Day 28: Squatty Potty!

Bob informed us last night that the breakfast at the hotel was outstanding!. He said that when Kobe Bryant stayed at the hotel he spent so much time at breakfast that fans and paparazzi started to show up and want autographs and pictures. And…true to his word, the breakfast was spectacular! They had fruit, pastries, and every kind of juice, smoothies, omelet, and waffles. It all looked so good! Diet be gone!!

The toilets in these countries have been different. For the most part there have been normal (at least it is normal for me) sitting toilets.

At some places there are only, what we have started to call them, “squatty potties”.

 Terrifying, right?

It is devastating at times when there isn't a sitting toilet. As of now, I refuse to use them. If it comes down to it, a girl has to do what a girl has to do…but for now, attempting to use them is terrifying.

On our way back to Shanghai Bob took us to the water village in Wuzhen, China. Bob said that there were two projects in China: the Great Wall and the Canal. The water village is built on the river that is directly associated with the canal. This village was built hundreds of thousands of years ago. There were homes built directly above/on the river.

The water village.

In recent years the village has been turned into more of a museum. There are hotels in the village now. There are also markets where locals and foreigners can purchase produce and other trinkets. There are museum exhibits. One of the museum exhibits that we walked through was about shoes. These aren't the kind of shoes that you or I would wear. These are shoes that the Chinese would wrap.

This is what it looked like as we walked down the street.

At another one of the museum like exhibits they demonstrated how they dye fabric. They showed the fabric hanging out to dry after it had been dyed. They also had a man in the museum demonstrating how they get the flowery pattern onto the fabric.

Fabric hanging up drying before they sew into products to sell such as 

purses, headbands, dresses and flip flops.

Bob made us try stinky tofu. It was definitely stinky and not my favorite. Bob and some of Dad’s other friends in China refer to tofu in front of the Americans that come to visit them as "stinky tofu." Very few –if any- of the Americans like "stinky tofu."  Fortunately, Bob took us to have a real meal later and not just stinky tofu. It was so much better than the stinky tofu.

 Here is the view from a bridge looking at the village.

 "This is likely hotel rooms", said Bob.

Once we got done walking much of the village, we took a cute little boat back to the beginning of the village (aka where the car was parked). The boat ride was very cool. It was one of those times when I had to remind myself that I was riding on a boat in a river in the middle of China with my dad. It was surreal. AND it was freezing outside. It was on the verge of snowing and we are riding a boat on a river. Not the smartest idea but heck it was a lot faster than walking back to the car. Plus, I had not brought the warmest clothes along with me.

The boat we took across the river. "No, those doors don't shut", said Jillian.

Air blew in and out freely. F.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. Are you with me on that one?

The view from the little boat we road in.

Dad had thought of one more thing while we were in Hangzhou and Wuzhen that he wanted to get while we were in China. Bob took us to get a Starbucks (we were freezing) and get dad's souvenir. It was late afternoon by now and we were going to be having dinner close to 7pm. Dad asked Bob to take us back to the apartment so that we could relax and pack. We have an early flight tomorrow morning and who knows how long dinner will take.

We were having dinner with Dad’s friend, Tiger. When I heard that I was thinking Oh Lord that means there will be a lot of people at dinner and then Dad mentioned that it also means that this will be a looooong dinner. Tiger and his half brother (Da Ge Da), Bob and his wife (no American first name), Denny Garcia (the pro that runs Tiger’s Golf Academy) and Richard and his wife (Olivia) were all at dinner.

At this point in all of the ports, I start to get sick of the food. I'm not opposed to trying everything but after a while I start to want something familiar and get sick of foreign food. 

I had already eaten a lot of shrimp and sushi on this voyage. I was actually surprised how much shrimp I had ate because the texture of it typically bothers me. This meal was, again, family style. The first dish that came around was sushi. I said that I was going to pass and wait for the next dish to come around. I think Tiger may have been offended. He started ordering dishes for me personally. (Oh crap. I’m gonna be so full after this meal. Where’s the dog under the table when you need him?) He ordered beef for everyone to eat. Everyone just passed their beef to me. Throughout the dinner people just passed me some of their personal dishes. I was soooo incredibly full. I need to not eat so much.

I think it was a very cool experience to be able to eat with these people. Danny is an American who is working in China for Tiger Tech. Danny's wife had just died a few months back and he was still struggling with moving on. He made the comparison of life being like a movie. Now he is working to change the script of his life without his wife. I thought it was a pretty solid cultural experience to watch these Chinese people interact and socialize.

