Keeping the blog...for a while longer

I'll be keeping my blog until SAS is not in any of my daily conversations. It is easy to refer people to it this way.

Hope all is well.

-Megan

Deleting blog...

SAD NEWS...

I will be deleting my blog at the end of August.

Thanks to amazing Joy I have my blog printed in a book now!

Thanks again for following along while I was abroad!

Much love,
Megs

Welcome Home pictures

I'm slowly adjusting back to reality. I had the best welcome home weekend EVER! Lots of family and delicious homecooked food.

HOME!

It feels GREAT to be home! Thank you for reading throughout my semester abroad. I greatly appreciate all the support and love.

Off to spend time with my amazing family and tackle unpacking my three massive suitcases.

BonVoyage!

Costa Rica was awesome! Time went be really fast. Here is a brief description without much reflection…

The first day Kristen and I, along with 144 other SASers went on a Canopy Adventure where we ziplinned over a giant valley, in the canopy, atop the canopy and even took a gondola back up to the top. The longest zip line was over ½ mile long! It was an awesome experience. The rest of the day we walked along the water’s edge and toured the local market that had everything from postcards to jewelry. Afterwards we found an internet café that was only $2USD for one hour. It was great! I was able to catch up on emails and even use skype. Kristin and I had a delicious dinner across the street from the beach complete with homemade tortillas.

Our last day in Costa Rica was hot! The walk down the dock to reach the actual city of Puntarenas was about ¾ mile in the SUN! Kristin and I ventured out early to get more postcards. I actually bought a hammock and hope it will fit into my suitcase. In the afternoon, I was hoping to get on one of the SAS sponsored horseback riding tours but unfortunately could not, so I ended up catching up on my journal and relaxing on the empty air conditioned ship. It was nice.

The past two days have been surreal. I’m slowly realizing that I’ll be sleeping in my own bed in 4 nights!! Lauren packed up her entire side of the cabin yesterday! I’m procrastinating packing until tomorrow when we’re not going through the Panama Canal.

(Story mostly for family…)This morning I woke up and looked in the mirror and saw that my right was really swollen. It had been sore yesterday, but nothing compared to today. I visited the clinic and the doctor said that my tear duct is infected and that he didn’t see a sti. I have eye antibiotics that I use four times a day. Hopefully it will feel better tomorrow and I’ll be able to wear contacts.

This morning everyone woke up early to watch the ship go through the Panama Canal. I guess I was naive in thinking that the canal would maybe be a mile long…wrong. It has been an all day process. Right now we’re entering our last set of locks (the Gatun Locks), after cruising through the largest man made lake in the world- Lake Gatun. There is a website where you can watch the ship go through the canal. I’ve heard that the site keeps still-photos uploaded even after we’ve pasted through, but I’m not sure since I don’t have access to the site.

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

Lunch today was a BBQ out on the pool deck. I’m slowly packing and hoping both bags will be under 50 lbs. One of Lauren’s bags I could fit in and I swear weighs more than me. Tonight is the “No Talent Show” and tomorrow the real fun begins- packing and logistical meetings.

This will be my last blog until I’m home. I do not have anymore internet minutes. I can’t WAIT to be home and hug my family.

P.S. Thank you for the letters in Costa Rica!!

Here are some random pictures that I had on my flash drive.

Top Left- water polo in JAPAN!!
top middle- Lauren, the Staff Captain and I throwing the NOAA buoys overboard
Top Right- Life boat drills! Long pants, long sleeves, hats and closed toed shoes in 80 degree humid weather...fun stuff!!
Bottom Left- one of many beautiful sunsets from Hawaii to Costa Rics
Bottom Middle- A young girl at the Hy Vong school for the deaf in Vietnam
bottom right- Lightshow in Hong Kong

IM DONE!!!

So I just finished my LAST final of my JUNIOR year in college!! EXCITING! I treated myself to a smoothie at the snack bar. Compared to finals at home, these finals weren’t that bad at all! My grades aren’t final yet but unofficially I got an A (93%) in Marine Conservation and Diversity and a B (88%) in my Human Effects on Coastal Systems class. There is still no grade for World Lit and Global Studies.

Tomorrow we arrive in Costa Rica. I can’t wait to set foot on land!!! Finals made these ten days at sea seem REALLY long. The weather has been gorgeous. ( 85 degrees and HUMID) I’ve been lying out in the sun and studying in morning before mass amounts of people flood the decks. Last night at sunset we saw 4 Sea Turtles and this morning out my window I saw a pod of dolphin jumping and playing. Tomorrow morning, in Costa Rica I’m doing a Canopy Adventure and the other one and a half days are unplanned.

It still hasn’t sunk in that in one week I get to sleep in my OWN bed!! I can’t believe this voyage is almost OVER!

Thanks for all the comments. I will try and post after Costa Rica but I only have 12 internet minutes left and sometimes the internet takes FOREVER.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! I will try and call later.

Have fun at the all class reunion this Saturday!!

Good Luck this weekend in Connecticut Girls Polo!!

Still on the Pacific...

Still on the Great Big Blue Pacific! The seas have been very calm and the sunsets gorgeous. Yesterday it was 77 degrees outside with a nice breeze-perfect weather! It feels like we’ve been at sea for much longer than a week! As I lay out on the deck with my book and ipod in hand, I find it hard to believe that all this is actually REAL (and its considered COLLEGE)!!!!

Classes ended two days ago and now we have finals. It is weird not having classes and a schedule. Yesterday was the dreaded Global Studies Final which surprisingly was not that difficult. I think every student onboard is glad that that class is over. Today is an A-day study day and tomorrow I have my Marine final followed by a B study day and then my Human Effects on Coastal Systems Final. I’m hoping the finals won’t be too hard. I have lots of studying to do in the mean time.

On April 25^th we had the Ambassador’s Ball. It was a really fun event where the entire shipboard community dressed up and had a fancy dinner followed by an “oldies” dance, regular dance in the union, pub night, and the biggest spread of desserts that I have ever seen. It was fun to dress up and have delicious food for a change.

On Sunday, the last day of classes, we had the much anticipated and widely talked about TACO DAY!!! I seriously think that you can get the student body to do anything when you use Taco Day as an incentive. Mason, Kelly, Kristin and I each had plates full of tacos and guacamole that went perfect with a bag a Have’a chips. I took pictures and didn’t eat dinner that night because I was so full. They are definitely the best, worst tacos I’ve ever had.

We arrive in Puntarenas, Costa Rica in four days. I’m going on a Canopy adventure on the morning that we arrive. I’ve heard that the zip-line course in Costa Rica is one of the best in the world. I’m really excited. After that I don’t really have any other plans. I do know that I want to find postcards, as always and some delicious food and maybe a nice beach.

It is hard to believe that this voyage is almost over. I’m kind of nervous about coming home. Like Hawaii, I’m afraid that it will be familiar yet foreign. However, I can’t wait to hug my family and talk to friends. I’m in the second to last group to disembark the ship in Miami. We arrive at 8am and I’ve heard that it is a pretty long process clearing customs, declaring purchases, immigration etc… Luckily, my flight isn’t until 7:40pm out of Miami. I’m sure we will receive more info in the four days from Costa Rica to Miami.

