Adventures Around The World - Semester at Sea Spring 2007

Two Years Later...

2009-01-09T08:25:00.012-05:00

It is now approximately two years after I embarked on my Semester at Sea voyage...

As I read through the memories in this blog, I fondly remember the voyage as one of the happiest times of my life. The smiles on my face in my photos aren't the "forced" kind you see in so many photos - the truth is I couldn't stop smiling on the trip....and I haven't smiled as much in a long time! The combination of traveling to new locations and the constant stream of new information flowing to my brain each day was something I had needed for a long time. The social atmosphere on the ship and having so many like-minded, adventurous new friends on board only heightened the experience. The only bad thing about the trip is that you have to "come back down to earth" after having such a great "travel high" for three and a half months! I guess the main thing I've come away with from this trip is that I know I need to keep moving and learning and DOING in order to keep myself happy. In doing that, it forces me to push myself out of my comfort zone and I think ultimately that is what everyone needs to grow as a person and gain any sort of lasting knowledge about oneself. It also forces one to live outside his/her own head - and for me, as someone who is naturally more introverted, I tend to do well when I'm more social and "out and about" than I typically might be.

To anyone who asks me about the experience of Semester at Sea, I tell them it was the best thing I ever did. I highly recommend the program for any students reading this and wish world travel were a mandatory requirement for students. If you can afford to go on Semester at Sea, do it. You won't regret it and it will help you grow as a person by enabling you to be more confident in dealing with unfamiliar situations and people. Moreover, I think Semester at Sea helps voyagers to not only become more confident in their ability to "navigate the world" but also to navigate the vision they have of themselves. In every account I have read of various experiences people have had on Semester at Sea, it is overwhelmingly positive and life-changing. Yes, every voyage has its mishaps or disaster, but those are to be expected when a ship full of hundreds of individuals sets forth on a trip around the world. It is actually pretty amazing that the program runs as smoothly as it does given the scope of the endeavor. Overall, I have been very impressed with how Semester at Sea has been run by the Institute for Shipboard Education and find the administration to do a fine job in trying to anticipate most every need or problem that could occur on the voyage. It is a wonderful program and I would hope to one day be able to travel on the ship again - either as a faculty or staff member or, perhaps, one day as a "lifelong learner"...

group photo taken when the ship was docked in Kobe, Japan

I now can check these things off my list of things to do in life...

visit Brazil during Carneval
go on safari in Africa
see the Taj Mahal in India
see Angkor Wat in Cambodia
walk along the Great Wall of China
skydive
horseback ride
jet ski
parasail
cross the Atlantic Ocean on a ship
cross the Pacific Ocean on a ship

Up next on my list of goals to do in life...

do a 2-3 month driving tour of the United States
do a 2-3 month tour of continental Europe
do a 2-3 month tour of Australia and New Zealand
go through the Panama Canal
go through the Suez Canal
go to the Galapagos Islands
see the Pyramids in Egypt
do a trip through Northern Africa
do a trip cruising through the Mediterranean
do a trip to Russia
do a trip through the Middle East
do a trip through Central America
do a trip through South America
do a trip to Antarctica
glider plane ride - http://www.vansantairport.com/ridesgl.html
trapeze lesson - http://newyork.trapezeschool.com/
surfing lesson
go hanggliding
go water skiing

I need more travel partners and adventurous friends to make these adventures all the more fun! Who's with me??? I'm determined to do all of these things in my life!!!

Voyage Yearbook

2007-06-21T18:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to a pdf version of the Spring 2007 Semester at Sea Voyage Yeabook:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=9223997

Voyage Details - Latitude/Longitude Reports

2007-06-20T19:19:00.001-04:00

A student on the ship compiled an Excel table of the daily latitude/longitude reports that were posted on the ship each day. Below is a link to the file.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=8296665

Total Trip Costs

2007-05-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

Over the course of the trip, I kept a spreadsheet with all my expenses for the entire trip. This included everything from start to finish - the costs of visas, prescriptions, doctors appointments, field trips, cash spent, etc.

Here are the results:

All costs (the total cost for all field trips before any discounts, costs for doctor's appointments, visas, travel to and from the ship, all purchases made on the ship, all cash spent): $10,057.51

Adjusted costs (I subtracted all of the discounts I got for being trip leader, reimbursements and stipends given for shipping items to and from the ship, for visas and travel to/from the ship): $7314

Expenses after deducting what I was paid by Semester at Sea (I got $1919.14 deposited into my bank account once a month for three months as payment for my work on the ship): $1557.06

I could also theoretically make an argument that I was paid more than the $1919.14 a month because I had all my meals on the ship included and I didn't have to pay for my cabin or any utilities on the ship either...if I factor that in, I probably made a profit by doing this trip. As far as actual money I'm out in doing this trip, having an out-of-pocket expense of $1557.06 for a semester of traveling around the world - you can't beat that!

If I really want to be a jerk, I could even factor in the money I was getting paid from Pine Manor College during this time too. They initially were going to deduct whatever I got paid by Semester at Sea from my paycheck because they said I couldn't be "paid twice" for things done on a sabbatical leave. This never happened though because others have pointed out that you could be making money doing consulting during a sabbatical leave as well. Hence, I WAS essentially "paid twice" during my sabbatical leave - I got paid by Semester at Sea AND I continued receiving my salary from Pine Manor. For the number of weeks I was away, I have figured that my earnings from Pine Manor totaled approximately $8021.23 after taxes. If I subtract the $1557.06 out-of-pocket expense from the regular salary I was getting from Pine Manor on my sabbatical leave, that leaves me with a PROFIT of $6464.17...so I actually MADE money by going on this trip around the world!!!!! Wow! How crazy is that!? I'm definitely very, VERY lucky! Of course, I'm still struggling to make ends meet on my regular salary in general, but I can't complain about the great opportunity to take a sabbatical leave and travel the world!

Other People's Blogs

2007-05-16T01:49:00.000-04:00

I thought it might be a good idea to list other faculty/staff blogs so that when I revisit this blog in the future, I can read through the memories of other people on the voyage as well. So here are some of the faculty/staff blogs I've found...

Erin (the librarian) - http://www.sea-ville.blogspot.com/
Sherri (the assistant librarian) - http://sojournerlibrarian.blogspot.com/
Drew (one of the resident directors) - http://drewatsea.blogspot.com/
Tom & Emily (one of the resident directors and his partner) - http://www.tscheuren.blogspot.com
John Paul & Shannon (the AV coordinator and his wife) - http://www.jpendicott.com
Micah & Theresa (the photographer and his wife) - http://micahdiamond.blogspot.com
Mary (a professor) - http://kellersas.blogspot.com/
Simon & Anne-Claire (a professor and his wife) - http://simonandac.blogspot.com
Rocky, Shawn & Ryder (a professor, his wife and baby) - http://www.sonoma.edu/users/r/rohwedde/archives/cat_semesteratsea.html
Dia (the registrar) - http://www.funchilde.com
Mark, Ben and Joanna (Global Nomads Group) - http://gng.typepad.com/currents07
Other blogs - http://groups.msn.com/SemesteratSeaSpring2007/blogs.msnw

Back Home

2007-05-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I arrived home. My parents picked me up at the Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, this morning and we drove back to their house in Warminster, Pennsylvania. I plan on sleeping most of today!

Arriving in San Diego, California, USA

2007-05-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

Click here for current times in San Diego, California, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in San Diego, California

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

The ship is scheduled to arrive at 0800 in San Diego, California, USA.

Apparently everyone is expected to get off the ship sometime between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. Faculty/Staff/Lifelong Learners are supposed to get off the ship second. The "Aegean Sea" hallway of students will get off first because they won first place in the Sea Olympics that occurred weeks ago. The rest of the students get off in the order in which they placed in the Sea Olympics. I anticipate getting off the ship around noon or so and having my two suitcases and a large box shipped via UPS. I will then try to find a post office so I can ship two boxes of books back via Media Mail. I'll be flying home on a nonstop flight that leaves San Diego at 9:45 pm tonight and arrives in Newark, NJ, at 5:52 am tomorrow morning. I will probably have from 1:00 pm until 7:30 pm to keep myself busy and see some of San Diego. I'm sure I am going to be dead tired though so I guess I could always take a nap in one of my friend's hotel rooms if I really need to (considering that most of my friends are planning on staying up all night for one last party). I know that Shannon is planning on organizing everyone who is still around for one last group dinner in San Diego at the Old Town Mexican Cafe. That will probably be around 6:30 pm though so I'm not sure if I will be able to stay the entire time or not.

