Hong Kong

We are incredibly spoiled by Hong Kong. It is a fact I am reminded of everytime I return to our hotel room. I say hotel room, I mean executive suite in the Hyatt. What is an executive suite? Well it is where all five of us guys live. Two rooms each with their own bathroom complete with large bath and rain shower. The rooms have comfy beds, a large desk, and a large television. The two rooms are connected by a common room with a couch, another Tv, and a kitchen. The best part is the view, from our window seats (where I eat my meals and drink tea) I can see the city,the mountains, and the harbour. The hotel also has a heated pool and a hot tub. I have been using the kitchen a lot. Not that there isn't good street food, I've found green peppers, eggplant, and tofu fried in batter as well as waffle balls (exactly like it sounds, balls of cooked waffle dough). But most the rest of the food is meat based. Luckily the markets sell tons of vegetables so I have been able to do stir fry, eggplant parmesion, avacado Mac and cheese, quiche, and even apple crisp. (It pales in comparison to my moms and grandmothers, but I like to try). Hong Kong itself is a special city. The train system is excellent. The people are nice, and many speak English. Everything is quick and efficient. As we are several hours ahead of everyone we constantly joke that Hong Kong is the city from the future. During the week we have been busy with class, which is the most difficult part (I'm afraid I have no talent and little interest in Chinese art). But on the weekends we take advantage of the location going on hikes all day. Last weekend I took some of the group to see Hong Kong play Guam in the opening stages of the eastern Asian cup. It was a pretty small venue, but a decent game. I was just happy to watch some football again. Its been a long time. This last weekend was possibly the best yet. On Saturday we took the ferry to Lamma island. It was first sunny day since we arrived and we took advantage of the weather. We roamed around the island, stopping to take in the views at regular intervals. Once we reached the top of the mountain we could see the whole city of Hong Kong accross the bay, settled in the mountain. Once we got back we decided to go out to celebrate the 100th day of Global. We left late with a somewhat silly plan, the last train runs at 1, so we would stay out until the first morning train ran at 6. It was fun, the night scene downtown is crazy. We got nachos at a hard rock cate. Then we went to some clubs (with me and Doug in our suits we had no issues getting in). We quite literally danced the night away. Then, tired out we found an overnight diner and I ordered a full English breakfast; eggs, toast, tea, baked beans, fried tomato, mushrooms, even veggie sausage. We returned and slept till 2. Our instructors had prepared some ice-skating at 3, so we rallied and headed to the mall. I forgot how much I liked skating. It put me in an uncharacteristically Christmas mood. I'm thankful now for all the time I spent on our frozen pond with my family. I guess years of messing around on the ice qualified me as a pretty decent skater within the group. Sudip (who was skating for the first time) and I skated the full two hours, running loops with the mountains rising in the background. When we were finally escorted off the ice my feet were killing me but I was grinning from ear to ear. I can not wait to ski in south Korea. Its been great so far and I cant wait to see what else the city has to offer. We are going to see the hobbit in three days so that makes me happy as well. Till next post. -Jordan

