India cont'd!

Hello friends and family! I realize it has been quite awhile since I have updated the blog and I know I owe some stories!

The night of my last blog, afterwards, Ryan and I took a walking rickshaw (a man pulls a cart as he walks barefoot on the street!) to a club that was supposed to be cool. We went in and there were literally 5 people there-haha, we just hung out for a couple of hours and laughed at another of our lonely planet failures, but we had fun anyways. On my last day in Kolkata with Ryan we bought some chupati (Indian flat bread) and oranges and walked around passing out food to some of the people on the streets. It was harder than it looked as in many places you will get mobbed if you aren’t careful. We also went around the city some and discovered that it was a lot bigger and a lot busier than we thought since the day before the whole city was on strike. It took hours to get anywhere and by late afternoon we had distributed the food but not done much else. We rested some and then went to the market and did some shopping and looked for a place for dinner. We ate at the top of a nicer hotel with a view of the city that was quite pretty and the weather was great. That night I got sick (from the food at the hotel, ironically)


After Kolkata with Ryan the next morning I flew solo to Delhi to meet up with Maureen (the following day). That was quite an interesting day! From the moment I was alone in India I became 10 times more noticeable than before with Ryan. I was hit on in the airport, the streets, dinner and about 4 guys from the tourist agency asked me if I wanted to get a drink with them. I had been sick and just wanted some normal food and a sprite and I picked the first restaurant I saw, which turned out to be a dark and smoky bar, ha. But I sat at the bar drinking my sprite just fine, and then this guy from the tourist agency recognized me and proceeded to try and talk to me. I could really have cared less as I was still sick and tired and he was in his 30’s. but he ended up sitting down with me and asking me what I was drinking, I told him sprite, haha, that should have told him to go away, but he proceeded to ask me all about my Indian travels etc, and I told him a student (which finally turned a light bulb on I think!) but after a few minutes I left to meet my driver to take me to the hotel. It was very cold Delhi and the hotels have no heat so I slept with all my clothes on, ha.

The next morning I arranged a car to take me to take me to the airport to pick up Maureen and then go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. After an hour long drive, I asked the driver if we would be getting to the Airport soon and he said, Airport? We are going to Agra. We had gone an hour in the wrong direction without getting Maureen so we had to turn back, I was almost crying in the car, that was such a stressful day and a half, Maureen was just getting into the airport and we were 1 ½ away. But we got there and picked her up and Maureen and I talked the 5 hour drive to Agra and she had had many similar experiences in India. We got to the Taj Mahal late that afternoon and it was beautiful. Definitely worth it! We got to walk around for awhile and just soak it all in. it was a redeeming experience for sure. We had dinner at Pizza Hut in India, since I hadn’t eaten at this point in 2 days. I have never been so grateful for a pizza. Then we drove back to the hotel and crashed.

On Sunday morning we got a taxi to take us to church, which involved stopping literally 12 times to ask directions but we finally arrived. We missed most of the first hour since we had been lost, but the congregation met in a “chapel” that appeared to once be someone’s home. It was beautiful and comforting to be there. There were lots of missionaries but just as many investigators. Maureen and I went to the gospel essentials class and listened to the new members/investigators and we discussed the fall. I probably learned more in that hour than in years of Sunday School before. Then we had relief society and made friends with a sweet Indian woman who was investigating the church. She became attached to us very quickly and after the meeting (There were only about 7 women in the RS) she asked if we would be back next week but we had to explain that we were leaving India the next day and she didn’t really seem to understand. We exchanged information with her and I am planning on writing her. There was a baptism after church and we stayed for that too. It was so nice to go to church in another country again. Then we went to the Bahai Lotus Temple that was quite beautiful and very interesting to learn about. We searched for food again for lunch, and unbelievably ended up at Pizza Hut again (I was still sick) since we couldn’t find any place else. (Shameful I know). Then that afternoon we went to the largest mosque in the world (so claimed Lonely Planet, but wouldn’t the one in Mecca be bigger?). this was one of the favorite experiences. We entered and they handed me a bag, which I thought was for shoes but It was a huge bag to tie around my legs since my skirt was only knee length (so I looked ridiculous). As we entered we were admiring the most (this was outside in the courtyard area) and as we stood there, suddenly a crowd gathered around us of about 50 people, all just staring at the 2 white girls. Several people had pointed at my fluorescent pink toenails and lots of people were taking pictures of us from afar. a few men asked to take pictures with us and one guy was video taping us on his phone. It was crazy! Then children would follow us around asking our names and wanting to take pictures with us (surprisingly enough not for money). Then it was sundown and prayer was about to begin so we had to leave.