Update:

I stayed up with everyone in the Faculty/Staff lounge where we had our party and some people made signs for their parents who are meeting the ship in San Diego.

making signs in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship (clockwise from front: resident director Tom, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, nurse Emily, photographer Micah's wife Theresa, Global Nomads Group director Mark)

AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

nurse Emily and photographer Micah's wife Theresa in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

A group photo in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship (front row: AV coordinator John Paul, IT coordinator Matt; middle row: nurse Brenda, nurse Emily, photographer Micah's wife Theresa, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, Global Nomads Group editor Joanna, assistant field office coordinator Kristen, administrative assistant Shayla; back row: Global Nomads Group documentarian Ben, videographer Joe, resident director Matt, Global Nomads Group director Mark, video editor Jon, assistant librarian Sherri)

IT coordinator Matt dancing in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

taking a group photo on the floor of the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship (clockwise: videographer Joe in the red hat, photographer Micah's wife Theresa, Global Nomads Group editor Joanna, IT coordinator Matt, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, Global Nomads Group director Mark, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, nurse Emily, Global Nomads Group documentarian Ben, assistant field office coordinator Kristen)

We had to get out of the lounge at 3:00am though so I headed back to my room and took a shower before getting about three hours of sleep.

approaching San Diego, California, USA on the ship

Convocation

2007-05-13T05:00:00.005-04:00

On the agenda for me is the following:

Convocation (Time: 2000 - 2130)

video of the ship sailing from Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA to San Diego, California, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of faculty/staff in the holding room waiting to go to the Convocation Ceremony

(click here for bigger version of the video)

graduating seniors (in the Vietnamese hats) in the Union on the ship attending Convocation - Archbishop Desmond Tutu is in the front of the photo in the blue shirt

Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the Union on the ship speaking at Convocation

video of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the Union on the ship speaking at Convocation

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the Union on the ship speaking at Convocation

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Packing Day

2007-05-12T05:00:00.003-04:00

On the agenda for me is the following:

Yearbook Slide Show (Time: 1830 - 2030)
Student Talent Show (Time: 2100 - 2300)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Update:

Today I have some meetings with students - those who got their final grade for the semester and who apparently want to negotiate with me. Blargh. I hate those meetings. There has also been a student who is getting an A and who asked me if I gave A+s because her other professors were. I told her I didn't. She seemed a little anal throughout the entire semester though about being perfect at everything so it's no wonder that she wants to see an A+ on her transcript. I have no patience for people like that - it makes no difference whatsoever to their GPA, but they are so fixated on stupid little things like that.

On another note, today is packing day. I have most of my stuff packed up, but I still have some stuff I need to shove in there. Faculty/staff are supposed to put our luggage in the hall tomorrow by 10 am so that the crew can take it to the second deck. Everyone has color-coded tags that correspond with what hallway or "sea" they live on and faculty/staff have their own separate category. They apparently off-load the luggage when we arrive and then we recollect our bags in the terminal. There will be UPS services there so we can ship stuff home so I'm planning on doing that.

Second Update:

After the slideshow, Micah (the ship's photographer and one of my friends on the ship) made the following website available for people who wanted to order the slideshow and to order additional images:

www.spring07photos.com

Micah's main website is:

www.micahdiamond.com

in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship - everyone was trying to eat up and share whatever food we all had left

art history professor Robin and politics professor Simon's wife Anne-Claire in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

me, art history professor Robin and politics professor Simon's wife Anne-Claire in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

political science professor Giles and me in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

assistant field office coordinator Kristen and video editor Jon in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

photographer Micah and resident director Mindy in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship (clockwise: mental health professional Marvel, politics professor Simon's wife Anne-Claire, photographer Micah's wife Theresa - standing, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, nurse Emily, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily - standing)

"B" Day Finals

2007-05-11T05:00:00.002-04:00

Today is the day when classes that met during "B" days have their final exams.

On the agenda for me is the following:

Give final for "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Disembarkation Meeting (Time: 2000 - 2100)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 4 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

photographer Micah's wife Theresa, me, assistant field office coordinator Kristen, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon on the 7th deck of the ship

assistant field office coordinator Kristen in the deck 6 cafeteria on the ship

assistant field office coordinator Kristen, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, nurse Emily, IT coordinator Matt, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon in the deck 5 cafeteria on the ship

baby Ryder (his dad was another professor on the ship) and me in Purser's Square on the ship

registrar Dia and baby Ryder (his dad was another professor on the ship)

some students with baby Ryder (his dad was another professor on the ship) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Deck 5 of the ship by the elevators

A study day for students today

2007-05-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

Today is a "study day" for students. Classes that met on "B" days this semester will have their final exams tomorrow.

On the agenda for me is the following:

Birthday party in the Faculty/Staff lounge for the Executive Dean (Time: 1730)
Dalit Village party in classroom #8 (Time: 2100)

Birthday party gathering for the Executive Dean in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the birthday party gathering for the Executive Dean in the Faculty/Staff Lounge on the ship

"Dalit Village" party in classroom #8 with other staff/faculty (left to right: IT coordinator Matt, photographer Micah's wife Theresa, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, Global Nomads Group editor Joanna, assistant field office coordinator Kristen)

"Dalit Village" party in classroom #8 with other staff/faculty

"A" Day Finals

2007-05-09T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the day when classes that met during "A" days have their final exams.

On the agenda for me is the following:

Give final for "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Give final for "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Screening of two of Ben Wu's documentaries (Time: 2000 - 2100)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 5 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

A study day for students today

2007-05-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is a "study day" for students. Classes that met on "A" days this semester will have their final exams tomorrow.

On the agenda for me is the following:

Faculty Meeting (Time: 1000)
Faculty group yearbook photo (Time: 1345)
Faculty/Staff party (Time: 2100)

some staff members waiting to take their group yearbook photo at the back of the ship

some faculty members waiting to take their group yearbook photo at the back of the ship

A day in Hawai'i

2007-05-07T05:00:00.010-04:00

Click here for current times in Honolulu, Hawai'i, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Honolulu, Hawai'i

The ship is scheduled to arrive at 0600 in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
We will be in Hawai'i for only 1 day.

Today I'm going to go to the Global Nomads Group broadcast that they are doing from the ship from 8:30 am until 9:30 am. Archbishop Tutu has agreed to participate in this program so it should be interesting to watch him participate in the broadcast.

After the broadcast, I am going to rent a car for the day because it apparently will be well worth it to spend $35 or so on a car rental instead of getting taxis to go places. Students aren't allowed to rent cars in any of the ports so I guess that's another nice thing about being a faculty member on this trip. Also nice is the fact that if you are over 25 you don't need to pay extra to rent a car in the U.S.

Prior to leaving for the Semester at Sea voyage, I ordered a "Go Oahu" card for $59 (a one-day card) from the website www.gooahucard.com. Having the card will allow me to have admission to lots of attractions and tours on the island. I will probably try to hit most of the main attractions that I have access to with this card today.

I am going to be going skydiving too I think (unless I completely chicken out - no payment has been made yet!). The reservation has been made for 1:30 pm at a place called Skydive Hawaii. One of the students in my classes said she wanted to go so we booked the reservation a few days ago. She has since gotten several of her friends to go as well so I think she added them to our reservation. I'm nervous, but you have to figure that now is the best time in my life to do something like this - no young children yet, no spouse. It's a scary thing to do, but you have to figure that it's probably no more dangerous than driving a car. Besides, if it's your time to go, it's your time to go...you might as well be doing something fun and making the most out of life. That's my thinking at least. Since it will obviously be a tandem jump, I have to figure I'll be strapped to someone who knows what he/she is doing...so all I have to do is enjoy the experience. Everyone who has done skydiving in South Africa said it is well worth it, so I guess this is my chance to try it. I know it will only be a one-time thing for me, so I'm getting it out of the way on this trip and then I can say I experienced it!

Other things I need to do today are to try to find a Best Buy or Circuit City type of place so I can buy another memory card for my camera (I've already gone through one 2 GB card and am almost at the end of my second 2 GB card. I also need to find a post office so I can mail back the following:

my receipts for the expenses of shipping teaching materials to and from the ship to the Institute for Shipboard Education (Faculty get reimbursed up to $200 for this.)
my extra foreign currency (no coins) to the Foreign Currency Exchange Corp.
two boxes of books and DVDS that I used to teach my classes - I'll ship these back home via Media Mail since I don't care when they get back to me (though we really aren't supposed to take any boxes off the ship because I guess that is the deal with customs that we don't do that until San Diego...so if I do try to mail anything back it has to be something small enough that I can put in a backpack so that I'm not carrying boxes off the ship - maybe I'll just fill up a backpack with books once or twice and just go buy some boxes at an Office Max or Staples)

I may also go to a beach. Emily (the nurse) said she is thinking about renting a surfboard for the day and that she has heard that Hawai'i is a good place for beginners to learn how to surf. Maybe I'll meet up with her at some point. I'm not sure yet.

