Monday, May 19, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Ima go to Hawaii
Part One: They're Everywhere.
As I stumbled onto the plane in Newark, too tired and dazed to anticipate the Hawaiian adventure before me, I looked around the plane and was struck with familiarity. Sitting there, timid and bland, was nothing other than a Houghton Girl, representing the epitome of her kind. This was no regular Houghton Girl either. It was daily, plain dry bagel and a glass of water, I'm-from-Hawaii-but-that-doesn't-make-me-exciting-Houghton Girl.
Looking back, I'm unsure if this sighting made me so happy because of it's ridiculousness (seriously, dull hawaii girl on my Newark flight to Hawaii? Do those things happen?) or sad, because Houghton is consuming my world.
I just thought of another possibility. Can someone please leave a comment to say that they know who I'm speaking of? What if this girl is a hallucination? Ugh...I'd like to think that I would hallucinate cooler things than her; this would be terrible news.
Part 2: We Ain't In No China
I am staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani resort in Maui. This place is ridiculous. My hotel room has a bathroom the size of Rhode Island, a tv room with a huge puffy couch (yes, puffy was the best adjective to use), two big plasma screen televisions, beds that do not have the rubbery, 
uncomfortable bedspreads that seem to be assumed to every hotel room in the world, and a veranda that I could do laps around. If you aren't jealous yet, there are 5 pools, 3 water slides, a private beach, a breathtakingly large and complete fitness center, and free services wherever I turn my pampered little head.
uncomfortable bedspreads that seem to be assumed to every hotel room in the world, and a veranda that I could do laps around. If you aren't jealous yet, there are 5 pools, 3 water slides, a private beach, a breathtakingly large and complete fitness center, and free services wherever I turn my pampered little head. My mom and I were traveling from 3 30am on Friday until 9pm your time, 3pm Maui time, so yesterday was a long day. But this morning we have already done some ocean kayaking, snorkeling, and plenty of sunbathing. Right now we're enjoying some downtime in our room before a luao (yes, we're pretty sure there will be hula dancers and a whole pig on a stick) tonight. If you notice in the pictures that it looks kind of foggy, clear of any visible mountains, let me tell you why. A volcano errupted two days ago, so until the winds pick up to blow away the smog, the sky is going to appear rather thick. I can deal with this.
My room is up to the left, second in and second down.
Homies, I'll be enjoying the next couple of days.
Backlogged
I can't see this blog, so I don't know what's going in with all these other folks. However, I'll take a guess that none of them died, and if I'm wrong, my condolences go out to their families.
As for me, I haven't died yet either! and today I saw pandas(xiongmao!). But a lot happened before the pandas, a lot. So I'll back up and mention a few of those. Here's the (comparatively) fast version:
Wednesday, May 7, I left Houghton (freedom!) early and headed towards home, having had about 2 hours of sleep the night before. Arrived in Detroit(represent!) at about 6:30 pm, after being enormously delayed by construction. After a nap, a phone call, and a crisis assessment, gathered some supplies and headed to Chicago around 1am to cause problems at the Chinese consulate until they gave in to my demands. After driving all night and spending the day (Thursday) between the Chinese consulate and the Field Museum, drove out to a friends house, slept between 2am and 4:30am, drove back (Friday) into the city, went to consulate, Sears Tower and the consulate, finally got my papers so I could go to China, and drove back to Detroit. Arrived in Detroit around 9:30pm, saw my family for a few minutes, briefed my brother and cousin on what to pack for China, and went to bed at about 3am. 8am (Saturday), got up, got some things together, did more preparation for China, then headed down to Columbus, Ohio to visit a certain girl that I will really miss. Arrived in the terrible land of the Buckeyes at about 3pm, got bubble tea (nectar of heaven!) and hIndian food, hung out, bought travel supplies, and stayed up late. 3 hours of sleep, a nice breakfast, a goodbye, a long ride north to Flint(Sunday). In Flint at 3:30, visiting family, eating dinner, Detroit at 9pm, sleep for 12 hours (a brief respite), then (Monday) running erands and packing, packing until 4am. 5:30am (Tuesday) up and to the the airport after 1 1/2 hours of sleep; 4 hour flight to Los Angeles, 2 hour layover, 11 hour flight to Tokyo, 2 hour layover, 3 hour flight to Beijing. In China. Mostly Dead.