Thailand

Thailand was really a mixed bag. For me it unfortunately represents one of the low points for our trip. Luckily with a little help from my friends I was able to turn it around and have several great memories. Thailand was our vacation time. Some people met their parents while the rest either went to the beaches or to Chaing Mai. I, figuring I would get the most out of Thailand, went to chaing Mai. My companions flew, but I (being both cheap and harboring a distrust for small planes) made the fateful decision to take the train. The train ride stretched to be 16 hours. The beauty was lost on me as my body was racked by lack of sleep and food poisoning from the pad Thai I had consumed in the train station (one of my dumbist decisions on the trip). I had only been seperated from my global friends for 24 hours but I felt alone and wanted nothing more than to find them. I stumbled through the streets of Thailand, getting lost twice on my way to the hotel, before a kind Thai man, no doubt seeing my heavy mental and physical baggage, pointed me in the right direction. I finally found my hotel, and saw my friends sitting outside the pool. I don't know if I've ever been happier to see them. I collapsed in someones arms (Katie? Doesn't matter) while the others surrounded me, concern evident on their faces. I was sick for the next two days, rarely leaving the hotel room. After the second day I had recovered remarkably. I met my friends Drew and Emily who are on Term in Asia and were able to show me around, bringing me to the night market and showing me some of the cool parts of the city. My last full day I was finally able to take advantage of Chaing Mai. My friends and I went ziplining in the jungle with the Gibbons (my new favorite primate). It was an exhilarating time, adreneline pumping through us as we were flying through the jungles on just a thin wire. Our guides were entertaining as well and made sure we got the most out of our experience. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch and saw the nearby waterfall. When we returned I met up with my term in Asia friends again. After they left (they are living with host families and thus confined to a schedule) I met up with my global group and we went to a karaoke bar and thouroughly embarrassed ourselves singing on stage. (Note to self find and destroy those videos). Thankfully the girls had convinced me to take the plane back to Bangkok, which gave us a leisurely last morning, enjoying banana pancakes and fruit smoothies. My diet for Thailand pretty much consisted of four fruit smotthies a day as I couldn't keep down food. Not complaining at all, those fresh fruit smoothies were incredible. Once we returned to Bangkok we met up with everyone else, swapping hugs and stories like it had been five months, not five days. I had some great experiences in Thailand but was not to sad to leave for Hong Kong the next day. If nothing else being sick and alone in thailand helped me realize the value I placed on the people I am on this trip with. Jordan

India

Hello everyone, its been a long time. I wrote a blog post for Bangalore but quickly discovered it would not be published. To much transpired over that amount of time. I would need 100 posts to do it justice. It will have to be enough for me to say I owe much to the people at the ecumenical Christian center and a special thanks goes out to the kids for rekindling a enjoyment of cricket. (Which I now kind of understand.) Instead I will start in Delhi and try to catch up. In Delhi we had quite the adventure. To set the scene, it's Diwali the festival of lights where Indians celebrate the triumph of good over evil. This means the streets are crowded and the air is full of smoke from the fireworks that go off every five minutes. Lanterns fill the street. Susie and Lauren needed to fill up their phone cards to call their moms, and me (as a guy) went with. Our first attempts failed until we met an Indian man on the street. He took us to a shop that was open. It was there that Susie, who had the wrong carrier, was thinking of buying a new Sim card. Our new Indian friend advised me against it, claiming that I was being way overcharged be because of the festival. We hurriedly left the store and our hero set to work. He called his friends and sent them on their motorbike's on a journey accross the city to put money on Susie's card. It took about 45 minutes but they succeeded. In the meantime we talked to our new friend, who first claimed to work at a hotel, then a hospital, then to have just gotten his degree in accounting. It was a bit sketchy but he was getting us the money we needed. At the end of the night he offered me his motorcycle to drive, insisting my friends could ride with his friends. I had to good sense to decline but let him flag down a rickshaw (the Indian equivalent of a taxi) for us. Not only did he make sure we weren't cheated he and his two friends gave us a loud and flashy motorcycle escort all the way back to the ymca. At this point we were practically falling down with laughter. We thanked him and he road off into the night. Turned out he was alright after all. Of course the fallowing day we took a train to the Taj Mahal and Aggar fort. It is a clichéd place, but people visit for a reason. Its one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I'm afraid our instructors words feel on deaf ears as we stared with mouths with open. The tour (and more importantly pictures) took the best part of two hours. We were again reminded of how blessed we are to be on this trip. The following day we left for Thailand, very sad to be saying goodbye to India. Oh also I will never go to another mcdonalds. Call out to the McVeggie.

Jor

India

I've successfully made it to India. Everyone so far has been amazingly nice to us, a refreshing change from Egypt. We live in a very rural area and have to pay for internet so I'm going to make this brief. I'll post about both the end of Egypt and India when I have time but it might not be until Hong Kong. Oh well it will give everyone a break from my long-winded post.

I'd like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes, I had a really special time in Mumbai. Imagine my surprise when, at the club we were at, I was served a giant chocolate cake with my name (and Sarah and Yelena's names too, how likely is it that three people have birthdays over two days on this trip?) on it. The Indian students who we had met and had taken us out with them had gone to a local bakery they knew and gotten us the cake! It was pretty awesome.