Ok, off to go find a quiet hallway and study.

Happy Birthday Dad (in a few days)!!!!

Again, thanks for all the awesome letters, thoughts and support.

-Megan

:-)

WOW! When I opened my door yesterday morning I had sooo many letters that my steward couldn’t put all of them on my door. He ended up opening my door and putting them on the floor. Thank you EVERYONE!! Especially Grandma, Mom, Dad and Val, Aunt Kelly, Grannie Antice, LINDY!!, Roommate, and Cuz. I’m saving them and only opening one a day!!! Yesterday I opened one of Aunt Kelly’s only to find lambie wool. Haha! I guess it’s better than bacon.

My room is so stocked up on food! I can’t tell you how happy it is to have snacks that have English labels and taste of flavors of home. 5 bags of Have’a’chips and mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies-yum! Yesterday, after my two classes, I laid out with one of my new People magazines, bag of Have’a’chips and ipod on the 5^th deck. The weather was beautiful and the sunset was gorgeous. It almost felt like I was at Shaws except for the rumbling of the engines.

My cell phone is dead and not just battery dead, but won’t turn on. So I’m sorry that I couldn’t call any friends. Also, most of my close friends’ phone numbers are saved into my phone so I don’t have access to them- I’m sorry! I’m going to be using payphones until I get home to straighten it all out.

15 More days- the ending will be very bittersweet.

Good Luck this weekend in the SCIAC Championships girls! I’ll be thinking of you!!!

Honolulu, HAWAII!!!!

After traveling a decent portion of the world, I can say that no place that I have visited has made me feel the way I did when I saw my mom for the first time since January. There is something so comforting, relaxing, and soothing when being with family. We had an action packed, amazing day.

Kristin and I were one of the first TEN off the ship!! We were let off before the announcement was made that the ship was cleared. My mom and aunt were waiting in their soccer-mom rented minivan. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling that swept over me when my mom and I hugged. I miss her and family so much. Anyway, my friend Kristin, Aunt Kim, Mom and I went back to the condo and started laundry and then decided to go to Jamba Juice!! JAMBA JUICE!! We walked the International Marketplace around 8am and Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the distance. We jumped in my mom’s blue Chrysler Town and Country minivan to drive to Haleiwa to eat at the delicious Cholo’s Mexican Food! MY taste buds were, and still are, on sensory overload. The entire day was filled with delicious food! (As you can tell, the day was mostly driven by a hunt for my cravings over the last three months-food). Val you would be proud!

After a delicious lunch we went to a grocery store where I could actually read the labels! We then stopped at Turtle Beach and swam with the turtles/snorkeled. It was the first time that I have been in a complete body of water in over a month! The ocean was very welcoming and warm. We saw two turtles at the beach. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was already 2pm. The day was slipping away. Our next stop was the Dole Pineapple plantation where we had the most delicious pineapple soft-serve ice cream EVER! A visit to Oahu is not complete without a Dole Pineapple ice cream. Once back in the car and on the road we headed towards the ship. I was really excited to be able to show off my home for the past three months to my mom and aunt. They loved my tiny cabin and all the decks. I unloaded a really big suitcase along with a lot of souvenirs. The ride from the ship location in Honolulu Harbor to the condo was about 20 minutes. Back at the condo I unpacked my bag of souvenirs and showed my mom and aunt all my new treasures. We also watched my skydiving video from South Africa!!! To say it was an amazing day is an understatement. I had a beyond awesome day and wish I could stay longer in Hawaii.

When we disembarked the ship the two girls in front of me kissed the ground. I was so so excited to be at a place that spoke the same language, had understandable currency, and familiar faces. While Hawaii felt familiar, it also felt foreign. Having not had all these luxuries for over 90 days, it felt very strange to read a menu in English, order food in English and drive on the ‘right’ side of the road. Some other startling things…. signals, silverware (no chopsticks), fresh air, safe streets, drinkable water, FDA approved food, laundry that smells like Tide and clean western toilets. It was also amazing to walk on the ship with a suitcase full of People magazines, Have’a’chips, a jar of peanut butter, trail-mix, my grandpa’s tshirt, waterpolo pictures from the Whittier game and clean smelling laundry.

Leaving tonight from Hawaii at 2400 hours and arriving in Costa Rica in 10 days. 10 days at sea + School Finals + 23 hour days + Rough Seas = Exciting! It is hard to believe that this whirlwind voyage is almost over. I do have to say that I think that I will be ready for home on May 9^th. Grandma- Chinese food on May 10^th? I’m ready to show off my newly acquired chopstick skills.

17 MORE DAYS! I love you!!!

Hello from the Great Pacific!

Hello from the Great Pacific!

Well, the Pacific is anything but Pacific. It took me a while to regain my sea legs after being in calm waters for the past month. Last night I was back to taping drawers and swiping counters. Everything ended up back on the floor. Dinner was rather entertaining. Every plate either had a hand on it or a napkin under it just to hold the plate on the table. It was like inhale food before it ends up on the floor. Its also fun catching air while lying in bed. I can hear when the bow of the ship (because our cabin is towards the bow) catch air because when it comes down the entire ship shakes. Fun!

Yesterday was our second April 15th, 2008! We are in some unknown time zone. I think we are now like 6 hours BEHIND California? I’m not sure. We lost another hour of sleep last night. Combined with rough seas and loss of sleep it is really difficult to get any school work done. I find myself waking up early to workout and try and accomplish something.

6 days until I get to see my mommy and Aunt in Hawaii. Still not sure where we are docking but I know that we’re set to arrive around 0600 hours.

Good Luck against CMS girls!!! I’m thinking of you!

Happy early Birthday Cat!

Hello from the Great Pacific!

Hello from the Great Pacific!

Well, the Pacific is anything but Pacific. It took me a while to regain my sea legs after being in calm waters for the past month. Last night I was back to taping drawers and swiping counters. Everything ended up back on the floor. Dinner was rather entertaining. Every plate either had a hand on it or a napkin under it just to hold the plate on the table. It was like inhale food before it ends up on the floor. Its also fun catching air while lying in bed. I can hear when the bow of the ship (because our cabin is towards the bow) catch air because when it comes down the entire ship shakes. Fun!

Yesterday was our second April 15th, 2008! We are in some unknown time zone. I think we are now like 6 hours BEHIND California? I’m not sure. We lost another hour of sleep last night. Combined with rough seas and loss of sleep it is really difficult to get any school work done. I find myself waking up early to workout and try and accomplish something.

6 days until I get to see my mommy and Aunt in Hawaii. Still not sure where we are docking but I know that we’re set to arrive around 0600 hours.

Good Luck against CMS girls!!! I’m thinking of you!

Happy early Birthday Cat!

