Final Pics Posted

Last pics posted on myspace (Hong Kong pics). It's after midnight here, we are leaving at 9:30am so that's it for the China blog! Thanks for reading!

Last Day!

Today is our last day of the trip before we leave! It was a lot of fun, but I'm ready for my own bed, shower and water I can drink.

Last night we went to Macau and didn't get back to the hotel til 6am. It was fun, the casinos there are really nice, especially the Venetian. They took my money though. :( We took a ferry to get to Macao, about an hour there from Hong Kong. Then we had to take a ferry back, and when we were ready to leave (about 2am), the next available ferry wasn't until 4:30am!!! And it didn't go to the island that we were staying on, so we had to cab it after that, it was a huge ordeal but we made it back in the end!

I'll post my Hong Kong pictures in the morning before we leave. Should be by 9pm Saturday your time. See you soon!

Hello from Hong Kong

For anyone who hasn't been able to see my pictures, try this link and then click on pics. There are a ton! Hong Kong likes my blog, I can finally see it! So thanks to Al and Massiel for the comments. Yes Al, I feel something like Shaq here. Especially in Tibet.

www.myspace.com/74058875

I posted Shanghai pictures in this link. We are just about to start our first meeting in Hong Kong. We have another one this afternoon and then a bunch of us are going to Macau. It will be so much fun! For those that don't know, Macau is where all the really nice casinos are at around here. There is no gambling allowed in China, but Hong Kong is still considered separate from China. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures!

The class is getting a little anxious to go home. I thought it was just a small group that was feeling that way, but it seems to be just about everyone! The trip has been great, but everyone is exhausted and can't wait for the comforts of home! :)

Goodbye Shanghai, Hello Hong Kong

I am sick. Boohoo. Yesterday the whole class went to an automative manufacturer and then to a Chinese acrobats show. I didn't go cuz I was sick with a really bad sore throat. Still feeling kindof out of it today, but have to check out of the hotel and go somewhere! We leave for the airport at 3pm to go to Hong Kong, our last city. We arrive tonight and then we have all day Friday and Saturday there. We have some activities planned on those days. Hoping to go over to Macau to check out the casinos as well. Then Sunday we come home. It has been a long trip, feels like I've been gone 6 months! But still looking forward to seeing Hong Kong before we get back. That's all for now, I have pics, but the computer won't let me upload them here. Sorry!

Hello from Shanghai!

Hello! Nothing big to report on this end. We arrived to our hotel in Shanghai last night. I've never been so happy to see a hotel bathroom. Needless to say, the accomodations in Tibet were very minimal. I'll leave it at that. The hotel here feels like heaven.

Today, our group was supposed to go to a business meeting over 2 hours away. We ended up canceling, and we were very happy to do that! I went to the Pearl Market and bought some jewelry. Then I went to McDonalds. First time here, not bad! I learned that in China, KFC and McDs are the same thing and the Chinese do not see a difference. After that, Jen and I walked around for about an hour and a half. In the rain. We saw a few sights in Shanghai. There aren't as many historical sights in Shanghai as there were in Beijing. So I haven't posted any pictures, I only took a couple so far. Now I'm going to kick back at the hotel and then we have a group dinner. Post again tomorrow!

Good Morning! Monday

Happy Labor Day (in a few hours when you people stop being so behind). Hope everyone's having cookouts and BBQs. We will be traveling all day, we get into Shanghai tonight. Post again in the morning. Miss you all!

Sunday Evening

Lhasa pictures posted on myspace! Just shopped and read today. Nice.

Sunday Morning

Hello again from Tibet! Yesterday we saw the dali lama's summer and winter palaces. I'll post pictures later, don't have enough time right now. We also saw a monestary. I thought monks couldn't talk? Apparently they debate. Wait til you see the pics. Then we had a group dinner which was pretty good. Pretty jam packed day by the end of it.

Today is a free day, our last full day here. I'm planning to do some shopping and relaxing today. Tomorrow we leave for Shanghai, with a layover in Chengdu. So we'll be traveling all day.

I'll try to post my pics on myspace this afternoon, so you won't see them til tomorrow. Also, all my Tibet pictures didn't get loaded from the first day so I have to fix that too!

See ya!

Tibet

First full day in Tibet today. We're going to the Potala Palace and a couple of monestaries and then to a group dinner. We are all feeling the altitude. It is definitely quite hard to breathe and easy to get dizzy or get a headache. So we have to take it easy! Oh darn.