Unfortunately that's all I have time for. Bye for a while.
-JT

An engagement and Alexandria

We returned from our excursions and resumed class. We had only two days before leaving for an mini excursion to Alexandria and El Alamein . Yet those two days proved to have their own share of excitement. Katie and Sarah has become good friends with two of the students at the AUC. These two Egyptian students invited Sarah and Katie to an engagement party (the lucky lady thought it was a birthday get together) and they wanted a guy to come with. The opportunity (or responsibility depending on your perspective) fell to me. So I found myself in a taxi cab with three AUC girls I did not know while the other girls went with their friends in another car.

Somewhere in the course of events we arrived early and the other car got a bit lost, or at least side-tracked. So I arrived with three strangers to a bit of Cairo I had not explored. We found the place and I at once realized that Katie had been a bit liberal with her use of the word "club" when inviting me. It was not a club in the traditional sense, instead it was a salsa-dancing bar and restaurant. What's more is our 50 LE (less then 10 dollar) cover charge included a free salsa dancing lesson. Well those of you who know me well understand that dancing would not be my number one choice of activity. So I was content to stand well in the back and watch.

The instructor went over the first step while I listened somewhat halfheartedly. He finished his example and asked for a male volunteer for an example. My eyes wandered over the crowd of 20 people in front of me and my brain suddenly registered that they were all women. The instructor caught my eye and before I could say "oh crap!" his assistant darted through the crowd pulled me forward with and iron grasp. All I could do now is try not to embarrass myself. A task that would be difficult as I was the only white person in the club and I had on my ridiculous sandels. I tried my best, and perhaps was evening starting to get a handle on the basic 8 beat set (mostly due to the skill of my dancing partner) when Katie and Sarah showed up. Now I won't say they fell over laughing, but they did need something to lean on.

The rest of the night was thoroughly enjoyable. Once the class ended and the music started the regulars showed up. And they were good. It fun to watch. What's more our cover charge allowed us.to buy anything on the menu. It's the best chocolate cake and cheesecake I've had here. The engagement went smoothly too, the music stopped and the girl was called forward. She was completely surprised, but after congratulating the happy couple we snuck out and left them to their celebration since we had to get up early to go to Alexandria the next day.

Alexandria was a trip of two sides for me. When we first arrived we tried to go to the beach. We were kicked out by a gaurd. Our only crime? Having girls with us. As it turned out the girls had a seperate beach, a much smaller and more crowded beach. Unused to such discrimination we went to the peer instead. It was no better there. We received so much verbal abuse for being American we soon retreated to a nearby mall.

Yes, you heard me correctly. A mall. Right next to where we were staying was a giant hotel called the four seasons. It took up a whole city block (maybe more like 2-3) and had a whole mall contained within it. We walked past posters of American girls modeling clothing from inside this suspiciously clean building. The westernization made me feel almost physically sick, no wonder we had received so much abuse on the street.

The next day we saw the other side of Alexandria. Alexandria has some extremely significant historical sites. We toured the fort, saw the place where the lighthouse (once on of the seven wonders of the world) stood, and visited the library which is probably one of the most impressive academic institution I've seen in a while. It was strange to comprehend both the historical and modern elements.

On our way back to Cairo we stopped in El Alamein , a famous site of the second World War. We visited the graveyard honoring the British troops who had fallen in North Africa. It was pretty sobering and had quite an impact on me, realizing I could have ancestors buried there. One inscription read under the name "some corner of a foreign land, that is forever England." Here was Churchill's offering of blood, sweat, toil, and tears. I just didn't expect to find it in Egypt.

-JT

Luxor and Hurghada

This past week we left for an excursion outside of Cairo. We flew first to historic Luxor for two days then spent three nights in a beach resort in the new tourist hot spot of Egypt; Hurghada. In Luxor we were led by a capable tour guide through ancient tombs and temples, as well as the luxor museum and even a place where they still make real papyrus. We rose early in the morning to beat the heat (my watch was reading 38°C by noon) then would spend the rest of the day chilling by the pool or in the shade of our balcony. We lunched at the local Egyptian falafel place.

