In The Blink of an Eye

I just don’t understand. Someone has definitely hit the fast forward button on life and whoever you are, you better cut it out! Time is a figment of my imagination lately.

The alarm goes off every morning, I go to global at 9:20, I have lunch at 11:30, the noon report comes on over the PA, I go to class, I come back to the room, do some homework, wait for the evening announcements at 5:30, have dinner at 5:35, come back to the room, hang out with friends, turn the lights off by 1, and stare at the ceiling until the alarm goes off again.

After we “gained” that day on Easter, I can’t sleep anymore. I internal clock is MESSED up. Lose an hour here, lose an hour there—I don’t even know what day it is half the time. Here we go again, losing another hour, crossing into another time zone, and preparing for finals—it doesn’t seem fair; I’m not ready. My head is still laying on the beach in Hawaii.

And then, with the snap of a finger, April is almost over, Hawaii is figment of the past, and Guatemala lies somewhere in the distant future.

This morning was my last day of Global Studies. We have our final tomorrow and course evaluations have been fluttering throughout the hallways. I blink my eyes and when I open them I’m somewhere new. And while I’m trying to catch my mind up to speed, my body has already moved on to the next place.

Our first day in Hawaii was a relaxing one. A group of us (Kristen, Luisa, Elle, Jen and I) decided to head to Waikiki Beach for the day and soak up the sun. Luisa’s 21st birthday was on Monday, our second and final day in Hawaii, and we had plans to go to the Cheesecake Factory for some good ‘ole American style food for dinner that night. And as we’re walking out of the pier, SURPRISE, her boyfriend is waiting there for her. It was cute. He and his friends made a surprise trip to Hawaii for her birthday. Our massive group headed to the beach and in no time the tan lines became redefined.

The next morning, Kristen and I headed for Pearl Harbor with an SAS tour—which we nearly missed due to our lazy alarm clock. We took a tour of the memorial museum and the Arizona memorial and I’m not gonna lie—I was disappointed. I really thought it would be more than what it was. The building was under renovations so maybe that’s why, but it seemed really…I don’t know…out dated? And I really felt like it was a waste of my time to go through SAS. Oh well.

Kristen and I split from the group early and then went shopping, a favorite past time of mine. We found Wi-Fi for an hour and wrote some e-mails. We had lunch at the cute restaurant called “Cheese Burger”…I’m sure you know what they sold. It was wonderful being back in a country of comfort. The language barriers become over whelming after a while. But at the same time it was such a weird feeling being able to speak English so fluently and then having to deal with American money and prices. At times I felt that I was talking down to people because I kept anticipating a language barrier. Obviously that was not the case—I even met another Long Islander! Hawaii was nice, but it went by too quickly.

Before I know it I’ll be home again, something I’m half looking forward to and half dreading. The transition is going to be a big one and though there are some things I’m absolutely looking forward too, there are definitely things I’m going to miss.

But I really have no idea where the time has gone. I really need to stop blinking…

Déjà Vu--The Second April 12 of 2009

Happy Easter!

It’s just around 6 in the morning, so I’m a little sleepy, but I felt this blog needed to be written, even if it is a short one. Therefore, please don’t mind any grammatical errors—though I now wish I had an excuse for the errors in some of my other entries. Oh well…I digress.

Some of you may ask, “But Jenna, why are you awake so early, especially when you have no classes today?” “Oh,” I would reply, sarcastically. “I’m awake because my family decided to wish me a Happy Easter back on the East Coast. Isn’t that nice of them?”

I’m pretty sure Kristen is lying in bed right now, wishing I never woke her up. I think I’ve developed some African elephant tendencies as I sounded like a herd of them in a stampede coming out of my room. My phone shrilled alive sometime late in the hour of 5:00 and I stumbled to answer it, tripping over cords and plugs in our dark room. Screaming on the phone to hang on a minute I attempted to find my room key and a pair of shoes so I could run out on the 5th deck and not disturb everyone around but. Failure. Instead, I found myself shoeless, out in the bright hallway, sitting in the stairwell (as it was wayyyy to cold and windy outside).

Anyway, today is the second day I’ve celebrated Easter—as a matter of fact it is the second day I am living April 12, 2009. You see, yesterday was April 12, 2009: Part One, if you will. I went to classes, had my meals, studying for an upcoming global test, went to the gym, and showered— everything you would do in a normal day. But then I went to sleep, woke up, and suddenly it was April 12, 2009 AGAIN! We have crossed the International Dateline.