We took a bicycle rickshaw (very uncomfortable) back to the center of town, Connaught Place, and then we did some market shopping before returning home. We left for Chennai in the morning and that afternoon we were able to do some necessity shopping, internet, and I bought a beautiful sari! We rushed back to the ship and just barely made the ETL at 4. Coming back to the ship, was like going home, I had never been so happy to see it after a long hard week in India. Most of the ship’s students felt the same way and everyone was grateful to be back but had definitely learned a lot from India. I think everyone had humbling experiences wherever they were. Some students went to Bombay (Mumbai) where the largest slum in the world is, Varanasi (the holiest Indian city on the Ganges river where they burn thousands of bodies) and Kerala, an area with many orphanages in the south. India was eye opening for all and gave us a better perspective into the developing world and poverty, despite the challenges it was amazing to go there.

I can’t remember much of what happened in between India and the Seychelles so I will recap what I remember. We (Social Events) sold candygrams to the TSS community and that was fun. We delivered them on Valentines Day morning and everyone loved them! That night we hosted a semi-formal dance and it was great as well. The cookies (which I procured through student government and hours of bureaucratic crap) were delicious and only cost we danced for hours and everyone had a lot of fun. Mainly everyone was resting from India and looking forward to the beach in the Seychelles (and catching up on school).

Incredible India!!

Hey ya'll,
I have safely arrived to India. Yesterday we docked in Chennai and received a grand welcome with a band and individual flowers and painting of the saffron on the foreheads (for everyone from TSS). It was quite beautiful (but, yes, hot.) Then Ryan and I ran to get a taxi to the airport, since our docking time was delayed about 4 hours. We made our flight just fine (even after all the immigration delays on the ship-the Indian immigration was slow and disorganized, but also very concerned about the students leaving the port etc. it was quite a mess!).

So we got to Kolkata (once known as Calcutta) and found a taxi to the area where we wanted to stay. Man, I have never been so glad in my life to be with a boy. The streets of India at night do not appear friendly. Everywhere is pretty dark and there are men everywhere. (Ryan and I counted today and in general, on the streets, the ratio of men to women is about 20 to 1-needless to say I get many stares). I have been wearing a pashmina over myself (as Indian culture/dress is very conservative but I still stick out like a sore thumb). One guy asked to take my picture on his phone today-ha. And we are also a target for children and many sick and elderly people approach us on the streets.

Mainly, I cannot express what India is like. No picture can capture the daily life of the people here. It must be experienced. I have only taken a few pictures today because as we were told before coming to India, the things and people you see here are not a tourist attraction, they are a way of life. However, I have met some of the nicest people today. A Bangladeshi man helped us buy a phone, today Ryan got to play cricket with some Indian men/boys in the street, and we chatted while shopping with an educated Indian student about his travels and experiences. (we have already been cheated by several taxis but my experiences still remain positive overall with the rest of the people).

But a brief description about Kolkata. There are basically no laws for driving, other than stopping at lights. If you want to drive down the other side of the street, go for it, just hold on and hope to come out ahead! Rickshaws (motorized and pulled by men) are common and also taxis that look like they are from the 1940's. It is hard to find quiet as the cars are constantly honking and it is just such a different atmosphere than any country I have ever seen. People sleep anywhere and everywhere and poverty is rampant. Trash can be deposited anywhere (and is) and it is not uncommon to see children going to the bathroom in the streets. There is also running water along the streets, so you will see whole families both bathing and washing their clothes in the streets. It has all been quite humbling and it is only my first day.

