked through the War Crimes section and saw picture after picture of mutilated, scarred, burned, and murdered people. Agent Orange was spread all over Vietnam to drive out the Viet Cong from the jungles, while completely destroying the vegetation and subjecting thousands, if not millions of people, to the toxic chemicals. The most horrendous chemicals were used which marred the bodies of its victims and caused thousands of birth defects for a generation afterwards. I held back the tears as I read about the massacres of villages and looked at pictures of soldiers posing with decapitated heads or smirking while picking up half-blown up bodies. It was absolutely disgusting and shameful. Only the Holocaust museum in Washington DC rivals the graphicness.
The museum closed before we got to see all of it, so since it was 5pm we decided to get some lunch. After we had “refreshed” ourselves we continued to shop as we headed back to the shuttle. We went in to really cool stores. I couln’t believe how fashionable the clothes were and they all seemed “hand-made.” Jesse and I had the hardest time finding pants and shoes to fit. He is tall and I am fat (especially compared to the Vietnamese). That's the only downfall but still didn't hold me back from spending all of my money! I did purchase the coolest “Louis Vuitton” watch and some bootleg DVDs ($1/ea).
Since our plans fell through to go the Cu Chi Tunnels fell through we had the entire day to go shopping. I booked a two day Mekong Delta tour with my friends, Linda, Nhim, Lisa, and Jesse for the next day. Jesse and I continued to shop but this time at the market. The bargaining ordeal was so fun in Vietnam because when you bargained for a lower price, the women would make a face, pout and act offended that you offered such a low price. They would rebuttal with a price a little lower, then I would raise my original offer a little, and the same thing would happen over and over until a price would be established. But it was always my goal to get the biggest pout I could.
I found another tailor to make me two more suits for $65 (!) and the fabric was pimp! I brought in a picture from the Victoria Secret Catalog of the suits I wanted and hoped that when I returned to get them fitted that’s what they would look like. They also made me a skirt from some silk I had purchased in Myanmar. We spotted a spa across the street from my tailor and stopped in. Jesse and I ended up getting a facial, massage, manicure, pedicure, and a haircut for $40. It was like a 3 and half hour ordeal and it was absolutely wonderful to pampered!

Day 3 and 4: Big Motorcycle, Big Girlfriend

At 8 am we boarded the bus to the Mekong delta. A noisy and bumpy two hours later we arrived at the the first city on the delta. Along the way, our guide was telling us about all the motorcycle in Vietnam. Transportation has been constantly evolving for the rich in Vietnam. At first on the rich had bicycles, then motorbikes and now cars. But for the average young person, to have a motorbike is a huge status symbol. He said in the US the saying is “no money, no honey”, and here it is “no motorcycle, no girlfriend”. He went on to say that young men like to get big motorbikes so they can get big girlfriends (I think he meant a lot since there are virtual no fat women), b/c the women don’t like riding around on bicycles.
We boarded wooden boats and cruised the river for a while. Our first stop was a street market that we wondered for half an hour. The fried banana cakes were recommended by our guide, so when we found a woman on the street selling them I bought one to share. The cakes are bananas wrapped/covered in rice which is then fried and then topped with a yogurt like cream. Delicious! We met a lone traveler from Germany who shared her pineapple that she bought, and that was really good too. We continued on in the boat to another place where we boarded canoe like boats which had to be paddled. We ventured up a river way through the thick delta vegetation for awhile before turning back. We had lunch on an island that was in the Delta. We had fried noodles that tasted a lot like ramen noodles, I dont know, maybe they were (?). We continued on for another hour before we got to the bus pick up point and bordered it for another 2 and half hours. When we finally arrived at Can Tho it was dark. My friends and I had signed up for the homestay option so after being dropped off at the hotel, we were taken by rickshaws hooked up to motorbikes to the river. From there we boarded another boat and went 20 minutes in the dark on the river before reached the “bungalows.” Looking from the boat on to the lights on the shore reminded me exactly of being back home and out on a lake.
The homestay turned out not to be quite what we had all expected. The family merely placed food on the tables outside and woke us up in the morning… and that was about the extent of the contact. I was disappointed but for $23 for two days of traveling/touring I don’t think there is room to complain about anything.

