China

Recess on steroids + ecstasy =My trip in China (obviously not literally)
We arrived in Shanghai on the 16th coming down the Huang River literally one of the most incredible skylines I have ever seen. On one side was the business and financial district and then on the other were the older buildings where the bund was. We were in the perfect location to see everything it was great as I was eating breakfast I was looking at the skyline of Shanghai. Weird. 
One of my friends, Lauren and I decided to take the bus out to this water village on the outskirts of town for the day. We got off the bus, which was a very hilarious ride. No joke the traffic reminds me a bit of Rome you can pretty much go wherever you want, especially if you are a big bus. The driver was everywhere and we didn’t even know if we were going the right direction. But we finally made it and at first we got of the bus and it seemed nothing as to what we had expected… We were the only white people and had no idea where we were. On this trip I have began to truly embrace that I am never truly lost. It in incredible feeling to feel so hopeless with no way of communicating yet at the same feel so comfortable.
We finally came upon the river and the buildings. It was beautiful. All the buildings were red and white with bridges everywhere. There was a market around that area too where people were selling everything imaginable, even turtles and fish.  It was the cliché version of China that most people think of, with red lanterns everywhere and small markets with very unique foods.
At night we walked around the main square in Shanghai where there were more lights and people everywhere!! It literally was a Disneyland for adults! Bars, restaurants, and shops in every direction. We went to a typical teahouse too, which was really interesting to see as well nothing what I expected though. I didn’t seen beggars in the city, I didn’t see trash, I hardly even saw a bug in the air. However, instantly outside I saw the homeless, and what seemed like a messy area was there homes and what they most deeply possessed, but to me it looked like junk. I believe I have experienced the saying one man’s trash is another one’s treasure. I was so ignorant to how people live in China.
The people are what make this trip alive. The people I have met truly transform this trip into a new experience.
February 17th
I did a planned trip through SAS with about a total of 100 people.  We first flew to the city of Xi’an, which is the ancient capital or eternal city of China. Once we arrived we went straight to an Art/ Calligraphy museum. We saw artwork and even learned how to do it! (I am defiantly an expert now and can teach everyone Chinese calligraphy so don’t worry. I know you all will ask. Ha)
For dinner we were having Dumplings. We wet to the main area of the town. Since it happens to be the Chinese New Year everything was extremely elaborate.  Lights on every building, people everywhere, and of course the little red lanterns. The coolest thing, which is kind of hard to explain, but they would light these red lanterns and let them go into the sky.  It was truly amazing in that area. Dinner was good too our Chinese food at home however is NOTHING like the food here, which is funny. ?
February 18th
We first went to the Xian City wall. It is the largest CITY wall in China.  I guess it is about 9 miles or so. It was once again all decorated for the New Year and was really pretty. It is amazing the details in al their buildings. The colors and everything are beautiful. From there we were able to overlook the whole city.  Then we went to a Great Mosque and Old Bazaar. Its amazing how old all these buildings most of them were built in 743 A.D. Yeah really old!! It was really beautiful.
Then we went to the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum. Honestly, one of the most impressive things I have seen yet. Literally thousands and thousands of soldier, 8,000, to be exact.   Every single one of them was different, and only 1/3 have been uncovered. It was really impressive. There were three different vaults and each of the soldiers were arranged in the typical battle formation in 11 columns. There were chariots, some had swords, spears. Also this is interesting each figure is about 5’10’ and I guess the Asians were taller then.  It was located on the outskirts near the mountain so it was beautiful area. After the warriors we went to an orphanage. The little kids are adorable!!! This orphanage was for kids who had parents yet were unable to raise them. For example, they were in prison, or abandoned them. It is extremely powerful to truly see the power smiling has on a kid. When all you have to communicate with them is showing your love its remarkable how your heart can be transformed.  At times I often felt out of place and uncomfortable, but all you truly need with people is show you care. OH MY then I went to the most amazing show!! It was a Tang Dynasty Dinner show. The music was incredible with instruments I had ever even seen before. The dancing was so gracefully and elegant. There customs were extremely elaborate. Honestly incredible. One thing about our hotel is in order to turn on the lights we had to put in our key into the wall so then when you took it out the lights went off automatically. Yeah talk about sustainability.  Although it is one of the most polluted cities I had ever seen. Funny.