I also just got word that Lesley (the resident director from Hawai'i) is going to make a big group reservation at a restaurant called Duke's so some people might meet up there at 7:00 pm for dinner.

Some links relating to today's trips...

The ship is scheduled to depart at 2400 from Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.
NEXT DESTINATION: San Diego, California, USA, on Monday, May 14, 2007, at 0800.

Click here for current times in San Diego, California, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in San Diego, California

Update:

More coming soon. Short version:

view of the port in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA from the ship

Attended the Global Nomads Group broadcast conducted on the ship with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu waiting to speak to students in classrooms in the U.S. via video conference during a Global Nomads Group broadcast in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaking with classrooms in the U.S. via video conference during a Global Nomads Group broadcast in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

Global Nomads Group video from the video conference in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Global Nomads Group video from the video conference in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Global Nomads Group video from the video conference in Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Went skydiving. Still alive. Took up most of the day, lots of waiting at the place because there were lots of Semester at Sea students there (around 30 or more). Not really scared at all even though I was the last of the four people in my plane to jump, so I got to see all the others get sucked/jump out of the plane before me. 40 seconds of falling, all through a cloud. Good view once in parachute mode though. I took video with my still camera that was looped around my wrist while going down.

video of my pre-skydiving experience in Hawai'i

(click here for bigger version of the video)

skydiving video - part 1

(click here for bigger version of the video)

skydiving video - part 2

(click here for bigger version of the video)

skydiving video - part 3

(click here for bigger version of the video)

me about to land

back on the ground!

video of my post-skydiving experience in Hawai'i

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Photos are now posted, but I still need to get some more photos of me that are on other people's cameras. After skydiving went to Waikiki beach area and walked around then met up with friends from the ship.

Waikiki, Hawai'i, USA

video in Waikiki, Hawaii, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

shopping area in Waikiki, Hawai'i, USA

some longer video I took in Waikiki and Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Didn't rent a car after all and didn't use the Go Oahu card at all. Hopefully I can resell it on ebay since I haven't used it. Will write more detail when more time.

Class Day "B22" at sea

2007-05-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B22."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Combined Cultural and Logistical Pre-Port Briefing for Hawai'i (Time: 2000 - 2100)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 6 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Class Day "A22" at sea

2007-05-05T05:00:00.001-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A22."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Surprise 35th birthday party for Mark in the "Dalit Village" (Time: 1920)
Sea Social #9 (Time: 2100 - 2230)

Update:

Apparently those who organized the surprise birthday party for Mark learned last night around midnight (when it was officially his birthday) that he doesn't like to celebrate his birthday. He doesn't like to be sung to and he really didn't want to make a big deal out of it. With this knowledge today, people were unsure what to do I think. Joanna (with Global Nomads Group) and Emily (the nurse) had been the main organizers behind it, putting notes on people's doors a few days ago inviting them to show up at 7:20 pm for this surprise. When I saw Emily at dinner at around 7:10 pm or so, I asked her "So who is distracting Mark to get him to show up at 7:30?" She said she didn't know what was going on and that Mark was in his room downstairs anyway so it wouldn't be much of a surprise. Regardless, we all gathered in Joanna's room on the opposite side of the ship and then walked over to stand outside Mark's door where a cake was placed that was ordered from the ship's kitchen. A number of faculty that Mark is friendly with were invited (some of whom had never been to this Dalit Village area of the ship).

getting ready to surprise Mark in the hallway outside his cabin

When someone knocked on Mark's door to come out, he eventually answered, but went to go close the door again upon seeing about 20 people out there with a cake.

Global Nomads Group director Mark opening his cabin door

When everyone said "Happy Birthday" I was watching 10-month-old Ryder and he basically had a really upset look on his face from all the noise. Once things quieted down, cake was passed around and I got a chance to play some more with Ryder.

Global Nomads Group director Mark cutting and passing out his cake to other faculty/staff members

nurse Emily and resident director Lesley having some birthday cake
IT coordinator Matt having some birthday cake

me with Ryder (the son of one of the other professors on the ship)

After about a half an hour everyone dispersed and went back to doing work or going back to sleep. Everyone seems beat today. I popped into the Sea Social that was going on in the Faculty/Staff lounge and hardly anyone I'm friends with was up there. Everyone is basically laying low today since there was the party last night.

Class Day "B21" at sea

2007-05-04T05:00:00.003-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B21."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Ambassador's Ball

Update:

The Ambassador's Ball is basically two things - a sit-down dinner and then a dance afterwards. There are two sittings for dinner - one at 5:30 pm and one at 8:15 pm. I'm in the 8:15 pm sitting. When we signed up we had to say which of the three entrees we wanted. I chose the chicken teryaki (all of the food relates somehow to one of the ports we've visited). The dance is from 10:30 pm through 12:30 am and is apparently held in different locations on the ship with different kinds of music. That's all I know at the moment.

Other stuff I forgot to mention before:

Apparently in Kobe, the photographer Annie Liebovitz came on the ship to take photographs of Desmond Tutu. The interview with Brad Pitt has apparently been postponed until Hawai'i though and will be a phone interview.
These were the images of Archbishop Tutu that were taken while on the ship and then, obviously, later composited with George W. Bush and Brad Pitt for these covers

Second Update:

Went to the Ambassador's Ball dinner (not as good as the captain's dinner a few weeks back, but since they were cooking for so many more people this time around, I guess it wouldn't be).

My table at the Ambassador's Ball dinner on the ship (clockwise: resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, resident director Tom, AV coordinator John Paul, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, nurse Brenda, me)

at the Ambassador's Ball dinner on the ship (clockwise: resident director Mindy, resident director Dan, registrar Dia, resident director Drew, resident director Lesley, resident director Matt)

at the Ambassador's Ball dinner on the ship (clockwise: IT coordinator Matt, Global Nomads Group documentarian Ben, nurse Emily, Global Nomads Group editor Joanna, assistant field office coordinator Kristen)

After dinner, the group of people I'm friends with headed down to the "Dalit Village" area of the ship (the area where a lot of the staff people have cabins that is in the front of the ship on the third deck). Our party basically was there while the students had a dance in the Union.

The faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

registrar Dia, resident director Lesley and nurse Emily at the faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

The faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon and resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily at the faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed

video from the faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video from the faculty/staff after-party in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Global Nomads Group director Mark and AV coordinator John Paul at the faculty/staff "Dalit Village" party (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some of the staff were housed)

I got some use out of my German to find out that Mark can claim to be a count. (Not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds cool I guess...it seems like such an antiquated idea). Basically, I learned this because his birthday is tomorrow and the Dean's Memo that was put out yesterday has those people's names on it who would be having a birthday the next day. Mark's name was on it and in between his first and last name the word "Graf" appeared. For some reason I actually knew what that meant and said to him (in German) that I saw his name listed on the Dean's Memo and that I saw the word "Graf" which I told him I knew meant "count." He nodded and I told him "Graf bedeutet 'count' auf Deutsch, nicht?" (Graf means count in German, no?). He nodded again and I asked him if he was a count to which he nodded again. He said that most people would have no idea what that meant and I just told him I was all over that with my mad German skills. I'm not sure if he likes to keep this cool title a secret or not though - I'd make everyone call me "Count" if I had a crazy title like that. :)

On another note, bizarrely, the captain of the ship meandered into the Dalit Village area and started to "hang out" with us.

the captain of the ship hanging out with us in the "Dalit Village" area of the ship (Deck 3 forward, where some of the staff were housed)

The guy is not a conversationalist at all and it became pretty evident that he was a white elephant in the room. Very awkward. Everyone kind of gravitated to Emily's room and the captain was still standing outside in the hallway with a few people who were apparently trying to talk to him. Very awkward. Very weird.

video of Global Nomads Group director Mark taking a break from the party on the smoking deck of the ship addressing his thoughts on his 35th birthday (Deck 5 starboard)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Class Day "A21" at sea

2007-05-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A21."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)

We apparently crossed the International Date Line at 8:15 am this morning.

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 7 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Class Day "B20" at sea

2007-05-02T05:01:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B20."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)

We will be crossing the International Date Line sometime tonight and this is why we have a second May 2nd today.

