Happy Thanksgiving! And Japan :]

A few things I didn't mention: People in China pronounce their "a"'s as "er"s. For example (because you will surely hear me talking like this) Today while in Chiner I sawr a Pander Bear! Also- this is probably a very ethnocentric view.... but you know how you see a lot of Caucasian women with Asian(typically Chinese) babies? All of China I kept seeing blond haired- blue-eyed Caucasian babies with Asian mothers- I kid you not! Also going to Chinatown in China... that was priceless! :] DO IT!

Happy Thanksgiving all! (Even though it was yesterday for me). Thanksgiving on the ship doesn't even compare to real Thanksgiving, and it barely felt like it, but I was surrounded by great friends who have essentially become a part of my family- so it was amazing in that sense.  In China a bunch of our crew sadly left, including our head chef- our replacement chef is a hefty American chef; translation- The food is better by everyone else's standard- I still eat PB&J's :p   But the food has become less starchy, and of better tasting quality.

Alright! So Japan. As the MV berthed in Yokohama, we had a band greet us to Japan! Their port was awesome- we had a great skyline view with beautifully lit buildings, and apparently the world's largest Ferris wheel. (Although it didn't look that big). First- everyone on board had to go through a special immigration process- This was intense, no lies; humorous- but fierce. We got called through to the terminal (which by the way we walked through crazy amounts of attachments to get off the ship) by Sea, and stood and awaited instructions. We had to receive our passports which was stuffed with papers, then stand in line and wait to be called. Once called we had to hand our passport to the immigration people, put our fingers in these scanners, push down, and get our fingerprints recorded, after that or photograph was taken, and then they handed us our passport where we proceeded to go through a checkpoint with scanners for our bags- then we were free to explore Japan! Our passports had to be on us at ALL times. Japan is awesome, but very strict when it comes to foreigners- they're not mean at all, they just have harsh policies is something bad happens. Please keep in mind that at our pre-port we were required to watch a video on how to go through immigration- Americans aren't THAT dumb- did we really need to watch a 5-minute video on how to stand in a line, get finger printed, and our photos taken? Hahaha. Anyways- Anna, Chloe, Jennifer and I decided to go to a place called Sea Paradise- on the outskirts of Yokohama. We went to the post office and ATM first, since it's a 5-10 minute gorgeous city walk from the ship- and super simple. PS- For any of you going on SAS- when you get maps, especially of Hong Kong and Japan- things look REALLY far away- but they're incredibly close, which is awesome. Just a pointer. We happened to be in Japan when a holiday was about to start, so I took out a majority of money I would need the entire time in Japan. *** This is crucial*** If you are going on this trip- especially to China and Japan; here are a few pointers: DO have a VISA card (I have a MasterCard and it was INSANELY difficult to find an ATM to accept it), also- DO bring cash, and save it/ exchange it for these countries- A LOT of places in China and Japan surprisingly do NOT take credit cards- yes this means McDonald's too. The Chinese and Japanese typically do not pay for things on credit, so cash is something you should always have on you.

Also- for those of you crazy kids who like pocket change like I do- you're in luck! Change is a great thing to have in all countries, especially in markets- or when you go out to eat with friends. Rule of thumb- just keep cash on you at all times.

My first major observation was that Japan is an incredibly quiet country. Which I absolutely love about it.

Alright. Yokohama is absolutely gorgeous, and the weather was ideal. Crisp cool air, sun shining- but not too much, just the right temperature for Fall. After walking around town for a little, we hopped on the Metro (which you will ride constantly in Japan), and headed towards Sea Paradise. Once there- it was like a ghost town, there were no other SASers (which is awesome). Sea Paradise is a small theme park, with an aquarium, and restaurants, and so on. The aquarium was awesome- and I highly recommend going here- we didn't go on any rides because that was a separate pass from the one we got, and because the next day we were going somewhere a little special. We got to play with and pet penguins, whales, and dolphins! The penguins came down the stadium steps dressed in little Christmas outfits! It was absolutely adorable! I attempted to get a photo of my gnome and the Christmas penguin we could take photos with...and lets just say, my gnome got attacked by the penguin, several times- He has since recovered, but let it be known that Japanese Christmas penguins do NOT like lawn gnomes. :] After a fun-filled day at sea paradise and many polar bears, and penguins later- we arrived back to the ship around sunset and wound down from our day. The next morning Anna, Chloe, Jennifer, Kelsey and I got up early, headed to breakfast and set out to Tokyo (mind you Chloe and I were staying off the ship at this point- so we brought our clothes for 3 days with us). An assortment of metro systems and trams later- we arrived at... don don don dah- Tokyo Disney! We decided to go to the Seven Seas park- since it is unique to Japan. There was small mellow drama in the beginning and we ended splitting into a group of 3 and 2. Anna, Chloe and I went on a bunch of odd rides, which of course were all written about in Japanese so we had no idea what to expect- which was awesome, because we went on a ride called "Center of the Earth" and it was like a crazy space scene underground, followed by a surprise roller coaster drop outside, then back underground. It was awesome. So many people in Japan assumed that we spoke Japanese (but I suppose a lot of us assumed they spoke English- which a lot did not- just like China) which is funny because when they'd tell us safety instructions and what not- we had no idea what they were saying to us- who knows they probably said "We just made you wait 2 hours for a crappy ride" or something ludicrous. Ha-ha Just kidding.  Continuing on- we just had an amazing day there. It was a lot of fun, and 1 day was just not enough to see it all. We all met up at the center globe, and headed to the trams- where Chloe and I would then part from the rest of the group returning to the ship to go to Kobe. Chloe and I reached Tokyo around 7pm or so, and we spent 2 hours attempting to get out of all the crazy tram stations (plus we got distracted by Hello Kitty items). Once we got to the street we attempted to look for a place to stay; Now would be a great time to mention that if you're staying in Tokyo- I highly recommend getting booked reservations in advance. Anyways, our night consisted of 2 hours of searching, a whole lot of talking to guards, and random people on the streets, cab drivers, hotel concierges calling other hotels to see if there was room, and a whole lot of frustration. Chloe was on the verge of an emotionally break down because it was now around 11pm in Tokyo and we got rejected from a bunch of hotels because they were either all booked, too expensive, or for men only. We seriously almost slept in a 24 hour McDonalds. You laugh now- but wait till you hear where people slept! People slept in game rooms, Starbucks, clubs (which by the way stay open until 2pm...not am, yes kids 2 PM), people slept at random strangers houses, it was crazy- because 80% of people didn't have plans. But I kind of liked having the thrill of not knowing if you were going to find a place to stay- and what a great experience to say you slept in a game room in Tokyo. (I know I must sound insane to everyone reading this, but if you go on the trip you will completely understand- your comfort level and confidence will sky rocket). So- we call this hotel- Asia Central Hotel (Stay there!) and they said they were all booked- just as we were about to hang up the phone and head to McDonald's they screamed "WAIT" by luck- a room had just opened up. $120 USD for the night- so split between 2 = 60 dollars which is AMAZING- especially for a hotel in the business district of Tokyo. We take a cab (which has automatic doors that pop open, and shut), to the hotel, we get out, go inside and we're immediately greeted with the friendliest people on earth, whom I am pretty sure spoke better English than us. We thanked them so much, chatted with them for a while, and headed to our room. The hotel was pretty nice. They gave you complimentary water, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a "woman's package" with random necessities any girl could need, an all inclusive breakfast buffet voucher, as well as the best service known to man. The room wasn't that big- but other than that the hotel was amazing- and you stick your key into this power strip in order to turn everything on- that was kind of neat. -Chloe and I decided to head out since we were starving, and we wound up at an Italian restaurant named 1830 (I recommend it)- where I proceeded to have some of the best gnocchi known to man. (Almost as good as my families). After that Chloe and I unwound- went back to the hotel, talked of our plans for the next day, and watched sumo, and Japanese game shows. Also- we got familiar with using bidets (which I am in love with).

So the all inclusive breakfast... AMAZING! They had breads, cereals, some Japanese cuisine, fruit cocktail, and... STEAMED WHITE RICE. I had steamed white rice for breakfast! I knew it was going to be an amazing day after that. Chloe and I got a billion maps on how to get to the train station, and how to get to do all the things we wanted to in Tokyo.