Japan- Kobe, Hiroshima and Tokyo

The clearing process (immigration, customs etc…) to get into Japan was LONG. They used very high-tech equipment! MY temperature was taken to make sure I did not catch the bird flu (cousin!) in China and my pictures and fingerprints were also recorded. Everyone then had a formal interview with a customs officer! We finally got off the ship around 1300 hours and still needed to get our rail passes validated before we could catch the subway to the Shin-Kobe station to board the Hikari Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo. The shinkansen traveled over 100 mph before reaching Tokyo where we boarded another line to Mihama station aka DISNEYLAND!!! After about 4.5 hours of travel we made it to Tokyo, Disneyland! I can’t describe how comforting and welcoming Disneyland was! Everything was very familiar, comforting and happy. We took the monorail to our extremely grande Sheraton Grande Bay Disneyland resort. They had the most advanced, high-tech, weird toilet that I have ever seen! The seat cover was heated! After taking full advantage of free internet, making some phone calls on skype and enjoying a delicious 350 Yen cheeseburger we settled in for night.

Saturday we spent ALL day at Disneyland. I learned so much about the Japanese culture people-watching at Disneyland! It is a very high-paced Disneyland with strollers, kids, lines and popcorn stands everywhere. POPCORN- almost every little kid had a bucket with a string on it around their neck filled with all different flavors of popcorn, my favorite was seeing curry popcorn- GROSS! The kids just munch on popcorn all day. I even saw little toddlers in strollers downing popcorn! Also, almost all the rides were in Japanese!! The Japanese are extremely organized! The park opened at 830am and the four of us got there at around 8am to find long lines at the entrance gate!!! Every fastpass was sold out by noon and some of the lines were over two hours long. There was also a park called DisneySea with a bunch of other random rides (kind of like a wanna-be California Adventure). After watching the parade and using our fast passes for Splash Mountain we went back to our hotel to pick up our backpacks before boarding the monorail to eat at our 350 yen cheeseburger café called Becker’s burgers! We boarded the subway to the main JR Shinkansen station to catch our 2003 Hikari Express back to Shin-Kobe. It was a long day but was definitely worth it!

In the morning we left at 924 am for our 1 hour and 45 minute train ride to Hiroshima, where we visited the Hiroshima Castle and Memorial Park. Memorial park was very moving and emotional. The atomic bomb exploded 600 meters above the now named A-bomb Dome. The Dome was declared a World Heritage site in 1996 and is an ever-lasting reminder of August 6, 1945. The Museum was very well organized and was not bias like the Vietnam war remnants museum. It was strange to see young Japanese school girls still in their school uniforms posing for funny pictures infront of the A-bomb dome flashing the peace sign- so unreal.

The train system here in Japan is amazingly convenient and on time! I wish we had more time in Japan because with the Railpass you can practically do an entire city in one to two days depending on how much you really want to see. Everyone is so kind and helpful. I sat next to this kind older lady home last night from Hiroshima to Shin-Kobe. We had an entire conversation in Japanese. She spoke to me like I knew what she was saying and I just nodded and smiled. It was hilarious and fun.

Today, while the rest of the group left for Kyoto, I decided to stay in Kobe to have a day to myself. I tried to find the zoo but got on the wrong subway! It was an adventure. I ended up walking a mall. Everything is very expensive here with the rising Yen and the falling dollar. I treated myself to a Starbucks where I am right now using free internet before heading back to the ship.

We leave tonight and are at sea for 8 days until Hawaii. I have A LOT of school work- 2 presentations and a final paper due before we reach Hawaii. I’m really really excited because I get to see my mom and aunt in OAHU!!! The past two ports there have been more and more parents meeting us when we arrive and lugging their son/daughters enormous suitcases off the ship.

Thank you for the letters!! It is hard to believe that there is less than a month left of this whirl-wind adventure.

Japan Picts!

PICTURES!!! Asia!

R: Delivery McDonald's on a bike!
M: Me zip lining off the Great Wall
R: The Hyatt disappears into the clouds at 89 stories tall!






The Great Wall of China!!!













EVA AIR!!












L: Entrance to the Ming Tombs
M: Cherry Blossoms!
R: Sprite?







L: Lights of Hong Kong's highrise
R: CPK!!!!! in HK!!!

Shanghai, China Part II

Our flight arrived in Shanghai at 10:45pm. We took one of the sketchiest cab rides EVER but long story short we made it to the port. I’ve never been so happy to see the ship before in my LIFE! It was freezing outside and the wind didn’t help. The check-in line to get back into the ship was about 400 people long! Our group was about 150 or so people behind the gangway. There were only 60 people on the ship when it sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, the rest were in Beijing. I finally got on the ship around 1:15am, took a shower and threw all my clothes on the floor. Our room was spotless, as always because our steward Andrew is amazing. I noticed that I had a HUGE stack of letters on my pillow, so I put my headlamp on (because Lauren was sleeping) and opened each letter one by one. It was a great way to end a very long day.

In the morning I forced myself to get up at 8am to grab breakfast and tour Shanghai. Kristin and I left to hopefully find an internet café to book a hotel in Tokyo for our ultimate Disneyland adventure! The skyscrapers in Shanghai are something out of the future! It has the third tallest building in the world which looks something like a rocketship. Kristin and I toured a beautiful shopping market where we found a Starbucks and a McDonalds (to use its bathroom facilities which had all western toilets, thank goodness). We jumped in a cab to go to the Hyatt which had an 88th floor observation deck. We discovered that you had to pay 70 Yuan (about 10 dollars) to reach the top so we were over that. The Hyatt, located on the 52nd floor offered a decent view through the hazy and fog. It had rained all day and it was cold, windy rain. We had one of the nicest lunches that I ever had on the 56th floor of the Hyatt where we had breathtaking views of the river and the skyscrapers down below us. After a delicious, three course lunch we headed back to ship because we couldn’t find an inexpensive internet café. The ship was very warm, dry and welcoming. I had a lot of housekeeping things to take care of like emailing my advisor for registering for classes and cleaning up our room. I also started writing a paper for one of my classes. It was one of those days where you just want to stay in your PJs all day, eat chicken noodle soup and watch movies while its raining outside. I miss those days at home.

This morning we are back on the seas for two days until Japan traveling at a S-L-O-W speed of about 12 knots. I woke to find 3 more letters on my door! I love mail! Back to school mode with two more days of classes! I can’t wait for Japan and 9days at sea to see my mommy and Aunt in HAWAII!!!

China- Hong Kong and Beijing- Part I

WOW CHINA!

We arrived in the morning into Hong Kong harbor. Hong Kong has one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. There are high rise buildings EVERYHWERE. This was my first experince in a real big city!

Our ship docked at a mall, a very CLEAN mall. The mall was like an airport terminal but for ships. The first thing Kristin and I noticed when we walked off the ship was CPK!!! California Pizza Kitchen!!! GOOD FOOD that reminded us of home! Kristin, Shane, Lauren and I set off to take the subway to the "Ladies Market." This was also my first experience riding a SUBWAY! It was so much fun- like the monorail in Disneyland! At the ladies market there was almost any fake designer made products! Chanel, Gucci, etc... After total sensory overload we decided to eat at the "Portland cafe" where I ordered "western style rice" and practiced my chop-stick skills. Lauren left to catch her indy Beijing trip while Shane, Kristin and I went to the Space Museum (one of the best in the world) and watched a film on Black Holes in space. After walking around for a while and taking over the Sheraton to find postcards and stamps, we headed back to the ship to get ready for amazing dinner at CPK! After one of the best BBQ Chicken pizzas I've ever had ( I swear I've lost more tastebuds on this trip) we went to watch the infamous Light show. The show invovles over 40 high rise buildings where lights play with music. It was something from another world. All these huge buildings with lights dancing. After the 10 minutes show we didn't know what to do. I said that it would be cool to ride the subway again, so we took the subway to another market and then headed back to the ship to pack for our Great Wall expeditions. The ship's company dismissed alot of the crew in Hong Kong because it is cheaper to send them back to the Phillipines. They will be missed!