February 19th
Today we flew to Beijing! Once we had arrived in Beijing we had the entire afternoon and evening to our selves.  I ended up walking around and seeing this huge temple that was surrounded by a garden. It was the temple where only the emperor was allowed. It was extremely large and everything was designed specifically for him. We literally walked around the city all day meeting people. In this trip I have never been stared at or pointed out by so many people. I have never in my life truly felt excluded from a society.  Many of my friends at times got kicked out of cabs for being American’s although I didn’t personally experience. I have never been asked to take so many pictures with them. Of course I loved to do it, however, when I stop and think about I have never been in a place where I truly didn’t belong at times. Beijing is completely the opposite of Shanghai.
February 20th
We first went to Tian’an men square.  It was HUGE!!! In can hold half a million people!! It was insane that the picture of Mao was still hanging… and they change it once a year and often clean it at least once a week. Across the street is the Forbidden (Imperial Palace) City.  There is more than 8,000 rooms and its all on 170 acres. Some of the prettiest architectures and structures I have ever seen. The amount of detail in each building and gate blew my mind. It just kept going on and on and we were only there for a few hours… probably hardy saw any of it. 
We took a tour of Hutong area on a Trishaw (3-wheeled bicycle). This area had hidden ally ways, narrow networks of houses that are quadrangular style. I had no idea of the style and condition that many Chinese live in. To me it seems as if it was poor and poverty, however this area is often for the middle class.  Once again, truly the rumble became beautiful. I think I am beginning to see a different side of what beautiful can be. The all seemed so happy with so little. There lives are lived very simple. We had lunch in one of the local homes. It was really nice on the inside. None of the house was connected, the living room, kitchen and bathroom, where all separate and you had to go outside to get to them.  There was one bathroom, which was the shower, sink, and toilet all in one with no difference between them.
In the afternoon we went to the Olympic Village and a Silk Factory. The bird’s nest was one of the most impressive buildings. The have transformed the inside to a winter park with sledding and games. Its sweet and huge!!  Then the silk factory was really interesting. I never realized how detailed making silk was they do most of it by hand!! Tonight we had a Beijing Duck dinner. Then at night we went to a small local bar. It was great we become good friends with the people who work there so one of my friends who is a DJ was playing all of our music. It was such a fun night!! I loved getting to know them and although at times it was difficult to communicate we found ways to understand each other.
February 21st 
Probably one the best day of my life…. So far!
We started the day at a Kongfu school. AWESOME! They did all their performances and then we got to try and they taught us a little. They are so impressive. They broke crazy stuff all over their bodies from wood on their chest to bowls with their fingers.
I have never been more excited in my life than to see a wall. I have seen many walls before in my day so I mean what’s the big deal with the Great Wall of China right?  Well after seeing it I have never truly in my life been speechless until then.  The most impressive thing I have ever seen in my life!!  It goes on for 4,000+ miles and was all hand made. Oh and we got to toboggan down it!!! SICK!!! SEROUSLY AMAZING! On it there are sketched names in Chinese obviously but they are of the workers who made it, and I guess they were forced to but it on because if anything were to happen to that section of the wall the government came and killed them. If you have not seen it you HAVE to before your life is over! Stunning and beautiful.  I got tears in my eyes. We happened to be on a section of the wall that did not happen to have a ton of people. I have never felt so alone and this one point. It was the quietest I have ever experienced. Truly peaceful and tranquil on of the best feelings ever.
At night we saw an acrobatic show!!!!!!!!! WOW is all I have to say…
Ok so I am getting tired of writing as much as your probably getting tired of reading this novel haha so I will keep Hong Kong to a minimum. 
