I am headed to Europe on a 6-week backpacking excursion with two friends through a program I started called the SMU Travel Bug.

We will be documenting and recording the entire experience on this site and hope that you will follow us in this epic journey that awaits.

An update from SMU: I am applying to be the next STA World Traveler Intern to travel around the globe blogging, videoing and documenting every experience for the purpose of inspiring others to get out and travel ... aka, an opportunity of a lifetime!

Check out my video application on YouTube, and let me know what you think!

Crunch time

Most of our time leading up to our final departure was spent finalizing our proposal for the "Chinese Networking" program.

The purpose of our Australia project was to create a Chinese Networking program at Curtin University and than present our findings to Glen Hutchings, senior lecturer of accounting and leader of the student business organization BizQuest.

After meeting with several Chinese students and various other Chinese business leaders, we were better able to outline our goals and form a solid direction for our proposal. Our approach to this came at quite a few different angles.

Along with our detailed layout for the program itself, we also came up with a design for a permanent structure to be built on campus that is meant to symbolize Chinese values. This physical structure, which we called the "KPMG Park," would serve both as a means of gaining awareness about the Chinese community/networking program as well as provide a comfortable place to relax and reflect for the students at "Uni."

Considering we each knew nothing about architecture or landscaping, this was certainly a twist for each of us. The business side of our architectural venture was, of course, trying to account for the many expenses of this project - would it be feasible? Through much research, measuring and accounting for all our materials needed, we were able to finalize our expense report and present it to Glen our last day.

This was not only a great learning experience for me but also a very important one for the three of us to be involved in. So if in the future, our ideas are implemented not only with the networking program but also the KPMG Park, everyone will know who the brains were behind the show - haha, j/k ;-)

"Cheers, Mate"

After six weeks of living out of a backpack, country hopping, adventures, trials and an array of incredible experiences, my time abroad has come to a close. Our flight didn't leave till midnight Friday, so we went to the "Tav" (the on-campus pub) in the evening to hang out with all our friends and also enjoy a reunion with our "Asia study tour clan" before we left.

After a good time of dancing and sharing memories with each other, we said our final goodbyes and Tash drove us to the airport. The flight back felt like a century long, but nevertheless we made it safely.

Now it's back to reality and catching up on lots of lost sleep. The first few nights back in the U.S, I couldn't seem to sleep in past 4 am - thankfully, though, that has changed ... and I also never thought I would be so excited to do laundry!

Recap and many, many thanks!

This has truly been a very rewarding life experience, not only academically but personally as well. I had to learn a lot of patience along the way. Having to overcome the hurdle of not having a computer for four weeks was an obstacle in itself but a blessing in disguise. Learning to step out of my own "comfort zone" and try new things gave me a renewed appreciation for adventure.

It was also fascinating to see how much more energy-efficient all these other countries are in relation to the U.S. I hope that I can implement these same high standards in my own lifestyle.

Every place I traveled comes with a special memory and a story to tell. If you ask me in person I might tell you a few of my favorites, but it is difficult to put into words everything that I was able to see and do in countries so different from my own.

I know this trip wouldn't have been possible without the help of several key people, to whom I am most grateful. Since Ricky, Rach and I were the "Guinea pigs" of the A&A summer program, there were many unknowns leading up to this trip - one of which was whether or not it would even be possible. Thank you to Kelli Anderson for "putting up" with me coming to the International Center almost every day in my eager anticipation to see if it was even a go; and thank you to Sarah Hanan for always being so prompt in keeping my blog updated, and allowing me to clog up her inbox with so many pictures.

I must also thank the Chugach Heritage Foundation for their financial generosity. To my coaches especially, for their trust, and giving me the opportunity to make this a reality; it couldn't have happened otherwise. Thank you to my Grandma Margaret for her always overwhelming financial support; and also to my parents for their support and encouragement; especially my mother for stimulating my interest in traveling in the first place, and giving me the privilege of seeing the world as I have.

Thank you of course to my "Partners in Crime" Ricky and Rachael and all our incredible memories together; it wouldn't have been the same without you guys. Thank you, Ricky, for always looking out for us, whether it be immigration problems in Malaysia, credit card issues in Australia, getting sick in China, or late-night runs in Perth; thanks for being there - you can forgive me now for making you sick too ;)

And lastly, thank you to our Australian friends for showing us the ropes during our stay and helping us get around town those few weeks in Perth! I could go on foreve,r but many thanks to all of you!!!

I am not sure where the path leads to next. I know that studying these different cultures is essential to doing business in our now very global economy. Wherever I end up, I know I will always be able to take with me the skills and life lessons I have learned through this voyage. Until then, thank you so much for keeping up with me and joining me on this unforgettable journey through Asia and Australia!