We went to find ways to volunteer today (with Christian churches) but it is hard to volunteer for just one day. We did get to see Mother Theresa's charity and where she is buried. She was an amazing woman indeed. We also went to a flower market (you cannot believe the sights and smells). O and we went to a shop that takes women out of prostitution to make bags out of jute that are then sold around the world. We were given a private tour by the people that run it and got to see the women working. It really was amazing as all the women get equal pay and fair hours etc., and are taken out of a life of prostitution. (the area is very famous for brothels and apparently we were near the area that has about 6,000 women prostitutes.) It was a great thing to see and I was able to buy some of their products (the bags) to support the good thing they are doing. Their website is freesetbags.com if anyone wants to learn more or buy them!

It has been a good day and I have seen and heard more than probably most of my life here on the streets today.

And we had a great Indian lunch with nan and chicken masala-but the real deal! We will be heading to dinner soon. O by the way the time zone is different here too, but it only changed 30 MINUTES from Bangkok (I never knew that there were minute time zones!) I think tonight we are going to check out the nightlife in Kolkata (Lonely Planet claims there is some, but I have no expectations lol) hopefully tomorrow we can find some volunteer work or something else cool to do before I head to Delhi/Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

I will try and post pics tomorrow on facebook since i forgot my flash drive today! Hope you enjoyed!O and Susan (the 2nd of my 6 best friends) is also engaged and is getting married on April 26th! Congrats also!

Love,
Kasee

Thailand cont'd and on to India!

Greetings!

I am currently only 1 ½ days away from India and figured I needed a blog update, that, and I am avoiding writing a paper due later today (but don’t worry, I’ll get it done!).

I know I wrote the day of riding elephants in Thailand, but that was over a week ago now. If I can I will try to properly summarize my travels during that time.

The last day of my Academic Field Program (AFP) we drove into Bangkok from port and went to meet with a professor from Chula University. His lecture was to be combined with a site visit in the city. It turned out that our site visit was to a slum in Bangkok. The professor told us about the current conflict that is ensuing between the slum community and the Thai government. The Thai government wants to build a public park where the slum of 300 people currently resides. The members of the community are fighting at hearings and working with Chula U. to stay where they are. Some families have been living in the same spot for 600 years and they do not want to be relocated. We were able to walk through the slum and see how people were living and then sit down and talk with the community leader about their current plans. They are willing to make concessions to the government such as offering night patrols, conceding part of the land, and providing cultural shows to tourists. It was a really amazing experience, and something that I never would have found on my own. (We also saw a cock fight as it is a traditional part of their culture-each rooster would sell for around 1,000 US Dollars!!!)

Moving on. That afternoon we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the river and then Eva and I went directly to the Grand Palace (the former Royal Residence of the Thai Monarchy). We were able to walk all around the Grand Palace and see the huge temples and grounds, but it was hot and we were exhausted from walking with our heavy backpacks. Before we left, a girl from a Thai university interviewed us for her school project which was really nice. And THEN a whole group of Thai high school students (25) started asking us questions for their school project regarding tourism. They were so amazed that we were traveling and only 20 and all the boys were shy with us. One of them wanted to take a picture with me and then everyone wanted one, I guess it was a pretty big deal to take a picture with an American girl, lol. But they were all very nice and fun kids, it also shows that the Thai government is well aware of the importance of tourism in their country.

On our way to finding another activity we ran into some tuk-tuk drivers that were very friendly and spoke pretty good English. They bought us ice cream and took pictures with us and even tried to kiss us! It was hilarious! Then they drove us to the huge Reclining Buddha temple for free as I think we made their whole day J

That evening we had a bus to catch at 7:30 and we got stuck in Bangkok traffic for 45 minutes at 1 light. I was hyperventilating as we were meeting a group (of 7 people= Pablo from Spain, Yuliya from Russia, Lucia, Jen, Sara from Mexico and Luis from the US/Mexico) and I was afraid to miss them/the bus. It ended up fine and we got to the bus where it was a 10 hr ride to the north. On the bus (a VIP bus for about $25) they gave us blankets, pillows, snacks and even played 2 horrible horror movies (a werewolf one and a Japanese stalker movie) to our dismay. When we arrived early, 530 a.m., in Chiang Mai we were shuttled to an alternate hotel as ours was not ready. However that hotel was fully booked too, so they offered us 2 rooms with 2 huge beds, for 9 people. 5 of us slept in one bed and 4 in the other for about 2 hours before moving hotels. Needless to say that was interesting. Then we get taken to another hotel, that is not the hotel that we paid for, but was apparently an “upgrade.” The hotel was fine, but not the hotel we had booked, but we wanted to get our day started so we just dealt with it.