We found a Capsule hotel (which I wanted to stay in but a lot are for males only) called Ace Inn, so we decided to stop and make reservations there before we headed out for the day. Just as Chloe and I got onto a metro I hear "SAM!", all I could think was "That is NOT a traditional Japanese name (although it is very prevalent in Ghana). I look out to see Cav, Drew and Paulo, a few friends of ours from the ship! They hopped on the metro and we all discussed what we did the night before and what we were doing that day. Turns out that not only were they going to sleep at the Ace Inn like us- they had JUST come from the same hotel we spent the night at! Only they had pulled an all-nighter in the lobby since Chloe and I had taken the last rooms apparently just before they got there :] Small world.

Here was my list of things to do in Japan:

Go to the Anime Street to take pictures for all my Anime friends, and to enjoy quite a production: Fail- did not find it.

Find REAL Ninja Stars, and go to an underground Ninja range where you can throw ninja stars at targets: Fail- sort of, I'm pretty sure the underground ninja ranges are either fake- or very secretive since they're most likely illegal. Although I did find dulled ninja stars which were real.

Get a photo with my tattoo and Japanese kids: Fail :[

Go to a Sumo Match: Fail- It was out of season in Tokyo- and to get to one it was further than Hiroshima- probably 8 or so hours away. (Please note- find out what season you'll be in Japan, and just Google the Sumo seasons and where they're located during which months before your trip)

Go to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Hot Springs

Go to a Modern Toilet Restaurant- Fail- couldn't find any- go to the one in Hong Kong!

Keep in mind- I am sure these are all doable things- but you will be moving 24/7 and probably running on no sleep, and it will cost a lot of money! Also- I did NOT buy a rail pass, and I thought it was cheaper to go by metro everywhere. My ticket from Tokyo to Kobe was about $120, but Rail passes are $300, and you can get to Kyoto by metro for $10. So unless you plan on going to a BUNCH of places all over Japan- I would not but a rail pass for the 6 days we're there- but that's just my opinion.

So it sounds like I didn't do anything in Tokyo- but I still had a blast. Chloe and I went to Condomania (hilarious store- I recommend it), Kiddy Land (this sounds dumb but is 7 or 8 floors of pure bliss- they have an entire floor dedicated to Snoopy, one to Hello Kitty, and so on. Then we went to Harajuku St. - which consisted of a lot of expensive shops such as Oakley, Burton, and also some crafty funky shops, and used clothing shops. It was quaint and a lot of fun. PS- I don't know if it rains a lot in Japan, but they are obsessed with umbrellas! They have umbrella shops like NYC has Starbucks- and a lot of their umbrellas are adorable, and about $5! :]

We then went to Tandimori street?

Please know that Sunday is the prime day to go and see Harajuku girls. Also know that this is a VERY crowded street. Please also realize that you may see Harajuku girls, but it's not like they're standing around and autographing things- they're walking around in the crowds, and shopping just like everyone else. They occasionally pose to take pictures with tourists and to be photographed by professional photographers, but a lot of people did not think that this was the Harajuku set up.

After lots of photos, and one fluffy zip-up later, Chloe and I headed  back to our inn after a full day of shopping. Back at the capsule we were discouraged to find out that our entire floor of the hotel was SAS kids- and kids from USD at that. (Not all USD kids are bad- but when grouped together...eeekkk- And the stereotype of dumb Californian blond valley-girls- definitely TRUE). Shoes are always taken off in the lobby of the hotel and slippers are used to walk around in (but I just chose to walk around in my socks)- you pay 1 yen for the showers, and these capsules were not the crazy space ones that you may have heard of (those a generally $50 and more a night and are typically male-only) instead we stayed in what looked like wooden boxes in the wall, with a curtain at the end as a door. (You do have lockers to store items in- but they're typical the thin lockers that don't hold much) I'll show everyone photos when we get home, but capsule hotels are generally cheap, and a fun experience. But do note that a lot of them have curfews. Ours was closed from 2:00 am to 5:30 am- so if you went out, you stayed out. They also typically have a common area where everyone from all floors can hang out. This is where I spent a majority of my time, where I met 5 Australians, a kid from Canada, one from Iran, and two girls from the states who are in the JET program (people who teach English). We all had an awesome time, made fun of SASer's and loud Americans, made runs to the 7-11, and drank a corn beverage as well as a vitality drink while playing Where's Waldo- which was clearly in Japanese (but you don't really read Where's Waldo anyways.

!!! Breaking Story- I discovered that Waldo loses an item in almost every page, and if you search the page- you can find the item he has lost! Yes- I am easily amused. By 2ish, a bunch of the gang decided to go to a club- but I was discouraged by the $40 cover charge on top of the insane costs for drinks - especially since I don't drink- so I decided to catch up on some ZzZzZzZ's.

Well... that didn't happen, because no sooner than I was ready for bed, the SASer girls came back from the club- without focusing my entire blog on the density of them- they were inebriated beyond all belief, one girl thought she ;lost her wallet, one girl went of with some random guy from the club, and another thought she lost her passport (Which by the way you do NOT want to do in Japan- because they will deport you, and you are automatically not allowed back on the ship, and kicked out Japan, and you then lose credit for all your classes, and cannot complete the voyage- just an FYI). After an hour or so of this soap opera, the Cali boys came back and added to the loud octave level. By this time it was 4ish in the morning, and I hadn't slept for 1 day, and had constantly been on the go. Finally the lights went out. Now... keep in mind my friends also went out, and Drew made up a knocking system- where if he knocked twice- he was coming over, and if he knocked 3 times, I was to go to him (the pods AREN'T as small as people say they are- we comfortably fit 5 people in a pod sitting- and could easily fit 2-3 laying) So... I heard a knock- and thinking it was Drew- opened my curtain. To my surprise- there standing on the ladder, was a random Japanese man who said "Hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Now- I had only gotten a little sleep at this point, and was obviously tired, I didn't understand why he was there, on the ladder to my pod. He continued to speak to me, and to this day I have no clue if it was English or Japanese- all I know is- he came into my pod and sat in there for an hour talking to me. I do not even remember what type of conversation we had- and then he left. This definitely was not a dream, and I wasn't drunk k...this is a true story- and it was absolutely crazy- but definitely hilarious.

Unable to sleep I headed downstairs and saw my friends Marissa and Araceli- who were headed to Kobe on an early train. It was 5:30 or so by this time- my crew still wasn't back from the club. Just then- Chloe and them walk in, and I told Chloe that I was going to hop on the train to Kobe with them so I could go back and get some sleep. Chloe joined- and we all made it to the station, and boarded the train towards our ship. Tokyo was a lot of fun, but crazy and tiring, especially since ports have been so close together, and since we have to advance an hour almost constantly. Spring Voyage- you have it made by gaining all these hours we're losing! :]

Wooo okay- winding down- we passed Kyoto by train, and it was gorgeous from what I could see. Out of all the people who went to Kyoto I did not hear one person say anything other than it was breathtaking- so I would highly recommend going. When I got back, I unpacked, slept and showered, and then slept some more since I picked up a cold in China. The next day, our last day, I went out with Jennifer so we could explore the port of Kobe. I'm not going to lie- I did not like Kobe. There was absolutely nothing to do in Kobe- our day consisted of spending the last of our yen, and going to china town. It was a good but frustrating day since no ATM took my MasterCard- and no stores/restaurants took credit cards. At least I spent less money this way.

In somewhat of a conclusion...Japan is incredibly safe, and full of wonderful and very helpful people. They bow repeatedly for thanking (which you will see me do) and say "Hi, hi, hi" a lot- which I think means "yes" or something of that nature.

As a tourist it is our duty to take so many pictures of the toilets in Japan. They're pretty awesome, and have so many buttons!

I'm obsessed with the Japanese, and their phones that have u33239897398 trinkets hanging off of them! And the fact that kinky means happy. So at 8am people will say "Is everyone feeling kinky?!?!?"- It's great!