Getting to Scarborough Beach was a story in itself.

We were meeting a group of the other Americans there. I think the three of us spend more time going the wrong direction on trains and buses than we do the right way. After two weeks of this system, we still don???t seem to have it mastered. So of course this time we ended up getting on the wrong bus to end up exactly where we began our venture an hour earlier. So we spend a fair amount of time laughing at ourselves. On a bright note, though, I guess we got to see more of the city.

Scarborough Beach is known for being one of the best white sand surf beaches in the world. So it was quite tempting to go surfing; however, due to the "winter" weather conditions, some of us settled for relaxing on the beach and watching a couple of the guys make attempts at surfing while a few of the others got creative and played some shoe ball on the beach.

There was a great pathway that ran along the coast, so of course Rach and I grabbed our "joggers" and took off for run. After a little photo shoot action on this beautiful beach, Ricky, Rach and I went back to our hotel and ate out at a very popular pizza place called Il Padrino's. Lucky for us, pizzas were half price that night!

Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. I think technology has been working against me lately. I am still waiting on my computer to be fixed, my flash drive disappeared, and Internet is not easy. Regardless, though, it's been an incredible couple weeks here in Aussie land.

In between some of our many excursions, we have been doing a lot of research for our project while also working with Chinese and Australian students. It's hard to believe we only have a few more days left in Australia.

Being in Perth has been quite a change of pace for us. In Asia we were constantly traveling to different places, exploring the sites, and touring various companies. Here it's been a very different dynamic but fun all the same.

I was surprised to find how expensive things are here, especially food. As of today their currency is slightly higher than ours, leaving us with an even worse exchange rate. The food is very good, though, and some of the more authentic favorites of mine consist of kebabs, kangaroo, steak sandwiches, and of course the seafood.

Aside from working on our project, and spending time with some of our local Aussie friends, we have also had fun hanging out with many of the Americans who just arrived for the semester.

A few of our Aussi highlights:

Birthday marathon

Ironically enough, Rach, Ricky, and I all have our birthdays within four days of each other, so we spent the weekend celebrating. To kick it off, Friday night at the welcome dinner, Ian surprised each of us with birthday cakes and everyone sang us Happy Birthday. Following the dinner we all went out to Waterford karaoke bar close to school to celebrate Rachael's birthday. After our failed attempt to get her on stage, she compromised with getting sung to by the owner who was dressed as Elvis.

Exploring Freemantle

Today we hung out with the other American bunch and took the train to Freemantle for the day. We ate at the famous Fish 'n Chips place Cicerellos, located at the center of Australia's largest fishing boat harbor. It's been around for over 90 years and is well known for its abundance of freshly caught seafood.

Later on, after putting our feet in the Indian Ocean, walking along the beach and watching the beautiful sunset, we headed for Little Creatures brewery and celebrated July 13.

Research and then some

Today was pretty uneventful. We spent a lot of time at "Uni" in meetings and doing research. In the evening Ricky celebrated his 22nd with some of our Aussie and new
American friends in Northbridge - probably the only place where there is life after 8pm. Most of Perth literally shuts down here after five, but Northbridge is a pretty happening place in the evening. I finally had my "bubble tea" fix, too - a very popular drink here in Australia.

Surfing in Yanchep

Ricky, Rach and I, along with the 40 other "Americanos," spent a couple days in Yanchep National Park about 1.5 hours outside of Perth. It is one of the oldest conservation zones in Western Australia. Unfortunately the first day we got there it was raining, although that didn't seem to matter because we mostly hung out in the lodge.

Each school teamed up, and we were all quizzed with some Aussie trivia. It was a lot of fun ... mostly because Team SMU dominated the other schools. The winners got "tin-tams" (popular chocolate wafer cookies here), while the losing team was forced to eat vegemite. I tried it just for fun and now I can see why it was punishment for losing. I almost wanted to gag. I am not a huge fan. From their perspective, though, it is equivalent to our peanut butter and jelly craze. They think that is disgusting.

Thankfully the next day we had great weather for some surfing in the morning at Lancelin beach. At first sight, I think we were all a little intimidated by the size of these waves. It couldn't have been better though.

We spent all morning surfing, and I honestly didn't want to leave; I was having way too much fun - not to say I was any good because I probably spent the majority of the time getting tossed around by the waves.

In the afternoon Tash and Cameron (both student advisers at Curtin) along with Stephen (another student at SMU) joined me for a run around the park. It was cool to be able to see the wildlife along the way as well as the many kangaroos in the park.