That day we went to a huge Buddhist temple on a hill outside Chiang Mai, it was a large complex and had the most beautiful view of the city from high above. There were hundreds of monks there that day as well which was very cool to see. (in Thailand, every male Buddhist has to be a monk for at least 3 days of their lives). We had fresh strawberries and orange juice while walking to the temple and it was a great day. That night we went to a huge night bazaar and did some good shopping. The markets are enormous and go as far as the eye can see. My friend David met up with us that night and we exchanged Thailand stores thus far and ate a traditional Thai banana/chocolate/fried thing from the street that was pure heaven.

O I forgot to say, that I looked up the LDS church in Thailand and wrote down the address. I remembered that afternoon to casually ask my hotel if they had any idea where the building was or if it even existed. They pointed me outside and gave me some directions. I took a left and a left, and the church was literally right in the backyard of the hotel. It was weird, because I was not even supposed to be staying in that hotel!!! I walked in and found some sister missionaries and they told me church was the next day at 930. I was ecstatic! So I went to church in Thailand! They have the missionaries translate from Thai to English and I stayed all 3 hours while my friends went on a river thing. It was wonderful, the people were so nice, and there was even a monk attending church that day, although I don’t know for what purpose? I met several young couples, one from BYU, and they dropped me off at a nice restaurant for lunch. Then I went to a spa and had an aromatherapy massage and a foot reflexology massage and it was amazing. (Jealous, Carol?) It was a fantastic day overall.

The next morning, on a tour, we left for Chiang Rai, a city to the North where the Golden Triangle is. We stopped at a Long Neck Village along the way and man was that a sight. The Long Neck people (you have all probably seen pictures of them, they have the large gold necklaces around their necks, the older/more beautiful you are the more you wear) who are actually a Burmese tribe have been set up in Thailand. They are refugees from Burma that are allowed to stay in Thailand by the Thai King if in exchange they become a tourist attraction. So tour groups pay the tribe to bring tourists to take pictures of them. It is the ultimate exploitation but it does provide them a sustainable life. You feel awful though, walking through their “village” which is really just booths of their artisan crafts and many of the young girls dress in traditional dress and put on makeup for the tourists. The children are adorable but they often seem bored or sad as they man the booths for their families. That’s all I can say about that.

Then we went to the border of Thailand and Myanmar/Burma and did tourist shopping (part of the tour). And then we made it to the physical Golden Triangle, the area where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand all meet. We were even able to take a boat across the river and briefly enter Laos. In Laos you pay a small amount to enter and then there are tourist vendors all along the main little “strip.” But Eva and I found 3 young boys playing out behind the shops and we played with them. I gave them gum and taught them how to give High Fives, it was the cutest thing. They were all dirty and had been playing in the mud and their teeth were rotted but they seemed happy as could be. They did as us for 5 or 10 baht, but as we have grown accustomed to this we try not to give money to any children. Instead, I went and bought them all ice cream and they seemed to enjoy that just as much and forgot about asking for money.

The next morning we flew back to Bangkok to catch the bus to the port. We arrived about 45 minutes early so David and I went to a nearby park. We walked around the park for awhile but then only had about 15 minutes before the bus was leaving. Suddenly, we saw these small paddle boats on the lake in the park and we ran and got into a goose shaped one. We paddled for about 5 minutes around the lake (the guy thought we were crazy) and then proceeded to run back to the bus. We made it in time but were sweating all the way back to the port (a 2 hour bus ride).

So Thailand was great. Sorry it took me so long and 3 pages to say all that but the whole last half of the trip I chose adventures over internet so I just get to write.