I woke up early to meet 15 people that I would be traveling with to Beijing to participate in the "Sleep on the Great Wall Tour". Traveling idependently is completely different from that of traveling with SAS. We had our own pace and our own schedule. Hope and I had a separate flight from everyone else so we had some time to kill in the humungous Hong Kong Airport! Our 3 hour flight to Beijing was rather uneventful besides the two music channels that they had on the plane that were in English. It was weird hearing songs that I've never heard before! Once at the airport, Hope and I couldn't find our group so we took a taxi to the street where I hostel was located. It was a confusing process considering, unlike Hong Kong, very few people speak English. We finally made it to our hostel where the rest of the group was waiting and we went out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant. At the resturant Pete decided to have Dog! I tasted it and it tasted like meat but I still felt guilty. Everyone went to bed pretty early in preparation for our Great Wall adventure.

At 830am we met our guide, Jason at our hostel. Jason works with The China Guide and is 25 years old. He was byfar the BEST guide I've had on the entire voyage! We departed for our 1 hour journey to the Ming tombs and 2 hours after that to the wall. The Ming Tombs are where all the emperors and empresses from the Ming Dynasty are buried. (the dates I have written somewhere) We toured the entrance to the tombs and then the underground palace. After the tombs and a two hour drive we reached the summit of the wall. On every hilltop there are signal/guards towers. The wall was all around us. We hiked forabout 45 minutes and saw a bollywood movie being filmed on one portion of the wall. Afterwards we descended to a small village where a delicious dinner was waiting. After dinner everyone grabbed two sleeping bags and a mat and head for the entrance. To reach the wall meant carrying my backpack, two sleeping bags and a mat in the dark up very very steep steps. We reached the wall and claimed our spot. The night was fun and I was surprised that I fell asleep early.

The sun woke us up at 6am where our tour guide came up and met us to begin our 10 km hike of this specific section of the wall. The route was anything but flat! Those ancient Chinese soldiers had to have the strongest calf muscles! About half way done we heard a large crack and then a long, loud rumble. It was probably the loudest thunderstorm I've ever heard. We were all hot and sweaty but it was freezing outside. The rain felt like needles hitting your skin! After about a 30 minuite walk in the rain we reached a bridge that took us to two more guards towers before reaching the exit point of the wall. To get to the bus meant either a 30 minute walk downhill or a 3 minute zip-line ride across the river. The zipline looked really sketchy and after some peer pressure I committed. I figured if I could jump out of an airplane 8,000 feet in the air I can zipline off the Great Wall. tThe guide decided that two of us were two light to go so we were strapped in together and thrown off the platform! It was really fun and went pretty slow! After our time with the "flying Fox" (the name of the zipline) we had a delicious lunch before beginning our long bus ride back to Beijing. We stopped at Olympic park to check out the "bird's nest" and the "cube." The bird's nest describes the elaborate architecture outside the stadium and the cube is the aquatics center that looks like a cube of water- pretty neat. Unfortunately there is still alot of construction going on so we couldn't get too close. Once back at the hostel, Hope and I walked around Beijing and the Bar district before finding a nutrious dinner of McDonalds. I never thought I would say this, but Chinese food does get a little boring after a while. I ordered by pointing and signing because there was no way I could read the menu in Chinese! It was funny! We also find the postoffice where I bought 20 postcards and stamps for under 6 USD! Things are surprisingly inexpensive here.

Today, Hope and I slept in and toured Tin'anmen Square, the Forbidden city and did a little shopping. I'm now back at the hostel and have two hours to kill before our group meets to take taxis to the airport. We have a 9pm flight from Beijing to Shanghai. Back to arriving in Beijing- When we arrive in Beijing and went to clear customs there were certain areas fro foreigners and citizens, but there was also a lane with a sign above reading "Olympians!" CRAZY!

Last night I was able to call people using Skype from the hostel. Skype has to be one of the best computer programs ever. It cost 3 cents a minute to call home and it sounded like my mom was in the next room. I miss family alot! I can't wait to get back to the ship to read my letters!

Tomorrow I have a full day in Shanghai before having to be back on the ship at 2100 hours. China has been a whirlwind and I still haven't really digested it all. The culture is something like I've never seen in any of the other countries- very unique and different.

I hope to blog on Shanghai before 4 days in Kobe, Japan. Kristin and I have a bullet train railpass where we plan to go to Tokyo and maybe Hiroshima.

P.S. This keyboard is kind of strange so mind the spelling errors...

Thank you for all your support!

Love, Megan

I survived a day in Hong Kong. This was my first experience in a REAL big city! I even mastered the subway in one day. I'll write a longer post later. Leaving for the Hong Kong airport to board our flight to Shanghai! It is suppose to be in the 50s and 60s and I can't wait for COLD weather! More later. Love, Megan

Arrived in Hong Kong!

Just arrived in Hong Kong. We were greeted by one of the most beautiful skylines in the world. There are skyscrapers EVERYWHERE! Today Shane, Kristin and I plan on checking out the world’s largest Buddha and the Space Museum. The ship is in a location where we have an awesome view of the famous Hong Kong light show. The best part about Hong Kong has been the WEATHER! It is actually COLD outside! I can’t wait to wear a JACKET! I leave for Beijing tomorrow along with 10 other students. 6 DAYS IN CHINA!! YIPPEE!!!

Happy Early Birthday Jenn!!

Malaysia!

Malaysia/Borneo- Left: Monkey!! Middle: Orang Utan Right: My roommates in our River Lodge! Linda and Tracey!

Left: YMCA Boystown- India
Middle: Taj Mahal
Righ: Meg, Natalie and I in India

Vietnam, like Malaysia, was so much more than I expected.