Let's take a moment to talk about food. Our daily falafel cost us 5 Egyptians pound, which is just short of one American dollar in Zamelak, our home in Cairo, we can get it for 2. And its the best thing I've ever eaten. Why we wasted our time in the other restaurants for pizza, pasta, or rice is a mystery to me. (With the exceptions of crepes and bagels, my other main food groups). I also found McVities chocolate digestives in the store, the England crowd will appreciate my excitement over that find. But back to falafel. I would put up with the heat, the garbage, and even the occasional harassment just to eat that stuff everyday.

Anyway, after luxor we got back on a plane for Hurghada. Dear reader I will not lie to you. This second visit had not an ounce of educational value. We spent three days on the beach, swimming, playing frisbee, sunbathing (or for me reading and writing in the shade), snorkeling, eating at the hotel buffet, and more besides. Personally my favorite time was after dark when the other tourists had finally left the beach and the moon and stars (hidden from us in Cairo and Istanbul) shone accross the expanse of deep blue water. This is when I did most of my swimming too, despite the many jokes i recieved about eels and sharks in the night (Jakob, Ted, and Will it was much like our time at unistar... just... you know... in Egypt).

It was a great break for most of our group. I must admit I am not a huge beach person and began to grow restless by the third day. After all one can only apply spf 50 sunscreen so many times in a day before starting to resent the sun. Not that I will complain, I must admit we had a little chuckle to ourselves when we realized most of our friends would be in class during our afternoon swim. Alas such things can not last and we have returned to Cairo and our hectic schedule once again.

More to follow soon. Pictures too. Also heads up to those who use my st. Olaf email address. I can receive emails and reply to threads but can not generate emails since Olaf is blocking my contacts from being downloaded to my kindle (go figure). I'm trying to get some addresses through stalkernet so I can email my friends. Until I figure it out just assume I'm ok and am not neglecting you!

- JT

Tatooine pt. 1

"Say what you like about Egyptians but don't ever question their religion. We are talking about a people who refuse to represent the prophet Muhammad, even in their own art. To have a film degrading this holy figure is... uncomprehendable for them." -Our Egyptian Professor on the first day of class

We have made it to Egypt. I will start by reassuring everyone that I am completely safe. We are living on an island surrounded by the Nile, called Zamelak. It is very secluded and very wealthy, Doug calls it the 'Manhattan of Cairo'. We are living in the dormitories for the AUC (American univeristy of Cairo). They have strict rules including completely segregated rooms, bag checks, and armed guards just to name a few. To us these rules seem ridiculously harsh, but perhaps parents are reassured by the added security (I asked whether it was to keep rioters out or for controlling students, but our guide choose not to answer). We've had class everyday, ate at all the local restaurants, and played basketball in the yard (me and Conner are dominating despite our team being made up of a ginger and a Brit). We have promised not to leave the island, and for the most part have complied.

Not that we haven't seen the results from the riots. We get TV just like everyone else. And we've seen the effects. Perhaps later I will share my experiences and my reflections, but for now its just enough to say that this American who promoted this video has brought shame to the entire nation of the US and has made our trip, unfortunately, a little less pleasent. (I will share a picture of one of the buildings burned in the January riots, which were obviously far worse).

 Lets move on to happier things. I've had fresh fruit for breakfast every day (mostly kiwi's and mangoes) and we don't have to worry about cockroaches, spiders, and other bugs since Conner (my roommate) found a gecko in his shorts the first day. In honor of Eddard Stark we have named him Ned, and he will protect us. Class has been really interesting, however after two classes of Arabic I am still unable to do more than order and say thank you. The Egyptians have been really nice on the island, a woman helped us get a cab to the museum yesterday and rode with us so we wouldn't get overcharged (the price? 1 US dollar for the whole cab ride). After playing basketball yesterday one of the staff brought out a soccer ball. "Talaata rikibt waahid" he said, by which he meant three on one, a well known soccer drill. My two friends raised the eyebrows at me, he was a larger man after all. But I have played with Jorge enough at this point not to judge by appearance and sure enough he had us chasing the ball in no time, despite his flip-flops.