Since re-boarding I have had 4 days of classes (today at 230 is my last) and we have been planning for India. It was quite beautiful to see Indonesia and Singapore from the ship as we went through the Straits of Malaka (I think that’s what they were called) everyone was watching for pirates as it is infamous for pirate attacks. However, we made it out safely (I was told today though that a boat behind us was attacked by 6 smaller boats-Thank goodness we have a big ship!!)

I am going with Ryan to Kolkata (Calcutta) for 3 days and then meeting Maureen in Delhi to go to the Taj Mahal. I have 7 days of free travel and I am excited to really experience India, scared, but excited. Ryan and I want to do some service in Kolkata so hopefully we can find some. I will also post pictures on Facebook and send out the link to any/all who want to see my journey so far. I did try posting from onboard yesterday but the bandwidth is just not big enough.

Last night we had the 2^nd Scholar Ship Hunger Banquet and it was quite informative. I was a low class woman from Senegal and my dinner consisted of a bowl of rice that I had to eat with my hands on the floor. It was eye opening to think about the fact that only 10-15% of the world is high class, 10-15% middle class, and the rest low class. And many of the countries I am visiting very accurately exhibit these proportions. Many initiatives have been taking place on the ship and I hope to see other good experiences like this one in the future.

Today we are having church onboard again and it is fast Sunday so I am starving! This is the first time I haven’t eaten breakfast onboard and man do I miss it! Tonight is also the cultural show from Asia/Australia and I know it will be great fun as people perform Bollywood dances, an Asian soap opera and other numerous and hilarious things.

Sorry to write for so long but a lot has been going on. I will write from India with more news! Love and miss you all!

O and Erin and Nate are engaged! Yay! I will be going to San Diego on June 21^st for their wedding. She is the first of my 6 best friends from BYU to get engaged and I am quite happy for her!

Kasee

Thailand and updates!