Today marks the official day where I am no longer ahead in time of the East Coast, and subsequently home, but now I am behind in the times. Now instead of calling my family when the day is over I can call them with a new optimism for the day to come. *Sigh* It’s like time travel…on the open sea!

Well, Hawaii is next and all I have to say is: BRING ON THE SUNSHINE AND VITAMIN D! China and Japan were way too cold for my liking—it felt like being back in New York. Brr. I think two days, lying on the beach will certainly enhance my cultural and academic experience. Waikiki Beach is calling my name.

While I’m here…before I go crawl back into my bed to contemplate more theories of evolution for global studies (not) I’d like to send a message out to my family. First off, lay off the wine Grandma! You’re starting to slur your words…not a good sign. *Shakes finger* (Seriously…she doesn’t even remember my name!) Everyone else…keep that wine flowing! I’m sure Dad has enough stocked in the house to last you all…a lifetime…or at least until dinner is served. Mom—I’m not in the kitchen with you, so try not to splatter any sauces, burn yourself, or cut open any fingers. I’d like to come home with you intact. Oh and make sure you wish Anthony a Happy Birthday this week! I miss you guys like crazy! Only 3 weeks and…3 days…until I’m home. Family party then? Yes. Mom—start planning that. Just kidding…don’t you dare!

Words of thought: Lettuce, Turnip and Pea. Goodnight guys!

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

*sigh* Here I am again—looking over at the MV Explorer from the port terminal—attempting to figure out the wireless situation and digest yet another country. It really takes a lot out of you, traveling, that is. With just about a month to go there are times I still feel like I’ve never set sail. It almost doesn’t seem real—sitting in Japan, looking out at the Pacific Ocean.

Yesterday we arrived and docked in Kobe, Japan. It was another early morning, starting with a diplomatic briefing that Kristen and I diligently watched from the television in our cabin. Still it wasn’t until sometime in the early afternoon that we were allowed off the ship. Immigrations and Customs took a few hours, especially because we are the size of a small country, floating around the world.

But once we were off the ship, we headed straight into town via the monorail system. Of course, armed with the phrases “hello”, “goodbye”, and “thank-you”, we felt ready to explore and get lost—a new specialty of mine. A group of us—Kristen, Colin, Collin, and Keith—decided to head to Hiroshima for the day and visit the A-bomb museum. It wasn’t my first choice for a day trip, but I figured what the hell—when will I be in Japan again? So off we went on the adventure of a lifetime. From the downtown area of Kobe we took the subway to the JR train station where we just made the next bullet train headed to Hiroshima. The train, which was more like an airplane, was decked out with velvet, reclining seats and had a “train attendant” who was pushing around the drink cart. Oh and did I mention that there are no open bottle laws here? Right, so more sake please! An hour and a half later on a 300 km/hour train we arrived at our destination. By this time of course it’s about 4:30-5:00 and the museum closes at 6:30, so we rushed through the memorial gardens, took a few pictures and headed straight for the museum. It was an expensive trip, but worth the money.

Upon our return we found dinner back in Kobe at an upper scale restaurant and had dinner—the infamous Kobe beef. As Kobe beef is massaged and fed only the best kinds of grain and grass, the prices were a little out of the “college student” range, but we splurged a little bit. For $20, my 3 ounces of meat were quite tasty. However, when it arrived I wasn’t prepared for sushi—my meat was mooing in front of me. In the center of the table was an open grill where we were able to cook our own meat to our liking. So there the five of us are, barbequing our meat and veggies, laughing hysterical and cracking up the owner as well. Keith and the Collins decided to teach our waitress how to make an American tradition—s’mores. So at 11 at night, there we are, grilling marshmallows over the open flames and attempting to teach the camp traditions to our non-English speaking “friends”.

This morning Kristen had plans to go to the theatre with one of the Semester at Sea sponsored groups. It was something about two performances and a backstage tour, but the group was exclusive to Professor Eaton’s drama students and it was kind of on the hush-hush. Kristen got the inside scoop because he’s the director of the play she’s in. Anyway, Kristen and I managed to get the approval to tag along, but at the last minute I decided it was a little too expensive for my blood and not really how I wanted to spend my last day in Kobe. Instead I decided to have a little “Jenna-exploration” time. And that’s exactly what I did.