Also- The trains and metros have such fun music for when the train is approaching! I even heard a jazzy version of the itsy bitsy spider!

Christmas was all over Asia! And it put me in the mood to be home, and be baking, and bundling up by the fire! :] Japan celebrates Christmas as a holiday of love, and not for the religious reasons many others do.

We had a Farewell reception on the ship where we learned origami and how to write calligraphy- Japanese style. It was definitely a lot of fun- and I got to meet a bunch of University students who were incredibly sweet.

I think that is about all for Japan- my blog is late because it is crunch time on the ship. Not only does everyone have a zillion papers, projects, and FDP's due in each class- but with work I am going crazy. I am throwing a "Spirit Week" this week so people can have a little fun on this long stretch, and our team is preparing for the ball and live and silent auctions that we're putting together. It's definitely a mentally stressing workload, and I am burnt out from this voyage.

I love being on this ship, and having the experiences I have had, and spending time with the friends I've made- but with the Holidays around the corner, I am ready to be home with my family and friends back in the States.

I will end this entry here. I am excited for Hawaii, but I want to see my White Christmas.

Happy Holidays! And enjoy not having classes on Thanksgiving :[                      :p

Much love

-Sam

Let’s talk about Shanghai! I am absolutely in love with Shanghai- and many disagree with me, but that’s their issue. It was a lot colder in Shanghai, and I think that is why I liked it, it reminded me a lot of back home, and the weather I have been missing out on :] the port was nice here too. China is crazy- they went right from summer, to winter this year, without a fall, so the Grass is green and its 5 degrees out- I love it. I had nothing planned the 1^st day, so I decided to hop onto the city orientation tour- which was definitely worth it. I fell in love with our tour guide Josh. We headed to the Vu (pronounce ‘you’) gardens, and the jade Buddha temple, as well as had lunch  right next to the Oriental Pearl Tower (look it up) Shanghai is famous for their skyline. We went to a market, saw Nanjing Road (which is basically really touristy, and contains almost all department stores)  then we headed to dinner, and got to view and acrobatic show, which was awesome. My second and last day in Shanghai, most of the Great Wall SAS and Independent trips came back , and I went on a trip to a water village. The water village was incredibly interesting, even if it was pouring and cold, I loved every minute of it. On both this trip, and the City Orientation I made friends with J.P. who is an engineer, and the head of ISE, who happens to idolize Patricia Cormier (Longwood’s Dean of the University).  I was hoping to get back early, because all I wanted to do in all of China was ride the Maglev. On ship time was 6:00pm, and our trip got back at 4:00pm :[  The traffic was awful, but on top of that Obama happens to be on his Asia tour- and what were the chances that he was in Shanghai while we were? Well he was, and he held up traffic. I was bummed, but we got free food vouchers because they couldn’t hold lunch for us on the ship, and I was absolutely dying since I had only eaten a banana for breakfast at 7am   They kept forgetting my order (Zerio Luck) and I waited an hour for a 5 minute pizza to be cooked -_- I was bitter, cold, and starving, and definitely NOT a happy camper. So then I went down to Tymitz Square- and to our entire ships surprise they decided to give us all extra time in port, so we didn’t have to leave until 12:00pm the next day! I grabbed my friends Jennifer and Cristina and we headed to hail a cab to the closest metro to head towards the Maglev.

For those of you who don’t know- the Maglev is the world’s fastest train, and like its name implies, it has no wheels. It levitates while using magnets to keep it afloat. This is the equivalent to the Great Wall for me. Well we get our metro tickets, and we got there just as one was leaving, Cristina and Jennifer ran into one, while I got bombarded with Chinese business men, and like in classic movies, Jennifer and Cristina were inside the Metro waving to me, as I stood on the platform. I had missed the Metro, but after my bad day, I just laughed it off. I caught the next tram- and headed towards the Maglev. The Maglev has only one stop- the Pudong Airport- It’s top speed is 430 km/hr which is roughly 268 mph or something crazy like that, and depending on what time you go on the Maglev, depends on the speed you will be traveling. It takes 7 minutes to get to the airport, and if you pass the other Maglev on the way- the effect makes it feel as if you’re going 700 km/hr- or around 500 mph or something intense like that, and we passed another Maglev! How crazy. I was so excited to be on the one goal I had for China. :] The three of us spent about 2 hours in the airport, and had a ridiculous amount of fun. Yes, I can even make airports fun, I am that scwveet. We rode the Maglev back- stopped at McDonald’s for Jenn, where we encountered the first McDonald’s she had ever been to that did not take any credit cards- cash only.  It was interesting. We also saw a McDonald’s delivery guy. Who no joke, rides a red glittery moped with a yellow M encrusted on it- and it looks like he’s wearing a space suit. I have photos- it was great!

When we got back to the ship Cristina and I  headed outside in the cold rain to take photos with the Shanghai skyline. The next morning Kim, Cristina and I headed out on the mission of going to the Shanghai World Financial Center (aka the 2^nd tallest building in the world)- It is 101 stories, and on the 100^th floor there is a glass walkway so you can see all the way down to the ground. Unfortunately it was too cloudy, so we ended up just being in the basement of the building. So we went to nearby Jinmao tower which hoists the tallest hotel in the world. Its lobby is on the 58^th floor I believe; and we got a spectacular (and free) view from there. After that we went to the Pearl tower, and rode up as far as we could go, where they also have glass so you can see to the ground. I believe this is the world’s 3^rd tallest building, but I am not positive on that. With a few hours to spare before on ship time, I NEEDED to have my favorite dish in China. We went to a street vendor where I order the most fantastic bowl of white rice ever! I was in heaven :] we came back to the ship, and I had completed all I had wanted to do in  China.

Here’s where I will share with you some reactions.

China and Hong Kong =  Remarkably different- Hong Kong has a huge imprint of the British left with them, and drive on the left side of the road, where as in mainland China, they drive on the right.

Surprisingly, for as advanced as China can be, unless you’re in the business district there is a huge language barrier- especially in Beijing (I didn’t go- but others told me).  The products actually sold here- are generally really poor quality. The toilet situation… well…

Bring your own toilet paper- and go to the restroom before you leave the ship/hotel you’re in. You either come across toilets that are flat-faced to the ground (like in other countries), or you get the experience of the most high-tech toilets ever. My friend went to the highest bar in the world (in Shanghai)- and when you walk into the stall, the toilet seat detects you, the lid opens, and lights turn on, when you’re down, it also detects this, and will wipe and dry you. It also has a control panel to hand operate it if need be. Also in China- they have the Modern Toilet Restaurants (go ahead- Google it). They started in Taiwan, but have them in China and Japan, I plan on going to one in Japan for sure.

 Also- I took my photo off the wall because I thought it was goinbg to fall on me and kill me. I feel like at this point in the journey- If I am to die, I don't want it to be because I was impaled by a gigantic ugly picture hanging in my room on board the ship.

I am sure I am missing a bunch of things, but it is seriously crunch time on the ship for everything. We are down to having one class day in between ports, so it’s getting kind of crazy. I will leave on the note that yesterday I was deathly ill, and Gio, the love of my life (my husband- I’ll tell you about that sometime) came to my rescue, and I cannot thank him enough.

Until next time… I’ll be in Japan tomorrow- how insane is that?!?!?

Hong Kong Lovin'

So we just got into Hong Kong, China- and let me tell you, Hong Kong might as well go back to being its own country separate from China. It’s like day and night between the two. Hong Kong has its own flag, its own currency, and they speak Cantonese- not to mention the politics are a lot different. Hong Kong is very much like NYC. And at night- the skyline is absolutely stunning. Every night from 7-10 pm Hong Kong’s buildings put on a light show- its amazing!

In our pre-port the deans said that we would literally be inside the mall when we came into port- now clearly no ship is going to fit inside a mall! How ridiculous. But let me tell you, our ship was as close to being in that mall as anything. Our ship docked on port side, and instead of our usual gangway that brings us from 5^th deck to the ground- we had one of those airplane walkways attached to our ship- and we crossed through it, and literally the only way to get out of our ship was to go through the mall. Talk about marketing us to buy things! The mall was huge, and crazy expensive. The entire lower level was all for baby clothes with stores such as Burberry, and Louis Vuitton baby edition. Crazy! But trust me, after shopping in markets, you will have absolutely no desire to ever go to a mall again.