The ship taxied up the Saigon River to a dock outside of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is also known as Saigon. A group of Vietnamese women dressed in traditional clothes were holding a sign titled “Semester at Sea, Welcome to Vietnam.” It was a very warm welcoming. Many parents boarded the ship after we arrived because this port is the Semester at Sea Parent Trip. It felt comforting to see parents and definitely made me miss mine. With no plans the first day, Lauren and I decided to explore Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Destination Asia, the tour company that sponsored all of our trips funded a 30 minute shuttle from downtown HCMC to the ship. It was nice not having to bargain with taxi drivers and to also have a guaranteed ride to and from the city. The bus dropped us of a Le Loi Street where we walked ten minutes to Ben Then Market. The streets of Vietnam are like India minus the roaming cows, dirt, and old-fashioned means of transportation. Everyone and their dog ride a motorized scooter. The streets are decorated with helmets and motorscooters. The security liaison at the US Embassy said the most dangerous thing we would encounter in Vietnam was crossing the street. The first time we took the bold risk of stepping off the curb my heart was in my throat. Most crosswalks have pedestrian signs but are sometimes ignored. So Lauren and I followed a local’s lead as scooters dodged in and around us. It was very loud but we soon learned that if we walked one constant speed the driver of the scooter could easily dodge us. The difference between the streets in Vietnam and India is that in India the drivers do not stop and the streets involve much more activity by various kinds of transportation. In Vietnam there are millions of scooters and the occasional bus or car. The Market is also like nothing I have ever seen. Imagine tons of small Vietnamese ladies trying to sell their counterfeit Lacotse, Gucci, Chanel, Ralph Lauren shirts, purses, bags, shoes backpacks, suitcases, sunglasses, shoes, jewelry, wallets, shoes, pants, dresses and did I mention shoes? There was also an occasional DVD stand or handi-craft stand. Lauren and met a nice lady that spoke very limited English who led us to her wall of fabrics. It is a very popular thing to get clothes made here in Vietnam like dresses and suits. After a difficult fabric selection, measurements and picture drawing, all done with very limited English, the small lady took my measurements and rushed out of sight to the tailors. I was to come back the next day to pick up my pants, and dress all for $40 US dollars. Exciting. After the ‘marketed out’ we returned to the ship so Lauren could grab something she’d forgotten and to pick up Kristin. We embarked on another walk to find a restaurant that supposibly was called “Texas BBQ.” This Texas BBQ was recommended by a lovely Arizona couple who we met at a Juice café who have been in Vietnam for two weeks adopting a 9 month old baby girl, they said this place made you feel like you were in Texas. Texas= United States= comforting food= home! Well after a unsuccessful search of this BBQ restaurant we settled on Jaspas. Dinner had to be one of the best Hawaii Pizzas that I’ve ever had.

Friday, March 28^th- Woke up bright and early to go on a Service Visit to a local disabled school. Every semester students from SAS visit this school and give them a small donation that goes a long way! The school had 12 classrooms with students ranging from 4 to 14. All the students are either “dumb or deaf” as the principal described them. Robyn and I visited in the four year old classroom where we were greeted with six curious and eager faces. All the children wore hearing aids lacked communication. Some of the students at the school show long lasting affects of Agent Orange, the chemicals that were dropped on the dense jungles of Vietnam to kill the foliage so that the enemy could be seen. The children loved the stickers and bubbles that wer brought. The visit was very fun and eye-opening. After the early morning, Robyn and I took the shuttle into the city to pickup my clothes and go to the War Reminisce Museum. We were told by a local that the museum was not in walk able distance and that we must take a cab. Four of us took the cab ride that ended up being about 5 minutes. People will do anything to make a dollar! The Museum displayed various tanks, airplanes, jets, ammunition, gruesome photographs and memorabilia. It was interesting having every display in someway point blame to the US. This is a trend throughout Vietnam on the subject of the war. After a visit we walked back to the market and picked up my PANTS and DRESS!!! They fit perfectly and were made beautifully. My pants are made out of light weight brown linen and my dress is a summer dress, very light with embroidered flowers and blue polk-a-dots. I love them! Robyn and I decided that it would be neat to the see the water puppet performance that began at 6:30pm. We bought our $ 4USD tickets and enjoyed a very cultural water puppet performance. The music, set and puppets were gorgeous- bright red and gold. After a long day we headed back to the ship where I treated myself to a $2.00 hamburger on the 7^th deck pool bar. It was an awesome day!

March 29^th- It is hard to believe that it is already the END of MARCH! CRAZY!! I woke up bright and early for the two hour drive to Cu Chi Tunnels South of HCMC. Rush hour on the streets of the city is insane. Take the amount of people that start a marathon, put them all on motorized scooters with brightly colored helmets and horns and that describes the densely packed streets. The Cu Chi tunnels are just a section of the very intricate large tunnel system that the Vietnamese used during the war. The entrance to the tunnels is camouflaged by leaves and it about 14 inches by 10 inches-very tiny! The soldiers that used these tunnels had to be less than 120 pounds. In the park there is a shooting range where I shot an AK-47! It was so loud that my ears rang for two hour afterwards. I actually hit the target twice. Our entire tour was given the chance to go about 500 yards through one of the tunnels. There are three tunnels all at deeper depths. I made it to the second ‘story’ of tunnels and felt too claustrophobic and hot to continue. The tunnels are A LOT smaller than what I was picturing. Also, the sound of the shooting range was ten times as loud in the tunnels. It is hard to believe that people actually lived down in the Earth all while the enemy was walking above them. There were also large craters from B-52 bombs scattered among the park. It is clear that the Vietnam war affected many lives, even today. Walking around the streets of HCMC there are no old men because they all died- over 4 million Vietnamese! The rare occasion that I found an older man he was either an amputee or badly burned. Reading the Vietnamese account of the war gave me a completely different perspective of the U.S.’s foreign involvements in other countries. It also explains why other countries stereotype Americans.

Once back at the ship, Brittany, Robyn, Kristin and I took the shuttle bus back out to the city to find postage, the internet, buy rail passes for Japan and eat at Phu24. Unfortunately, the office that sold the rail passes closed early. Japan has a weird system where the passes must be purchased in other countries and is used for the bullet trains which travel up to 300km/hour! I’m excited for Japan! Kristin and I are going to try and do the entire thing indy! Anyway, after a disappointing search for the rail passes we decided to go to Highlands which is like a Starbucks but better! I know, hard to believe. Highlands serves sandwiches, sweets, and a variety of drinks. We all met up at Pho24 which we heard was a really good Vietnamese restaurant. We all shared spring rolls, and pho (Vietnamese Noodles) with beef. It was delicious.

Today a group of 30 students and I cruised the Mekong Delta by large boat, medium sized boat, row boat and ox-cart. The delta is so lush and green with large palm trees found everywhere. We visited a local coconut candy factory and a fruit tasting restaurant. The fruit was delicious- coconut, pineapple, jack-fruit, dragon fruit and mango. The local island benefits on tourism where everyone has a job. Our boat led us to a nice restaurant where I was a vegetarian for the day because I had heard sketchy things about the fish that still may be contaminated with agent orange. The fish turned out to be carp.

This ship is in a remote location where it takes a while to get anywhere. It took us two hours to reach the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. Tomorrow a group of SAS students are taking a deaf student to the local zoo. It should be a fun day. Brittany and I are hoping to buy our Japan Railpasses in the city before it closes at 5pm. It is weird that the railpasses have to be purchased outside of Japan. The rail system in Japan is one of the world’s best. The bullet train travels up to 300 km/hour! Kristin and I are planning on doing Japan indy. It is one of the safest country we will visit and we’re both really excited. We hope to visit Hiroshima and Tokyo.

I’m taking advantage of free internet at Highlands café in downtown HCMC.

Happy 21^st Birthday MAY MAY!!! I miss you!

Happy 21^st Birthday ROOMMATE (on the 6^th, I’ll be on the Great Wall thinking of you)!!! I miss you! Thank you for you letters!

Good Luck against La Verne girls! Go Regals!

23 days until HAWAII!!!

Thanks for the letters. Aunt Kelly- I DID get the heart rock in India! It is on my magnetic wall!!