Day 27: Slurping Noodles!

Location: Hangzhou, China

We got up early this morning, well, early for me. I think it’s smart to make the best use of my time while I'm in port. I don’t know if I will ever be back. We went to Starbucks, grabbed our drink and went back to the apartment. Bob and Mister Lu were going to be picking us up at 10am. Of course, while I had use of Internet (and it was quiet) I used my time to FaceTime/Skype with Mady, my mom, and Mickey. 

Mister Lu drove us to Hangzhou. It is a town about 150 kilometers from Shanghai. Driving in China is somethin' else. As we are driving down the highway, just as I'm getting sleepy, Mister Lu swerves the car to another lane. There was a car in front of us going in reverse down the road. The driver had missed his intended exit and apparently was not willing to continue down the road until the next exit and then turn around. 

Once we arrived in Hangzhou food was a necessity. (Grampa is right; it does sound like I’m eating my way around the world!) The traffic to get to Hangzhou was worse than Bob had predicted so we ended up just grabbing a quick lunch at a restaurant. We had noodles with a little bit of meat in it. The meal was absolutely delicious. I'm not sure if that is just because I was starving or if it really was. I'm going to guess it really was. I have decided that one of my least favorite foods to eat with chopsticks is noodles. It is a joke. Luckily at this restaurant they gave us a spoon. So I would pick up some noodles, let them sit in the air to cool down, and then plop them onto the spoon we were given. From there I would just use the spoon to feed myself. (Dad and Bob did the same thing so I'm not such a newbie). If you attempt to just use the chopsticks to feed yourself the noodles you end up slapping yourself in the face with noodles. That can be very hot and messy. No thank you. It is also almost an expected thing to do in Chinese and Japanese cultures to slurp your food. For an American it is obnoxious to do that in public. (It would make you crazy, Mom!) I wanted to try to do it in these cultures when it was considered acceptable. I tried a time or two until I got sick of wiping my face from the mess I was making after every time I put food into my mouth!!

Bob took us to a pagoda tower. This particular pagoda had been rebuilt. The remains of the previous pagoda can be found on the inside of the current one. The original pagoda was built over 1000 years ago. 

The Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou

The view from the top was spectacular. I can't even imagine what it would have looked like had it been a clear day outside. The pagoda overlooked what is known as Westlake.

The view from the top of the Pagoda overlooking Westlake and the city.

It was too chilly to take a boat across or a bike around the lake so instead we just drove around. On the other side of the lake was our hotel for the night. Once checked in at the hotel and walked outside, there was a water show occurring on the lake. Apparently the water show occurs on the hour, everyday.

A little glimpse into the show.

Day 26: Super Bowl Sunday!!

Location: Shanghai

Just outside of the apartment was a Starbucks. It's was meant to be!! We went down and grabbed our coffee and made our way back to the apartment so that we could catch the Super Bowl. There was also a Costa Coffee which is very popular in China and rivals Starbucks. We had that occasionally, too.

As we were watching the game, I noticed that we began to see the same five commercials. Over and over. I guess that's what we get for watching the Super Bowl in China!  In case you were wondering we were watching television via Taiwanese satellite. We were able to see most of the game until the power went out in the Super Dome. We also multitasked and FaceTime/Skype my mom and Mady as well as Mickey. (Grandma, you have to be online for me to be able to Skype you!) About then we were supposed to meet Bob outside our apartment.

A little bit about Bob. My dad has known Bob Fu for a number of years from his visits to Shanghai. By day he’s an Operations Manager for Tiger Tech; but it appears that his real job is a merchandise broker. Bob is married to a wonderful lady (who is also a Shanghai local) and they have a daughter who will be making her first trip to the United States later this year for business. He’s also a true local -- born and raised in Shanghai. He spent some time in the United States, when he worked for Bic, the pen people. As a local, he knows his way around and how to negotiate when we are shopping. They refer to his form of Mandarin dialect as as Shanghai-ese (the –ese comes from Chinese). When in Shanghai, there are 4-5 pricing levels with the tourist level paying the highest price. Bob sticks with my dad and will make sure he gets the best price. Truthfully, we would never know but the prices seem fair when we convert them to US$.  I’m thankful for our own translator/negotiator/tour guide.  We refer to Bob as the professional shopper.