Kelsey and I decided to discover Hong Kong on our own. We had a list of things to do, and so we headed out. When we got off the ship and out of the mall- to our surprise HKG was decked out in Christmas galore. It was mostly pink and purple decorations, but none the less they had Christmas trees, music, snow globes, the whole 9 yards- it was awesome.  The thing about Hong Kong (HKG) is that we actually weren’t in HKG yet- the ship is technically in Kowloon. So we had to take a ferry to HKG, which cost the equivalent of 30 cents and takes 7 minutes, and it’s kind of fun! Once we got into HKG- everything looked so big and confusing- but in reality everything was much closer than the map insinuated.  Because Kelsey and I are not your average kids, our first stop was the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; for anyone in business, or invested in stocks like us, you’ll recognize that it is one of the most prominent stock exchanges in the world. I was a little disappointed to not see people in angry mobs screaming, shouting and cheering. In fact- everyone was in their seats- behind a computer, as cool as cucumbers. Nevertheless it was still awesome to be there. We then made our way to the Post Office- where go figure, the largest picture made from post card stamps in the world is! It was really neat. We were then on a mission to find a China favorite- Dim Sung to eat; and we were told that the 2^nd floor of city hall had the best restaurant, but we were warned to NOT go to the 1^st floor restaurant. Well- we thought it was weird to have a restaurant in city hall, but anything goes after all the countries we’ve been to. So up we went- when we got to the 2^nd floor, to our surprise, it was definitely a library. So we laughed it off and headed elsewhere.  From there we descended to Victoria Peak- where you can see the Hong Kong skyline. We rode a vernacular up, and let me tell you, this hill up was STEEP. You think San Diego is crazy?  Wait till you hit Hong Kong.  After getting some delicious Gelato and sherbet we rode down the vernacular and got off part way down (which was quite an experience) and went to go to the Zoo and Botanical gardens (where they have a vast amount of orchids).  After trekking through the zoo we decided we were pretty hungry, and both wanted to try some Chinese food, after all we were in China! So we head to the streets in search of Chinese food. During our search for food we encountered the largest escalator in the world (which was on our list of things to do but we couldn’t seem to find it). For some reason, Kelsey and I were definitely imagining a gigantically long escalator and it turns out we were walking along side it, and through it the entire time we were in search of Chinese food! Hahaha- well, this escalator is like a normal sized escalator, then a brief platform (so you can get off to the left or right), and then another escalator, followed by another platform, and so on- this goes on FOREVER. And it only goes in one direction. From 7am-12am it goes up, and from 12:01am-6:59am it goes down. Crazy! A lot of people on our trip apparently knew it was in HKG due to Scooby Doo- go figure, cartoons are educational for kids! So after an hour or so of searching for food Kelsey and I hit the restaurant streets. Unfortunately we found everything BUT Chinese food. There was food from Nepal, America, India, Vietnam, and 359348765 other places we had already been. Discouraged and starving we ended up going to a café and eating bread. To our dismay, after exiting the café and walking a matter of seconds- we came across China Town -_-. What were the chances?  Hahaha. We decided to head back to Kowloon to hit up the Space Museum. We got there, and it turns out Wednesdays are free admission days! What luck. And good thing- because it wasn’t that thrilling, it was all pretty much about America and their shuttle launches. Although we did get to do a “moon walk” activity which was pretty neat. We ended our night by shopping in the malls super-expensive grocery store, and headed back to the ship to see the light show. We had a crazy yet awesome day in good ol’ Hong Kong.

So the 2^nd day in HKG was when a majority of the ship was leaving to go on their trips to Beijing and the Great Wall and what not, so I woke up early and decided to travel alone. (Regardless of what the adults say in pre-port, I do this in every country and as long as you’re smart, and confident in what you’re doing, you will have no troubles). Here’s where my story gets a tad confusing. I took a ferry to Hong Kong to catch the 45 minute ferry to Lantau Island which hoists the world’s largest Buddha statue. Once on Lantau Island, I had to catch a bus to the Village on Stilts, and then another to the Buddha, and then take the cable car to catch the bus in order to get back to Hong Kong and take a taxi to Stanley market, to then take a bus back into Hong Kong, to catch the ferry back to Kowloon to get onto the ship. Woooo. That’s all, simple. So I got on the bus to head to the village on stilts (which worried me because I did not know the stop- only that it took around 40 minutes to get there- and I saw no village on stilts where we were driving). The Village on Stilts is literally behind the bus depot, and the dead last stop (for those of you interested). It was a fantastic little village and I got so much attention because I was literally the ONLY tourist there- with the exception of a group of Chinese school kids (who quite obviously fit in more than I did). Everyone was incredibly nice, and I spent about 2 hours roaming around (it’s not that big- but definitely interesting). Then I conveniently went to the bus depot and hopped on a bus to take me to the Giant Buddha. It was definitely a great experience, and it’s hard to explain- but definitely worth seeing, and free. I ended going on a walk on a “wisdom path” which took me to some strange village about an hour away from the Buddha- so I decided it would sensible of me to walk back towards the Buddha. From the Buddha I walked to the cable car, and rode back to where I could catch transportation off of the island. I met two tourists from Toronto, and the cutest couple from a “small” city in China which is about the size of America. They were all obsessed with me, my lawn gnome, and Semester at Sea, which made for a great cable car ride back. I was told I would need to take a  bus to catch a ferry back to HKG. But in fact Bus E11 takes you right from the cable cars to HKG. So I hopped on that bus and headed towards home.  I got off a stop near a different, but equally large mall- and got lost inside the mall several times, for about an hour or so. Including getting lost in both the parking garages. Once I got outside, I hailed a cab and asked if he knew where Stanley Market was. He, and I quote said only this; “I don’t speak English”, so I assumed he would let me out, and I would find a cab driver who could somewhat understand me. But instead, he started driving. Now I was told Stanley Market was in HKG and about a dollar or 2 to get there. WRONG. Stanley Market is in a town called Stanley (and when I first saw he brought me to Stanley I was freaked out because I thought I was in some random town, and not near the market), Stanley is where Stanley market is, and I highly recommend taking the bus, because instead of 100 HKD, you will only pay like 7 HKD (Which is a dollar, instead of $10 USD). Anyways, I saw a few SASer’s there, and felt better. Even though I was alone, I surely wasn’t completely alone in a sense.  After an hour or so of haggling, I hopped on a bus, made friends with 3 Swedish men in their 30’s , and went back to HKG. From there I walked from the HKG bus depot to the ferry, got on, and safely went home after a great but exhausting day. It definitely is refreshing to be on your own in a country; and I understand why people advise against it, but if you’re comfortable and confident, I suggest you do it. Definitely not the 1^st day in a port, or late at night, but any other time, yes.

My time in Hong Kong was nothing short of amazing, and I am surely leaving out 38972 things that happened.

The ship consisted of 100 passengers who were considered “in transit”- basically it meant we weren’t traveling independently in between HKG and Shanghai. For those of you whole are broke college students like me, or just don’t want to see the great wall, staying on the ship is actually a lot of fun.

We got catered to more so than usual. They had movies playing in the Union constantly, games, free massages, discounts on spa items, dance parties, karaoke, free snacks and soda, and most importantly, sit down fancy dinners!  I won’t go into great deal- because what happens on the ship in between HKG and Shanghai, stays on the ship with the 100 of us. :] It was indescribable, but worth it.

I had such a great time in the ship (although the sea was fairly harsh between HKG and Shanghai)

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood morning Vietnam!