Vietnam is amazing! Alot of history and the people are VERY nice. I'll write a more detailed post later. Miss you. Thanks for the letters! -Megs

I really didn’t know what to expect of Malaysia probably because I wasn’t finished digesting India. It only took us three days to go from Chennai to Penang. The seas were calm and we had occasional rain and beautiful rainbows.

The ship pulled into the harbor around 7am on the morning of the 19th. Different from any other port, the entire ship would be tendering or taking boats to the shore rather than docking in port. Penang is an Island of the Eastern side of Malaysia. The Island has skyscrapers all in front of lush green hills. My Borneo trip met at 0830 in the Union to board the first tender to shore to catch our 10:45am flight. Well, around 0930, the immigration officials had still not cleared the ship. Frantically, our passports were the first ones stamped and cleared and 30 of us boarded the first tender to shore, boarded our bus and sped to the airport. We left the ship around 9:50am and I was sitting in my seat on the airplane at 10:25am. Our flight was 45 minutes to Kuala Limpur (commonly known as KL) from Penang where we had a two and a half hour layover to catch our next flight. I bought an US Magazine and we had a healthy breakfast at Burger King. The next flight was on a Boeing 777 (the kind that seat 8 across) and conveniently I was in the last row of the entire airplane thanks to my last name- seat 48 D. We took off from KL for our 2.5 hour flight to Kota Kinabalu (KK) on lovely Malaysia Air. The flight was going well, some turbulence but nothing major. Right before the time when the plane was supposed to land the pilot came over the intercom saying that there was a plane stuck on the runway at KK and that the flight was put into a holding pattern until the plane could be moved. After 10 minutes the pilot came back over saying that we were to land in Brunei, a small country on the Island of Borneo, south of Sabah to “refuel.” The refueling took about 2 hours on the ground before finally taking off to land in KK. It was thunder and lightening outside but we still took off into the dark skies because by now it was 1800. The flight was very turbulent and then out of no where we hit an airpocket or got struck by lightening and dropped 100m. The freefall was in slow motion and was something out of the movies. All I remember was seeing the heads of the 20 rows infront of me fly sky high to the ceiling; get thrown across the plane and by some miracle, everyone ended up back in their seat. Jack, the girl sitting next to me who is also a SAS student didn’t have her seat belt on and actually hit her head on the ceiling. It was like a scene from a movie, babies crying, people praying. My hands were shaking. The worst part about it was that the pilot never came of the intercom to tell us what was happening! We didn’t even know when we were landing. All we heard was a big loud boom and then another and we were on the ground. The runway was so wet the plane actually slid to the side! Needless to say it was a very eventful flight and one that I will never forget. The entire group decided that the pilot wasn’t telling us the entire story. Once in KK we met our tour guide and headed to a cultural show and seafood dinner. The restaurant was on stilts over the water. There were all these tanks with snails, eels, fish, crabs, lobsters, mussels on the one side of the restaurant. Basically you point to which animal you wish to kill to eat and they prepare it- sketchy! Everyone shared their selected dish. I’m slowly mastering Chop Sticks- Glenn would be proud! Our hotel was very modern and the bed comfy. A handful of people from our group did karoke in the hotels “Lazer Lounge”- hilarious! Our director of Student Life and Field office coordinator sang a memorable performance of “ice, ice baby.”

It felt nice to sleep in until 6am. Today our trusty guide Darren was to take us to the Mt. Kinabalu Park in Sabah, one of the two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Mt. Kinabalu is about 13,000 feet tall and climbed by people from around the world. Every year they have an International climbathon to see who can climb it the fastest. The record was set by a man who did the 21km hike in 2 hours and 39 minutes! Crazy. After a three hour drive to the park we visited the beautiful botanical gardens. Borneo is home to the world’s largest flower! We hiked around the park, swam in the hot springs and did a canopy walk. While we were having lunch at the Rainforest restaurant it started POURING rain. I saw more rain on this trip than California has seen in the last 10 years! My clothes are STILL wet and my laundry smells of a potent mud smell. The canopy walk consisted of 6 suspended bridges. The bridges were made up of twelve foot ladders tied together by ropes with plywood placed over the rungs of the latter. There were two ropes to support the weight, that’s it! It was a ton of fun! After a long day at the park we took the 3 hour bus ride back to the hotel where we ate another seafood dinner and headed back to the hotel.

The wake up call for our third day was at 5am to catch our 45 minute flight at 0730 from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. I sat next to a really nice couple from Alberta, Canada who just flew into KK from their 10 hour flight. The next stop on the itinerary was the much anticipated Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation center where we were to watch an Orang Utan feeding. The platform that we stood on allowed us to see seven of these magnificent creatures. There were maqaok monkeys everywhere! After an exciting day at the center we left for our 2.5 hour speed boat ride up the Kinabatangan River. The river was beautiful! The water was a disgusting brown color but the bright green foliage that lined the river was mesmerizing. Occasionally we would see a large dark blob in the top of trees that were usually proboscis monkeys or wild Orang Utans. We even saw two venomous snakes and a crocodile! We stayed at a nice river side lodge with bungalows situated along the rivers edge. At dinner, we were not admitted unless we were wearing a sarong. The entire lodge sang songs and danced all night long, it was very fun!

The last day involved A LOT of traveling, almost 12 hours. In the morning the entire group boarded our speed boats again and headed down the river for our 2.5 hour journey back to the water taxi dock. We boarded the bus where we visited a beautiful Chinese Buddhist Temple that overlooked the entire city of Sandakan. Then we had lunch at the largest hotel in Sandakan before boarding the first of three flights to get back to the ship. Our flights were rather uneventful compared to the earlier flight. Our first flight was 45 minutes from Sandakan to KK, then 2.5 hours from KK to KL and then a 45 minute flight from KL to Penang. The entire group was thrilled to see the ship stationed off shore. The ship looks like a floating city of lights. After a warm, much anticipated, shower and a delicious mango smoothie from the pool deck, I settled into bed to read my pile of letters that Andrew, my steward, left for me on my pillow. A great way to end one of the best trips I’ve done so far.

In the morning, I overheard someone saying that it was EASTER! EASTER! My first Easter away from home, not at the Penna’s fishing or a sunrise service in Laguna. Growing up is hard.

Vanessa, Kristin and I headed to Starbucks to take advantage of their free internet. I haven’t seen a starbucks in over two months! I can’t tell you how comforting it was to be able to connect to the free internet with a green tea frappucino in hand. The U.S. is such a spoiled society. Starbucks was located in one the biggest vertical malls I’ve ever seen! This mall was 7 stories tall with an open courtyard in the middle. It was a very Asian mall. I swear Malaysia could survive on shoes, pirated DVD/ Video games, and massages. I bought 5 DVDS for 25 Ring git which is about 8 US Dollars- 27 Dresses, Mad Money, Juno, The Bucket List and P.S. I love you! Lauren, my roommate also got the third and fourth season of Grey’s Anatomy! After a 3 hour shopping spree, where the only thing I bought were DVDs, Kristin and I headed back to the dock to catch the tender back to the ship. The rest of the day I watched my new DVDs, caught up on homework and wrote postcards. I mailed 22 postcards from Malaysia because postcards and postage were unbelievably inexpensive. It was about 60 US cents to buy and send each postcard! Once everyone was back onboard an announcement came over the intercom saying that the ship would no depart until the morning due to the tides. I attended the Student led Easter service last night which was awesome. The ship community is blessed to have some amazingly talented speakers and such friendly people.

