China

        It’s very hard for me to look back on my time in China without thinking about Kurt. It was in Hong Kong that our shipboard family got smaller, that we left one behind, that we were forced to say goodbye to a friend. For this reason, I am going to approach my writing about China in a different way than before. I went on a Beijing trip through Semester At Sea and was able to see nearly all of the major Beijing tourist sights.  I’ll mention them, but this will be much less about the minuscule details of my activities and more about my overall feelings while traveling through China.
        I did get to have the first day in Hong Kong before leaving for Beijing.  The night before arriving in Hong Kong, John and I sat down and looked at a map of places to see near Hong Kong.  We both were feeling like we didn’t want to spend the day in a concrete jungle, so we decided to head for a large Buddha statue hours away from the port. Before the morning, we added Darren and our friend Shamus to the group and the four of us hit the street in search of the nearest subway station. Traveling with these guys felt like true adventure.  We had no idea what lay ahead of us or exactly how to get around, we just went for it. Walking up the stairs to the Buddha made me feel so tiny and the view from the top of the hill where he sat made me feel even smaller. Looking out on the valley below us gave me a great sense of accomplishment. We took the cable car back to the subway station and from there decided to go into downtown Hong Kong for dinner. The city had a very “happenin” vibe to it, something like I’d imagine New York to be like. From the ship, we got to watch the laser light show that takes place every night and lights up the Hong Kong skyline.
        I left the next day really early for my trip to Beijing.  I’d signed up for the trip when I boarded the ship in August and hadn’t met anyone who I’d be going with yet. (This is where I’m going to have to switch into understatement). I got to see the Summer Palace from the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven.  I was able to meet some new people outside of my usual gang, which I enjoyed for two reasons.  First: Its fun meeting all new people and branching out. Second: I felt like I had a certain amount of freedom to wander alone through the different sites and take things in at my own pace. All of these sites were amazing.  Visiting the Great Wall was my favorite part of this trip. Something about its size and age absolutely captured me. The trees had all turned to burnt oranges and vibrant reds with the fall.  I’d seen photos of the Great Wall covered in snow, but am so glad I got to see it surrounded by color. During that trip I made a handful of new friends, tried my first duck and got to stand in the Olympic Village.  Our group left the ship behind in Hong Kong and met up with it in Shanghai.  When our bus turned the corner and I saw the Explorer again in Shanghai, I started to cry. I’d always said it was like “home,” but hadn’t understood that emotion to its fullest until that night, when I truly saw the MV Explorer as home. 
        The events following China and regarding Kurt’s death bonded our shipboard family even more.  I began to clearly see and appreciate the people on the ship as integral parts of my experience. We are all deeply affected by both Kurt’s life and death. I was honored to have known him and to have been apart of organizing a service in his honor.
       
One of Kurt’s favorite quotes: “Take the anger from your hearts, wipe the tears from God’s eyes, and live a life of love.”  - Archbishop Desmond Tutu