I slept in this morning until about 10:30, got up and took a hot shower and got ready for the day. Then I jumped on the Port Liner monorail into downtown. Now I know we’re really not supposed to travel alone, but I just put on my New York attitude and pretend I’m just traveling alone in New York City and I’m fine. I throw on my iPod and sunglasses and most people ignore me. However, I’m also not a blonde with blue eyes and Uggs on…I guess that draws attention in and of itself. Sometimes traveling with other people on Semester at Sea is a huge sign that says, “HEY, LOOK AT ME I’M A TOURIST—LOST AND CONFUSED AND VULNERABLE!” But aside from my height, I pretty much blend into the crowd…that is, until I open my mouth.

When I got into downtown I explored one of the malls, looking at all the fabulous clothes and bags I couldn’t afford to buy, nevertheless wear. Japanese people are really tiny—around the waist and in height—so the sizes aren’t really meant for people who, let’s face it, have a figure. Anyway, I made my way to the 9th floor of the mall where I found a movie theatre! Of course I couldn’t resist, even if the movie was in Japanese I figured it would be a nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I caught the 12:50 showing of Marley and Me—which was in English with Japanese subtitles. I’m not a crier, but I was definitely bawling in the theater. Luckily, it was dark so I didn’t draw too much attention to myself, but in the end I found out that emotions are universal and even if you can’t speak with the person next to you, they still understand. The Japanese woman next to me, who was about 85 and with her husband, or at least a man of the same age, turned to me with a smile on her face and tears streaming down her face and offered me a tissue. It was priceless. Little old ladies are adorable, but when they are about ½ your height, dressed in polka dots, wearing way too much perfume and don’t speak a word of English, being able to non-verbally communicate is just totally worth it.

What I still can’t wrap my mind around was the fact that I was probably one of the only people who understood Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in the entire theater. Could you imagine having to read subtitles every time you see a movie? It’s like seeing foreign films over and over again. But I guess…that’s just it. We are foreigners. Huh. Weird. I guess I never think of myself as the foreigner.

Once the movie was over I treated myself to a little lunch at a café. I was going to have sushi at this restaurant with a conveyer belt and everything, but they were closing to prepare to dinner. I had a little sandwich, with god only knows what, and a coffee. On my way out I found a music and DVD store and did some exploring there too. In the end, I ended up just grabbing a coffee at Starbucks and heading back to the ship.

Let me just say that as an American we tend to always find one place that reminds us of home, where we knew we can feel comfortable. Sometimes it’s a McDonalds, but as I’m not really a fan, Starbucks in my place. I always know that an Iced Venti White Mocha will translate. And if you’re lucky, someone in there will speak English and you’ll find someone to chit chat with. We set sail tonight and have one day at sea before arriving in Yokohama, Japan. We had the opportunity to travel on land and then meet up with the ship, but I think the day of relaxation tomorrow is just what I’m going to need.

Another Airplane, Another Side Place—I’m Lucky, I Know…But I Want to Go Home

I love traveling. I love SAS. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. But I find myself getting ready for home. :-\

It’s such a mixed emotion—I almost feel guilty for even saying this, but it’s the truth nonetheless. I guess this is the first time I’ve been in a big, urban city as the “minority” and really at the mercy of the people here. English has been so widely spoken in all the countries we’ve traveled to, I really think I’ve been taking it for granted—something I will NEVER do again.

I think that all this nonstop, quick paced lifestyle is starting to really take its toll on me. I’ve got my medical mystery going on…which has turned into just a terrible cold…and it’s not like we ever really get a break. I mean, at college I can come home or visit my friends on the weekends. We get a Spring Break and right now I’d most likely be preparing to see all my friends for Easter Weekend. But we don’t get weekends or breaks this semester. At times I have classes in succession for only two days (nice!) or nine (not so fun). My schedule (if you can even call it that) goes from classes at sea to days at port. And I understand that while at port I’m at my leisure…which is true, to an extent. I can sleep in at port, but why would I ever do that? I’ll sleep when I’m dead—or in May when I’m home. When I’m at port all I want to do is explore, explore, explore. And as I don’t want any killer hangovers while I explore, I attempt to limit my partying nights out on the town. It’s not like back home where I can sleep off any New Haven experiences all day on Saturday.

I feel like I’m living out of a suitcase, or at least living in a hotel. Either I am, literally, in hotels, or I’m onboard. And being onboard is great. The staff is awesome and there really is nothing I can complain about in terms of the ship. But there are a few things that once seemed AMAZING to me, but now are just making me miss home.