The plan today included a tour-guided trip by Bob to see the Shanghai World Financial Building. The building is shaped like a bottle opener at the top. It is the tallest building in Shanghai (soon to be the second tallest) and currently, the second tallest building in the world. Coincidentally, the third tallest building is in Hong Kong, our next port. 

As we entered the building they showed a comparison of Tokyo, New York City, and Shanghai in the growth of how fast they became skyscraper cities. In the last 20 years, Shanghai has exploded in growth. The next model was a diorama of the entire town of Shanghai. They showed the town throughout the day when it was lit up and when it was not.

We went on a mission to get to the top of the building and made it 492 meters high. I had to pop my ears it was so high. Sadly, it was very foggy that day. We could barely see, making it hardly worth it.

As we moved down floors of the building we could begin to see again. I thought it was really cool to see the city from a different perspective. We had a cup of coffee when we were still very high up looking out and found the ship. We could only see the ship when the clouds kept moving.

 Bob enjoying himself.

We walked outside the building snapped a few pictures and made our way to a part of town that was more traditional Shanghai with the Chinese-looking buildings you would expect.

The area is referred to as Old Shanghai and they were getting the area ready for the Chinese new year (lots of colorful plants and balloons).

Nearby there was an estate that belongs to an Emperor and well over 800 years old. Inside, we found an amazing Garden with waterfalls, flowers, funky Chinese plants, bonsai trees, stone buildings, ponds with the big goldfish, etc.  

It was so pretty to walk through.

The buildings in the garden included carvings in the stone at the top of the building -- these carvings were snakes, dragons and other traditional Chinese images. Bob had interesting stories and folk-lore behind the carvings.

After we made our way out of the garden we grabbed lunch. It was again a family-style meal including dumplings. The chefs were preparing the dumplings at another end of the restaurant. It was so neat watching them make it. It was kind of like watching Krispy Kreme make your donuts. I spotted a Hagen Das outside of the restaurant. Somehow Bob figured out that I'm a lover of ice cream. So, of course, we went to Hagen Das! 

Bob took us shopping and I got some wallets, a backpack, and a new NorthFace jacket (my NorthFace jacket started to rip). We didn't have to negotiate but it was still very stressful. Bargaining on top of trying to decide what you want and dealing with the person selling us the products was a challenge.  All the stores in the shopping complex are very small but they all have hidden back rooms (special shopping for special customers according to Bob; AKA black market).

Bob then took us to a different part of Shanghai; the old town for the French and Germans. And very traditional. The buildings were very small/short but so cute!

We stopped at a German Restaurant and enjoyed a beverage. Dad and Bob had German beer while I enjoyed a latte.

Dad requested the restaurant for tonight where their specialty was spicy ribs. Yum! Everything was very spicy but you should know that I'm a spicy wimp. Bob even thinks that the food there is spicy. The restaurant is traditional Shanghai. Mister Lu is from Southeast China and he didn't find the food as spicy as we all thought.

After Dinner, Dad and I went to get a massage.  Massages are very popular in China.  Some of folks that my dad works with told him that it is not uncommon to have 3 or 4 massages a week.  They jokingly refer to this as exercise (the lazy man’s workout).  The first hour started out as a foot massage (this consisted of soaking our feet in a wooden bucket filled with hot water and herbs while the masseuse worked on our shoulders and eventually finished up with our pruned feet). The second hour consisted of a body massage.  The whole experience was unique as neither party could communicate other than a few hand gestures.  We finished up relaxed and walked back to the apartment which was only a few blocks away.

Day 25: A Different Sort of Meat Market!

Location: Shanghai

Lauren and I got up this morning out-of-our-mind-excited to see the sunrise. We had heard last night at pre-port that our arrival into Shanghai would be a really cool one! It definitely lived up to the hype!

We planned for the cold and layered up! As soon as we popped our head outside – the temperature slapped us! We could see ships docked and floating up/down the river as well as the land on the horizon! It was pretty dang dark outside for it being the time the sun was supposed to come up.

 Our view as we came into Shanghai

As we were snarfing down our breakfast (about 7am) we arrived at our port and were an hour early! It was really cool to watch the boats travel up and down the river and see the city as we began to approach it. 

My words cannot explain what it feels like to see land when you spend this much time at sea. We had heard the immigration process could take a while so we were excited that we had arrived early.