February 22nd
Our flight left extremely early so we got to Hong Kong around 11 or so. We spent the day walking around Kowloon Island, which is across the river from Hong Kong. Our ship is in the best location it literally overlooks all of Hong Kong. At night we went to the top of Victoria peak to over look the city. The most impressive skylines. No joke I always thought our cities in the US were impressive… but nothing compares to that. We walked around for awhile and then went to this bar street and hung out there the rest of the night. It was a really great area.
February 23rd
Today we got up early since we were leaving China this afternoon. We went to a different island to see the biggest Buddha in Asia. The area was really pretty it was located on the top of a mountain with water surrounding it all.  We then went to see pink dolphins in a fishing village near by.  They were actually pink too. All the house on the village were on stilts with all their clothes hanging out on cloths lines. The mountains were right on the water. It was beautiful.
Well there is China for you, damn. In about a day in a half I arrive in Vietnam… and its already hot and humid on the water… haha what a weird transition that is soo fast!

Five cities.
Four friends.
Three Americans. 
Too much beef.
One local.
Priceless.
Throughout Japan we traveled with my friend Rina who is from Kobe! Although we only knew her for about 3 weeks we became very good friends that I hope to be friends with forever. She taught us more than we could have ever imagined about her life and their cultural.   I will forever be grateful for everything she did for us!!  I truly can’t imagine this trip without her and I will never be able to thank her fully.  I felt like because of her I was able to see how the Japanese truly live while also gaining a friend that I will never forget. Throughout this blog I hardly mention much about what I learned, but rather what I saw. I will, however, forever honestly remember and be engraved with the treatment of others and the way RIna and her family treated us.  This country was the least selfish country I ever been too. For example, they were quite on trains, busses, and subways out of respect of others. They also did not eat to long at a restaurant in concern that others were waiting. Their cultural is organized, clean, and efficient. For example, the don’t race to get on the subways, but rather wait in lines and on escalators, by everyone who is standing in on one side and the other side is open for others who are in more of a hurry. Everything has a purpose and meaning.  The people were extremely nice, generous, and respectful towards everyone. They made my trip more than the temples or cities that I saw. I LOVED everything about Japan the food, the people, the cities, and their landscape. I honestly learned more than I could ever write or explain about in this blog.
February 9th
We arrived early in the morning and I woke up for the sunset and it was beautiful. We were pulling into Yokohama, which is on the Pacific side of Japan. There were mountains surrounding us as the sun came up. One of the best ways to arrive! We decided that the first day we were going to get completely lost in the city to see where it takes us. Everything was new, exciting, and it was amazing to walk around and embrace ourselves in this cultural. The city was very industrial and highly urban.  We began to notice the difference in their cultural from the minute we got off the ship. Our first place we went into was 7-11 (yes, they have them in Japan!!) and the man working was wearing a suit and a tie while then bowing to us as we left. Truly the essence of Japan is the amount of respect they have for each other and did not matter if you were a stranger. Throughout the trip I noticed admiration and dedication everyone had towards each other.
We went up the top of a ferris wheel! We happened to go up right as the sun was setting. It was truly beautiful to overlook everything. We were extremely lucky because as we were at the top we were able to see Mount Fiji through the buildings. I have no idea how we got so lucky! Truly amazing!! 
This is where the trip truly began. Rina began showing and telling us absolutely everything. We went to the downtown part of Yokohama where it was bigger, louder, and many more people. There were lights, restaurants, bars, and people everywhere. We went to dinner at a converbelt sushi (uhhh you should know what that is… if not goggle it) restaurant. You all would be proud I tried absolutely everything!  Ell, salmon, sperm, octopus, every kind of fish possible from salmon to ones that we don’t have in the U.S. Surprisingly, I liked majority of them expect, octopus. 
In Japan, all the department stores at the bottom of them they have fresh food market. It was extremely colorful and smelly amazing. We were able to try new foods such a seaweed, all types of dried fruits, and Japanese sweets.  It looked like a flee market full of fresh vegetables and fruits. One cantaloupe cost equivalent to 50 dollars in U.S. NUTS!! I loved watching the interaction between the people in the market. In there I also tried moche ice cream, which is sticky rice that is covering ice cream. It was surprisingly very good just different.