Sorry- I had to…

Alright, I’m a tad late on this entry; the ports are getting so close to each other! We got to Vietnam early, but we had to make our way through the Mekong Delta- which is crazy! Ships and boats literally feet away from us, all around- and A LOT of curves and corners to turn. The Delta was the best 3 hours of scenery, and definitely worth being up for. I took 947 photos before we even got into port (I told you, I have a problem).  The ship was cleared around 11 or so, and Kelsey (a friend who I would not push into traffic), and I went to tour the city. Here is something I should mention… Ho Chi Minh City is the motorbike capitol of the world (I’m not making this up), and in our pre-ports we literally got several instructions on how to cross the street. There are few crosswalks/ signals in Ho Chi Minh- and we were told to find a local, or just look, and walk- even with traffic coming, you just walk- and they will avoid you. So Kelsey, Forest (one of my favorite Life Long Learners), and I gave it a go. There were literally hundreds of motorbikes headed directly towards us, and we just hopped off the side walk- and began to walk. The trick is, look forward (which is hard to do when you’re about to get hit with a stampede of motorbikes), don’t run, and keep your pace; If you do all of this 99% of the time- the motorbikes will go right around you.

And sure as shit, they do. Remember when your parents said “Don’t walk into oncoming traffic” ? Well, throw that rule out the window when you’re in Ho Chi Minh. (Although people- let’s use common sense, a car is still a car, and a bus…a bus- those vehicles I WOULD wait for, motorbikes…no). You won’t see too many cars though. Sheer craziness. Right now in Vietnam it is wedding season- in fact Kelsey and I saw two on the first day! The brides were gorgeous! The Post Office was like Grand Central Station- and even has a small market inside! We bought postcards off the street- and when we went up to look at them, the “shop keeper” pulled up plastic stools, ordered us to sit, and then fanned us! What service! Vietnamese people are incredibly nice. We saw Notre Dame Cathedral (which is picture worthy- and not the Notre Dame you're most likely thinking of...), and then we laughed and giggled like little school children when we each took out 1,000,000 dong and took pictures. How many people can say they held 1,000,000 dollars in their hands- that was theirs?!?!? (It just wasn’t US dollars :p)

Oh- one digression- the motorbikes…drive ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE. So don’t think you’re safe on the sidewalk- they drive there like it’s a road. If it looks flat enough- they’ll drive on it.  We (the shipboard community) were all told to try this fuzzy red fruit. It almost looks like a giant raspberry, and you break it open, and eat the placenta. It was good- I recommend trying it. Kelsey and I headed off to the markets- which are indeed, crazy! I now have a Northface jacket/fleece (that’s real), and 2 North Face backpacks (which are fake- but who cares), and lots of other good treats. Not to mention a BUNCH of DVD’s. Here are some tips on DVD buying in Vietnam:

Make sure it’s not blu-ray (unless you have a blu-ray player)

Make sure that it’s in spoken English (they usually have DVD players and a TV so they can prove it works)

Check out the quality and sound of it

And don’t pay more than a dollar per disc (which was 20,000 dong when I was there) Crew could usually get them to 50 cents per disc, I only got them to 75.

Some people also said that their computers got viruses- mine didn’t- but again, if you make them check the DVD, it surely won’t have a virus, otherwise they’d be damaging their DVD player…

The next day I did a service project to a disabled children's home. ” Dumb isn’t necessarily meant in the same context of what it often is in the US. This school was in the middle of nowhere! We got to the school’s street, and walked through a small portion of a village to get there. Upon entering the schoolyard, we got directed in to see the principal of the school- where he told us a little bit about it. It is comprised with mostly deaf/ partially deaf kids, and kids with Down syndrome. It is a government run school- so the kids do not have to pay to go there- and all the kids had families (they weren’t orphans),however;  it was likely that their families were poor. The teachers and principal did not tell the kids we were coming, so it was a huge surprise for them. I immediately got attached to them. They had ages from 2 to 18 and would school people up to the equivalent of a high school degree. I got to go into the toddler room- they were too adorable! They had cubbies with their names on them, and their own little “table tray” desk to do work on. We got there right in time for recess, which was such a great experience. A bunch of us had brought toys and fun thi8ngs for the kids with us. We played with chalk (most of the older kids wrote to us in English- which was very good mind you, and asked us how we were, where we lived, and so on). These kids were amazing, and so full of life. Once recess was over, we got to have a small lunch and talk to the principal once again. There was artwork all over the room we were sitting in, which was gorgeous, and done by all the  children at the school. We were allowed to obtain pictures by making any domination donation we felt. I bought 4 :]  we got a little more time to play and communicate with the kids- and then we set off back to the ship. This was one of my favorite service projects, and I left with a lot of new friends. I think it meant just as much to see them, as they felt it was to see me.

Some Vietnam observations… The power lines are ridiculous, and I don’t even know how Ho Chi Minh is still there, and not burnt down. There are power lines all over the place- 3 feet deep!  The rice hats are awesome, and as much as I liked them- I did not buy one because it is an awkward thing to store, and when would I possibly wear it? I don’t wear hats! But it’s not just a huge tourist-like thing; locals legitimately still wear them. They serve a purpose (keeping shade for the rice workers/ people in general). The Chinese influence here is very prevalent (with pagodas and temples and what not).

I spent the rest of the day shopping around and sight-seeing, and spent that evening in my new silk robe, which was luxurious.  

BAM- Day 3! I thought it would be intelligent to do something historical in Vietnam, so I took a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels (and a temple). We’ll talk about the temple first. It was incredibly colorful, and had the most intricate details and statues. We went for the 12:00pm mass, and there were so many religions under this one roof. They had Buddhist (who wore yellow robes), Taoist who were blue, all women wore white regardless of religion, and then Hinduism? Who were red. I forgot, but I know Catholics were allowed to go to this temple as well. Shoes were to be taken off, and I absolutely loved walking around in my socks! Alright so off to the tunnels!!!  We went into the woods with our guide and under a mess of leaves- was the covering for an underground tunnel. Each platoon was “assigned” a hole- and only they would know the coordinates of where it was. There were about 5-6 men for each tunnel, and even if you were in the Vietnamese army, you were only able to go to your assigned tunnel drop spot- so if you couldn’t find it, or get to it fast enough, you were pretty much dead. They had some of the craziest door traps with spikes underneath. There was a lot to take in, and it was surreal to be there where our family members once fought.

Now would be a good time to bring up the man holes. The one we were shown was purposely made bigger for tourists- and let me tell you something, there was no way in HECK my hips were even fitting in that. What I am about to write sounds snotty- but it’s definitely true; Girls with no figure had no issue getting in the whole, and some could even turn around, a lot of boys couldn’t do it, and if they could- they often could not get their shoulders through. Having being built like a woman, I was reassured that my hips would not make it through- on the bright side, it boosted my confidence that I will easily be able to give birth, and that I have a more than desirable butt- so that made me feel better about my hips :p

Alright- so the entire time we were in the woods, we heard all of this noise and commotion,. And I seriously thought we were getting attacked. We walked a little further and to my surprise, there was a shooting range! Oh but not just any shooting range, this one was for real guns, heavy artillery!  :]  Now, the mature part of me felt weird shooting artillery in a place where many Americans and Vietnamese were killed in what they call “The American War”. But the immature side of me, definitely wanted to shoot a gun.

So off to the range I went! I mean how many times will I have the chance to shoot an AK47? Oh yes, that’s right folks, Samantha Zerio, cocked and loaded, then shot a round with an AK47      (scary- isn’t it?), and I loved it, which scares me! Anyways- I think I’ll take up hunting or shooting ranges when I get home. Mary Ellis and I were the only girls that did it, and we felt empowered because of that (not because we were shooting them, but because we were the only women who wanted to).

That was just a neat little side note.  We were off to the tunnels! We saw a crater that was from a “B52 bombing”, and when I asked the tour guide if it was really a B52 bombing he said it was NOT. He explained that it was made from a bomb, but not a B52. He said B52’s had more of a rippled affect, and would not create just a crater- good to know. We then reached the tunnels; here is my advice right off the bat- DO NOT go in the tunnels if you hate the dark, or are claustrophobic, DO get up close to the front near the guide. The tunnel takes about 5 minutes to get through, and is really neat. It boggles my mind that people LIVED in these for months. The section of the tunnels we went through is about half the length of a football field, and there are exits on the way if you can’t do it. I was able to fit in the tunnels with plenty of room to spare, but some of the guys said it was a tight squeeze for them towards the end. If you can- go all the way, it’s worth it, I think.