Good evening all! (It is 11 pm in Thailand-new time zone) -to be in order read the last paragraph first and then return to the top of this post.
First of all, I would like to apologize in advance for the lack of updating on my blog. I am actually keeping a daily electronic journal and it is packed with info, however the internet takes at least 15 minutes to upload my blog which is about 1/20 of my small internet allotment. Hopefully it will get better? As for port internet, I am usually quite busy in port and don't always have time to sit and write a full blog.
I know I haven't finished a description of Shanghai but I am not quite sure what I wrote about in the last blog. But since I am currently in Thailand I will tell you about that!
Yesterday we arrived to Thailand and went straight to Bangkok, unfortunately our port is 1 1/2 hours from Bangkok so we have to bus there every day (quite a long time since traffic can increase it up to 3 hours!) But Bangkok is a great exciting city. We went to a partner university there Chula (short for a long name i dont know how to spell) and learned a lot about Thai culture from walking around and the representative from the school. We also ate lunch at the largest restaurant in the world for some Thai food. Then we went to the famous night market and worked out our bookings to go to the North when our Academic Field Program ends here. Then we drove back, exhausted from so much driving and our first day.
Today was better as we stayed nearer to the ship and had a small group of only about 10 people. We met with a woman from a non profit environmental organization who told us about the many problems that Thailand has due to the lack of protection for the environment. Many foreign countries come to Thailand to set up factories and big industries with no concern for the damage to the people or environment here. Then we went to the sites she discussed and saw huge toxic waste piles (it was a small mountain) and the factories. We also saw a school where children used to attend but because they all began to get sick from the water and air of the polluted area their school was relocated (it was actually quite eerie.
Then on a lighter and happier note, we went to an elephant park! I RODE AN ELEPHANT!!! It was lots of fun trekking through the jungle and little area on top of an elephant. We fed it bananas and it kept going, lol. The elephants were quite rocky and one of them loved to try and steal bananas from us with his trunk so I still have elephant snot all over my clothes, lol, but it was well worth it! And I have some great pictures and video! (to be uploaded when I can figure that out!) Then they showed us silkworms and how they make silk and we had fresh amazing fruit. Now we are at a beach city (I am with Luisiana from Mexico and Ron and Eva from the States) near our port and we walked around and had dinner looking out at the beach. There were also "ladyboys" as Ron calls them that worked there and it was quite entertaining. Tomorrow we head to Bangkok again and then tomorrow night I am going with some friends (mainly from Mexico and Pablo from Spain and Eva) to the northern area called Chiang Mai via bus (yay haha not). There are lots of jungle there and the areas is apparently very beautiful. We will spend 3 days there and at the golden triangle (where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos all meet) and then fly back to Bangkok before the ship departs.
This trip is amazing, but as many students and I have discussed, quite exhausting. I am never bored, but the weeks in port do wear me out. Lots of people are going to the beach and kicking back for the whole week, but since I have less time with my field programs we are going to the North and focusing time there. Soon I have to start plans for India and we are hoping to go to the Taj Mahal, as I have 7 free days of travel in port there.
In the week between Shanghai and Thailand (for those who are still reading) I was quite sick as the seas were very rocky. Class was difficult to have as things fell over lots and concentration was difficult. We did have a reporter from the Bangkok post onboard who was very knowledgeable and his excellency, the Swedish Ambassador to the United Nations for Human Rights (I think that was the right title, it had many parts). They get to hang out with us and eat all our meals with us, etc, so it is quite informative. We also picked up 9 students from Fudan University (like Apple, my neighbor, who is adorable) and it has been fun meeting them too. OOOOOOOOO AND other exciting news-we had church for the first time on the ship! There are 4 other Mormons onboard with me and we had church on Sunday! I gave a lesson, Maureen played the piano, and we had a short scripture study and video as well. It was so wonderful! It only lasted about 45 minutes but was a nice meeting. We will be having church every Sunday at sea and will alternating teaching and leading etc. O I also had my first meetings for Student Voice, Social Events, and Interfaith Dialogue, o and Rotary/Service club. They all went well but man was it a busy week with getting ready for Thailand, classes, and meetings. I look forward to doing service in the upcoming countries and planning some fun events onboard ( I had made a big list of ideas when I got onboard and we will most likely be using several of them :) O and we had our pre port day in the beautiful waters of Thailand and laid out in the sun/pool and it was wonderful! I think I have the best campus in the world!
That was backwards order but I don't know how to fix it so enjoy whichever order in which you read it!
Signing off,
Sailor Kasee

Shanghai! Finally!

Well today is my 3rd day in Shanghai China. We were supposed to arrive 2 days before that but due to extreme fog conditions all the ports, airports, and highways in Shanghai were closed and we had to wait it out! I had bought a package to go the Great Wall in Beijing but there just wasn't enough time to go because of the weather conditions. We did get to have 2 free days on the boat and that was a nice time to catch up on many things and just enjoy life at sea. O and I was elected into Student Voice (the student government) with 2 other students from my group and I am also excited to be involved with the social planning as well (my personal forte). The people on this voyage are truly amazing with such different backgrounds and experiences. Everyone here has lived abroad (many to dozens of countries) for extended periods of time and everyone just wants to learn and have a good time. The Scholar Ship is definitely still working on getting everything running smoothly but with a little patience and creativity it all seems to work out fine. We have been playing lots of games onboard and dance almost every night in our student lounge (one of my favorite experiences so far, since dancing knows no cultural boundaries it really unites people and people really let their guards down and have fun). I also attended a salsa class and it was really fun! We will continue to have them as the journey progresses as well. I have also been sticking to my workout routine so yay! moving on. . .
Shanghai is an amazing city though. It is the largest in China and has a huge skyline, but they are constantly tearing down older buildings to build more high rise apartment buildings. There are tons of tourist places, but we have managed to stumble onto several real parts of the city and see a more true representation. I cannot explain how after having drinks at the Grand Hyatt on the 88th floor overlooking all of Shanghai compares with children begging me on the street for change. There are almost shantytowns next to the prestigious Fudan University that we visited today (a partner university of The Scholar Ship). We also went to the Communist Party museum today and then shopping downtown. Did I mention it has been freezing the entire time we have been here? I have not been warm for the past 5 days as I did not bring adequate clothing for such extreme conditions (but thanks Carol for the coat, it definitely helps!). I have been wearing every peice of clothing I own and still shivering. But hey, it's all part of the experience right?
I can't remember what exactly I posted in the last post,since it is so long between posts. We leave Shanghai on the 16th at night and 7 days later arrive in Thailand to start again! Classes will resume on Friday (all weekend, although there is no time onboard,ha) and I will probably have a lot to do (readings and papers) to review my experiences in China and then prepare for Thailand. I did get a dress made in the fabric market here (red silk) but the lady spoke only Mandarin so many hand gestures were involved. We will see how it turns out when I pick up the dress! The people have been very friendly and I have never gotten lost or taken advantage of. I did buy a phone sim card (another cultural debacle-hilarious might I add) but I was unable to buy minutes or understand if I could call the states, so maybe I will have better luck in Thailand.
I also went to a slightly more rural China (Hangzhou-Heaven on Earth) and saw a tea farm, traditional Chinese medicine shop, and a large temple yesterday. And I have been trying lots of crazy foods like this pink food with a dark substance in the middle (I assumed it was chocolate-how naive of me) it turned out to be some strange substance with beans in the middle, a slight let down from the chocolate but o well. I have lots of great pictures but haven't figured out how to post them just yet without using all my precious internet minutes.
Well I love you all and miss the States and fun times,but wouldn't rather be anywhere but here. I am keeping a daily journal of my own so I will try to get other important details in the blog next post, especially since you are all probably bored by now anyways. O and dont forget to write, those of you that haven't!! You know who you are!!
Wo eye nee (I love you in Chinese)
Kasee