The sites have not disappointed either. I could easily spend another day at the museum, seeing everything from the mummies, to statues, to giant statues, to walls full of hieroglyphs. The pyramids and the sphinx, while clichéd, were amazing. If it wasn't for our run-ins with the merchants and swindlers, I would never leave. Camel riding was perhaps my favorite part of the day. I felt like I was on Tatooine, surrounded by all the sand-dunes. (Plus my camel would make a wookie sound everytime I scratched his head). We wanted to rent camels for the day after that and just ride out into the desert. (I've been reading t.e. Lawrences seven pillars of wisdom so I totally would too.)

Well that's enough for now. We leave on a 6 day excursion tomorrow so I'll have more to share when we return. Hopefully the riots will be all done by then!

 -JT

Turkey Trot

Tea Sugar and Dreams 

    That was how our tour guide told us to say thank you in Turkish (After we had several failed attempts to repeat the actual phrase, apparently if you say 'tea sugar and dreams' fast enough it's passable). It turned into a good symbol for all of Istanbul. The Turkish drink copious amounts of tea, and it's difficult to drink without a few cubes of sugar. As for the dreams.... well who hasn't dreamed of visiting Istanbul.
     The colors, the noise, the smell, the crowds, a sprawling city with a skyline dotted with historic mosques. This was just our first small taste of Istanbul. Yet at the beginning it was hard for me to see what everyone had raved about. Perhaps my expectations were too high, after all I had several people tell me it was their favorite city in the world. At the beginning it just seemed like a typical loud city, bursting at the seems with too many people (needless to say I was in for a surprise when we arrived in Cairo). Plus we had been placed in the most touristy part of the city, and all the street fenders and waiters all spoke English. Its not like I didn't like the city, I just didn't understand what was so great about it. We had seen the famous palace, the serene blue mosque, the historical hippodrome, the iconic whirling dervishes, and the grandiose Hagia Sophia in the first two days. 'What will we do for the next three days?' I wondered. How naive of me.

     The turning point came, ironically, at a moment of crisis. We had gone to Tahrir Squire to check out the night life (if you like clubbing don't miss it, if you'd rather not have your eardrums blown out of the back of your head by pop-music give it a pass). Me and two of the girls decided to try to make it back before the last bus (at 12). Everyone else decided to stay and hang with the term in the middle east group and take a taxi home later. Normally, when we take public transportation, Sudip takes over and we just blindly follow him. However I was Sudip-less and felt confident navigating the complex, unintelligible Turkish bus system. Predictably I led us in the completely wrong direction and we had only 10 minutes to make the very last tram. An older gentleman took notice of our plight and asked us where we were heading. I pointed desperately in the general direction of our hotel on the map. He told us that we might make it if we took the blue line transfer line. It meant nothing to me. The bus eased to a stop. 'Follow me, quickly" he said. I hesitated for a long second then nodded, at this point we didn't have much choice. He raced off a long corridor as soon as the doors slid open, us struggling to keep up. He took a left, then another left, then a right. Soon I was completely lost, but suddenly we there. We stumbled onto the tram with seconds left. I barely able to get out a 'thank you' as the doors slid close between us. He just smiled and waved. The tram slipped away from the station and I sunk into my seat, hard in thought.
      I had misjudged the people here. With 22 girls all I could see was interior motives behind the words of every man we met. But I had been wrong. Sure they wanted to sell us their crap, but they're just trying to make a living just like everyone else. Sometimes can be nice just to be nice, and Turkish people are some of the friendliest I'be met. They are proud of their country as flags dominate the skyline. The are a religious and pious people, called to pray five times a day, something me and Doug were fortunate enough to see during a day trip to Bursa. If you ever get a chance to see a Muslim prayer I highly recommend it, their devotion, concentration, and meditation is incredible. And we noticed this as tourists, outsiders looking in. We became friends with the waiter at the restaurant at our hotel who joked with us, gave us the best seats, served us free apple tea, and even turned on the England game for me one night. On a bus ride I met another Turkish man who asked me about our trip, advised me where to go in Turkey, and even offered me his pomegranate. Of course, it wasn't all perfect. One waiter tricked some of our group into buying a $50 bottle of wine (expensive here). But overall, the people of Turkey have gained my respect and my thanks.
       As my view of the people changed so did my perspective of the city. In the mornings we woke up and had tea outside in the roof and watched Istanbul wake up. During the day we explored the city, inhaling the sights and smells of the spice market, wondering at the underground cistern that first moved water for the city in 600 AD (this was a personal favorite of mine), and playing frisbee on the sand next to the black sea (I am now able to say I crossed from Europe to Asia on a bus, all without leaving Istanbul city limits). In the end I wanted more days in Istanbul, not less. Sadly we have moved on to Cairo but one day I think I'll return Turkey. I'd still like to see Gallipoli, Troy, Pamukkale, and of course Ephesus. But for now I'll put that aside and enjoy Egypt.