We also went to what are called donkey quiote, which literally is 5 levels of anything and everything you could ever want. They are extremely bright with lots of people. From electronics, to furnishings for a house, to customs, and any other little knick-knack possible.
We also went to a place called a manga café. These are places where you can pay to look at comic books, be on the Interne, watch TV, you can even sleep and shower. It was really interesting! We paid 100 yen (1 dollar) for 30 minutes of unlimited drinks, ice cream, comic book reading, and Internet. It was really fun!!
February 11th
The next day I had a city tour of Tokyo through SAS and it was amazing!!! The city is literally New York, LA and probably Chicago all in one.  Yet, EXTREMELY clean and very quite for the biggest city in the world. No joke the entire time I was there I heard, 5 horns!!! Today we saw temples. I am going to list them and you can google them if you wish haha
We saw Meiji shrine, Imperial Palace, and asakusa jinja temple. They were beautiful! We were extremely lucky because in one of them we saw a traditional wedding!! *Interesting fact… Rina told us that love is such a strong word that no one says it even on your wedding day in your vows, but you say I like you.
We then went to an observatory towers to overlook all of Tokyo. WOW is all I have to say. I have never seen anything that HUGE!! It was awesome! That night we went out and met her best friend from high school, Shin.  He lives in Tokyo and he took us all over the city to his favorite places and areas. We went to an izakaya, which is where you can get as much food and alcoholic drinks for only 10 dollars. The Japanese go here instead of bars. It was seriously a blast. I love the beer here!!! Her friend did not speak much English but we were able to still communicate with him. Most Japanese can read and write English grammar, so we often typed it out on a phone and he understood.
Then we went to a Karaoke bar and as many of you know it originated in Japan so it a BIG deal here. It was a blast. Your in a room with just your group singing as loud and as bad as you want! It was great. (I sang my favorite by eminiem even.) The Japanese become more comfortable and relax.  Many great stories form this, but I don’t really have time to tell them all. Ha sorry.
February 11th
Today we went to Harajuku in Tokyo. YOU need to Google this one!!! Everyone in Japan is extremely fashionable! Very similar to LA or New York, but there own unique style. Such as bright crazy colors, obviously skinny, and lots of boots.  We went to Kyoto that evening on the bullet train and stayed here that night! We stayed at a typical Japanese hostel/hotel where you sleep on the floor with little mats! Its was great. In Kyoto we saw the Fushimi Shrine, Sanju Sangerdo temple, and Kiyomiza temple. They were my favorite!! Truly amazing!! At night we went to another izakaya and then a bar afterwards. One of the funniest nights!!! We even set the meat on fire in the restaurant! The main religion is Shinto which are shrines and the second is Buddhism having temples, while Christianity only makes up 1% of their population. 
We went to another city in the evening, Osaka, to meet her boy friend!In their cultural they never touch and it is seen as extremely inappropriate and rude.  She hadn’t seen him in three weeks and they did not even hug but just said hello. Very different than here.
The Kobe, which is where we went to dinner with her mom. We went to a hotpot style dinner, which we were sitting on the floor and you cook the meat by yourself in hot water. Once again we ate sooo much food and drinks!!! Her mother was so generous and although she did not speak much English so it was harder to communicate with her, but it was truly great to met her. Here we tried warm sake, which I do not really like. After dinner we went to their favorite izakaya to meet her sister. And of course they ordered us more food and drinks. There we tried devils tongue, and fried quail egg. We were staying the night at her grandparents house, which was beautiful. His house was bigger than typical Japanese houses. It had an elevator and even heated floors. They was extremely gracious, kind and made sure everything was perfect for us!  We meet her brother too in the morning. They have us food and gifts as we left. The people in Japan are extremely gracious and kind.