Lauren & I went back to our rooms to gather up everything we might need for our field labs. I had my Nutrition field lab and Lauren had a field lab for a different class. We hung out while we waited to meet our classes and be briefed on the day.

As soon as I met with my class it was time to make my way through immigration. You may remember, people with field labs get first priority when going through immigration and getting off the ship. (Oh, joy!!) Those who have field programs get to get off the ship and go through immigration next. Everyone else on the ship has to patiently wait their turn.

I wasn't very excited about this field lab. Our class is so big that they split up the class into two field labs and, all of my friends were on the other field lab. Not to mention, this is by far my least favorite class.

Luckily meeting with an immigration officer and getting through customs went smoothly. I got off the ship and boarded the bus which took us to the Zhenning Road Food Market. We had a tour guide on the bus ride who gave us tidbits about China, pointing out important parts of the town. After this food market, I don't want to go to another food market even remotely similar. Ever. Again, I saw wayyy too much. There were the obvious fruits, vegetables, and rice. And every kind of fruit and veggie you might expect. On to the meat department. I saw fish…live fish…get their heads and tails cut off. They would still flop around after their parts were missing. I saw frogs get their heads cut off. I saw live chickens getting their parts chopped off, too. This is soooo not my thing. I just wanted out of there. And, did I mention the smell? Use your imagination. Your worst imagination. It stunk. There was a roof covering the market and two of the four sides were covered allowing the smell to only escape out of small parts of the huge market. I will spare you the pictures! I will forever remember while working hard to forget this market!

Next up…lunch! You have got to be kidding! Oh, boy. We hopped back on the bus and you can bet your lunch money that I was one of the first ones on! Again, much like Japan, it was hard to recognize some of the stuff we were eating. I am becoming a very skillful chopstick user though. Pure necessity!

We returned to the ship after lunch; with an hour to spare until we were expected to listen to Professor Liping Zhao speak. In the meantime, I was freezing and needed to warm up somehow, so I took a shower and then turned on my China phone. {I was given a China phone by my dad’s friends before I left home}. I needed to tell my dad when and where to meet me. It was a challenge to try to figure out that phone. I resorted to just texting him because I wasn't sure which number to call. To text, I drew the letters to spell words on the screen. This device was sooo different than my iPhone that I’m used to.

It ended up taking another hour and a half to get the Professor, along with the colleagues he was bringing on board, onto the ship. The Chinese immigration officers weren't letting them on, as strange as that sounds. Apparently, they did not have the proper paperwork filled out. I was able to continue talking to my dad and catching up on my emails. 

My professor had told us (before the delay) that the field lab would end at 5pm. I had made arrangements for my dad to be able to come onboard and tour the ship where I have spent the last month. The stinky thing about this field lab (ha! Did you catch the pun??) is that I could have/would have done everything we did on my own time with the exception of listening to the professor talk. And I could have done it with my dad or at least in less time. {Well, we all know that I would have scooted out of that market much quicker than I already did!} The professor’s English was very difficult to understand, add my antsy-ness to meet my dad and it was nearly impossible to stay engaged. 

With all the delay, I got to the dock to see my dad sometime after 5:30pm. Thank goodness he had his friend “Bob” to keep him company! We had to find the Port Agent to give him a pass to let him on board the ship. I had filled out paperwork about two weeks ago asking permission to let him come on board the ship. The Captain, Semester at Sea, the Institute of Shipboard Education, and the Chinese government had to give approval. It turned into a much bigger fiasco than I had expected. I guess I could say that it’s nice to know that the ship is secure! The Port Agent couldn't find his invitation letter that Semester at Sea had already submitted. I had to get into a very long line (a lot of students and crew were making their way back on the ship) to get back on board the ship to make my way to the front desk and request a new invitation letter. Once I got the letter and headed back down to give it to the Port Agent we had to wait another half hour or more before the Port Agent gave him the approval to get on the ship. By now, the sun had gone down, it was quite windy, and in the low 40’s. Quite chilly, if I do say so myself.

Two hours later and we were on! (Bob, his friend, waited at the port). I gave him a tour of the ship, showing him the Union and all the other “hot spots”. He was pretty shocked, to say the least, at the size of our room.  He brought a whole bunch of snacks and other goodies my mom had sent and I sent a few things that I wasn't using home with him. It was a nice little trade.

