Sep 06

Kimono in Japan, Great Wall

That means where is it and we:ve been using that term more than any other words. Japanese are required to take English in grade school and college. In grade school you must speak English but in college you only write and read it. A lot of younger people can communicate with us a tiny bit but its better if you can write words down on paper. I:m so impressed at how many people can understand a few words... store, food, train, etc. They have a very hard time talking to you and most can:t help because they don:t know exactly what you want from them.

We travelled by bullet train at over 200mph at some times. We went to Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo and Kobe. Tuesday night we slept on the ship but Wed and Thurs we stayed in Tokyo. Last night we stayed on the ship again... today we did some shopping and now here I am in an internet cafe. I will have a full update as soon as possible... until then, I:ll be on my way to China tonight and will be arriving on Tuesday. We:ll be in China for 3-4 days and then Hong Kong for 1.5! I:m SO excited Miss everyone!

Hawaii was amazing! It was my first time so of course I was very excited to see as much as possible in our 10 hours on land. We ended up going snorkeling in Haunamana Bay, shopping around Waikiki and then went to Benihanas for dinner. We made a Wal*mart trip which was definitely needed. I had cell phone service for most of the day so that was nice, as well.

We left Hawaii Saturday night and since Sunday morning we've had classes every day and classes don't stop until we arrive in Japan on the 12th. It's somewhat difficult not getting a break and classes are becoming more challenging but I'm loving every minute of this trip -- break in classes or no break. We all have our first Global Studies test on Saturday and Sunday is my first Abnormal Psych test.

Moving on...

The girls I have met will no doubt be lifelong friends -- It's amazing how close you become to people when you are forced into an unusual situation. Usually I'm not around so many people all of the time -- at Umass the campus is so huge that you don't see your friends very often. I'm spending hours upon hours with these girls and we've all become so close already.

Last week everyone had the opportunity to pick out SAS sponsored trips for the up and coming countries. Basically, you fill out a form and mark all of your first choices. If there are enough spots available, you'll get the trip. If there are too many people who want the same trip, it becomes a random lottery pick to see who gets which trip -- today we got our confirmed trips and I got everything I wanted minus two trips -- one was a service trip to an orphanage that Mother Theresa founded and the second was a 3000' hike and public bath in Japan. The ones I did get?

Japanese Home Visit in Kobe, Japan
Buddhist Monastery trip/Lantau Island Visit in Hong Kong
Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam
Meditation and Feeding Ceremony (of the Monks) in Myanmar
Local Life in Yangon Tour in Myanmar
Rural Villiage and Farm Visit in India
Welcome Reception (Interact w/ locals) in India
Kancheepuram & Mamallapuram in India
Dalit Villiage Overnight (I'll update more on this later, I'm SO excited about this trip) in Idia
Cairo Extended 3 days/2 nights in Egypt

Most of these trips were really cheap or reasonably priced and are all sponsered by SAS meaning no indy travel is required. Less stress, thankfully.

We have finalized are plans for our indy Japan travel. The 6 of us purchased the Japan Rail Pass which is good for unlimited travel on the bullet trains to/from anywhere in Japan. Our itinerary:

Tuesday: Kyoto
Wednesday: Hiroshima
Thursday: Tokyo
Friday: Tokyo
Saturday: Kobe

In Tokyo we plan on attending a Sumo Wrestling match, in Hiroshima we will visit the war memorial and in Kyoto, the famous gardens.

I really am so excited for everything the next few months hold. As of today, we have 90 days left. It's amazing how much I have already witnessed/encountered -- the beautiful sunsets, the rewarding experience of being able to live on a ship in the middle of the ocean, having the opportunity to interact with people from all over the US whether it be locals (Hawaiians-- they were so friendly and helpful), students, faculty or staff.

I can only imagine what the next 90 days will bring.