February 12th
I went to a tea ceremony through SAS, which was really interesting. Everything about the ceremony was graceful and showed purpose. It was in Kyoto at a temple!
Seriously one of the best experiences! Its difficult for me to explain her family in an email, but truly I feel so blessed to have seen where they live and was able to met so many of Rina’s friends and family. I know I haven’t really mentioned a lot about what I learned or noticed about their cultural or people because if I did this would be sooo long and its already long!!! Ha
This is only my first true port and I will already be changed from this one experience. I have so much more I am able to learn and grow from and now on for China in only One more day!! WOW

Life on the Ship

I have now been in the open waters for about ten days!! The time has flown by and I am honestly not really sure exactly how I keep myself busy everyday. It has now become quite normal to only see the ocean and the lifestyle of the ship has become completely comfortable. I am trying to sit out at look at the ocean for at least a half hour everyday and look at the ocean so I don’t become to comfortable with it that I forget the beauty and all that encompasses it. The ship is kinda a constant rocking feeling much better than the first leg of the trip. I like to think of it as your always in one of those jumping houses cause we are always kinda bouncing, moving around and not able to walk completely straight and sometimes run into things. haa
My classes are everyday getting more interesting as we move through countries and regions. I love how they are all structured in how we learn through experience rather than learning from reading a book. Most of my classes are to big to o outside and sit on the deck; however, many of my friends regularly have class outside in order to try and sport whales or anything exciting. It is a really a environment that is surrounded by people who are wanting to learn everything possible form this experience. I love walking into dinner and seeing my professor eating with his entire family or reading the book we are studying right next to him because we happen to be on the same deck. Living in the same place where we are all literally stuck together is really a great but different environment. I wish more universities could establish this type of style.
The food is well its not awful just very repetitive. Literally, and I am not kidding it is potatoes, a type of pasta, mixed veggies, and a lettuce. If we are lucky we get croutons. Haha So by now I am a bit tired of it but oh well. Oh and of course they do have awesome desserts. Shocking!
At night there are usually many different seminars you can go to of all types. Such as star gazing, some showing documentaries, lectures, movies, and dancing classes. Literally there is everything type of club on this ship. From yoga to spiritual dancing guitar lessons, intramurals, literally everything or you can play cards and games.
The other night we had a dance party, which was really fun! It was themed mix-matched clothing and surprisingly everyone got really into it! It was a crazy to dance on a moving and rocking ship!! The best was when the played that song I am on a boat everyone freaked out it was great!
I also did spiritual dancing the other night! Everyone was very free getting in touch with their bodies and nature! Not something I would typically do but really fun!!
I joined the community to plan the Sea Olympics, which will be held in March. It is a day full of games and activities, and competitions. It has been really fun and had been keeping a little more busy during the day. Overall I am doing great! My friends are still really great too and it has been really nice to get to know everyone better as the time goes on! :)
I am doing great. I love it! I am learning a ton and having a great time!!!
Japan is in two days!!! ☺ The ship we have import students from Japan that have been traveling with us since Hawaii. They are here to help us and teach us about their cultural. My friends and I became really good friends with one of them, her name is Rina. She is 21 years old and lives in Kobe where she also goes to school and lives with her family. We have learned so much from her about how she lives, about her family and their cultural. It has been incredible! She literally eats every meal with us and is so cute!! She is traveling with us the whole time while we are in Japan!! We then get to have dinner with her parents and then spend the night at her grandparents house! I can't explain how excited we are its such an incredible experience that none of us ever expected to happen! We are staying one night in Tokyo, one in Kyoto, and then one night with her in Kobe. She is planning our entire trip so we aren't really sure exactly what we are going to do in these places!!! YAHOO only a few more days!!
I had my first test today in global studies. I can't say I have ever taken a test on a tray before haha It was diffiucult to take a test with this much movement! Tonight the waves have been really rocking. This time we are rocking forward and backward which is alot different I am trying not to think about it to much. Miss you all!

Eating my birthday cake! haha :)