I posted pictures on my myspace page. They're not very organized because I'm having trouble with the language on the computer. So I also couldn't put captions. The photo folder called 4 contains great wall pics, 5 contains panda pics, 6 contains Tibet pics.

See ya!

Greeting from Tibet

I LOVE IT HERE. Although one sentence sums up the experience so far. People stare and point at me and it is quite uncomfortable. HA! It could be worse, I could be the guy in my group who is 6'10. They are taking pictures with him and treating him like he is a god.

Today started off with a trip to the Giant Panda Breeding Facility. It was amazing and my new favorite is the red panda. I want one! I'll post pictures in the morning (Friday evening your time). Then we flew to Tibet. Wait til you see the pictures. It is truly amazing and I am so glad I am here. We were greeted with white scarves that symbolize innocence. Tonight most of us walked around a temple and to the little markets (while being stared at of course) and then to dinner. I had chicken curry because I know you are going to ask. I also tried a local soup. It was a'ight.

Tomorrow we're touring Potala Place where the Dhali Lama spent his winters. We're also going to some monestaries. Post again soon!

Thursday Night

Tired! And stinky! The wall kicked our butts today, especially mine. I literally thought I was going to pass out and wanted to cry. The wall, it tried to conquer me but I WOULD NOT BACK DOWN. :)

Anywho, not sure where I left off. But we went to the Great Wall today and then hopped on an airplane to Chendu. Bad idea. Let me tell you, there were some VERY stinky people and there was no showering between the wall and the plane.

We are at a 5 start hotel, the Sheraton. But we are only here for 11 hours! What a waste. It is the nicest hotel and we don't get to take advantage. We're only sleeping here for the night and then in the morning we go to see the Giant Pandas! YAY!!! I will get my picture taken with a little (or big) panda. After that, we fly out right away to Tibet. So again, not sure when I'll be able to post again. We also don't have our luggage yet so I can't post Great Wall pictures since my camera cord is not with me. Sorry! Good night/good morning for you!!

Oh, PS...not sure if I mentioned that I can post to my blog but I can't actually view my posts. So if anything is wrong, shoot me an email at danam531@comcast.net. See ya peeps.

Ni Zhou...Good Morning Wednesday

Hello! For those of you that couldn't view my pics on myspace, I think I fixed the problem if you want to try again.

It is hot here. Enough said.

Yesterday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then made our way to Lenovo. Lenovo makes PCs and notebooks, etc. They have some really great innovation (see pics on myspace from Innovation Center). We weren't allowed to take pics in the factory so there aren't many. Businesses here are a little different in general. They have campuses where their workers are housed. They have a nice big space for parks and basketball courts, etc. This allows them to keep their employees on the premises and to pay them a lower wage by giving them housing.

After Lenovo, some people went to the Summer Palace. I did not go because I was wearing a suit and it was very hot as stated above. Some of us didn't get the memo that the clothing requirements changed to business casual. (There was no memo.)

The rest of us came back to the hotel and changed into cooler clothes. Then we hit the markets. YIKES!!! These people are scarey when they want to sell stuff! They all yell at you and some of them hit you with whatever they are selling. If you don't want to buy from them, they hold onto your arm and you have to drag them away with you. Needless to say that this is a negotiation type place, you don't pay full price. I bought a backpack (needed for the plane) and an iPod speaker set. Then we drove through Tian'anmen Square.

I went with the Dean to get some snacks for a little shindig we were having later and we went to the Olympics store. INSANE. They couldn't keep things on the wall long enough before someone would come up and buy it. Tons of people. Hot.

I had to go back to the hotel and shower because did I mention it was hot? That night, we all had a 2nd fitting of our suits that we had ordered. Mine was way too big so it needs alterations. By this time, it was about 9pm and I decided to stay in for the rest of the night. Good thing, because my roommate went out with everyone trying to find some dumpling restaurant and they never found it. Walked around for an hour for nothing and didn't even eat.

Today is a laid back day. Our group has three business meetings and then the big group is going for a traditional Peking Duck Dinner. Tomorrow we hit the Great Wall and head out to Chengdu. So I may not be posting for a couple of days. I'll try to get in tomorrow, but we leave early and I'm not sure what time the business center opens!

Hope everything is well at home. What's with Owen Wilson? We Chinese keep up with the gossip of you strange Americans.

Tuesday Morning

Ni Hao! It is 7:30am Tuesday morning, 6:30pm on Monday night for you oh-so-behind Westerners.

