Back on the ship - 17September

We are back on the ship making our way to China. It feels odd to think that in less than two days we will be in there. The day was a rather typical with Global Studies, lunch, working in the library, and more laundry. The evening though, was much more interesting. I had a meeting about being a trip leader in Beijing. I’m now officially freaked out about the responsibility of leading a trip. I’m hoping that it isn’t going to be a huge hassle. On the other hand, the financial benefits from being a trip leader are well worth the headaches.

I also had dinner with my S@S nieces and nephew to get caught up on their time in Japan. I was really impressed by their ingenuity in finding inexpensive places to stay and all of the wonderful things they did while visiting various regions of the country. They did so much while in Japan but then they also told me that they averaged about 2 hours of sleep each night. There is no way I would be able to maintain that level of energy for four days with so little sleep. I suppose this means that I’m officially old - which is okeydoke with me!

After dinner, all the people who are taking trips through the Semester at Sea program rather than independent travel had a meeting to learn some details about our time in China. We are traveling by plane to Beijing and were informed that there are some strict luggage rules since we aren’t checking luggage but will be carry-on only. The suitcase can’t be larger than 21” x 15” x 7” – my luggage is bigger than that so I have to make a trip to the ship store tomorrow morning to buy a small duffle bag that does meet the requirements. All packed luggage can not weigh more than 11 pounds and all liquids and pastes must be in a clear plastic bag to be inspected when boarding. We were also warned that taking photos of the military in China is strictly verboten and there would be dire consequences from the government if caught doing so. Yikes.

After the meeting, I returned to my room to figure out what to take and how much it might weigh. Meeting the luggage requirements is definitely doable but the odds of smelling bad by the end of the trip are high. One must make sacrifices though. There’s probably a Chinese proverb that covers this. Let me know if you find one : )