The following morning we got a little taste of the rich Aboriginal culture. We learned about how the "Nyoongar" people lived here in Western Australia. These natives are a very innovative people, always traveling and never in one place for more than two months at a time. We saw how they constructed their "Mia" shelters and learned about the ways they used local plants and animals for food, medicine, tools and shelter.

After some spear tossing, throwing boomerangs and using sticks to make fire, we were introduced to some aboriginal dancing. The girls had to perform a dance for the guys and then vice versa; the guys had to dance for us. Apparently the men do the dance to impress the ladies; however, I think we were more amused than anything else. Seeing the guys do this barbaric looking dance was quite hilarious, to say the least.

We also walked along the Koala boardwalk to observe how they live in their natural habitat. We were fortunate to be able to see a lot of them up close and actually awake. They are usually only awake for no more than an hour a day. Our guide also played the didgeridoo (a traditional musical instrument) for us. It's incredible the amount of sounds that can be created from this long piece of hollow wood.

Rottnest Island

Today we took the train to Freemantle and then caught the ferry to Rottnest Island. It's a famous island just 19k off the coast of Perth. It was named Rottnest in 1696 by a Dutch Explorer who called it Rottnest, which means "rats nest," mistaking the Quokkas for huge rats he saw on the island. We saw many Quokkas on the island, and they did look something like an oversized rat.

It was a bit chilly out there, but the sun was peeking through while we were there. Ricky and I rented a tandem bike and road around some of the island. It was so beautiful - too bad it wasn't summer here because the water and beaches were so pristine looking.

Rach and I had an easy fix to the cold problem though - we just went for our long run, while Ricky put his feet up at a pub on the beach and watched the sunset. It was very picturesque.

The ferry ride back was an experience in itself. The sea was a bit rough. There was a huge swell, but I think we enjoyed the excitement of being tossed around a little.

Australian Rules Football!!!

All the Americans got free tickets to go see a "footie" game today. It was the Freemantle ("Freo") Dockers vs. the Melbourne Demons. We had great seats because we were seated right in front of one of the goals, which also made us prime targets for footballs flying at us. It was a great game once the Freos started to gain momentum and came back in a huge lead over the Demons for the second half. Aussie football is a completely different sport and a lot of fun to watch. It is much more intense and faster paced, which makes it that much more exciting. Too bad we don't have it in the U.S.

Today we didn't do too much. The highlight of my day was finding someone to fix my computer. Chris was nice enough to take me to the computer store in the morning so that I could finally get my screen fixed. In the meantime, Ricky and Rach have been very generous to let me use their computers. On that note, I have found that everything is very expensive here. It's quite a step up in prices, especially compared to everywhere we have been traveling.

We spent most of the day at the University finishing up our final assessment for Asia, and then got a stack of books from Ian to assist us in our next project while here in Australia. This section of our studies will be focused on leadership. Ricky, Rachael, and I will be consultants who will be responsible for creating a leadership program for future Chinese leaders. This program will be sponsored by KPMG. We will spend the next couple days studying this topic of leadership, and then combine our notes with one another to present to Ian on Monday. This afternoon we attended a presentation on the John Curtin Leadership program.

We got back to the hotel late, and Rach and I still had to run so we took off at about 7. Seeing that it's their winter here, it gets dark much earlier. Fortunately we had Ricky to bike along with us because I am not sure we could have done it otherwise. Aside from that, he also helps keep us in check when we are running on the wrong side of the path - I've had a couple close calls; or when people are in front of us, he just rings his little bike bell, and everyone clears out of our way. Yeah, I'd say we have a pretty good system worked out.

Tomorrow, we will be meeting up with 40 other American students who will be attending Curtin for the fall semester.

After three weeks of non-stop traveling, and very heavy bags to pack around, it felt good to finally catch up on much-needed rest this morning.

Ian picked us up around noon for lunch at a nearby cafe. Our hotel is centrally located, which makes getting anywhere really easy. Taxis are quite expensive, so we may end up just renting bikes for the next three weeks and using that as our primary means of transportation.

After lunch Ian took us around Perth and Fremantle. We toured the city and saw different sites. We visited the memorial site where many Australian soldiers were honored for their effort during WWI. We drove around Swan river where we saw Yaught Club and on our way to Fremantle we saw John Curtin's old home. He was the Australian Prime minister from 1931 to 1945. We stopped at Cottsloe beach (photo right) along the way.

Unfortunately it's their winter here so no sun-bathing on the beach for us. The weather is pleasant, though, and very refreshing since coming from the extreme heat we experienced in Shanghai. We stopped at the "Little Creature's" pub to try some homemade Australian brewed beer. Unfortunately for me though, it all tastes the same ;)

After that we drove to Curtin University, where we walked around some of the campus and met Ian's wife at a cocktail party to commemorate her previous job position at the University.