Malaysia really surprised me. Again, it may have been the huge contrast between India and Malaysia. The culture is largely influenced by Asia. On Peninsular Malaysia almost all the population is Muslim. In Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian states on the Island of Borneo, 33% are Muslim. Malaysia has an economic goal to be a first world country by 2020. I feel like this country was a little intro to Asia. If I had to choose my two favorite countries so far it would be Cape Town, South Africa and Malaysia.

We are cruising at an average speed of 19 knots through the Strait of Malacca. There are cargo ships everywhere and land on both sides of us. It is still strange to look out the window and see a ship so close. Our itinerary has not changed due to the uprising in Tibet which is comforting. We are scheduled to bunker in Singapore tomorrow to get fuel since we were not docked in Malaysia. Singapore is the cleanest city in the world. If you do not flush the toilet it is a $300 fine! It is also illegal to chew gum.

We arrive in Vietnam in two days. I do not have any big trips planned. It will be nice to stay on the ship, not fly anywhere and hopefully get some homework done. I am doing two service visits in Vietnam; one to a school for the disabled and another to the Hy Vong School for the Deaf where we are taking 12 students to the zoo! I also plan on visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels that the Viet Cong used during the Vietnam war and taking a trip up the Mekong Delta. The voyage is going to go pretty fast from now until Japan. We have on average 2-3 days between every port from now until Kobe.

I can’t wait until Hawaii where I get to hang out with Aunt Kim and Mom. I’m craving Mexican food- Cholo’s here we come!!!

Happy Belated Easter!

P.S. Free postcard site has not been working on the ship...

Just woke up at noon trying to recover from an action packed five days in India. I think it will be at least a month before I get the smell of India out of my hair, the grime from my lungs and the dirt off my skin.

I woke up at 6am on Tuesday to the smell of India that was looming off shore. We have yet to be greeted by a country with its welcoming beautiful smell. I can’t really describe it but I’ll try. It is like burning plastic and garbage mixed with the greasy smell of an old tractor. Like I said, I would try. We arrived into the port where the water was an oil slick. I swear I could see my reflection in the water. After arriving, which was rather uneventful, I went back to sleep before debriefing and woke up to hear the ship still hadn’t been cleared. The logistics of customs and immigrations in India is more complicated than any other country that we have been too. To leave the port I needed a landing card, Ship ID, copy of my passport, and customs declaration. Just to leave the port meant going through 4 guarded gates, dodging massive trucks, bikes, rickshaws and pedestrians. Like the Dean said IAWA, an acronym meaning India always wins, always.

I had a Service visit to a local YMCA Boys Town planned the first day. We boarded our bus to take on the death defying streets of Chennai. Driving in India is a death sentence. There are no lines in the road and when there are lines they mean nothing. The horn is used often as the driver switches gears just to let the other vehicle know that the vehicle is there. It is ridiculous. Any kind of transportation you can think of you will find in India. The streets are crowded with motorcycles, scooters, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, small cars, SUVs, small trucks, bigger trucks, buses in all sizes, regular bicycles, pedestrians… I could go on forever. With the amount of interesting, eye opening things I saw on the streets of Chennai, Agra and Delhi there is no way that I could even try to describe it in this blog. Words and pictures just do not even do it justice. Anyway, after we survived our ride to the YMCA Boystown the six of us got off the bus and walked into a large multipurpose room where we were greeted with the applause of over 100 young boys, ages 4 to 15. They were very well behaved, sitting on the floor waiting for arrival. They six of us and the 100 boys sang songs, played duck, duck goose and they even taught us a game. The barefoot, dirty boys live, eat, learn and sleep at boystown. It is like an orphanage where funding provides food, a roof and an education where they are trained in different vocations to prepare them for the intense India. The boys split up into different bunk houses with a house mom and it was evident that an older boy was like the leader of each of the houses. After we left boystown with a large goodbye crowd we had sometime to waste before dinner. I guess it is customary to EAT late here; breakfast around 7am, lunch at 2pm and dinner as early as 8pm. Food is a whole different post in itself- I’ll just say it looks like baby food and is very spicy but most dishes, when I got passed the look of it, tasted good and I haven’t gotten sick yet. (knock on wood) Our bus pulled into the YWCA where we met the president of the YMCA foundation in Chennai. There are over 32 centers in Chennai and over 500 in India! There was a large media crowd gathered where we were given shalls and a delicious western dinner- fried chicken, French fries and fruit. We returned to the ship around 9pm. I still needed to pack for my three day Delhi, Agra and Taj Mahal trip and try to get to bed early because both Lauren and I had to meet our trip at 3am to catch our 6am flight. To our surprise we couldn’t go to sleep because we were so excited.

The alarm went off at 245am to meet our trip. I was in Delhi/Agra/Taj Mahal Group C Bus 2. Try to remember that at 3am! All of my friends were in groups B and D so I had to make new ones. There were 40 people in our group headed by RD Amanda. I met three awesome girls on my bus- Natalie who goes to Chapman and lives in Irvine, Meg from Wisconsin and Courtney. Natalie became my “bus buddy.” We caught a 6am flight to Delhi where we were greeted with our buses and our tour guide who we called “Jay” because there was no way we could pronounce, let alone remember, his name. Our first stop was Qutub Minar which is the tallest stone sturucture in the world. Then we toured Delhi and saw the Iron Gate and Government Buildings. We had our first Indian Lunch at a banquet center before departing for our five hour bus ride to Agra. I slept most of the way to Agra and once we arrived we saw Tughlakaba before getting to our 5 star resort. The resort was like the Montage of Agra and is owned by the Sheraton. We were greeted with a flower lei and a dot was put on our forehead (I didn’t learn the symbolism of that). We walked down the marble entry way to the lobby where I found out that my roommate was going to be Katrina who goes to CLU too! She is a commuter, like Kristin, so I did not know her before the trip. Our room was beautiful. We went crazy when we discovered that we had HBO and MTV, both in English and feather beds!! I slept amazingly well after traveling for 18 hours but our wake-up call was 5:15 am so that we could watch the “sun” rise over the Taj!

