Rising Sun, Flying Man

It's a calm morning; inside and out. Just the right conditions for contemplating and beginning my travel home. This will be one of the longest Tuesdays I've ever experienced since my day began at 14:30 (Pacific Time) and I'll land at 15:00, after flying 13 hours. I'm not even going to try and get my head around the space/time aspect of it. I'll only focus on the fact that I'm heading back home ..... nice !

I'm looking forward to seeing each of you soon. Thanks again for being there and following along with me !

Just About There

The day ends and the lights blink on in another city. This is the last time I'll see Tokyo at night for some time. The tour officially ended this afternoon with the last visits to international schools in the city. It is finished, and so am I.

I'll have the morning to get organized and packed, then a few hours free to explore the national gardens before I have to catch the airport express. This will be a short post this evening because I am in need of a long rest. I'l catch you up before flight time tomorrow.

It was bound to happen .....

Dateline: Tokyo -----

Military police had to be called in to the Institute for International Education's Annual University Fair today at the Sunshine Convention Center downtown. Panic broke out when a large crowd of students grew restless and agitated while waiting in line to see the the University of La Verne's representative, Dr. Jeff. As the time for the fair's end approached, the students (some of whom had been queuing for hours) could see the brochures and colorful (even though rather "cheesy" in quality) banners fast disappearing from the University's assigned table.
"We must to speak with the good doctah", one young woman was heard to cry just before she fainted into the arms of a policeman.
Serious injuries were avoided, and some measure of calm was restored when the representative waded into the throng passing out his business cards (on which his e-mail address was prominently printed) and promising not only that he would return to Japan, but that any request for information that he received electronically would be responded to post-haste.
When questioned about the incident later, the representative commented to the press, "... well, I don't know .... I guess maybe the University of La Verne's name and 'rep' are growing faster then we anticipated ..."
The brows of the gathered reporters all knitted as if on cue. Then, a lone voice asked, "How you spare 'ruh vuhn'?"


Yes!!! I just completed the last education fair of the tour. Not much left to pass out except me. Tomorrow is the final day of school visits and then I have the afternoon off! I'll let you know how that goes ..... For now, I'm putting it all away for the night.
Thanks again for being there!

Fishing in Tokyo

After arriving in Tokyo late this afternoon, I walked out of my hotel (the gold lit building to the right in the first photo) and crossed the avenue to the Imperial Palace. A light breeze, cool and full of fall's evidence played on the water of the moat that surrounds the palace walls. A turbulence in the water caught my eye and I walked closer to the moat's edge to investigate. The reflection of the gray clouds on the water's surface was suddenly transformed into a riotous orange-gold boiling. Giant koi (the "sacred fish") were feeding on insects.

I've been fishing for students for a couple of weeks now in various venues all over Asia.
Standing still and observing the koi calmed and quieted me.
It was just what I needed.
I didn't care in which school they swam.

Not to Worry ..... It's Only Shanghai

This won't be much of a post today since the Internet connection is quite a bit less than "good". I haven't been able to access the ULV website since I arrived here either so I'll use this message to say I have not been "Shanghaied" in Shanghai. The requisite picture of the city at night is above with a contrasting old photo of The Bund (taken in the 1920's). It's difficult to find any of the city as portrayed in Spielberg's "Empire of the Rising Sun". The old city is quickly being torn down to make way for skyscrapers. Buildings under 3 stories in height just don't exist.

I'm alive and well, but very tired from the pace of the last two days. We were part of a HUGE education fair last evening, in which I handed out more then 40 kilos of our brochures! I am hoarse and weary this morning.

Today will be spent visiting and making presentations at international high schools and private language schools. The distances between schools combined with the gridlock of traffic has caused us to spend the majority of each day we've been here on our chartered bus. I've seen much of the city this way, but it wears on you after several hours.

We have an early call tomorrow(Saturday) to make out way to the airport for the flight to Tokyo. The Internet connection at the hotel there is reported to be excellent, and free! I'll catch up with posting some pictures for you then.

The name "Ruh Vuhn" is not a common phrase yet in Shanghai, but it has been (has tried to have been) uttered more in the last two days than any time in history.

Seoul: How Things Work .... Or Not ....

I can’t have a new post without including a view of the city from my hotel room. I have to admit that I’m losing track of where I am on the map. The views, especially at night are beginning to look the same. Thank goodness for those little bottles of liquid soap that I find in the shower; the hotel name and city are always printed in fancy letters on them.

I also wanted to post a picture of Dr. Jeff “working”; yes, contrary to popular opinion, he is performing his duties as assigned in the gymnasiums of international high schools and the ballrooms of upscale hotels. Here is Seoul he couldn’t have been very effective without the translator that was at his side; 90% of the (nearly 3,000) people at this Linden sponsored education fair did not speak English. Now …. this poses another problem: the word, “La Verne”, contains both an “L” and an “r”; both of which are difficult for Asians to get their tongues around. You can’t imagine how I heard it pronounced. Then again, most of the people I’ve met here can’t imagine why I would even have tried to speak a few words of Korean. When I return, I’ve got to sit down with the Board and talk about changing the University’s name to something more Asian-friendly. (Kim Il Dong U. ???)

The last picture is a close up of the electric toilet in my bathroom (it plugs into a wall socket .... scary, huh?). I’ve traveled a lot, and have used a lot of toilets in my time, so I know I shouldn’t have been surprised by this one. I first saw this sort of set up in Ho Ch Minh city and thought it was just a fluke, but, the darn things have shown up in every hotel room I’ve occupied on this trip thus far! I have to admit that I spent several minutes examining (and playing with) the first one I used. To use the vernacular, “… pimp my toilet!” These babies are really tricked out. First, they have heated seats (variable heat control included). They are kitted with three (3!) kinds of spray nozzles (each adjustable in temperature, pressure, and pattern) to make every possible nether part of you (or combinations thereof) squeaky clean and happy (or combinations thereof). I’m surprised that a traveler would ever leave her/his bathroom! ……. Live and learn; that’s what it’s all about, no?

We finish up the day in Seoul with school visits, and then it’s off to Shanghai tonight. Dr. Jeff thanks you for being there (if you’re there), and looks forward to seeing you soon.

Hong Kong: Two Views

The top photo is the view I have from my hotel room on the 30th floor of the JW Marriott. It was difficult for me to even contemplate leaving lest I miss something in such a dramatic and dynamic scene. But, yesterday was the rare day off on this tour, so I signed on for a half day trip to Lantau island in order to see the flip side of Hong Kong. The bottom photo is what I found (but did not buy) in a fishing village on the island. Just like any other place in the world, it appears that there is something for everyone in Hong Kong.

Today (Sunday) was not a day of rest. I joined 120 other U.S. colleges and universities in an education fair that was organized by the Institute of Higher Education. Nearly 5,000 students and their parents had the opportunity to talk with us about studying in the U.S. It was a tiring but fruitful experience. I'll be wrapping up the Hong Kong portion of the tour tomorrow by visiting several international high schools in the city and making presentations along with a smaller (31) contingency of universities.

Monday night will be a travel time again as the tour moves on to Seoul, South Korea.