Damage report for the week:
Distance Traveled:
Driven-Approx. 1,700 miles
Flown-Approx. 8,800 miles
Total: 10,500 miles
Travel time:
By car: Approx. 35 hours
By Plane: Approx. 18 Hours
Total: 53 Hours
Hours Slept
Wednesday:2
Thursday: 3
Friday:5
Saturday:2
Sunday:12
Monday: 1
Tuesday:2
Total: less than 4 hours/day
-jd
As for me, I haven't died yet either! and today I saw pandas(xiongmao!). But a lot happened before the pandas, a lot. So I'll back up and mention a few of those. Here's the (comparatively) fast version:
Wednesday, May 7, I left Houghton (freedom!) early and headed towards home, having had about 2 hours of sleep the night before. Arrived in Detroit(represent!) at about 6:30 pm, after being enormously delayed by construction. After a nap, a phone call, and a crisis assessment, gathered some supplies and headed to Chicago around 1am to cause problems at the Chinese consulate until they gave in to my demands. After driving all night and spending the day (Thursday) between the Chinese consulate and the Field Museum, drove out to a friends house, slept between 2am and 4:30am, drove back (Friday) into the city, went to consulate, Sears Tower and the consulate, finally got my papers so I could go to China, and drove back to Detroit. Arrived in Detroit around 9:30pm, saw my family for a few minutes, briefed my brother and cousin on what to pack for China, and went to bed at about 3am. 8am (Saturday), got up, got some things together, did more preparation for China, then headed down to Columbus, Ohio to visit a certain girl that I will really miss. Arrived in the terrible land of the Buckeyes at about 3pm, got bubble tea (nectar of heaven!) and hIndian food, hung out, bought travel supplies, and stayed up late. 3 hours of sleep, a nice breakfast, a goodbye, a long ride north to Flint(Sunday). In Flint at 3:30, visiting family, eating dinner, Detroit at 9pm, sleep for 12 hours (a brief respite), then (Monday) running erands and packing, packing until 4am. 5:30am (Tuesday) up and to the the airport after 1 1/2 hours of sleep; 4 hour flight to Los Angeles, 2 hour layover, 11 hour flight to Tokyo, 2 hour layover, 3 hour flight to Beijing. In China. Mostly Dead.
Damage report for the week:
Distance Traveled:
Driven-Approx. 1,700 miles
Flown-Approx. 8,800 miles
Total: 10,500 miles
Travel time:
By car: Approx. 35 hours
By Plane: Approx. 18 Hours
Total: 53 Hours
Hours Slept
Wednesday:2
Thursday: 3
Friday:5
Saturday:2
Sunday:12
Monday: 1
Tuesday:2
Total: less than 4 hours/day
-jd
Friday, May 16, 2008
I Figured I was Eating a Hamburger.
What sort of stuff are we posting here?
Is it just stuff to do with traveling or to do with our interaction with different cultures. Do different including spinoffs of your own? ‘Cause frankly, when I suddenly find myself in a different sub-culture of the US general culture than my own I go though culture shock like an ignorant westerner walking into Tehran. And though it is only for a moment it has been those interaction which have most jarred my sense of right and wrong.
So... is “Travel for Fun” a place to talk about when we DON’T TRAVEL and DON’T HAVE FUN but still learn loads about our own cultural understanding or is it simply a place for us to reminisce over our days aboard and how they have shaped us. ‘Cause friends, right now, I don’t even know if I can explain how I feel about the culture shock I am going though right now so bare with me as I try.