Woke up bright and early and boarded our bus for the TAJ MAHAL!!! The call to prayer could be heard from our hotel. Natalie and I, along with everyone else were ecstatic! To get to the gate requires walking down a long street where hagglers try to sell anything and everything. Haggling is also another completely different blog. I believe that I am a professional bargainer now, between rickshaws and salespeople I think I’ve got it down. We entered the gate to the Taj but we had to pass through an archway before actually seeing it. The Taj was breathtaking and gave me goosebumps. It looked fake, like a background to a Hollywood movie. The group was set free and the four of us took hundreds of pictures. A brief history about the Taj Mahal- It is situated on the right banks of the Yamuna river and is made completely out of white marble. The inside of the Taj is a tomb where the Royal Emperor Shahjahan and the first Empress of India Mumtaz Mahal are buried. Shahjahan built to Taj for his beloved wife after she died giving birth to their 14^th child. The entire “crown palace” took 20,000 workers, 22 years to complete. The Taj is described as a “shrine of mystic love.” After watching the “sun rise,” although I don’t think I saw the sun once in India because of the smog, in the morning it just gets brighter, we left the Taj and returned to our hotel for breakfast. At breakfast I met a lovely older couple that are from Texas and part of a tour group visiting the India triangle- Agra, Delhi, Jaipur. After breakfast we checked out of our amazing hotel and toured Fatehpursikri, Agra Fort and then returned to the hotel for Lunch. After lunch we begged our tour guide to stop on the side of a street so we could shop. One of my proudest moments of India, besides bargaining was crossing the street!!! I survived!!! After shopping, where I purchased a light weight shirt, magnet and postcards, we went back to the Taj to watch the “sunset”. The Taj was much more crowded at dusk but still just as beautiful. After visiting the Taj we returned for the last time to our hotel for a boxed dinner and a ride to the train station. The Agra train station is nothing like I’ve ever seen, as mostly everything in India. Forty white people marching to the platform was quite a scene. We attracted beggars, mostly children tapping our legs and arms asking for money and food. The hardest was seeing children with birth defects and mothers holding their babies asking for money and food. If you give them something they will not leave you alone and it just attracts more, like feeding seagulls. Sad. Anyway, we had seen two trains come covering the rat infested tracks and both were jam packed with people standing and sitting. Although standing on a train for 2.5 hours to Delhi would have been an experience, I have to say that when our train arrived with individual seats I was VERY relieved. The train ride was exciting. Natalie and I played cards and I wrote postcards. I swear we ran over two bodies or animals while on the train. Twice we heard large thumps and everyone was like. “There goes another.” That may sound harsh but I learned to not be surprised by anything I saw in India, including dead bodies lying on the street. There were other SASers on our train and we all boarded buses to head the largest hotel in India- the Ashok. The Ashok is also a beautiful hotel. A bunch of us were saying how the cost of this trip could’ve been cut in half if we stayed in different hotels. Our tour guide said that with such a large group it was safer to stay in these high security hotels and when he said that, I didn’t complain and who could, we were in India! Katrina was once again my roommate and I was so tired I don’t remember falling asleep.

In the morning we had breakfast, although I was not that hungry and we boarded our buses again. We were going to visit Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, and again, the India Gate. Humayun’s tomb is like a Red Taj Mahal, built out of red sandstone. It is smaller, of course, but just a beautiful. The Ashok had a delicious lunch waiting. All three groups of the Delhi, Agra, Taj Trip had different flights flying out of Delhi to Chennai that day. My bus’s flight left at 7:30pm. We visited the Rajghat where Ghandi was cremated, in a pyre, the M.K. Gandhi Museum where he was assassinated and the Indira Ghandi Museum. The M.K. Ghandi Museum was very moving and emotional. Here a very influential man in the world’s history lived his last 144 days before being shot in the chest to death on January 30^th, 1948 on his way to the prayer room. His bed, glasses, walking stick, eating utensils and paperwork were all there. After leaving the Museum we left for the Indira Ghandi House. No relation to the famous M.K. Ghandi, Indira was the daughter of a Prime Minister in India. She was the first woman prime minister in India and had a very influential impact on India’s development at the time. She was assassinated by one of her bodyguards at the house. Her son then took the position and he too was assassinated by a suicide bomber. After visiting the museums we left for the airport. The security at the airport is much like that in America. There is a male and a female line where you are patted down and then you may enter the terminal. Our ENTIRE flight was SASers! It felt great to be getting back to the ship. As much as I loved India, I have never felt more at home on the ship. I feel so fortunate to be able to call the ship my home. It was, again, another long day of travel.

So I did something in India that only one other student did on the ship! I went to the Dentist! I know, scary, but it wasn’t that bad. Tuesday when we arrived one of my recent fillings was really sensitive. The last time this happened I needed a root canal. A root canal in India?!? SCARY! The night before I was to leave for my three day trip I found the nurse on call. She contacted Medex, the foreign insurance I have through ISE. Medex contacted a dentist in Chennai who could see me and one other student who needed an appointment on Saturday at 1300 hours. Linda, one of our amazing nurses accompanied us to the office. The appointment went well, but finding the clinic and getting back to ship is another story. We left an hour before or appointment because it was 7.5 km away and in India that small distance can take an hour. After our tax driver pulled over and asked three people for directions, we finally pulled up to a nice looking house with a sign that read Dr. Krishna Baba. We walked up to the home where we were greeted by his wife and instructed to take off our shoes. The small clinic had one chair and was very clean. There were two dentist there- an entotontist and a peritonitist. (Not sure how to spell those). I was the first to go and Linda stayed in the room with me. They asked me all these question about the filling. They did not take an xrays but removed my filling with no Novocain. It hurt a little but not too bad. He refilled it and said that my tooth was still alive and I did not need a root canal. Seriously the best thing I have heard in a long time. He refilled it and so far, I’m as good as new. I took pictures!! While the other guy went I talked with the dentist’s wife who told me all about their two daughters who went to school in Alabama and are now married and live in Banglore, south of Chennai. What an experience. I can now say that I’ve been to a dentist in India!!! Haha. The best part about it…it cost 1000 Rupees or $40 US Dollars!! Getting back to the ship was another adventure. Drivers get commission wherever they take you. So when our driver stopped, Linda put her foot down. We got out of the cab and started walking. The driver followed us and kept cutting us off. It was obvious the only two words he knew in English were Maam, No Problem and Yes. Imagine any conversation with just those three words! We found a auto rickshaw driver that took us to Spencers Plaza, a local mall. I have never felt more haggled in my life. I think everyone thinks because we are American we have lots of money and can just spend it! This has happened not only in India, but in all the countries that we have visited. After returning to the ship, I made some phone calls back home to let them know that I still had a tooth and was alive. This is also the first country where I have felt some serious H.S. (homesickness). Maybe it was because of my tooth or the extreme poverty I witnessed, I don’t know. I was REALLY REALLY excited when I returned from my trip to find 8 letters waiting on my pillow. It was also clear that our steward, Andrew, got bored- our cabin was spotless! I read each letter about 4 times before putting them in my Ziploc bag of letters.

Like I said, there is no way that I could describe all that I saw. I think I saw more animals on the street than most zoos. Llamas, horses, holy cows, camels, elephants, chickens, dogs, cats, donkeys… I also saw more men urinating on the streets than I cared to see. Another thing I noticed in India, which may explain the smell, there are no such thing as a trash can on the streets. Trash is swept up into piles and just lit on fire, in the middle of the street or wherever it is swept up. Cow Patties are used as fuel to cook, water is a precious and scarce and food is sold on every street corner. Imagine Tijuana, worse times 1000 with millions more people. Delhi’s population alone is 16 million. India has the second largest population in the world next to China with 1 billion people. That is 1/6^th of the world’s population!

I don’t remember leaving India because I was passed out at about 9pm! With a 1.5 hour time change, Lauren and I woke up to the noon announcements. Today (Sunday) is a no class day so that we can catch up on school work, sleep and staying healthy.

I have a 4 day trip planned in Malaysia to Borneo, an island in Indonesia!

Thanks for all your comments, letters and love! 54 days down, 54 more to go!