Yesterday we went to the Olympic Committee. It was awesome! Did you know that tickets to the games will only cost about $12???? And they are reserving 14% of tickets for Chinese students, who will pay 5 yuen, or less than $1! The buildings are crazy. The birds nest is the main building, the pic is on my myspace account. Then they have this water cube where all the aquatics will take place. I couldn't get a picture of that. But the disconnect in this city is insane. See my pics, we saw the olympic countdown clock, and then on the road underneath it, there was a homeless man sleeping. Things are so off kilter here. The technology in some buildings is far more advanced than in the U.S. But then you realize how poor the vast majority of these people are.

After the Olympic Committee, our group had a meeting with an investment banking company who has a specialty in energy saving projects. A little boring, but the guy we met with was really nice. He was actually American and wants to apply to Kellogg next year.

After our 2nd meeting, our group went off to the market. We each had at least one suit tailor made. They were about $100. We get them delivered to our hotel tonight, I'm very curious to see how they turn out! The tailor has a great reputation from our dean. When we were waiting for our last team member to get measured, some of us went upstairs to the food court. INSANE. You have to haggle for everything in this country! They run up to you and want to sell you food. And everyone is wearing those masks on their nose and mouth which is very creepy. I know, its more sanitary, but it was still a little weird! So we finally went to dinner at the Pink Loft. Its a Tai place. It was really good, but everyone was exhausted so we finished up and went back to the hotel for some R&R.

Today we are getting breakfast at the hotel and then heading over to a meeting with Lenovo. Lenovo is IBM in China. Should be very interested. Then I think we have lunch and, drumroll please.....FREE TIME! We haven't had much, so everyone is excited.

OK, will post more tomorrow. Hope everything is well in the U.S. I hope Karla is keeping my cats alive. :)

Good Morning! Monday

So internet access is a little sparse and I'm having trouble posting, let alone uploading pictures.



If you want to check out my pictures, go to:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=74058875

or go to myspace.com and find danam531

Yesterday (Sunday) we had breakfast at the hotel (yummy!). Then we headed over to the Forbidden City, which was the emperor's home. After that we went on a hutong tour. They drove us in a rickshaw (someone takes us on this bike that has two seats behind it). The hutongs are a little "neighborhood" if you want to call it that, where many of the poorer people live. They arranged for us to have a meal cooked by someone who lives there. It was pretty good, didn't settle quite well in the stomach. But it was interesting to hear this lady's story.

After that we went to another place that used to be the empress's home. That was pretty neat, you could really imagine her walking around there.



After that, we so happened to meet up with a representitive from the 10th district of Illinois (Chicago). He met with us for about 1/2 hour. It just happened to be that he was on our plane and agreed to meet with us.



After that, we went out to dinner. It was so cool! This restaurant had a big "lake" in it and then there were boats floating in the lake. You actually get in the boat to eat. This was traditional Cantonese food. People ordered drunken shrimp (still moving), chicken where you had to eat the bones with it, etc. I tried a few things, nothing outrageous (I know, you're surprised!)



After that, we all went to a little bar on a rooftop after walking to find a different bar for almost an hour.



Another long day! Today we are going to meet with the Olympics Committee and some other good stuff. Talk to you soon!

Good Morning!

We're here in Beijing! It's 7:30am and we're getting ready to head over for some breakfast. Last night's dinner was salad, a banana and a Special K bar. LOL. I hope breakfast is good! Today we're headed to the Forbidden City and then lunch with local families. Will post pics when I have them, haven't left the hotel yet.

Peace Out

So far the flight's on time! Keep your fingers crossed. See you in two weeks.

Packing Dilemma

So anyone who has talked to me about my trip knows the packing dilemma. I can only check one bag, and it has to be less than 44 lbs. Today is my last free day before I leave, so I have attempted to get packin'! I know that my suitcase weighs 10 lbs and my stuff I have to bring for school weighs about 10lbs, so I have very little left for two weeks of clothes (business suits and casual wear), shoes & other items.

I got everything packed and the final moment arrived. How much does the bag weigh?

Drumroll......................................

45 lbs.

I swear to you that there is not one extra sock that I can take out, I have packed SOOO light!

Problem solved, I smashed everything into a smaller bag. 43 lbs. WHOOHOO!

One Week

OH. MY. GOD.

7 little days.

7 little days to get an individual statistics homework finished, get a group statistics homework finished, study for and take a statistics final, BEGIN a 50 page paper with my China group (yes, not yet done yet), set up in-country meetings for China (yes, not yet done yet).

7 little days to plan budgets for the marketing department, plan next year for the database department, make sure everything is going to be taken care of at work while I'm gone.