Once the tour was over and we were off the ship, Bob was waiting and took us to meet the driver and his nice warm car. The driver took us farther into downtown Shanghai. We hopped out of the car and grabbed a nice warm Starbucks drink! 

 Really, does a smile like this need a caption?

We walked along the sidewalks looking at how crazy-beautiful Shanghai was at night, I believe across what is known as the Bund. When all the buildings light up it is absolutely gorgeous!

Shanghai at night

We got back into the car and headed to dinner. The meals in China are different than the meals in the States or Japan, for that matter, and served family-style. A bunch of dishes are brought to the table and everyone ends up having a little bit of everything. This is how our lunch was today, too. (I think Dad was quite impressed with my chopstick skills. I was picking up peanuts left and right at dinner!)

After dinner, Bob and Mister Lu (the driver) dropped us off at the apartment. Dad gave me a quick tour and showed me where I was going to be sleeping as well as which bathroom was mine. Then Bob took us across the street to get a massage. Ahhhh, I was so grateful for the massage. After sleeping on the stiff/uncomfortable bed on the ship, not to mention all the walking we do, it was very much appreciated!

Day 24: Back at Sea!

Location: Headed towards Shanghai

Welp, I can't believe I was just in Japan two days ago and I will be in China tomorrow. Absolutely surreal!

Japan felt like we were constantly walking through a movie set or in pictures. I bet China will feel the same! Whenever we gain an hour there are always extra people at breakfast. There’s the chunk that didn't need the extra sleep and there are those who forget to change their clocks. It has already happened to me!

With such a short amount of time in between countries and five days from the last time we had class it is hard remember what is going on in my classes. I almost forgot I had two assignments due today! That's one of the difficulties about this schedule.

Our ship "mom" wanted to have lunch today. She wanted to hear about what everyone did in Japan as well as their plans for China. A bunch of people are heading to Beijing to see the Great Wall of China. I’m spending the time in Shanghai with my “real” dad. Dad’s friends in China didn't suggest going to see the Great Wall. The Chinese New Year starts at the end of the week and some of the activities are already beginning, so they felt it will be quite chaotic and not really worth it. Plus it will be very expensive to find transportation. It’s not the best time to be here, frankly.

Before we get to each port it seems as though the crew takes their best stab at preparing a local meal. Prior to Japan we had stir-fry. Tonight we had a different kind of noodles. Don’t ask; I’m not sure. It’s just different than what we are used to...and it doesn't stare at me.

Tonight we had another pre-port. It is crazy to have pre-ports so close together! This pre-port was exceptionally long. They covered many things from Japan, health precautions, field labs and field programs occurring in China, and other logistics. They are technically combining two ports into one pre-port made this pre-port last extra-long.

Day 23: Drug Test, Anyone?

Location: Back at Sea...Headed to Shanghai

It's already February? 

I slept like a rock last night after all the miles we tread and sightseeing in Japan. I got up for breakfast (just so that I could get my pastries…seriously, two can play this game!) and then went right back to bed. I got up just in time to go to class.

Shortly after sitting down for lunch with Kyle and Sawyer, there was an announcement made over the intercom. The Assistant Executive Dean was listing names of people who needed to report to Tymintz Square. There were only six names called of the 700+ guests on board. I was one of them. Coincidentally,  so was Sawyer. We were chosen "randomly" to be drug tested. I believe they do this after each port. If you are caught with drugs in your system you will get points against your name and potentially kicked off the ship. If you refuse to be drug tested, you are also kicked off the ship.

I returned to my room to watch a movie for one of my classes. Well as anyone could have expected, that turned into a nap. Luckily I set an alarm clock so that I could make it to my next class on time.

After dinner, my Sea had a meeting. We discussed the upcoming Sea Olympics as well as activities that we wanted to do. The residential director responsible for my Sea also said that Burma and Morocco are still up in the air. If ANYTHING goes on in those countries before we get there we may not go to those countries and alternatively go elsewhere.

I also attended the Alumni meeting which is intended for those who want to help plan events on the ship including The Ambassador’s Ball at the end of the semester, and the auction. We planned the spirit week on the ship and are going to meet at another time in a few weeks.

After all those meetings, I went back to Shelley and Lauren's room. We continued with story time from the day before, Shelley taught us some Chinese (she took Chinese last semester), painted our nails (the boys that were in the room learning Chinese were horrified by the smell), and watched Game of Thrones.