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 8 hours behind Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Class Day "A20" at sea

2007-05-02T05:00:00.002-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A20."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Sea Social #8 (Time: 2100 - 2230)

IT coordinator Matt and Global Nomads Group director Mark hanging out in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship after the Sea Social (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some staff were housed)

IT coordinator Matt and ethnomusicology professor Julie hanging out in the "Dalit Village" part of the ship after the Sea Social (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some staff were housed)

video from the "Dalit Village" part of the ship after the Sea Social (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some staff were housed)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video from the "Dalit Village" part of the ship after the Sea Social (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some staff were housed)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video from the "Dalit Village" part of the ship after the Sea Social (Deck 3 forward, crew quarters where some staff were housed)

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Class Day "B19" at sea

2007-05-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B19."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Shipmates Alumni Drive & Voyage Video Preview #2 (Time: 1930 - 2030)
Students of Service Auction (Time: 2100 - 2300)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Update:

I'm just crazy busy and tired. Too much to get done, not enough time. Too many things going on on the ship that I don't want to miss. We had our third lifeboat muster drill today at around 5:00 pm so that took up a half an hour that I won't get back.

Class Day "A19" at sea

2007-04-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A19."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship in most cases (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Crew Talent Show (Time: 2100 - 2300)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Day 5 in Japan

2007-04-29T05:00:00.008-04:00

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan

Click here for weather in Tokyo, Japan

I will see Hiroshima today and head back to Kobe on the train with Matt, Lesley, Drew and Mindy today.

Update:

More coming soon. Short version: Saw the museum in Hiroshima and the other main sights.

some longer video I took in Hiroshima, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Hiroshima, Japan

Played more arcade games, did karaoke, took the train back down to Kobe.

me and resident director Lesley - singing karaoke in Hiroshima, Japan

resident director Mindy and resident director Drew walking around a covered, open-air shopping area in Hiroshima, Japan

Went with Drew to get our requisite Kobe beef dinner before we had to get on the ship. Rushed back to the ship and got on 10 minutes before 9:00 pm (the time we had to be on without getting dock time in the next port)

Me and resident director Drew - awaiting our Kobe beef in Kobe, Japan

me awaiting my Kobe beef in Kobe, Japan

The ship is scheduled to depart at 2300 from Kobe, Japan.

NEXT DESTINATION: Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA, on Monday, May 7, 2007, at 0600.

Click here for current times in Honolulu, Hawai'i, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Honolulu, Hawai'i

Day 4 in Japan

2007-04-28T05:00:00.014-04:00

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.
Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan

Click here for weather in Tokyo, Japan

I will continue seeing Tokyo today and head to Hiroshima at some point today on the train with Lesley and Matt.

Update:

Matt, Lesley and I left the hotel around 8:30 am and our goal was to see some more of the main sights of Tokyo before our 1:05 pm train to Hiroshima.

some longer video I took in Tokyo, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

resident director Matt and resident director Lesley - getting their bearings in Tokyo, Japan

We first took the subway to the area where the Tsukiji fish market was and spent about a half an hour walking through there. Surprisingly, it didn't smell that bad at all - but I suppose that's because the fish was so fresh that it wouldn't smell yet.

resident director Lesley and resident director Matt at the fish market in Tokyo, Japan

After the fish market we continued walking through the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo and then we made our way to the Imperial Palace gardens which was fairly close to the train station.

resident director Lesley and me - in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan

area before the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo, Japan
resident director Lesley in the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo, Japan
resident director Matt in the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo, Japan

We got on our train to go down to Hiroshima (about a 5 hour ride).

me on the train from Tokyo, Japan to Hiroshima, Japan

Once there, we took a trolley car to the closest stop to where our ryokan was and eventually found the location.

waiting for the trolley car in Hiroshima, Japan

Mindy and Drew (two of the other resident directors) were already there and we checked into our ryokan rooms - girls in the one, boys in the other.

me, resident director Mindy and resident director Lesley in our ryokan room in Hiroshima, Japan

After everyone got settled, we left the ryokan to walk around Hiroshima a bit. Essentially, we just went to dinner and played some arcade games before heading back to the ryokan to play cards in Matt and Drew's room.

dinner in Hiroshima, Japan (left to right: me, resident director Drew, resident director Mindy, resident director Lesley, resident director Matt)

resident director Mindy and I playing a game at one of the ubiquitous arcades in Japan

resident director Drew, resident director Matt, resident director Lesley and resident director Mindy in Drew and Matt's room in our ryokan in Hiroshima, Japan

Day 3 in Japan

2007-04-27T05:00:00.015-04:00

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan
Click here for weather in Tokyo, Japan

I will be taking a train to Tokyo early this morning with Lesley (one of the resident directors). Once we are there we will meet up with Matt (another resident director) who went to Tokyo yesterday to see a friend of his. Matt, Lesley and I will stay in a hotel overnight tonight (Kayabacho Pearl Hotel) and leave Tokyo tomorrow to head directly to Hiroshima where we will meet up with some other resident directors and stay in a ryokan (Kasuga Ryokan) overnight in Hiroshima.

Update:

Lesley had left me a note last night to say she thought we should go to breakfast quickly on the ship this morning and then get right on the train to go to the main train station. Lesley had made reservations for our train travel the first day (reservations are free, but if you get a ticket telling you what seat to sit in in the reserved cars). According to this plan, I went to breakfast, ate quickly, but didn't see Lesley there. At 7:10 am, I went to Lesley's room and knocked. I could then hear her mumbling to herself and she had obviously not woken up yet. She answered the door and apologized that her alarm didn't go off, but that she just needed a minute to get dressed and that she had everything packed already. We needed to catch our train at around 8:00 am at the main train station so since it would take less than 15 minutes to get to the main train station on the elevated train near where the ship was docked, we were still in good shape.

We got to the main train station and had plenty of time to find where our train was. First we had to take a train to Osaka (because that was a station servicing the bullet train to Tokyo). We did that and then got on the train to go to Tokyo (about 3 hours on that train). The main thing that is amusing on the train is that the conductor and the person who carts snacks through the train all bow before entering the car and then upon leaving the car. The train was nice though and there was plenty of leg room in the trains.

resident director Lesley and me heading to Tokyo

When Lesley and I got to Tokyo, we went to find our hotel and Matt would be meeting up with us there at 1:00 pm. Upon getting to the hotel, there was a message from my Japanese friend Mari (I hadn't seen her in 10 years - click here for blog entry regarding this). I had sent her an email the day prior to getting to Japan to tell her that I was planning on being in Tokyo for two days (Mari lives outside of Tokyo) so that if she was around on Friday or Saturday at all that we should try to meet up. I left her my cell phone number, but as I soon found out once in Japan it didn't work there. Luckily Mari was resourceful and found the hotel fax number from the hotel name I gave her in the message.

Mari's note said that she took off work on Friday and that I should call her on her cell phone when I got the message and that she would come into Tokyo to meet up with me because it was only an hour train ride from her home. I got through to her on her cell phone and we decided to meet up at 3:00 pm at the hotel. Meanwhile, Matt showed up with his Japanese friend Saori and we decided that Matt and Lesley would go off with Saori while I just waited for Mari to show up (because I wouldn't have enough time to go with them to the place they were planning on going). We made sure that Saori had Mari's cell phone number and I wrote down Saori's cell number so that we could coordinate meeting up later for dinner.

Mari showed up at the hotel a few minutes after 3:00 pm and we caught up as we walked around. It was as if 10 years hadn't gone by so it was nice to see her again.

my friend Mari in the subway of Tokyo, Japan

We took the subway to Asakusa and ran into Matt, Lesley and Saori there.

my friend Mari in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, Japan talking to Saori trying to figure out where she, Matt and Lesley are exactly

Asakusa area of Tokyo, Japan

my friend Mari and me in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, Japan

getting my fortune at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan (You shake an octagonal box and a stick with a drawer number comes out - you then go to the drawers and take out the paper with your fortune on it. Mari translated it for me and it was apparently good!)

my friend Mari at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan - she got a bad fortune and the way to "combat" that and "get rid of the bad luck" is by folding up the paper and tying it to a small tree or bars nearby.

my friend Mari in Tokyo, Japan

me in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan

After that Mari and I went to another location where you could go up 45 stories to get a view of Tokyo.

view of Tokyo, Japan from 45 stories high

We had trouble getting a hold of Saori on her cell phone though and when we eventually did meet back up with them, they had already gone somewhere to eat dinner. Since Saori had to leave, Matt and Lesley came with Mari and me to a department store that Mari had heard had good sushi (which I thought would be good since we were, after all, in Japan). The place apparently was good - there was a big wait to get in. Since we didn't have a ton of time, Mari suggested another restaurant in the department store that had tempura and other stuff so we went there while Matt and Lesley walked around the store. Mari did all the ordering and we got tempura and some sashimi for me to try (though I remember trying a bite somewhere a long time ago). At any rate, I ate it and it was okay. Not bad, but not my favorite either. When in Japan though, you have to eat Japanese food!