For example, meals and food—onboard there is always someone there to clear your plate and fill your water glass or sneak you an iced tea, when the only juice being served is apple. I love these guys, but enough is enough! I’ll throw away my garbage; I can wash my own dishes. Let me in the kitchen—I want to cook! And in terms of food, thank you so much SAS for making these gourmet meals, but Kraft Mac and Cheese sounds great right now, or even a sandwich, or a salad with simple Italian dressing. Mystery meat and “fish” get old quick. And then at port all we play is the “point and pick” game. If the pictures look good I’m gonna eat it because I have no idea what that character means. Oh and ladies and gents I’m really sorry to say, but I still have yet to see Lo Mein, Chicken with Broccoli, Wonton Soup, or fortune cookies while in China—oops.

Cabin stewards—it sounds amazing, but really I’m over it. Hypothetically, someone coming to clean my room everyday sounds great, better than great, but no. I am not the cleanest human being—I’ll admit it, but my chaos makes me happy. I like my little bits of clutter and when I feel like cleaning it I will. Mom—this is not saying that I promise to be clean upon my return, but I’m saying that I will vacuum and I have no problem organizing my piles. Rolando, I love when you come and clean, but this mixing of my papers and knocking on my door at 7:30 am to clean is just not okay. I’ll clean today, you take a break.

Living on a ship, traveling, you really lose all senses of a schedule. So you go to the gym 3 days a week? Yeah, I used to too—but now there’s a fight for an elliptical, or I’m at port, or I’ll be away from the ship. And frankly, after port, I’m just too tired to move my fat ass to the gym. Instead I’ll just forgo that frozen yogurt and Kit-Kat tonight from the 7th deck (well, maybe I’ll just forgo the Kit-Kat…frozen yogurt is fat-free). Food is only served from this time to that time, so if you sleep in you are out of luck, my friend (Thank God you snuck out that orange last night at dinner…shhh! Don’t tell). And seriously, did I mention that you live on a SHIP?! There is no “alone time”. Everyone knows where to find you because you are either in your cabin, in class, or in the cafeteria. And if they can’t find you, you can be paged…trust me.

I miss the freedom I have at home. I could have taken the ferry home for the weekend, or taken a drive to Fairfield or Rhode Island, or jumped on the train to NYC. If I want to get away I can just hop in my car and take a drive or get Starbucks. I’m not sure I even remember how to drive anymore, it’s been so long! As for dropping by a Starbucks, ha, what a joke! You’re more likely to find a KFC in any other part of the world than our favorite little coffee joint. And then of course there’s everything I’m missing back home! I’m sorry, but even with technology, I’m STILL out of the loop. This couple broke up; that couple got back together; she’s got a new boyfriend; so-in-so got his driver’s license—trust me there’s a lot to miss out on! My brother has gotten his acceptance letters from college and is making his final decisions on where to spend the next four years of his life. He’s graduating! For goodness sake my kid sister isn’t really a kid anymore and is going to high school next year! I’ve come to realize time doesn’t stop for anyone.

Now, don’t take any of this as complaining, I’m just stating that with exactly 5 weeks left, it sounds like the perfect amount of time before returning to Long Island—before I come home.

“We Could’ve Been Standing On The Great Wall of China”…But I did, Billy Joel, I DID!

Aside from my various misadventures in China, my trip to Beijing has been great. To recap in a few short words I’ve done the touristiest things possible for the past two days and I loved every minute of it. Kristen and I hiked the Great Wall of China yesterday (while singing “The Great Wall of China” by Billy Joel and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan) after a trip to the Ming Tombs and a Jade factory. I bought the most ridiculous hat with a panda head on it, which I creatively call my “Panda Hat.” We also visited the Olympic Village from the 2008 Olympics. Our adventures took us to a market place where we bartered for shoes and clothes that…uh…most likely fell off the back of a truck, if you catch my drift. Anyway, I now find myself the owner of the cutest pair of J. Lo shoes for less than $40. Quite a steal if I say so myself.

Today we took a trip to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City at the heart of Beijing. And after getting lost and not being able to find a cab we took a 40 minute hike down the road until we found some restaurants and a cab driver. We had him take us to the Beijing Zoo where we got to see real pandas. And while I was there I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to by Panda Slippers to match my Panda Hat! Geez…I’m such a tourist. Anyway, we also went to the Summer Palace—which surprisingly was just a palace where the Emperor lived during the summer. Then we had a traditional—ITALIAN—dinner at a little pizza place near our hotel. I guess Chinese food gets boring after a while even for the Chinese.