This evening we ran to Kings Park to run around Swan River. Ricky, aka our "substitute coach," rented a bike and came along with us, which was really cool. It was so refreshing to run in the cool air. After a long time of hot/humid weather, sneaking into hotels and dodging Tai-Chi'ers, we were ready for a change of pace.

It's only been a day and I can seriously say I love it here. The people are so chill. When we went to the bike shop, the guy was so friendly and laid back that he hardly even took down any contact information from Ricky regarding the rental. He just told us stories and cracked some jokes. It's a pretty relaxed atmosphere here.

Getting out of bed was a struggle this morning, but after my run and a quick breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and drove to the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. It is considered the "think tank" of Malaysia. We spoke with some highly esteemed international officials about Malaysia's current economic and political situation. They gave us a country profile and talked about the current GDP as well as the current issues the government is facing.

We ate lunch with a few of these researchers and analysts at the revolving KL tower restaurant. The restaurant was very nice, and the food was just as incredible. They offered a western style buffet as well as a Malaysian style buffet. The Malaysian food was great but a little too spicy for me. I tend to shrivel up if I get anything that spicy.

We went to the airport after, and thankfully we got there a couple hours before we had to board because we ran into trouble with our passports. Somehow we didn't get visas so had to go to immigration to pay our way out of the dilemma. After a good 2 hours of waiting around trying to get that settled, we were released to race to our gate, where we just barely made it on time. Fortunately for us, the plane was practically empty, so we had lots of space to spread out for six hours.

After an early morning run on the treadmill, I hurried to get breakfast before we left for the Petronas Twin towers, the tallest twin towers in the world. It was especially cool because we got to go to the 45th floor to walk the sky bridge, the longest double-decker sky bridge in the world. Not many people get to do this because apparently it is really difficult to get tickets. Our guide, Muhamed, was very helpful. He actually stood in line at 5:30am this morning waiting to get us a spot to go up. We were most grateful.

We then left and went back to the hotel, where we had a few hours of free time. So a few of us, Ricky, Dan, Tash, Rach, and I, all thought it would be fun to go "four- wheeling" at a park we heard about. So Muhamed took us to this "eXtreme" park, as they call it. After buying tickets to enter the park, we were directed to the four wheeling area.

On the way, we started wondering if we were at the right park because there were a million and one kids running around, and nothing we saw seemed too "extreme." When we got to the area and saw what we had paid for, everything went downhill from there. First they had us put on hairnets to wear under our hardcore helmets, then we got on these little one-speed dirt bikes. On top of that we were given a guide we were told to follow.

After lining up in single file we trailed behind our guide as fast as we could go. Little did we know that we had signed up for the "scenic" ages 2 to 5 drive. The odd thing about this scenic drive was that there was no scenery. We literally drove in a circle of about 200meters 2x, which gave us a grand total of about 3 minutes max. Anytime we tried racing each other we would get yelled at.

So after follow the leader, we decided to go do some "eXtreme" paint balling. That was just about as "extreme" as the four wheeling experience. The objective was to hit a stick target 15 meters in front of you. Our thrill-seeking adventure was coming to a close, and we had another hour to burn before our guide picked us up. We were going to go rock climbing, but the wall was nearly shorter than Rachael - in other words, it's about three foot tall.

The guys went on probably the only remotely cool thing in the park - a rickety old sling-shot bungee device. The guy actually had to give it a few kicks to get it started. Yeah, the park was nothing like we expected, and I think they should change the name so that "eXtreme" is not included.

That evening we went out to the open-air Sky Bar near our hotel for some cocktails and to celebrate our last night out in Malaysia. The view was incredible, and even more amazing was the view we had of the towers all lit up!

I woke up and went for a morning run in the park for my last time in Shanghai. However, this morning was much hotter than normal. Tash ran with me to the park. While I ran around for about an hour, she participated in Tai Chi.

While running, I thought it was interesting to find groups of people practicing their English. Some were singing the alphabet, while others were counting with a funny tune. It was comical because the teacher had a stick in his hand as if he was directing a choir.

Also while I was running, Tash was being fought over by a couple of old men who took turns trying to dance with her. It was cute. So after running through wads of tai chi'ers, Tash and I finally headed back. I felt like I was getting dizzy spells, though, due to it being so hot. Little did I know, I had been running in 110 degree weather. Thankfully this was the last run in that climate.