 -JT

 (I'll try to put more pictures up soon. Its hard since I don't have a computer with me. I'll even put a few of me in. I just figured people wouldn't want me getting in the way of the sights).

The UN

     The United Nations. A global institution that that hosts an impressive array of humanitarian groups and committees. Most people who come to Geneva come to work or see the UN and, appropriately, the buildings and the grounds took up a large portion of the city where we were living. The security was as comprehensive as any airport, more so since we had to wear identity badges. Whoever had paid the bills (as it turns out, mostly Spain) had spared no expense. The many chambers of the new wing were grand and beautifully decorated. Artwork donated from various countries lined the walls. Peacocks wandered the lush, carefully maintained grass. The cafeteria offered a variety of familiar and ethnic dishes. Like all of Switzerland the entire place was disturbingly clean. Needless to say we were impressed by our tour.
      But I had come to Switzerland witha difficult question on my lips, and the shiny interior did nothing to address my worries that the United Nations had become disconnected from the problems we were sure to see first hand during the rest of our trip. They say that once three Swiss are gathered a meeting is sure to follow, and a committee follows. We saw first hand the truth of this. Over a series of one hour presentations we heard from representatives from the UN council on human rights, the UNDP (United Nations Development Progrramme), the WFP, and OCHA. As one speaker joked, they like their abbreviations. There was a good deal of positive news from these meetings. They had measured progress to report after explaining the roles of their organizations, and almost every presenter mentioned their contribution to achieving the MDG's (Millinnium Development Goals, designed to improve health and decrease poverty by 2015). However most of these sessions was still someone in a suit spouting facts, figures, and statistics. The most encouraging was our visit to the World Food Program. The lady who spoke to us gave it straight, she told us the scope of the problem and the limits of the organization. She explained that they moved office every 4 years, that 90 of their employees were in the field, and of those working in the office almost all had been on site several times in their life. She told of her own experiences, telling us about a riot she had witnessed during a food distribution. She said she could not be expected to do her job if she became disconnected from the problem, and that she bated being in Switzerland doing logistics but someone had to do it. This was exactly what I needed to hear. Perhaps there is hope after all.

 -JT

France?!