I have spent most of my thought filled life thinking God was one way. Though I still had lots of questions about his nature and his creation (aka everything) I was comfortable in my confusion and had developed a way to live life with joy despite my lack of understanding. I had developed these ways so well that I started to believe there was no new statement people could make about God that would though me off.
Do you realize how secure I was about that? Picture a hamburger. Really, close your eyes and build that hamburger in your mind. The bun, the condiments, the tomato and the lettuce. Feel it in your hand.
Now open your mouth and take a bite of this.
Friends, I too expected the bun to be made of breed, the condiments to be catsup and mustard, the tomato to be red and the lettuce to be green. And I found that only the meat was the same. That only the core points the Apostles' Creed makes about God was as I expected. Nothing more. At least not at first, not now. Sure, I may soon discover that both buns are made from wheat but for now, for now I am hung up on the fact that some aren't made from bread.
The other culture is Catholicism. I have recently entered into conversation with a Priest of the Catholic Church and become so baffled that I finally feel able to say I understand why our friend Jesse views herself as an astronaut navigating unknown territories. Call me one too cause I can not think of a better description right now.
And the type of doughnut didn't help me either. I mean, why didn't this priest at least use something from Dunkin' D's. I would be doing so much better with this if he had. Man, you know how bad I want a Boston Cream right now?
-Chase
Is it just stuff to do with traveling or to do with our interaction with different cultures. Do different including spinoffs of your own? ‘Cause frankly, when I suddenly find myself in a different sub-culture of the US general culture than my own I go though culture shock like an ignorant westerner walking into Tehran. And though it is only for a moment it has been those interaction which have most jarred my sense of right and wrong.
So... is “Travel for Fun” a place to talk about when we DON’T TRAVEL and DON’T HAVE FUN but still learn loads about our own cultural understanding or is it simply a place for us to reminisce over our days aboard and how they have shaped us. ‘Cause friends, right now, I don’t even know if I can explain how I feel about the culture shock I am going though right now so bare with me as I try.
I have spent most of my thought filled life thinking God was one way. Though I still had lots of questions about his nature and his creation (aka everything) I was comfortable in my confusion and had developed a way to live life with joy despite my lack of understanding. I had developed these ways so well that I started to believe there was no new statement people could make about God that would though me off.
Do you realize how secure I was about that? Picture a hamburger. Really, close your eyes and build that hamburger in your mind. The bun, the condiments, the tomato and the lettuce. Feel it in your hand.
Now open your mouth and take a bite of this.
Friends, I too expected the bun to be made of breed, the condiments to be catsup and mustard, the tomato to be red and the lettuce to be green. And I found that only the meat was the same. That only the core points the Apostles' Creed makes about God was as I expected. Nothing more. At least not at first, not now. Sure, I may soon discover that both buns are made from wheat but for now, for now I am hung up on the fact that some aren't made from bread.
The other culture is Catholicism. I have recently entered into conversation with a Priest of the Catholic Church and become so baffled that I finally feel able to say I understand why our friend Jesse views herself as an astronaut navigating unknown territories. Call me one too cause I can not think of a better description right now.
And the type of doughnut didn't help me either. I mean, why didn't this priest at least use something from Dunkin' D's. I would be doing so much better with this if he had. Man, you know how bad I want a Boston Cream right now?
-Chase
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
...transmitting through a portal in the snowy atlas mountains...
Turning, turning--in this square foot of space alotted to me by Royal Air Maroc.
I suppose I could read until dawn (or at least the dawn made arbitrary and fabricated by the bringing of the breakfast trays) and though I have been sleep deprived for the past three months, I shudder at the prospect of replacing a rich Moroccan experience with drowsiness.
I suppose I could read until dawn (or at least the dawn made arbitrary and fabricated by the bringing of the breakfast trays) and though I have been sleep deprived for the past three months, I shudder at the prospect of replacing a rich Moroccan experience with drowsiness.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
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