The Scholar Ship- Voyage Begins!

After packing and enjoying Hong Kong, on January 2^nd we took a cab to Ocean Terminal for me to embark on The Scholar Ship. We found it easily once at the docks and we boarded The Scholar Ship (formerly the Mona Lisa) to check it out. As it turns out Dad and Carol got a tour of the ship but I had to deal with immigration and things were pretty hectic so I said goodbye to them and began my adventure! Man was I nervous! I met tons of people while we waited (for about 5 hours) to have our documents filled out and visas/passports checked etc. There are 153 students (not nearly the turnout they hoped but a great number for us). Many of my already close friends are from Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ghana, Morocco, Finland, and the United States. I have lots of Mexican/Spanish friends to practice Spanish with so I am very excited! Altogether there are students from 30 countries and staff and crew from over 50. There is still an American majority of about 45% but there are so many great people from around the world that I am constantly learning.

Already I can tell this is going to be such a great experience. So far we have had 2 days of orientation to learn all about the ship itself, our port programs and onboard life. The voyage is supposed to be a combination of 3 aspects of life: onboard (ship) life, academic classes, and port programs (actually experiencing life in the countries). We will be at 6 countries (China, Thailand, India, South Africa, Spain, Turkey) for 7 days each and 4 countries for a limited amount of time (Seychelles, Cape Verde, Portugal, and the Netherlands) but we spend almost half our journey on land and the other half at sea. The ship is great by the way. We eat breakfast outside every day (on the Lido deck) and I cannot explain the beauty of eating breakfast with the sun in my face and the wind in my hair while talking to new friends from Iceland and Brazil. The multicultural experience is truly amazing and this is a pioneer program. There is no other program like it on earth. I haven’t been sea sick but do get light headed and headaches at times, but many are really suffering. It will probably take a few more days before everyone has their sea legs.

I have one of the smallest rooms but it is more than adequate as I really like my floor (intercultural community) and my roommate, Brooke from Canada. The food is great and I am already trying to eat balanced and healthy meals, but there are great desserts (only one option though so that’s good). They have dishes typical of the region at most lunch and dinner meals so lately there has been lots of rice and Chinese dishes, today was fajitas though and everyday there is salad, breads, and fresh fruit (all wonderful). Also, I have already worked out at the cardio deck outside where there are lots of bikes and elliptical machines (I did 6 miles yesterday!! And I am planning on going at least every day so hopefully I won’t gain 30 pounds!) Nothing is more motivating to exercise than looking at the sea and listening to my Ipod. O there are also 3 pools, 2 hot tubs, 2 bars, 2 gyms, several dance floors, a library, a theatre, a gift shop and a media center. I don’t know though I might get bored? Ha.

