konnichiwa

12 april 2009 (take one)

0006 (12:06a)

the missing 'konnichiwa' post!

originally typed this out as dated below. sorry if that confuses anyone! the dates are getting complicated. i'm trying to remember to add a heading to each post of MY time & date,  as i know the blog says otherwise.

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09 april 2009
2312 (11:12p)

greetings from yokohama, japan! after an incredibly lazy day yesterday, on account of my cold, today was the exact opposite. kelsey, rennika, teresa, caitlin, mckendree and i spent the entire day in TOKYO!

the city was great, we really enjoyed the shibuya/harajuku areas. the fashions were amazing! everyone looked so cute! similar to any big city, there was one noticeable difference: the LACK of noise. there was absolutely no honking, no rumbling buses or annoying rickshaws. it was strange how quiet everything was!

we had a long and exhausting day of shopping and wandering, as well as our fill of public transportation. tokyo is only about a half hour train ride from yokohama, though there are several subway transfers as well as considerable amounts of walking. i near collapsed into bed when we got back!

off to bed, exploring yokohama in the morning! then its onto NINE days at sea before hawaii!

what is a journey?

a journey is not a trip.
it's not a vacation.
it's a process.
a discovery.
it's a process of self-discovery.
a journey brings us face to face with ourselves.
a journey shows us not only the world, but how we fit in it.
does the person create the journey or does the journey create the person?
the journey is life itself.
where will life take you?"
- LV commercial

11 april 2009
1924 (7:24p)

lost an hour of sleep last night, so waking up for 0800 class was a little more difficult. classes went well, we have a LOT of work due in the next few days. time to buckle down, the ship is certainly quieter.

we have a global studies test on 13 april, 3 days from now. lots of review sessions, study guides and a busy library/computer lab. today the professors offered their three main points or ideas to review, which was a marked improvement since the last attempt at a review session. many of the teachers are anti-review sessions, and did not want to offer us any assistance, as my linguistics professor told us. i suppose with all the different teaching styles and university backgrounds, there are bound to be differing opinions on the subject. my feeling is that due to the insane schedule we've had for the past month, a quick review was vital. i understand that review sessions don't make up for class time, but for those of us who've attended nearly all classes, a review was just enough to provide a focus.

in other news, related to the past month, we are finally getting laundry! yes, it has been approximately 28 days since i've had laundry. before anyone asks, however, i did do some in the sink about half-way through. however, rinsing clothes out in the sink hardly qualifies as proper laundry. i went through all of my clothes and packed my two laundry bags to the brim. nearly everything i own is in those bags, so lets hope i get it back soon! or else i'll be in pajamas for a few days. c'est la vie, i won't be the only one!

we will be losing another hour tonight, which means we will be +15 hours ahead of the east coast. we are racking up the difference! i still have my computer on home time, so i know when you all are sleeping :P i'm not sure exactly how our trip across the international date line will affect our time changes, my computer, etc. it's far too complicated to wrap my head around. apparently there is an explanation in today's dean's memo, but the internet is painfully slow today, so the email hasn't loaded yet.

in efforts to procrastinate, or, uh, organize; i cleaned up my entire space last night. a little obsessive-compulsive organizing does the body good. i organized my folders/ziplocs/bags of items from each country. everywhere we've been i've collected an assortment of papers, saved receipts, handouts, change, etc. i kept everything separate, so as not to confuse places. i think i consolidated them thoroughly, but we'll see about that when packing time comes. everything just feels better when it's in it's place.. i suppose i'll need to work on that in my room when i get home!

i have been looking through my photos recently and i have some awesome shots. i plan to compile them when i get home, another project to add to the list. i often joke, when out and about taking pictures, that i'll have too many computer backgrounds to choose from. today i have a photo-shopped cherry blossom picture, tomorrow that could change!

dinner was with the usual suspects, with a special ending. cassie's birthday was on the 9th, so we had chocolate ice cream cake with her ship-family to celebrate! it was such a treat, though it wasn't a carvel cake. i often forget that no one on the west coast has heard of carvel or had that yummy cake with the chocolate crunchies in the middle!

i'm off to work on my own global studies review, and then i may head to the post-port reflections. there is a sunrise easter service on the 7th deck tomorrow morning, so i may get up with mckendree and go to that.

tomorrow is april 12th, take one. and then we'll get to re-live it again, on april 12th, take two. when i figure out time differences and whatnot, i'll let you all know!




ps. the blog entries are on hold for a day or two, i've got real school work to focus on! i haven't forgotten!

question..

11 april 2009
1922 (7:22p)

curious, did my post titled 'konnichiwa' ever end up on my blog?

i got a few 'undeliverable' and 'delayed sending' emails about it, so i don't know if the post ever made it up there. if it's not up, let me know! it wasn't anything big, but i'm sure someone would like to read it!

thanks!

dashing off to class..