       We had the entire afternoon free this Sunday. The general consensus was that everybody wanted to see the Alps. Fortunately, our bus passes allowed us to travel right to the edge of the city. From there it was a short walk across the Switzerland-French border and enter France. We arrived at the bottom of our destination, Mt. Saleve and faced a choice. Pay 4 euros to take the cable car up, or face the long climb. In the end, only me and four other brave souls decided to brave the accent. It was a tough climb, rising over 700 meters from the bottom, the path alternating between switchback dirt paths and crumbling stone staircases. We were out of breath immediately, barely being able to gasp out a 'bonjour' to the natives who piratically sprinted past us. (Including young children, chain-smokers, and old ladies.) But we were rewarded with beautiful scenery, breathtaking views, and a lovely little village called Monnetier. By Monnetier we were already hopelessly lost, but luckily we found a woman who spoke some English by the town church, and she pointed us in the right direction. We asked how long it would take. She paused, looking us over. All of us in our American garb, me in my five-fingers, cameras clutched tightly in our hands. 'For you... one hour, probably more.' We thanked her and hurried away before our tourist looks brought forth any of that famous French disdain towards foreigners waving maps in their faces.
       We reached the top, and decided that since it was 4, naturally it was time for lunch. We had purchased bread and cheese and chocolate the night before, and after the hike that kind of food was exactly what we needed. Some of the group expressed a desire to handglide down (an activity very popular with native thrill-seekers) but the winds had picked up and they had cancelled the flights for that afternoon. We settled with watching the experts float higher and higher on the breeze, and laid back in the afternoon sun. At 5:30, we ran into one of the other groups and decided to hike up to the Budist monestary together. Again we were pleasently surprised to discover that the view got better the higher we got. The monestary was everything we expected, prayer flags fluttering in the wind, monks going around doing their chores, a little building on the hill housing a colorful interior and shrine. At this point I did not want the day to end. I suggested walking down the mountain on the opposite side, which, according to our map, was a five hour hike. Only the original 4 agreed. We walked past the monestary and after 10 minutes arrived on the best landscape of the night, a perfect snapshot of rural France. We were surrounded on three sides by the Alps, the fourth side overlooked the valley that contained Geneva (a valley that is surrounded by mountains). All around us stretched beautifully pastures, fields of wheat, and grazing French cattle. We could have spent the rest of the day there. As I watched a local farmer and his son walking the fenceline, checking on their herds while the occasional cloud floated just above our heads, I could have spent the rest of my life there. But it was getting dark and regretfully we moved away and headed down the mountains. We stopped in the nearby village for directions again. As we departed the little village with a chorus of 'desoles' and 'merci's' I was forced to accept that maybe not all of France was so bad after all. Everyone we'd met so far had been friendly and helpful. By the time we made it to the bottom dusk had descended and it was totally dark as we made our way along quiet roads back to the bus station, crossing safely back into Switzerland without incident. We slept well that night, amazed that we had just added France to our long list of countries. 6 hours of hiking, 5 little French towns, 1 orcherd that is now short 5 apples, and my first strong connection with my fellow globalites.
 A pretty good second day.
 -JT

(The pıcture should gıve you some idea of the vıew. We spent a lot of tıme settıng up those rocks to get a pıc of Han climbing too. We got some stares from the locals... but ıt was worth ıt)

The beginning of a long journey

I have successfully arrived in Geneva. After only one delay, we made it through Newark and met up with the rest of our companions at our destination. For us it was 1:30 am, but in Geneva it was mid-morning and a bus was waiting to take us on a tour of the city. Stifling yawns, we boarded and put our best game faces on. Perhaps it was the rain. Perhaps it was the mixture of old archetecture combined with the new. Perhaps it was just all the scaffolding. But my first look at Geneva reminded me of England.

We made it through the morning seeing churches, beautiful city streets, statues, and a woman carrying an owl. We lunched by a vineyard out in the country. After lunch we drove to our overnight housing (passing CERN), a place not far from the UN headquarters, since at that point we were to tired to attempt anything else. So here I am, after being up for the past 30+ hours, writing this blog since sleeping before dinner will just make my adjustment to the new timing that much harder. Given my current state I doubt this blog entertaining or interesting. But I thought everyone would want to know that I made it. (This keyboard that I am using has the z where the y should be to make room for funny French accents and things. It is driving me crayz. Never knew how much french the good people of Geneva used, perhaps I should have learned to say more than Merci and Bonjour during my three years learning the language.)

till next time.
-JT

 Pictures are of us at MSP airport, and of Captain Solo in front of the New York skyline and in front of mountains surronding Geneva. Hope there is enough detail to highlight that.

A slight revision

Some people may have noticed that I just changed my previous post. A few people expressed concerns that I was getting distracted from the main event (the actual trip) by talking too long and too negatively about my summer employment. I apologize for this. I love my college and am thankful for the two years of employment that I have gotten from the grounds crew and I have met some great people because of it. Sometimes I can be a little raw when writing, but I had no idea that 25 people would have already read what I wrote! Here's to maintaining a positive outlook and having a fantastic journey.

Jordan

The Hour Grows Near

The end of summer... A well needed break... The virtues of Han Solo and the implication of mimicking those virtues... I discourage avid blog readers... preparing for a trip that is impossible to fully prepare for