my friend Mari at a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan

me at a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan

After we ate, we were waiting for Matt and Lesley to meet back up with us and while we were waiting Mari told me she was going to call her father and put him on the line with me. Apparently she had given him her cell phone last night when she was away in the event that I called and she said that he was excited "that an American girl would be calling him" - unfortunately though, I never called last night because I didn't get Mari's message until I got to the hotel today. Mari put her father on the phone and I spoke as slowly and as clearly as I could. His English was quite good and he sounded like an endearing old guy. I told him that he could come visit the U.S. whenever he wanted and I would show him around and he told me that he was already 77 years old. When I asked him if he had been to the U.S. before, he said he had from 1962 - 1964 and he mentioned he was there when Kennedy was assassinated. (In talking to Mari afterwards, her father was apparently in Kansas during that time.) Mari's father said he hoped I could come visit their home soon and I told him I would have to make another trip back to Japan to do that. He was cute in general and at the end of our brief chat, he thanked me for speaking so clearly and slowly so he could understand me. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be trying to converse in another language (that you hardly ever use) and having to do so on the phone must be exponentially harder!

After this, we found Matt and Lesley and then made our way back to the subway where Mari helped us navigate how to get back to our hotel. At the hotel, we took some more photos and Mari left to head home since it was already 10:00 pm.

Sidenote: One of the best things I saw today was a middle-aged Japanese guy walking in the department store wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and, best of all...a sheriff star. That star told me he was committed to that look. He just walked along and went up the escalator to the next floor. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera ready at the time.

some longer video I took in Tokyo, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Day 2 in Japan

2007-04-26T05:00:00.004-04:00

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan
Click here for weather in Tokyo, Japan

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

This is the trip I will be going on today...

Kyoto (Time: 0800 - 1800)
(This is one of the "faculty directed practica" that I am leading so the cost of this trip is free for me.)

Description:As an imperial capital for nearly 1000 years, some of the finest temples, palaces, villas and gardens are found in Kyoto. Culture and lifestyle are refined in this city, which is dotted with oases of tranquility and beauty exemplifying the best of Japan. You will first visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), which was constructed in the 1390s as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and features a three-story pavilion covered in gold leaf and topped with a bronze phoenix on its roof. Next, you will visit Nijo Castle. Built in 1603, this castle was the residence of the Tokugawa Shogun and is known for its contrast of solemn appearance and gorgeous interiors as well as its perfectly manicured garden. After lunch at Maruyama Park, you will visit Heian Shrine honoring the peaceful period from 794-1192. Your last stop will be Kiyomizu Temple where you will enjoy a sweeping view of the entire city from its terrace. The trip includes round trip transportation by motorcoach, admission fees to sites and an English-speaking guide. (Box lunches from the ship will be provided.) (PRICE: $60.00)

Some links relating to today's trip...

Update:

Not much to report today. I went on the trip described above and got back to the ship.

The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan

video of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan

me at Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

me at Heian Shrine in Kyoto, Japan

me at the area before Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan

video of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan

me at the area before Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan

some longer video I took in Kyoto, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

I knew that the Global Nomads Group was doing a broadcast from the ship with some Japanese students at 9:00 pm, so I set my alarm for that and, again, overslept. I woke up at 9:20 pm or so and headed to the classroom they were doing the broadcast from and took a seat in the back.

video of the Global Nomads Group broadcast in Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of the Global Nomads Group broadcast in Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

After the broadcast, a group of people I'm friends with was going to go out so I joined them and we ended up splitting up into two different groups - those people who had already eaten and those people who wanted to get dinner. I went with the group that wanted to get dinner (me, Mark, Ben, Joe and Julie) and we ate at a restaurant where there was an hibachi grill built into the table.

dinner in Kobe, Japan (left to right: Global Nomads Group director Mark, me, Global Nomads Group documentarian Ben, ethnomusicology professor Julie, videographer Joe)

After eating, we met up with the others (Emily, Kristen, Tom and Emily) at a nearby bar and some of us headed back to the ship in a cab at around 1:30 am.

in a bar in Kobe, Japan (left to right: resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, resident director Tom, assistant field office coordinator Kristen, Global Nomads Group documentarian Ben, nurse Emily)

Day 1 in Japan

2007-04-25T05:00:00.003-04:00

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan

Click here for weather in Tokyo, Japan

The ship is scheduled to arrive at 0800 in Kobe, Japan.We will be in Japan for the next 5 days.

This is the trip I will be going on today...

Welcome Reception (Time: 1600 - 1800)

Description:
Approximately 100 Japanese students will be invited aboard the MV Explorer to meet and interact with Semester at Sea participants. This will provide an excellent opportunity to meet Japanese students. Hyogo Prefecture sponsors a program, Hyogo Joint Summer Session at Sea (Seminar at Sea), which is similar to our Semester at Sea. The reception activities will provide you with an introduction to Japanese culture as the visiting students will present demonstrations of Kendo, Karate, Japanese dance and/or other arts and cultural traditions. Then it's your turn! Semester at Sea students should be prepared to share their talents - perhaps a demonstration of the latest dances, a guitar solo, a song or a Semester at Sea band performance. An informal social hour will follow. (PRICE: FREE)

Update:

I didn't get up early in this port to watch us arrive either. Too tired. I woke up, went to breakfast where I ran into Mark and just as we were serving ourselves in the breakfast line, there was an announcement that faculty/staff should come to the Union to do the "Thermoscan" process that we knew we would have to do prior to being allowed off of the ship. Mark and I decided to just leave our food on the table and quickly run to the Union to do it (essentially, we just had to show our student ID and then walk by a special camera that I guess measures how much heat you emit). As we left the Union, there was a long line of people behind us that snaked the entire length of the ship so we made the right decision to run to get it done right away.

Needless to say this process took a little while and then after everyone did that, we had to wait some more for the Japanese officials to process our passports. In waiting, they had an event in the Union where some drummers performed and then we had a "diplomatic briefing" from some guys who work in the U.S. embassy.

Japanese drum performance in the Union of the ship in Kobe, Japan

video of Japanese drum performance in the Union of the ship in Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Japanese drum performance in the Union of the ship in Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

After our passports were finally processed, people were called up to the Faculty/Staff lounge to get their passports (which you needed if you were getting a rail pass or were going to stay overnight in a hotel).

We were allowed to get off the ship at around 1:00 pm and I decided to go with Emily (the nurse) and Kristen (the assistant field office coordinator) to the train station because I wanted to get my Japanese Rail Pass ticket. I had an "exchange order" that I purchased before I left the U.S. and it needed to be exchanged within 90 days of the date I got it in order to be valid so I wanted to make sure I got it exchanged on that first day. Since Emily and Kristen were going to Kyoto to spend a night there, I just went with them to the train station before parting ways.

nurse Emily and assistant field office coordinator Kristen on the elevated rail train/subway system on our way from where the ship was docked to the Kobe train station

After getting my rail pass, I walked around a bit in Kobe. There were a lot of shops and there are apparently a lot of mall-type areas in Japan that are open air, but covered with a roof.

Covered, open air shopping area in Kobe, Japan

Kobe, Japan

video of Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

After walking around a bit, I went back to the ship for the "Welcome Reception." When baby Ryder made an appearance, he got a lot of the Japanese students' attention.

Ryder (his dad was another professor on the ship) getting some attention from Japanese students in the Union of the ship in Kobe, Japan

I decided to take a nap after that and set my alarm to be awake by 7:30 pm because that was the meeting time for people I'm friends with to go out into Kobe. I woke up at 7:41 pm though and apparently missed the group.

some longer video I took in Kobe, Japan

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Class Day "B18" at sea

2007-04-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B18."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Combined Cultural and Logistical Pre-Port Briefing for Japan (Time: 2000 - 2100)

Update:

Random stuff...

Apparently Desmond Tutu is going to be interviewed by Brad Pitt in Japan for a Vanity Fair article.
I am debating with myself whether I will go skydiving in Hawaii.
I won't be making any updates to this blog while in Japan because the buildings in Kobe apparently block the satellite. My general plans are to go to Kyoto the second day I am in Japan (on a Semester at Sea trip I'm leading), then go to Tokyo for days three and four with some resident directors from the ship and then to Hiroshima the last day with them as well. We apparently won't be able to get off the ship tomorrow until about 1:00 pm, so I'm just going to stay in Kobe and go to get my Japanese rail pass validated as soon as possible. I think some people from the ship will probably go out tomorrow night as well so I will join them too.