And so ended our day at the tunnels. We set back to the ship, passing the rice patties and hard workers, small villages and what not. Overall it was a good, historical, saddening, yet fun day. I went out at night with a friend Jennifer, and we were waiting for our shuttle back to the ship, and it wasn’t coming- so we opted to take motorbikes, again here’s some advice since I was the biggest advocate against riding these:

DO NOT go on a motorbike alone, at night, and/or drunk. That’s just stupid, these people are literally people who will offer you a ride back to the ship for the equivalent of a dollar because they need money(keep in mind you’re in a foreign country, you probably do not know where they’re going, especially at night). Anyways, there were two older gentlemen on bikes who asked Jennifer and me in a non-demanding manner if we needed rides, we negotiated a price, and I requested that they didn’t split up while driving us back. They agreed, and it was a blast! Definitely ride the motorbikes, just be safe, have a friend, and know your surroundings! And for heaven’s sake- so many people on our voyage got burnt by the exhaust- its common sense people, you’re on a motor vehicle- avoid the exhaust!  If you get burned that’s your own stupid fault.

Alright, so the 4^th day I decided to try and jump on another service project. It was a deaf school and zoo visit, and since I had a lot of fun at my other one, I decided to do this one too. We get to the school, and the children were so well-behaved, we played a bunch of fun games, and they put on shows and plays for us, and then we got to color. Then it was time to go to the zoo with the kids- it sounds like fun, right? The kids automatically attached to us, and those were the kids we were responsible for.  My kid- Truong  Mai Tan Thi (Truong) was pretty calm and cool, and we decorated ourselves with stickers (I looked amazing! :p )  So we get off the bus and find out that it is just us SASer’s watching the kids, the teachers went off away from us, and we then found out we were going to be there 4 hours. Let’s put this all together… we have limited ways of communicating with these kids because not only are they deaf…the words they speak are Vietnamese, and their sign language is different than ours!

My friend Cristina and I decided to stick together with our kids. Well… as soon as we got off that bus, my kid bolted, and so the fun began, I felt like I was running a marathon chasing after him. Before I start my story of this day in depth, let me express to you all that I NEVER want to reproduce…ever! Ahem…

So Truong heads towards the elephants; He sat for a little, and I tried giving him lunch but he absolutely refused to eat anything, so I gave it away. Now would be a good time to tell you what our tour guide said about people trying to sell you things to feed to the animals…he said “Don’t buy things from them- they don’t even work at the zoo”. Well that’s completely fine, I didn’t need to buy bamboo to the feed the elephant, why? You ask… because my kid STOLE bamboo from a woman trying to sell them, and ran back to feed the elephant. The woman starting running over and yelling at me in Vietnamese, so I then had to take the bamboo piece OUT of the elephant’s trunk, and give it back to her- then, my kid dashes off again! So Cristina and I start chasing him, and he finally stops to admire a tree. Yes, a tree, you’ll be hearing a lot about trees in this story. So we start walking towards monkey’s when I hear Cristina say “Uh Sam…” I turn around, to see my kid, whipping it out, and peeing on the sidewalk. Well what the heck am I supposed to do? I shielded him, and then signaled to him that he couldn’t pee in the middle of the zoo. He attempted to hold my hand, right after peeing, and I insisted that I hold his arm (and thank goodness for Cristina’s hand sanitizer). I now STRONGLY encourage parents who put their kids on leashes, I get it now. I used to think it was horrendous and degrading, but I have seen the light, and I wish my kid had come with a leash.  Big surprise- he starts running again- so off I went to chase him. He went into EVERY restricted area of the zoo he could find, stopped at every tree and plant, and either climbed it, peed on it, swung off of it, or took pieces of it. He had no interest in any of the animals, and was only fascinated with foliage, the bus, and peeing. So while all the other SASer’s got to see animals and take photos of their kids with the animals, I got to take pictures of my kid running, stealing, climbing, and with numerous plants and trees. I’m pretty sure he also broke a few things in the zoo. He also gave a branch to a random man at the zoo?!?!?!? What on earth did I do as a kid to deserve my little terror?

He kept going back to the bus thinking we were leaving, and at this point, I was ready to. I learned that when kids run away from you- they usually come back.          So I sat on a bench, and let him run around to every tree nearby, and he’d run back and show me the leaf he got, then go off again. We did this for about 2 hours. Finally people and their kids started congregating back near the bus, and we were all wiped. It was hilarious because all of us SASer’s were sitting on benches just letting our kids run wild, hoping that they wouldn’t disappear too far. Our trip leader Steve (who is emotionally scarred from this trip), came back, and started counted us- he was definitely ready to leave. We were eventually all accounted for, and we hopped on the bus back to drop the kids off at their school.

What did I learn from this?

People should not reproduce.

You cannot yell at a deaf Vietnamese kid…they can’t hear or understand you.

You can apparently pee anywhere in public. (This is true in a lot of the countries we’ve been to). He actually tried to pee on a crocodile- yes a crocodile, but instead he dumped water on it. And he continuously littered throughout the park. What a little terror I had.

And I could probably show you every single tree and plant in all of Vietnam due to Truong. The day was hilarious, but absolutely tiring. And I was happy that I had planned out a spa day for my last day.

If there is something I have realized, it’s that I like to spend at least 1 day wandering these countries on my own. So I set out that night to get some last minute shopping done. I never get bothered when I am alone, especially at night, and you’d think that it would be the opposite.

So- my Spa day. I won’t get into great detail, but I am almost positive I had sex with a woman. I received a deep tissue massage which was incredible. It was the White Lotus Spa- very clean, and quint. It was a fantastic end to my amazing time in Vietnam.

An interesting fact- Most people in the North wear the “surgical face masks” not only because of Agent Orange (which is now in my system- I’m sure), but because the Northern  part of Vietnam is predominantly light-skinned (which is true in most countries). If you are lighter, it means you are of higher social class. Think of farmers, they’re often more tan because they work out in the sun all day- this is considered a low/ working class lifestyle. Southern and Northern Vietnamese people still have a lot of issues between them, and social class is one of them. So in turn- they wear masks to keep their light skin, and high status prevalent.

Vietnam was phenomenal and I highly recommend it to everyone. Definitely a great experience. Pretty soon I’ll be in Hong Kong!!! :]  China= Ricccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccce <3

Singapore, sing some more!

I suppose now is a better time than ever to update everyone on what has been going on in my life. I’m in the union, chillin’ in front of Singapore (I feel like I won’t often be able to say that). We’re bunkering- aka filling up with fuel so we can continue sailing.

Well- this week has been one of the most chaotic; yet entertaining weeks on board. For starters- two nights ago was our Crew Talent Show. This is hands down, the BEST event on board. Our crew is phenomenal at everything they do. (Trust me folks- when you see crew out in port- they look damn fine!) I have a surplus of photos and videos from this amazing event, and I may or may not have a crush on 2376583279 crew members, just saying.  I cannot wait until I can show all of you just how amazing the crew are. I have about 12 favorites, and although most of them are married, I plan on marrying them.

So yesterday was Halloween (for us at least)- But Happy Halloween to those of you back in the states. It was hilarious to see how creative people were with their costumes. (I mean we have fairly limited resources on the ship- we can’t just sail to Wal-Mart). I was insanely busy all week, so my costume- was not much of a costume, but got big attention anyways. Let’s just say it may have involved my tattoo. Hahaha.  By far my favorite costume some guys had put together was a Rickshaw. They had a little bike that they bought in a country, and had 1 person “sitting”, 1 driving, and one guy following them trying to get them to buy things. I suppose this won’t really be that humorous to those of you who haven’t been to other countries. (I don’t mean that to sound stuck up- but just like in the US, people want you to buy things from them, and they are, how shall I say, a little more persistent than those in the States). Think Battery Park, NY, add crazier, pushier people…and you’ll get the idea.

There was also the Ambiguously Gay duo- which was absolutely hilarious- but also sad since the majority of the already small amount of men on this ship, are gay ( which I absolutely love- except for the fact that in general, no guy is looking at you, except the crew, who you cannot fraternize with. Dang!).- The ship is a great place to become a lesbian, you’ll up your chances with relationships and what have you.