It has been a summer that has been both exhilarating, exhausting, and excruciating. Many things were wonderful. I hung out with my friends almost everyday; watching movies, playing video games, having cook-outs on nice days, and eating out on rainy ones. We visited my friend on his Unitarian Island resort, I played golf for the first time ever, and we again planned to stage our glorious (yet stupid) walk through the night. I played soccer with the prestigious 'Old Gringo's mens team and coached a U-16 boys team to a losing season (though not without its bright moments). Plus my own home country somehow found a way not only to not screw up the Olympics but to stage an incredible event. Even the small bit of testing I had to do for my eventual teachers license I flew through with uncharacteristic mastery of the English language as well as reading (and shockingly) math. This last week I even got to see the american legend Bob Dylan in concert with my dad. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen, and keep in mind that Dylan is 70! With such a brilliant list of events, surely I should be beginning to feel nervous on this trip I am about to leave on, regretful even that I am going to not see these people until February, and some (sorry Max) not until next summer. Yet as we draw closer to the 31st I can only count down the days in giddy excitement, much like a teenage girl faced with the prospects of a shopping spree at the Mall of America or meeting that Canadian pop-star (Not Carly Rae... I sing with the best of them when Call Me Maybe comes on the radio). Sure it is gonna be an unbelievably life-changing trip, but why this desire for summer to end?

Today was my second to last day of working a summer job I have had for the last two years. It sounds like a good thing right? A steady job. A steady pay-check. What's more it's only a 10 minute drive from my house, on our own beloved St. Olaf campus. Yep, I worked on the Grounds Crew this summer. Doesn't sounds so bad at first. Weed-whipping, mowing, mulching and landscaping. At least I'm outside, even if the wage is poor. But after three months of long days doing fairly repetitive tasks I am ready for a break. This last week even the entertaining cast of colorful characters that I work with wasn't enough to distract me from thoughts of finally getting to begin my journey.

Anyway, that job is pretty much over and done with, giving me a week before I leave to prepare a few things. Let's start with this blog. Those of you have noticed it is not as entertaining as Vinh Watch have stopped reading long ago, but this is my style of writing, and I'll probably stick with it. I would like to say I'll update it regularly, but who knows how busy I'll be and what my internet will be like in each country, so posts might be sporadic, but most likely long winded like this one when they do appear. You have been probably wondering about my choice to name this blog 'Global Kessel Run.' Well it relates back to a few weeks ago when we were having our global potluck. I was sitting by Connor and we were talking about taking pictures on the trip. Connor pointed out that there are so many stock photos of all the famous places we are seeing already, and he does not have the photography to match such pictures. I of course am in the same boat. He proposed taking a little something from home and placing it in each of the pictures. Kind of like the girl who sends that garden gnome with her friend who works with an airline. I instantly decided that this idea was fantastic and decided to steal it. Later Julie Legler told us about her Gumby, a little green toy that she was bringing with to remind us all that we need to remain flexible. Because Gumby is flexible. I combined both of these ideas and decided to bring my small action figure of Han Solo on the trip. He will be my character to emulate. Since everyone knows Han Solo is a scoundrel and a smuggler who doesn't mind breaking the rules... hmm. Ok maybe not. But I will bring him along. It'll be a fun thing to do with my photos and it will be a good connection to home.

And it will tie in nicely to the name of this blog. As close friends and family already know I'm a big Star Wars fan. In the very first Star Wars Han Solo boasts that he did the Kessel Run in only 12 parsecs. At first it seems like a strange analogy. We will not be flying in the famous Millenium Falcon, instead we will have to use the less glamorous (but perhaps equally as unreliable) public transportation system. Instead of a Wookie who owes me a life debt, I will be traveling with 26 other students and two capable adults. Yet, like Han Solo's Kessel run, our trip will seem to go extremely quickly. Like Han Solo we will probably have to deal with a great deal of spice. Like Han Solo we will meet our share of interesting characters. Like Han Solo we will have to deal with ups and downs, triumphs and defeats, beauty and poverty (for those of you who are unfamiliar I'm referring to the Maw black hole cluster and the Kessel spice mines. But that is not cannon so let's move on.) We'll have our share of Imperial Blockades. Most importantly, like Han Solo, our trip will change our lives, and we'll tell every back-world moisture farmer about our achievement, whether they want to hear about it or not. So perhaps not such a bad analogy.

Well that's about as much blogging as I can take for one day. For those who made it this far, I thank you. In the future I'll have much more engaging things to say from more interesting places. Until then I'm going to go try to pack my suitcase probably about five or six times. (44 pounds sounds like more than it actually is).

-Jordan