7 little days to shop, get shots and pack.

7 little days to see my friends and family. And don't forget about cleaning the house and shopping for having everyone over on Saturday.

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want to cry.

10 Days!

One Month!

In exactly one month, I'll be boarding a plane with 27 of my closest new buddies for the trip of a lifetime.

Jen is my roommate, say hi to Jen:

Jen is one smart cookie! She works at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago as a Senior Project Manager. I think she fully understands every single thing in the world that I just cannot figure out!


The other members of my group are:

Darren: attending Kellogg for several years now, one class at a time since his work is not helping out with tuition! Darren has been in my group before and we survived! You learn to hold onto good group members. Also one of the student leaders of our class.

Bryan: I've been in classes with Bryan before but never had any conversations with him. I've learned now that he is originally from Boston, is balancing work (a wind energy firm), school and a long-distance relationships, and is a pretty cool guy overall!

Lakisha: I've never met Lakisha before this class. She is actually in the school of engineering, but was able to join the school of management for this trip. She is raising a little girl all by herself, going to school and working (Com-Ed)! Sorry, no pic since she does not formally attend Kellogg.

Want more details on the trip? Read on!

If you want more than what is here, let me know. I cannot post too much information due to security restrictions at Kellogg.

In Beijing, we'll be meeting with the Olympics Committee. As you probably know, the summer Olympics will be held in Beijing next year, so the city is busy planning! We'll also have lunch with local citizens and of course, see the Great Wall!! On our last evening, we have a Peking Duck dinner (a local favorite). We'll spend four full days in Beijing, leaving lots of time for business meetings for our group (we're doing research on businesses who are becoming environmentally-friendly in China), and hopefully a good amount of time for sightseeing (Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, temples). To the left is the hotel we are staying at - cool, huh?!

In Chengdu (a short trip), we'll get to hang out with the Pandas! They have research bases here and giant panda reserves.

Did I mention we get to see Tibet? We'll be in Lhasa for two full days. There won't be any business meetings since Tibet is not really a business-inclined country! Mostly we'll be doing sightseeing and resting. Resting is stressed here because the altitude is extremely high (12,000 feet), so it is very easy to become sick for the remainder of the trip. Tibet is very religous and we have tips on certain ways to walk and dress for this portion of our trip in order to avoid offending the locals.

We're in Shanghai for three days. More business meetings here! But we'll leave time to see an Acrobats show and have a couple of special dinners. Lots of fun nightlife and shopping on the waterfront here!

And the remaining city that we will visit is Hong Kong. I'm very excited about

HK! We're there for two days and will (of course) have several meetings. Look at the awesome pool at the hotel we're staying at!

That's about it. Lots of exciting new things to see and do on this trip! And only one month to go!

Less than 2 months!

Only 59 days left until I leave for China. I don't know which is more unbelievable...that I'll be in a country that is so foreign to me, or that I'll be off from work for two whole weeks. It seems like the trip is SO far away until I look at my countdown calendar and I realize it's coming up much faster than I realized.

I'm in a group with three pretty cool people and our China project will be on the environmental impact on business in China. Did you know that 16 of the 20 most polluted cities are in China? My group is 2 women, 2 men so hopefully I will have a roommate in my new female group member. Pretty good luck that we ended up in the same group considering there are only 5 women in the group of over 20! We're hoping to get the bulk of our project completed before we travel. Then, we'll only have to complete our in-country interviews. We hope to do these all in Beijing (home of the Olympics next summer, so very focused on cutting pollution) so that the rest of our trip can be pretty relaxing!

59 days and ticking.....tick.......tick...............tick

The Details

Here are some of the places I'll be visiting (its not just China!). We're not allowed to say *when* we'll be where due to a lot of Anti-American thoughts out there nowadays. But this should hold you over! :) I listed each place we're going to and a few great links in case you're interested in checking it out. I can't believe I'm going to these places!!!

Hong Kong
www.discoverhongkong.com

Shanghai
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm
http://www.thebeijingguide.com/shanghai_yuyuan/
(great pictures on this website!)

Beijing (the Great Wall!)
http://www.beijingpage.com/
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing.htm

Lhasa (Tibet)
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/tibet/lhasa/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhasa

Chengdu
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/chengdu.htm
http://www.cnto.org/chengdu.asp

Welcome to my blog!

Hello all! I'm starting a blog that will track my trip to China in August. I'll (hopefully) be able to post pictures and details of places I've been so everyone can enjoy my trip. See you all soon! Only 68 more days until I leave, EEEEEKKKKK!