I slept horribly that night b/c the bungalows were right on the water (on stilts) and motor boats with no sound muffling devices of any kind would go by wake me up every five minutes. But around 7 am we boarded the boats again and traveled down the river way to the floating market. We met up with the rest of our group that stayed at the hotel on the river and the three boats ventured through the floating market together. While the markets were nothing too terribly exciting, it was very interesting to observe the people. I mostly saw food stuffs for sale, and if you wanted what someone was selling you just paddled your boat beside theirs.
The rest of day was spent visiting a rice paper making “factory”, a rice factory (that produced final rice products), and a “monkey” bridge (which when you cross you look like a monkey b/c there is only a pole across with one handrail). After lunch, we hopped back into the bus for our 4 and half hour bus ride back to HCMC.

Day 5: Water puppets, deaf school and disabled children’s home
For an FDP, I went to a water puppet performance. It was really interesting… the puppeteers stand behind a curtain in the water. The puppets are controlled by a long pole and pulleys that is hidden beneath the water. The puppeteers study for 3 to 6 years to master the craft. I was really impressed the skill and liveliness of the performance. Afterwards, Jesse and I went to the second suit fitting where I had the tailor add one more button to my cashmere suit. It was looking sooo good! I couldn’t wait to return to pick it up. Since I had another FDP at 1pm I had to return to the ship and to catch the bus. Our first stop was a school for the deaf. I got to play with the children and it was really fun. It was hard to communicate but it would have been hard to communicate with any Vietnamese children reguardless if they could speak or hear b/c they wouldn’t speak English. Some students did write some English phrases down like “What is your name?” and many wanted me to write my name for them. The children were so excited that we were there and to get some new toys and school supplies.
After an hour and half we went to an disabled abandoned childrens home. I am normally slightly uneasy around handicapped children but I was determined to have a good time with them… after all they’re still children. We visited several rooms, each with various degrees of mentally and physically handicapped children. It was odd because the tour guide asked us if we were afraid of them, and if so, we didn’t have to go into the rooms. I wondered if previous tours had actually not even played with the children b/c they were “different.” All the students enthusiastically wanted to go in and meet the kids. The kids were so excited, started yelling, clapping, jumping around, and most of all smiled their biggest smiles! I really felt like I grew from my experiences at the home and am much more comfortable with handicapped children. I really had a great time interacting with many children.
After getting back to the ship I left once again to fit my last two suits and pick up my cashmere suit. I was so nervous that there was going to be something majorly wrong with my suits since I hadn’t even seen them, or I would run out of time waiting for them to be finished. But everything worked out splendidly! My suits fit great with no major alterations needed. Since I had gotten them both in the same design, once I tried them on I decided to shorten one jacket so they wouldn’t be the exact same. We went and picked up Jesse’s other suit and coat and again all the alteration had been made perfectly so no problems there. We even had time to go back to the spa and get my nails repainted (they had gotten so dirty on the Delta!). After my jacket was finished we walked back to the original tailor and had our last fitting. Again everything was great! So after all was said and done we had a nice Vietnamese dinner and headed back to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

My new friends at the deaf school... 

Some kids outside the school for the deaf 

The water puppets 

The floating market.... 

Hey from Hong Kong!!!

So sorry I don''t have Vietnam up but I will as soon as I find an internet cafe or free wifi. The nice thing about HK is that there are free internet stations all over but you can't hook up jump drives or send email.... so sorry! HK is so incredible, I have never been to any place like it. Yesterday was pretty much spent shopping b/c thats what HK is all about... Anyhoo I am at the airport and they are now boarding my flight to Beijing so I gotta go!

First stop on my two-day Mekong Delta trip. I had a great time riding around in a little wooden boat... 

The shopping asle... 

Glass factory! 

The monk school for boys... 

the cloth making shop.. 

In the village 

My new friend! 

Feed the monks... 

The beautiful people... the yellow stuff on their faces is sun block made from bark 

Monks.... 

the pagoda 

The famed Schwedagon Pagoda... 

Little boy playing with his water gun at the reclining buddah...