For our night activities we have had an introduction/welcome night, student/staff mixer, and last night was open mic night. One of the most amazing aspects of The Scholar Ship is that you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink with all of your resident counselors and more interestingly, your professors. Professors live and eat with all the students so there are constant opportunities to meet and know them. I started classes today, Global Issues and Intercultural Communications and both seem fascinating and with a great group of people. Both of today’s classes had 20 people but I think my elective classes tomorrow will have only about 10 each (A big change for me from BYU of typical classes averaging about 150). It is Saturday here but I only know that from looking at the calendar as we have no weekends or weeks really. We have four days of classes (alternating blue and green) and then we have a break day. We also have a pre port day and a post port day to prepare and then discuss our experiences from each country. So this week I have classes on Saturday and Sunday oddly enough. Yesterday we also signed up for clubs and sports that we are interested in. I signed up for yoga, dance, the interfaith dialogue, student voice (government) and social events (my personal favorite). Soon other activities will start like foreign film showings and other cultural activities. I am excited to see how things really go and how much free time I really have once classes get into swing and we see about travel etc.

If things go as planned I will be leaving Shanghai to go Beijing with a group from TSS (The Scholar Ship) so I will be able to see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and other famous sites there, unfortunately it involves two overnight sleeper cars and freezing weather but it sounds like an amazing experience. I would leave for Beijing on the night of the 10^th. There will be lots of independent travel involved in every country we travel to but there are lots of travel savvy people and groups to go with. I am both anxious and excited to try that out.

Well I had no idea I had so much to say but I guess I figured there would be lots of questions since I didn’t have a big idea of what this experience would be like. I will be checking email every other day, but probably only responding once a week. Feel free to ask more questions about the program/ship and I will try to oblige. Please email me updates of what is going in all of your respective locations and feel free to send this blog link to any who asks. I miss all ya’ll but I am excited for what lies ahead as I love it here already! Thanks to all my friends and family for their love and support. :)

Hong Kong

Hello all! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I had internet for a few days in Hong Kong but just no time to update. I just got internet on the ship yesterday and it is adequate but expensive. I will be planning on posting about once every 5 days, but don’t hold me to that as it is difficult to promise!

But on to the good stuff! I arrived safely in Hong Kong with Dad and Carol and we were able to find our apartment just fine. I did get sick at the end of the flight but other than that I made the 14 hour flight alright. O and the airport lost our luggage but it was delivered the next day to our apartment in Hong Kong. A short summary of Hong Kong: We walked around the main streets in the city just taking in all the sights and all the people. I have never seen so many people! Some of the shots I got are amazing of just thousands of black haired people walking the streets. We went to Victoria Peak on the tram and saw the most beautiful view of the city all lit up at night. We also went to Kowloon and did some shopping at the jade market and the ladies market and found some good bargains. The next day we were still recovering from jet lag and very long days so we took it easy and went to a salon for our hair and nails to get done. It was a very nice break since we had been going nonstop. Then that night we took a New Year’s ferry and watched the Symphony of Lights and a special New Year’s fireworks show on a boat on the water. There I met Vincent, my Taiwanese love, who gave me a special New Year’s kiss. (no worries it was just on the cheek but don’t worry I have pictures to document it!) That night getting home was a nightmare as thousands of Chinese filled the streets trying to ride the subway home. We were pushed and shoved until we made home from among the throngs. Then our last day we went to Lantau Island and took the newly opened cable car (after a 2 hour wait) to see the Big Buddha temple and monastery. It was a great experience but we were freezing and tired of lines by the end of it. We tried to find my temple in Hong Kong but to no avail, but as a close second we found a cool shop where Carol and I got some traditional Chinese clothing. We then had drinks at the hotel where Dad had stayed 35 years ago on his R and R from Vietnam, which was pretty cool.