After two months of phone calls, begging, and getting the run-around from everyone... we finally have a confirmed extended layover in Tokyo!! I'm sooo excited!! So, on our return flight we'll stay in Tokyo when the rest of the group heads back to Atlanta. We only have 24 hours in Tokyo - but it's better than nothing!! We're going to pick some of the best touristy hot spots to see, and we definitely plan checking out the Tokyo night life! Seven of us are going, and it couldn't be a better group of people. I'm so excited. Time to start researching Tokyo now!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
沟通 = communication
I set up a Skype account the other day! My account name is amygarlandmoore.
I'm not going to be able to use my cell phone at all because calls are $2 a minute (no thank you!), but I paid $6 on Skype and it allows me to call landlines and cell phones in the US for a month - unlimited minutes and calls!!! So I can call people through my computer (but I don't think I can receive calls). I did a test run yesterday and called someone form my computer; it's pretty neat!
I'm getting my friends and family to sign up on Skype, too, though so we can video chat while I'm gone. It'll be nice to see familiar faces. :)
Download it here!
I'm not going to be able to use my cell phone at all because calls are $2 a minute (no thank you!), but I paid $6 on Skype and it allows me to call landlines and cell phones in the US for a month - unlimited minutes and calls!!! So I can call people through my computer (but I don't think I can receive calls). I did a test run yesterday and called someone form my computer; it's pretty neat!
I'm getting my friends and family to sign up on Skype, too, though so we can video chat while I'm gone. It'll be nice to see familiar faces. :)
Download it here!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
警报 = alert
One of my professors forwarded this link to the group. It's a travel alert from the US Department of State addressing the quarantines in China. They suggest travelers register with the embassy so they know when and where we'll be - so I'm working on that.
I'm getting more and more nervous that we'll be quarantined. I've heard so much (and they address it in the travel alert) about them splitting up groups/families and separating people from who they know and are with. They have been separating people by gender as well, and my two good friends I'm going with are guys... so I would most likely be separated from them if we were quarantined. It's been common for the quarantine guards to also not speak any English, and they don't give you a choice of food for meals. And I'm not allergic to anything, but for those who are, if they are separated from our Chinese speaking professor that could explain that to the guards, they run the risk of being fed something they shouldn't.
Hopefully I'm just getting worked up for nothing. But the more and more I hear about the quarantines, the more I worry it's going to happen to us.
Less than two weeks until we leave!!
I'm getting more and more nervous that we'll be quarantined. I've heard so much (and they address it in the travel alert) about them splitting up groups/families and separating people from who they know and are with. They have been separating people by gender as well, and my two good friends I'm going with are guys... so I would most likely be separated from them if we were quarantined. It's been common for the quarantine guards to also not speak any English, and they don't give you a choice of food for meals. And I'm not allergic to anything, but for those who are, if they are separated from our Chinese speaking professor that could explain that to the guards, they run the risk of being fed something they shouldn't.
Hopefully I'm just getting worked up for nothing. But the more and more I hear about the quarantines, the more I worry it's going to happen to us.
Less than two weeks until we leave!!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
发烧 = fever
For a few weeks I've been hearing about the quarantines in China, and I've been trying to pay close attention to who they are quarantining and why. For a while the rule of thumb was if you were sitting within 3 rows, front or back, of someone on the plane going into China that had a fever you were automatically quarantined for 7 days in a government hotel. Now it's everyone on the plane is quarantined if anyone on the plane has a fever - they recently quarantined 296 people from one flight because one person had a fever! Only after closed monitorization for 7 days with no signs of flu symptoms will they release you from quarantine. Oh, and you have to pay to stay in quarantine, too. WTF?! They're locking us in there against our will and making us fork up the money for it. No fair.
We heard from a group from Mercer that just got back from China. They said their hotel checked their temperature every day before they left in the morning and wouldn't let anyone leave their room if they had a temperature. We're expecting them to do the same for us, at least while we're staying in Shanghai.
Our professor bought a ton of thermometers and face masks for us. One of them leaves this Saturday to do some last minute planning before we all meet her over there in a few weeks. She said she's going to scope things out and see if we should wear the face masks when we're on the plane/getting off the plane - whether it would be a good thing, making us look like considerate Americans, or if it would be a bad thing, drawing negative attention to a big group of Americans.
I'm really concerned about all this - especially because all of our fun, touristy stuff we're doing is in the first 7 days. I don't want to miss that stuff! And a few of the companies we were going to visit/tour have canceled on us, saying they aren't accepting any foreign delegation at this time. A few have told us they will let us know one week prior to our scheduled visit. So there is a chance we will have a lot more free time that we thought... which is cool because we can do more exploring, but at the same time we'll be missing the opportunity to meet some really big and important people and see some big companies.
Keep your fingers crossed for no quarantines!!
We heard from a group from Mercer that just got back from China. They said their hotel checked their temperature every day before they left in the morning and wouldn't let anyone leave their room if they had a temperature. We're expecting them to do the same for us, at least while we're staying in Shanghai.
Our professor bought a ton of thermometers and face masks for us. One of them leaves this Saturday to do some last minute planning before we all meet her over there in a few weeks. She said she's going to scope things out and see if we should wear the face masks when we're on the plane/getting off the plane - whether it would be a good thing, making us look like considerate Americans, or if it would be a bad thing, drawing negative attention to a big group of Americans.
I'm really concerned about all this - especially because all of our fun, touristy stuff we're doing is in the first 7 days. I don't want to miss that stuff! And a few of the companies we were going to visit/tour have canceled on us, saying they aren't accepting any foreign delegation at this time. A few have told us they will let us know one week prior to our scheduled visit. So there is a chance we will have a lot more free time that we thought... which is cool because we can do more exploring, but at the same time we'll be missing the opportunity to meet some really big and important people and see some big companies.
Keep your fingers crossed for no quarantines!!
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