Class Day "A18" at sea

2007-04-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A18."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Meeting for faculty/staff who are leading trips in Japan (Time: 1800)
Post-Port Open Mic Night for people to share experiences they had in China (Time: 2000 - 2100)

Update:

The main event on the ship tonight was that everyone on the ship had to get his/her temperature taken as part of the requirements for entering Japan. They called up people to the faculty/staff lounge and everyone had an ear thermometer stuck in the ear. We had to fill out a form stating that we didn't have any sickness symptoms and those people who had slightly high temperatures were told to come back in 20 minutes after they put on shorts and a T-shirt and walked around the outside deck (since the weather is chilly now). Apparently when we get to Japan we will have to go through a thermoscan device and get our temperatures taken again.

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Day 6 in China

2007-04-22T05:00:00.001-04:00

Click here for weather in Beijing, China
Click here for weather in Qingdao, China

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

This is the trip I will be going on today...

Home Visit and German Heritage (Time: 0830 - 1200)
(This is one of the "faculty directed practica" that I am leading so the cost of this trip is free for me.)

Description:

Very rarely do overseas travelers have the opportunity to meet local people in their homes, but today you will receive a gracious and hospitable welcome at a private family dwelling. From the pier, proceed to the residential area where your host family eagerly awaits your arrival. After welcoming you into their home, they will share with you details about their community and treat you to refreshments of tea, candies and cookies. Shortly thereafter, make your way through charming Badaguan as you head to the old German Quarter. On arrival, delight in architecture reminiscent of southern Germany. Found to be particularly noteworthy is the German-built St. Michael's Cathedral, one of China's most famous churches. Your last stop will be the Free Market, where locals sell agricultural and aquatic products, as well as other daily necessities. (PRICE: $26.00)

view of where the ship docked in Qingdao, China

Qingdao, China

some video I took in Qingdao, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

At a family's home in Qingdao, China

At a family's home in Qingdao, China - the boy is singing a song to the group

Qingdao, China

market in Qingdao, China

Qingdao, China

market in Qingdao, China

no need for diapers - on the streets of Qingdao, China

Qingdao, China

Some links relating to today's trip...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingdao

The ship is scheduled to depart at 2300 from Qingdao, China.
NEXT DESTINATION: Kobe, Japan, on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at 0800.

Click here for current times in Kobe, Japan, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Kobe, Japan

Day 5 in China

2007-04-21T05:00:00.003-04:00

Click here for current times in Hong Kong, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for current times in Beijing, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Hong Kong, China

Click here for weather in Beijing, China

Click here for weather in Qingdao, China

see description from previous post for today's activities

Update:

This was the specific schedule for today...

Breakfast at hotel

09:45 Depart hotel for tour

10:15 - 12:00 Tour the Temple of Heaven
12:30 - 13:45 Chinese lunch at Wahaha restaurant
14:00 - 15:00 A scenic cruise across lake in Beihai Park
15:15 - 17:15 Explore hutong lanes by trishaws with home visit

17:45 - 19:00 Buffet dinner at CTS Plaza
19:30 Arrive at airport for flight CA 1525 (ETD: 20:50) for Qingdao
21:40 Arrive at Qingdao airport. Local representative will hold a "Semester at Sea" sign to meet you at arrival hall. Transfer to pier to board MV Explorer.

video of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video from a hutong lanes trishaw ride in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

I'm back from my Beijing trip. The group of students I had was pretty good. The only "problem" I had to deal with as trip leader was when we got off the plane in Beijing and were waiting for everyone to gather around after going to the bathroom, etc., one girl came up to me and said she was feeling sick and was getting violently ill. She asked me where the bathroom was and basically wanted me to confirm to her that we weren't going to leave her! I told her I'd come check on her when we were ready to head out and that we would figure out what to do from there. I spoke to Toni, the other professor on the trip, and we thought that it would be best to just send that girl in a cab to the hotel if she wasn't feeling any better after throwing up. Our guide told us that the cab ride would be about an hour to the hotel so I went to go find the girl and she was still feeling horrible. We told her we were going to send her back to the hotel and I offered to go back with her if no one else was, but two other students accompanied her back to the hotel too. The main group then went to the Summer Palace and then went to the hotel. Upon getting back to the hotel, I went to go check on the girl that was sick and she said she had just been sleeping and was still not feeling great, but obviously better than she was. She ended up feeling well enough the next day to join the main group.

I'm glad that was the worst of it though. In the airport in Beijing, the wife of one of the professors approached Toni and me asking if we knew if there was anything special she needed to dial to call the ship emergency numbers because she couldn't get through with the number that was listed on the emergency sheet we all got. She needed to call the ship because a girl on her flight (their flight was after ours apparently) had a seizure on the plane. I think the professor's wife is a nurse though (which for some reason I didn't know until now) so she at least knew what she was doing to some degree in helping the girl. They were just going to call the Medex emergency number to get the girl to a hospital. I later found out from my friend Emily (the nurse) that this girl had had seizures in the past so it wasn't completely out of the ordinary for her. I'm just glad I didn't have to deal with someone having a seizure - I'd be clueless.

At any rate, as for the tour we saw all the main touristy sites - the Summer Palace the first day, the Great Wall the second day, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and the Lama Temple the third day and the Temple of Heaven and a park on the last day. The main observation I have about Beijing is that every main street in Beijing is 4 lanes wide (at least)...so crossing the street feels dangerous because you have to cross 8 lanes any time you want to go to the other side of the road. Luckily I didn't have to do so very often, but when I did, I made sure I ran and looked out for oncoming cars. Cars were everywhere in Beijing too - not the bicycle culture one thinks of when one thinks of China. Our guide told us that apparently the Beijing city government WANTS people to buy more cars and there are incentives for people having cars because the government can then tax them. In other cities the opposite is true, but in Beijing, it seemed like traffic was everywhere. It took us forever to get places that probably weren't really all that far away.

The other thing of note is that hardly anyone speaks English - our tour guides were 26 and 24 and it seems to be the trend that people under 30 (some of them at least) are semi-fluent, but by and large, I know people had trouble communicating. To go anywhere in a taxi, you needed to have the destination written in Mandarin so that the drivers could understand it so our guides helped many people who wanted to go various places. The guides were really good though and their English was perfect. I benefited from being trip leader because when we got to the hotel check-in desk, our guide gave me a fan (whether it was from her tour company or the hotel, I'm not sure), but this reflects the whole Chinese gift-giving culture as a means of networking. I also got a book about Beijing that no one from our group claimed (we had a group photo taken in Tiananmen Square and people could put in requests for a copy of the photo and a book) - the guides took a count of who wanted a book and photo and apparently when it came time to give them out and collect the money, they still had one book left. I offered to buy it from them, but they told me it was a gift for me so I got a free book and photo out of being trip leader!

I think that's all for now. I'll try to update this more later. I just uploaded my photos from the trip so check them out!

Day 4 in China

2007-04-20T05:00:00.003-04:00

see description from previous post for today's activities

Update:

This was the specific schedule for today...

                     Breakfast at hotel
09:00             Depart hotel for tour
09:30 - 10:30 Tiananmen Square
10:50 - 12:50 Visit the Forbidden City
12:50 - 14:00 Lunch at Afunti restaurant
14:40 - 14:40 The Lama Temple
16:15             Return to the hotel
18:00 - 19:00 Dinner at Jingdingxuan restaurant
19:30 - 20:45 Enjoy a spectacular acrobatic show

Overnight at hotel.

some longer video I took in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some longer video I took in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

me in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of an acrobatics show in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Day 3 in China

2007-04-19T05:00:00.004-04:00

Click here for current times in Hong Kong, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.
Click here for current times in Beijing, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Hong Kong, China
Click here for weather in Beijing, China
Click here for weather in Qingdao, China

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

see description from previous post for today's activities

Update:

This was the specific schedule for today...

                     Breakfast at hotel
08:30             Depart hotel for Great Wall
10:30 - 13:30 Tour of the Great Wall at the Mutianyu Section
13:30 - 14:00 Boxed lunch
16:00 - 17:00 Stop at some markets for shopping
17:30             Return to hotel and rest of evening at leisure. Dinner on own and overnight.

some longer video I took at the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video driving to the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of area just before the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

I wasn't really expecting the ski lift that took us up to the Great Wall (at least to the portion we went to - the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall - which was about an hour and a half drive away from our hotel).

view from the ski lift up to the Great Wall (Mutianyu section)

video on the ski lift going up to the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

You could either hike up to the Great Wall or take a ski lift. To get down, you could opt to take a toboggan thing down (the only other place I've done this is in Salzburg, Austria), hike back down or get back on the ski lift again.