11 april 2009

0758 (758a)

 

back on the ship and hurrying off to class. lost another hour last night, so we're at + 14 hours from the east coast. that all changes tomorrow, we're crossing the international date line! two april 12ths! (or easter sundays..).

 

miss and love!

lazy day - sailing between kobe & yokohama

08 april 2009
2313 (11:13p)


i decided to stay on the ship between our two japanese ports, to save money and to keep from getting run-down. i had grand plans of catching up on school work, though unfortunately, all the travel has caught up with me. i spent far too much of the day sleeping, though i hope that i will be better tomorrow for yokohama.

our game plan is to get up and off to tokyo as early as possible and we may stay the night there. we aren't sure. as long as i get in some serious karaoke, i'll be content.

my day trip to hiroshima, though expensive, was absolutely worth the effort and expense. a beautiful city, genuinely focused on world peace. the monuments were moving and i even met some survivors, which was a humbling experience. the japanese have been exceedingly kind and helpful so far, i am excited to see them again tomorrow.

off to bed for me, miss you all!

living is not like tearing through a museum.

not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw,
thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering —
because you can't take it all in at once.
-audrey hepburn

----

today i'm going to hiroshima.

we'll be taking the bullet train for just under 2 hours to reach hiroshima, spending the majority of the day there and then returning this evening in time for dinner. since i'll be staying on the ship between kobe and yokohama, we have to be back on by 2100 (9p) tonight.

i'm nervous to go to hiroshima, though i don't think my time in japan would be complete without a visit to the peace park and memorials.

i'm off to get dressed and pack my bag, we're going to try and be off the ship by 0800!

a missile or a satellite?

05 march 2009

global studies today was strange, as it tends to be these days. the topics seem to be unrelated, though i'm sure the professors are doing their best to keep our interest throughout this hectic stretch of southeast asian countries.

our first lecture was about the poetry form of haiku. the lecture was interesting but the professor tended to get bogged down in professing his love for each haiku that his portion seemed to drag. he did share examples of poetry from his class, and my friend teresa's appeared on screen, much to her suprise.

following haiku came a lecture from our inter-port guest, a professor from japan. i believe her lecture was intended to call upon the similarities and differences between the cultures of japan and the states. all i seemed to get out of the lecture was a time line of the AIBO robots, made by sony. they were robot dogs, meant as a substitute for pets.

we learned also of the japan/north korea missile issue, finally. i had heard of the escalating tensions in the news and from teresa, who's dad sent her an email on the topic. there were rumors flying through the ship, as usual, as to if we'd be stopping in japan. tonight at logistical pre-port, les made it clear that we would in fact be stopping in japan and squashed all rumors. shortly after hearing about the issue in global studies, i saw on cnn.com that north korea had in fact sent their 'satellite' into orbit. the most recent reports on cnn claim that nothing ever made it into orbit and that no debris landed on japan. the un security council is now issuing sanctions on north korea for ignoring the international community's requests that they do not send anything into space, rocket or satellite. the us department of state has not issued any travel warnings, so we are safe to enter.

i completed watching all of my gossip girl dvd's, though i'm sad to say that season two was incomplete. i know i'm not missing a disc, so i suppose the season wasn't complete when the set was made. now that i have it off my shoulders, i am going to stay away from beginning a season of friends or anything until my school work is complete.

tonight's pre-port was offbeat, as they have become over the course of the semester. we were again reminded to stay academically focused, as it is the purpose of the semester. luke jones also used a talking mannequin head to explain port safety, an odd display he blamed on his cold medicine. the best part of the evening was the medical update, in which the extended family of the nurse offered haiku about japan. all i know is that there will be western toilets, that the clinic is open from 7-730, there are no mosquitoes and that i can drink the water. i guess the approach was successful, i remembered!

tomorrow will entail a long and seemingly drawn out customs process, meaning that the ship will not be cleared until nearly noon. luke assured us that the fingerprinting, temperature scanning and person-by-person checks are the same as the ones required of people entering the united states. which made us wonder, will we get a logistical pre-port of all the dangers of fort lauderdale when we arrive in may? would certainly be funny to hear the do's and don'ts for the states.

i'm off to sleep, too late, as always. up early for breakfast & a diplomatic briefing..

a note about the internet

so, apparently the internet will be off when we're in japan. something to do with microwaves or mountains or something. so if there is anything absolutely important, or if you'd just like to say hi-- please email my gmail account. i'm going to attempt to get to an internet cafe at some point, or maybe some free wifi, which would be awesome.

 

i'm off to type away at china, i'm nearly finished, and hopefully i'll post that before bed. we're all waiting around to recieve our quarantine cards for the extensive customs we'll be going through in the morning.

 

love to all!

 

xo