Picture this: The entire shipboard community is dancing and enjoying Halloween festivities last night, the ship is obviously en route, and meanwhile outside, I kid you not, our crew was waiting with hoses in case pirates decided to attack our ship. No lie. Apparently En route to Singapore is one of the most dangerous places (I have no clue if this is true or not since Wikipedia is my only source, and highly unreliable). But the crew legitimately were ready to hose pirates off our ship- this to me, is awesome; however, if pirates really were to come and attack, I would not have the same feelings. My roommate made me double-lock our door. Which is ridiculous when you think about it; if pirates can scale the MV Explorer and get on board, they can surely get through a double-locked door. Nevertheless, it was humorous. I have been watching Harry Potter intently this week, and I am beyond excited that Hocus Pocus is showing today.

Other than that, not much has been going on, just a lot of work, and a lot of writing e-mails back and forth with everybody under the sun.

Some people claimed they “saw pirates”- but I’m pretty sure that’s their vivid imagination. Most people are expecting a wooden pirate ships with skull and cross-bone flag and canons- when in reality, their somewhat-average looking people in stolen boats of all sorts (usually speed boats); but it is fun to think that  Captain Hook is after us- so I’ll go with it.

Oh! Crazy story- Yesterday was a rainy and dark morning, and Rachel came back to the room and screamed “There is a tornado!” Sure enough- there was a tornado following the ship (not extremely close). It was such a neat experience, how many people get chased my tornadoes while at sea? (Well- maybe a lot of sailors…but nobody I know).

I’m pretty excited for Vietnam, but sad because they voyage is quickly coming to an end, and the next few weeks will be intense. Tests and due dates left and right, two days of classes, 3 days of port, class for 2 days again, and then port again. It’s going to be chaotic.

I am 10 hours ahead of Eastern time, but FINALLY we get to fall back, and gain an hour of sleep. Which is crazy, because 2 days ago we were 9 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, but we had to advance our clocks and hour for Singapore, just to turn them back tonight.

Just to let you know- Spring SASers- you have it made, because you CONSTANTLY ACCUMULATE hours. I should have thought this one through :p

But either way, I am having a blast, and I love the people on this voyage- we have a great group. Well, it’s time for class. Funny to think I am half-way through my day, and many of you are hours away from even waking.

Happy Halloween again, I’ll update again after Nam, unless something ridiculous like an attack on the ship occurs.

Much <3

Samantha Zerio

Executive Student Ambassador of Semester at Sea

Goodwill Operator

My childish rant and keen observation

While I have some time to kill in Global Studies- the course equivalent to death, I will share with you all, something that I forgot to.

One of the most prevalent things in India was the "bobble head"! Indians move their head like a bobble head when unsure of a question, or if they're saying yes. It is awesome! They must think it's strange when we nod our heads up and down for yes, and side to side for no.

That was my brief update/ rant of JUST how much Global Studies sucks- but I could write a 20 page blog on how much I dislike Global Studies- since all we learn about are cell phones, and "Network clouds". Not to mention our professor is a pompous prick- I think that may be part of the application process for becoming a Global Studies professor.

"How big of a douche bag are you?"   

Ahhh yes- It will be difficult to explain to my school that I failed Global Studies while circumnavigating the globe, but it just might have to happen.

Our professor legit just tried to defend himself when 2/3 of our student population got D's and F's... clearly that states that you SUCK.

All I have to say is, it's a small ship...

Anyways- enough of my rant on Global Studies. As of tonight I will be 10 hours ahead of Eastern time- crazy!

We will be in Vietnam in 4 days, I'm pretty excited :]

Much Love kids.

The day I bought India

My introduction to India was nothing less than spectacular. I didn't know what to expect from it, and feelings throughout the ship were a mix between excitement and disgust. 

 First off, yes we are by a coal factory, but it honestly does NOT smell that bad, people are over-dramatizing it. You get used to the scent within minutes. The port is a commercial port, but not too hard or far to navigate.

The vehicles (particularly the trucks) are a wide array of colors, and I love it! Yesterday I had a service project (which I think are the best experiences one can have). We went to a school that held 1000 kids from all types of ages. infant- 14 (?) Once we reached town, the bus was too big to fit through the streets, so we got out to walk a short distance. Upon exiting the bus we were greeted with homemade flower necklaces, dots, and markings on our faces (girls were the only ones who got this), flowers to hold, and a sugar crystal placed into out mouths. They had a band all dressed up that marched us through the streets. There were about 40 school children who welcomed us, and formed a circle around all of us by linking arms. So we walked down the street circled by these wonderful children. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE- was hanging out their windows, their shops, or standing on the street waving to us. I seriously felt like I was someone famous. We literally had a parade for us all the way to the school.

When we reached the school the most beautiful little children in the world were standing in lines forming a walkway between them; they then handed us roses, and we went to sit. There was a banner up thanking us for being here, and then they had some of the children perform.

These children were not only gorgeous, but had practiced for who knows how long to perfect a dance for our visit. It was one of the most breathtaking experiences I have ever witnessed. They were all dressed in Saris and bangles, and did a phenomenal job. After a few introductions we got to work. There were 26/27 of us, and between us all we painted blackboards, planted flowers and other seedlings, painted doors, windows, and buildings.

The kids were incredibly fascinated with us, and I think all of us were just as fascinated by them. Each student would come up, put their hand out, and ask what our names were. It was adorable! They couldn't pronounce Samantha- or Sam...but to be fair I was nowhere near close to pronouncing some of their names.

The kids would engulf us, and the teachers were excited to meet us as well. One even braided my hair! She was a sweetheart. The kids asked us to write our names down so they could practice and remember them- it was adorable!

They sang English songs with us like Twinkle, Twinkle... and then when we were finished we all played with the kids. It was absolutely beautiful. They love having you take their picture and then seeing it afterward. we spun them around, threw them in the air, and just had a ball. These kids were so energetic and so happy we were present. At one point a little boy asked me to kiss his cheek. And once I did, a swarm of boys and girls came up to me, and every other girl in our group, and asked us for kisses. They were some of the most precious children I have ever seen.

By the end of our time there- the leader of the school asked us to join him in a ceremonial activity, where we shared our thoughts and experiences of the day, and lit homemade candle tea-lights, and formed a circle of light. Then, I kid you not- as if their friendliness wasn't extended enough, THEY gave US presents. We received gorgeous metal bowls and plates, as well as a certificate thanking us for being a part of this.

It was truly an amazing day, and has opened my heart and mind up to India. I am fascinated by their culture, and love the people. They are just as friendly as the people in Ghana, and have such an innocence about them.

To top of one of the best days of my life, it was sweet and sour pork/steamed rice day in the main dining hall. A great day, followed by a great dinner. I cannot complain.

Today I am going to pursue around Chennai, and take a rickshaw to some shops with Anjuli. Then I am returning for lunch, and to go to an orphanage- which I am sure will be both heartbreaking and astounding.

I had some time to kill today, so me and Gdifa (G-fuh) decided to grab a rickshaw/cab into town to do some shopping before my orphanage visit. We went in this sketch looking cab- that did not start properly, but I made friends with the cab driver Alex. He was a cool guy- even though he brought us to a store we didn't want to go to at first. Side note- For those of you going on SAS- please note that cab drivers get "points" and money for stopping at their friends shops (whether you buy anything or not). So Gdifa and I made friends with the shop keeper Raja, and he gave us some good tips, and told us Alex was nice, but crazy. Schweet. So we finally went to some markets, where I bought some beautiful sarees (PS- bargaining in India is harder than most countries).

Oh PS- Alex (our cab driver) said we only had to pay 50 Rupees (25 each) and he would drive us around the entire day. For those of you who aren't up to date on the US Dollar/ Indian Rupee exchange rate. Right now $1 = 46 rupees.

So basically for 50 cents...yes... 50 CENTS we got a personal chauffeur for the day. Can we say AMAZING!