I'm glad we went to the portion of the Great Wall that we did because apparently other groups were taken to really crowded areas of the Wall and they didn't have the ski lift or toboggan. Our portion of the Great Wall was touristy, but you were fighting for arm room as some people were on their trips.

The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

Another thing I wasn't really expecting (or rather hadn't thought much about) was how steep the Great Wall is. On the portion we were on, it felt like a 45 degree incline at times. People had to stop and start several times because it was pretty physically exertive.

steep steps at the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

At one point, I got to the top of a section I had just climbed and then went to see what was next and it was another equally steep ascent. At that point, I decided to turn around. With all the climbing I didn't really go all that far, but in the two hours we had there, I felt like I had seen enough.

me on the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

toboggan ride to descend from the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

video on the toboggan ride down from the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video on the toboggan ride down from the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Day 2 in China

2007-04-18T05:00:00.004-04:00

Click here for weather in Beijing, China

Click here for weather in Qingdao, China

This is the trip I will be going on over the next few days...

Beijing (Time: Wednesday 0720 - Saturday 2230)
(I got assigned to be one of the "trip leaders" for this trip so luckily I will get event paid for in part. If you get picked to be the trip leader and the trip is under $50, you get that full amount paid for. If the trip is between $50-$100, you get up to $50 back. If the trip is over $100, a faculty member gets 50% paid for. Trip leaders essentially are responsible for acting as a liaision with the tour operator leading the trip and for keeping students on schedule. It is up to the trip leader to keep track of which students are late and, if necessary, to make the decision to leave without them if they do not follow the schedule. Students get penalized with "dock time" in the next port if they aren't back to the ship or if they cause the group to be delayed.)

Description:
Unlike the university-hosted trips to Beijing, which give you the unique opportunity for interaction with Chinese students, this Beijing trip includes the services of professional tour guides and accommodations are in tourist hotels.

Wednesday: Transfer to the airport for your three-hour flight to Beijing. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then proceed for a visit to the Summer Palace. Peking duck is featured at tonight's dinner and the remainder of the evening is at your leisure. (Lunch, Dinner; Jianguo Qianmen)

Thursday: After breakfast, visit the Great Wall of China. After enjoying your boxed lunch, return to town. Dinner and the rest of the evening are on your own. (Breakfast, Box Lunch; Jianguo Qianmen)

Friday: Enjoy a full day of "sight-thinking" which includes visits to the Forbidden City (with tape and headset), Tianamen Square and the Lama Temple. After dinner at a local restaurant, enjoy a spectacular acrobatic show. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner; Jianguo Qianmen)

Saturday: After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Temple of Heaven before pro

ceeding to the airport for your flight to Qingdao. (Breakfast, Lunch)

(PRICE: $803.00)

Some links relating to today's trip...

Update:

This was the specific schedule for today...

07:30 Depart pier and transfer to airport for flight CA108 at 10:40
13:55 Arrive in Beijing and transfer for tour
15:45 - 17:15 Tour of Summer Palace

18:00 Check in at the Jianguo Qianmen Hotel

19:00 Depart hotel for dinner
19:30 - 21:00 Peking duck dinner at Hepingmen Quanjude restaurant
21:30 Transfer back to hotel and overnight

Flying from Hong Kong to Beijing, China

some video I took in Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of Beijing, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Peking duck dinner in Beijing, China (left to right: son of a "lifelong learner" on the trip who came along for a portion of the voyage, a lifelong learner, daughter of a lifelong learner on the trip who came along for a portion of the voyage, Craig - Toni's husband, Mischa - Toni and Craig's daughter, Toni - a psychology professor on the ship, Sage - Toni and Craig's daughter)

Peking duck dinner in Beijing, China (left to right - Craig, Mischa, Toni, Sage, me)

Day 1 in China

2007-04-17T05:00:00.011-04:00

Click here for current times in Hong Kong, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for current times in Beijing, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Hong Kong, China

Click here for weather in Beijing, China

Click here for weather in Qingdao, China

The ship is scheduled to arrive at 0800 in Hong Kong, China.
We will be in China for the next 6 days.

This is the trip I will be going on today...

Hong Kong Historic City Orientation (Time: 1100 - 1745)

(This is one of the "faculty directed practica" that I am leading so the cost of this trip is free for me.)

Description: Although under British influence for the last several decades, Hong Kong still retains many traditional Chinese images. This practicum visits the gazetted monuments in Hong Kong as well as heritage and historical buildings with an interesting background. Visit the Museum of Tea War, St. John's Cathedral, Old French Mission Building, Legislative Council Building. Then take a tram ride to Victoria Peak for a spectacular view of the city. Also visit Cat Street, Man Mo Temple and Aberdeen, home of hundreds of people living on fishing junkets and juxtaposed against a modern high-rise community. (Box lunches from the ship will be provided) (PRICE: $29.00)

Some links relating to today's trip:

Update:

Not a ton to report today. I didn't wake up early to watch us come into port because I still have a sore throat and wanted to sleep. After the ship got cleared, I went on the city orientation and felt like that was a good use of my one day in Hong Kong. It was foggy and we didn't get to see the view from Victoria Peak, but we saw all the other places listed in the trip description. Hong Kong feels like any big city with many people making comparisons to it feeling like a "cleaner" New York City.

some video I took in Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some video I took in Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some video I took in Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

streets of Hong Kong, China

boat tour of Aberdeen area of Hong Kong, China

video of the Aberdeen area of Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video of the Aberdeen area of Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

I took a nap after that and then I knew some people were going to be going out at 7:30 pm, so I went with them. We were a pretty big group - 20 in all. Of those 20, one of them was Ben's cousin, Sterling, who lives in Hong Kong. Sterling brought his wife along too and then Kristen also had a friend who is living in Hong Kong who went out with us. I stayed out until about midnight because I still had to pack for my Beijing trip - we leave at 7:20 am tomorrow. 51 people will be on the trip and the other trip leader is Toni (one of the psychology professors). Toni's husband Craig and their two daughters Mischa and Sage (ages 13 and 10, I think) will be on the trip too.

video on the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some video I took of our night out in Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

having dinner in Hong Kong, China during a sudden downpour (clockwise from front: Global Nomads Group director Mark, resident director Matt, resident director Lesley, resident director Tom, AV coordinator John Paul's wife Shannon, resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, AV coordinator John Paul, resident director Mindy)

resident director Tom's girlfriend Emily, me and AV coordinator John Paul in Hong Kong, China

Global Nomads Group video of the sights and sounds of Hong Kong, China

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Class Day "B17" at sea

2007-04-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B17."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Meeting of groups going on trips in China (Time: 1730 - 1800)
Combined Cultural and Logistical Pre-Port Briefing for China (Time: 2000 - 2100)

Class Day "A17" at sea

2007-04-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "A17."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Teach "Mass Media Systems Around the World" (Time: 0800 - 0915)
Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Intercultural Communication" (Time: 1045 - 1200)
Meeting for faculty/staff who are leading trips in China (Time: 1800)
Sea Social #7 (Time: 2100 - 2230)

We will advance our clocks by one hour tonight which will make us 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.

Class Day "B16" at sea

2007-04-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today is class meeting day "B16."

On the agenda for me is the following:

Sit in on the Global Studies core course that the entire ship "shuts down for" daily - it is held in the Student Union area of the ship with the lecture being broadcast on the closed-circuit TV system of the ship to the various satellite classrooms on the ship for those students who can't fit in the Union (Time: 0920 - 1040)
Teach "Cinema and National Identity" (Time: 1415 - 1530)
Post-Port Open Mic Night for people to share experiences they had in Vietnam and Cambodia (Time: 1900 - 2000)

Day 5 in Vietnam

2007-04-13T05:00:00.002-04:00

Click here for current times in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

I plan on just walking around Ho Chi Minh City today since I haven't had a chance to really do that at all yet.

Update:

I woke up at 6:45 am today to try to sell my Cu Chi Tunnels trip ticket (the trip was leaving at 7:00 am) - I knew I didn't want to go on the trip since I haven't had the chance to walk around the city at all yet. Luckily there was a student in the Union who was looking for a ticket so she bought it from me. Part of the reason I also didn't feel like going on the trip is that I have had a cold for the past few days that I guess I acquired in Cambodia. I have been congested and had a sore throat for the past day or so and I still feel sick. I went back to my room after selling the ticket, took a shower and then went back to sleep.

At around 9:00 am, Julie (the ethnomusicology professor) knocked on my door to see if I wanted to go into the city with her. We had both been on the Mekong Delta trip the other day and I knew she was planning on walking around so I was expecting her to stop by. She said she was planning on getting the shuttle bus at around 9:30 am. (Semester at Sea arranged for a bus to take people back and forth between the ship and the city center every half an hour for free.) We did that and then hit some stores that Julie knew she wanted to go to. We took those motorcycle/scooter taxis to the big market in town - the Ben Thanh Market.

me heading to Ben Thanh Market on a motorbike "taxi" in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Ben Thanh Market reminds one a lot of a place like Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, but it's much bigger and the smells in the market are enough to make someone nauseous. Particularly pungent in the market is the smell of a fruit called durian which is known for its stench (it smells a lot like medicine). Combine that with the smell of seafood, meat and other random odors and it didn't make me want to stay there very long. As you walk along, many vendors have a very aggressive approach too saying to you one after the other "Madame, you need a shirt?" or something along those lines as they shove it in your face.

I stayed at the market long enough to buy some coffee beans (Julie was getting some and I wanted to use up my Vietnamese dong before leaving so since the coffee is supposedly excellent in Vietnam, I thought that would be a good use of my money...so when my dad reads that, that can be his little gift from this trip. I'm really crappy at buying stuff - other people buy until their heads explode and I have been hard-pressed to find something I absolutely MUST have. I always knew I didn't like shopping.

I decided to leave Julie on her own since she had a bunch of other stuff she was looking for and since I couldn't stand the odors anymore, I decided just to walk around on my own since it felt quite safe. I hit the supermarket that someone told me was in a nearby mall-type building and used up another good chunk of the small amount of money I had left and then I went into a cafe to get an iced coffee and a grape juice.

video in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

I got back on the bus that was returning to the ship and then have been on the ship for the rest of the day since noon since I've been feeling crappy with my sore throat.

We have a faculty meeting tonight at 9:00 pm.

The ship is scheduled to depart on Saturday, April 14 at 0900 from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. NEXT DESTINATION: Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, April 17, 2007, at 0800.

Click here for current times in Hong Kong, China, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Hong Kong, China

Day 4 in Vietnam

2007-04-12T05:00:00.003-04:00

Click here for current times in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the East Coast of the U.S.
Click here for weather in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This is the trip I will be going on today...

Mekong Delta Day Trip (Time: 0800 - 1630)

(I got assigned to be one of the "trip leaders" for this trip so luckily I will get this event paid for. If you get picked to be the trip leader and the trip is under $50, you get that full amount paid for. If the trip is between $50-$100, you get up to $50 back. If the trip is over $100, a faculty member gets 50% paid for. Trip leaders essentially are responsible for acting as a liaision with the tour operator leading the trip and for keeping students on schedule. It is up to the trip leader to keep track of which students are late and, if necessary, to make the decision to leave without them if they do not follow the schedule. Students get penalized with "dock time" in the next port if they aren't back to the ship or if they cause the group to be delayed.)

Description:

Until the 16th century the Mekong Delta was an area of marshlands and forest. Gradually marshlands were reclaimed and a canal network was built so that today's inhabitants would make a reasonable living from cultivating rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts, tobacco and melons. The My Tho area is famous for its coconut palms and fruit orchards (mangoes, longans, bananas and citrus fruits). The drive out of Ho Chi Minh City (about two hours) takes you through miles of flat rice fields, along a road that is always busy with bicycles and people heading to or from the market. A highlight of this trip is a boat ride on the Mekong River to observe the active river life. The Mekong Delta was annexed from the Khmers in the late 18th century and continues to hold strong influence and social/physical resemblance to Cambodia. Your boat trip takes you to one of the islands in the Mekong Delta to see a traditional farmer's home and fruit orchards where you will have the opportunity to sample exotic tropical fruits. Lunch will be at a local seafood restaurant in My Tho. Please note: Bring sunscreen, bug spray and a hat. (PRICE: $35.00)

Some links relating to today's trip...

Mekong Delta

Update:

video of a stop along the way from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to My Tho, Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some longer video I took on the Mekong River trip near My Tho, Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

some longer video I took on the Mekong River trip near My Tho, Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Much of today's trip felt oddly like a ride in Disney World. If you look at the photos I've posted, you can see why.

Essentially, we did a lot of boat-switching today. I led a bus of 37 students (there was another bus load that another trip leader had as well of about 31 students) and the two bus groups each got on a large boat.

video along the Mekong River in Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

We took those boats to an area of an island where we were served tea that had a lot of honey in the bottom (apparently the honey in Vietnam is not as sweet as it is in the U.S. and is used a lot in jasmine tea). The tea was good and we were also served some samples of candied fruits that we were available for purchase. From there we got back on the large boats and went to another part of the island where we had a sampling of fruits.

some students sampling local fruits along the Mekong River in Vietnam

After that, we walked to an area where we could get on canoe-type boats. Four people from our group could get on each boat and there was a person at the front and back that rowed us through narrow channels. We were given straw hats to wear on these boats and lots of photos were taken by everyone as we sat on these boats for about 10 minutes.

getting on the canoe-type boats along the Mekong River in Vietnam

video going through a narrow passageway along the Mekong River in Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video going through a narrow passageway along the Mekong River in Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video going through a narrow passageway along the Mekong River in Vietnam

(click here for bigger version of the video)

navigating through the narrow passageway along the Mekong River in Vietnam

coming out of the narrow passageway along the Mekong River in Vietnam

transferring from the 4-person boat to the larger boat along the Mekong River in Vietnam

From there, we got on the large boats again and were taken to yet another set of boats - ones which could hold about 10 people each.

some of the students moved to the front of the 10-person boat for a photo op along the Mekong River in Vietnam

These boats took us to a place that was making coconut candy that tasted like sweetened condensed milk with coconut. After that, we got back on the 10-person boats and were taken to the restaurant where we had lunch.

approaching the restaurant along the Mekong River in Vietnam

restaurant location along the Mekong River in Vietnam

We got back on the 10-person boats after that and were then taken back to the larger boats which took us back to the buses. On the last boat ride, we had the chance to drink coconut milk from our own coconut so, as you can see from my photos, I did so.

me drinking from a freshly-opened coconut on the Mekong River in Vietnam

Day 3 in Vietnam (and Cambodia)

2007-04-11T05:00:00.007-04:00

Click here for current times in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the East Coast of the U.S.
Click here for current times in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the East Coast of the U.S.

Click here for weather in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Click here for weather in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Click here for weather in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)

see description from previous post for today's activities

Update:

I'm back from my Cambodia trip. Everything went as scheduled. Here are the main observations I have...(I will write more later when I have more time).

Everything is listed in US dollars in Cambodia. I didn't use any Cambodian money while I was there at all.
Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are much more modern than I imagined them to be. Phnom Penh is quite big with lots of shops and restaurants. Siem Reap has what seemed to be a lot of hotels - really nice ones that had huge pools and balconies, etc.
My photos are now up from the arrival in Vietnam and Cambodia...you can see what I saw for yourself there...more description later when I have more time.

my hotel room at the Borei Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia

view out my hotel room window at the Borei Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia

view of the front of the Borei Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia

some video I took in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

landmine victims playing music at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

me at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

video of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

video at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

(click here for bigger version of the video)

me at the back entrance to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

me at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
me climbing to the top of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia
me at the top of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

view from the top of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

me at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

me at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

statue near Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia

back in the Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam airport after flying in from Siem Reap, Cambodia

Upon getting back to the ship at 7:00 pm or so tonight, I left Mark and Ben a note on their door to ask them what time the Global Nomads Group broadcast would be tomorrow (and to find out if Desmond Tutu would be going since there was a chance he would be). I said in the note for them to let me know tonight and to also let me know if anyone was going out tonight. Mark called me at 10:00 pm and told me they just dropped of the equipment to their room and that he and Joanna were going back out to meet up with a bunch of people who had gone to a jazz club in town. I told them I'd go with them so we got off the ship and then got three motorcycle/scooter taxis to the place we were going. Essentially, you get on the back of what looks like a cross between a motorcycle and scooter and you either hold on to the driver's shoulders or to the back U-shaped bar that is behind where you sit. It was actually really fun to zip through the city on the back of the scooters. The scooters are what everyone in Ho Chi Minh City uses and they basically outnumber cars 100 to 1 (or more from other estimates I've heard). At any rate, we got to where we were going and met up with the other people from the ship. I stayed at the jazz club place for a little while and then headed back with Kristen (the assistant field office coordinator) using the motorcycle/scooter taxis again.