Okay- so after buying sarees we shopped around for bangles (most of them although they were cheap...just looked cheap- and looked like stuff I could find in a dollar store in America- but I did find some cool ones). After a fun-filled half day of shopping, I needed to get back to the ship to visit the orphanage.

Alright so the orphanage. Not exactly what I expected- although to be fair, I was set in my mind set from yesterday. All of these kids, well-behaved, and putting on shows for us at the school- they were very obedient.

The orphanage- I keep having to remind myself, was a little more chaotic. It definitely was not crazy- but there were just SO MANY kids, and so few adults. And the adults didn't have much control over the kids. They weren't really unruly- they were just so hyper. And over-excited as soon as they saw cameras.

Here was my pet peeve. We all brought toys and small gifts for the kids (which was put in a box so it didn't get more hectic in there- understandable), but some "GENIUS'S" (that is sarcasm) decided to bring candy- but not just ANY old candy, they brought CHOCOLATE.

Hello- Maybe it's my maternal instinct kicking in... but chocolate, ESPECIALLY in the hot weather in India... MELTS! The kids had chocolate all over themselves, us and our cameras.

Now would be a good time to note to get a very durable camera- as kids love taking photos of each other and themselves. They won't run off with your camera, but they will ask you if they can take photos with it.

The kids were a handful, and hanging all over us. But they were a lot of fun. We then went to the playground where the toddlers and much younger kids were. It was really depressing because so many of the kids were just unresponsive.  Some were so lively- and others showed no emotions- they were completely blank.

There were kids just sitting on swings- not really moving, staring- and this was for an hour or so. It was just so sad. Most of the kids warmed up to us, and we spun them around, climbed things, ran with them, played ball, you name it, we did it.

A bunch of the kids even put on a dance routine, and sang for us. Then we all did it in return. All in all today was a lot of fun. I don't think it can compare to my first day- but who knows. Tomorrow is another day. I guess today is just one of those days to reflect on what you saw. I imagine an orphanage in any country would be that sad- but it just so happens I experienced it.

Overall it was still an amazing experience and I am glad I went. I learned a lot, and hope the children gained something too.

On my third day in India- I used it as a shopping day. Anjuli, Kyle, and I went to Spencer Plaza- which is a market and mall combination- and shopped for hours... and by hours- I mean the entire day. I spent a lot more than I should have, but definitely got A LOT of things. Including a bunch of free things! :]

For the first time in my life I had trouble putting on a shirt because my boobs were too big! I also announced that to the entire store, and then the shopkeeper said "Boobs no big- small boobs, shirt will fit" Hahaha SHOT DOWN. I told him to let me have my moment of glory.

Poor Kyle had to deal with me and Anjuli wanting to stop in just about every store we passed. And eventually we told Kyle that he could leave us because we wanted to shop more- he was such a trooper, but ended up leaving with Dean Nick and Eddie. The shop keepers were so incredibly friendly- and one of the last shops we went to, this man invited us to his house for dinner and tea! He had showed us photos of other SASers that have been in his shop and they even had welcome signs made for us! He is such a great business man- he uses a "no pressure" tactic, so you end up buying a lot more- smart man. Anyways we decided that we would eat dinner at his house the next night (last night- the 26th). After a long day of shopping, a friend Jennifer and I prepared to pick up our interport student from Vietnam. We had to leave the ship at 9:30 pm , and her flight was to arrive at 11pm. Well- it took us about 40 minutes or so to leave the gate because the port guards were telling us we had a curfew. So our driver was yelling at them, and eventually we had to call the port agent from our ship to come and sort things out. (I hope India is the only place we need shore passes- because it is annoying to sign in and out of port EVERY time you leave and come back). I understand it is for our safety- but 99% of the ship are CLEARLY not from India...

Anyways- we finally left and headed to the airport, our drivers were incredibly nice. We then waited at the airport FOREVER to pick our interport student up. Her plane was late and arrived at 12:35- I felt so bad for her because she flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok to India. So she was exhausted. On our way back we had to stop again- because at certain times at night they close roads for safety reasons, and to reduce issues, or some crazy stuff- so we were stuck there for about 15 minutes or so. Then we headed to immigration to get her papers to allow her into port- then from there we had to get through 2 more gates in port in order to reach the ship. We FINALLY got to the last gate which is like a "check point" gate and 100ft away from the ship- and they wouldn't let her in... so we waited for about 90 minutes while our driver called the port agent AGAIN to come talk to these guys. Then we finally got on the ship- and needed to get her all set up with a room key, card, and show her where she can at least get food. Then we brought her to her room. I went to bed about... 3:30 ish? And I had a trip- The trip I was looking forward to the most- which would leave at 7:00. I woke up at 7:30- I was all sorts of emotions. But mostly livid. I went to breakfast to find a trip leader to see if I could catch up to the bus- and after talking to 3 of them they informed me that it would be hard to since the village was 90 minutes away, however they informed me, that under my circumstances they would reimburse me. So I was definitely upset- but what could I do?

So then Karen from the field office found me, and invited me to join her and a lifelong learner for the day- I agreed so I wouldn't have to sit on the ship while everyone was out. I had so much fun! Karen, Diane and I had such a blast- we went to see temples, and saw the gorgeous beaches, we had a personal driver all day- JC, he was amazing! And they paid for EVERYTHING for me. They were so incredibly sweet, and I was thankful since I would not have been doing anything otherwise. We came back to the ship around 5:30 or so, but I had had such a blast! (We had even passed the village I was supposed to be going to- People told me it wasn't that spectacular, so I felt better).

Last night Anjuli and I headed back to Spencer Plaza to go to the shop keepers house- there ended up being a large group of about 10 of us going, and we all had so much fun! And I... yes I ... tried some India food, and LOVED it!

Tandoori chicken has a little spice, but it's good, and I got to eat with my hands again (which I absolutely LOVE), and we had these tortilla-like things, and there was some yellow sauce which was just incredible.

I know I must sound like a crazy person to everyone because I met a man and went to his house after knowing him for like 3 hours. But I felt safe with it. That is my rule for anyone going on this trip- You will know when something feels right, or doesn't. And I felt great- so I jumped on this opportunity and I am SO glad I did. We all had a blast, we met his wife and daughter who were going to do Henna on us, but it was getting late and we were very tired. We just had a blast!

Rickshaws + Auto Rickshaws = SO MUCH FUN!

I have decided I want to send MTV's "Pimp my Ride" to India so they can do: Pimp my auto rickshaw.

I would also like to buy an auto rickshaw- because they're awesome. The drivers are insane! They let me drive one- which was an awesome experience- but also dangerous, but I only drove it near port- not when we got on the highway-ish thing. It was intense- like camping.

I have seen and learned so much in this country, and have had so much fun. I really love India, and I will be upset to leave. All of the newspapers have pictures of "The float university coming to India". We're all like movie stars here- and I love it! India will change a part of who you are after you see some of the poverty here. People literally just sleep on the sidewalks right next to the main highway- but it's not like a few homeless people- it is millions. You cannot pass a corner, sidewalk, or dirt patch without someone laying there. It is incredibly sad, and really makes you think things over. It will take a while to reflect on the things I have seen in India, but it's been one of the most amazing experiences I have had.

Today I have an FDP to visit a hospital, and then we head out :[ But we're going to Vietnam! I am sure I am leaving out 893474897 things. But it is so hard to tell everything what I have seen, and what smells I have been smelling, and how people are. It's one of those things that no matter how many photos you have of it, and no matter how well you describe it, you will never know until you have been here. I am so happy I didn't go to the Taj Mahal- everyone said it was gorgeous but they were rushed- plus I had such an authentic, rustic time in Chennai and really assimilated myself- and submerged myself into their culture. India is filled with hear-felt, wonderful people, and I would gladly come back any given day!

Basically India has been an experience, both good, and eye-opening. The Taj trips came back yesterday, and roomie has some of the most devastating photos ever. People were cremating bodies in the street, dead people were floating in rivers, and get this- monkeys… had guns.

So we have goats in trees in Morocco, and monkeys with guns in India- this is pure craziness!

I am in love with India- but so excited to be going to Vietnam!

Until then.

<3