For those of you who know what I am talking about, running in this heat was ten times worse than doing 1k repeats on the track when it's 100 degrees outside. I had to take a 10-minute cold shower just to try to cool myself down; even then my face was still beat red.

Off to Malaysia
Rach and I walked around town for the last time. Then we took of for the airport. This time we traveled by train; not just any train, though. This was high speed, which reached almost 280 mi/hr. What would have taken us over an hour, got us there in only 15 minutes. Ya, I think we need more of those.

We arrived in Malaysia around midnight. After getting to the hotel, we went out for some food because we hadn't eaten anything for a while. The nightlife is incredible here! The city was hopping! There were so many people walking around everywhere. Many people from India come to Malaysia for vacation, and apparently this was that time period. It was also different to find that so many people spoke English here; that made it easy getting around.

Rach and I rolled out of bed at about 7am to go for our long run in the park again. We enjoyed running through herds of people doing Tai Chi.

Every time we have run here we can't help but make strange observations. However after choking on pollution and fighting the enormous heat/humidity factor here, I would say we are well prepared for Dallas heat in the fall.

Aside from dodging a bunch of "tai-chi'ers" in the park, I found myself ducking a few times just to avoid getting hit by birdies flying through the air. Badminton is a big sport here. We were also surprised to find a guy running with us for a little while before he eventually dropped back. Usually people just stop and stare or start yelling at us, and sometimes it's hard to tell if they're cursing at us, laughing at us or just cheering us on; either way it's funny not knowing.

Another odd thing I noticed was a lot of people just randomly walking backward. Maybe it's supposed to be therapeutic because they do it a lot here. If that's not odd enough, most all of the guys here walk around with their shirts off. It's funny what people will do when it is so hot outside.

We also had a bit of a bathroom experience. Rachael needed to use the restroom. So after running around the huge soccer stadium nearby realizing that you can't go for free, we finally thought we would just casually sneak into one un-noticed. Right when we thought we were winners and almost got through the door, some lady started yelling at us from around the corner. She demanded that we pay to use the "hole" in the ground she called a restroom. Well, after convincing her of the fact that we had no money on us and our pleading with her to just let us go for free, she finally, yet reluctantly, let Rach go. We got out of there as quickly as we could.

Trip to Fudan U
That was just the beginning. Our day started with a trip to Fudan University, where we had the opportunity to speak with some of the professors and students. It was cool to be able to get their insight into a lot of the issues we have raised through our research and study through China.

We asked them about the one-child policy and learned from teachers about their personal experience during the Cultural Revolution. It was interesting to hear from them about their current views on Confucianism as well. We asked the students what their thoughts were about its influence on child-rearing in modern China. Derived from the early Chinese philosopher Confucius, it has been a part of Chinese culture for over 2,000 years. It is primarily an ethical system to which rituals at important times during one's lifetime have been added.

They said that Western methods have begun to displace Confucianism. Currently leadership in China is not a big deal at all and people think that emperors are more fit to be the country's symbol of power. As the younger generation starts to rise, though, more people will be taking leadership positions. After our long and fruitful discussion, we went to lunch with our friends at a nearby restaurant.

Shopping "secrets"
Afterward we headed for downtown to shop around. The only cheap places in this area are in the shops behind "secret" doors, as I will explain in a second. Tash, Rach, and I went for a walk along some of the shops. I was not expecting everything to be as modern as it was. The city is very built up, and the architecture was incredible.

Immediately as we entered the main shopping square, our first "peddler," being very pushy, brought us to his store, which was out of the main square, of course. The government is beginning to clamp down on these people selling imitation branded products. These high-end products, such as Gucci, D&G, LV, Coach, and various others, are all being sold as imitations behind these closed walls. Often, if caught, the cops will just be bribed away with extra cash in their pocket.

So we went to a couple of these shops and some of them made us a little nervous. For instance, what seemed like a normal store on the outside was something entirely different behind the closed bookcase, up the creepy stairwell, and behind the locked door.

Celebrations
After that "dodgy" (as the Aussies would call it) experience we went to an Australian Chamber of Commerce network event. It was a party for Australians living and working in the city. It was in the most beautiful hotel overlooking the city on the top level. It was cool to be able to network with some of these people and meet a few fellow Americans as well.

It was also Chris' birthday today, so after singing happy birthday and throwing cake in his face, we took off for what we thought was another celebration, but this time for Americans celebrating our Independence Day. We found some kids on the street to give the leftover birthday cake to. They were thrilled! It wasn't quite what we were expecting, so we didn't hang around long. Eventually we left and spent the rest of the night hopping around the city.

We had rehearsals in the morning and then spent the rest of the time further preparing for the final presentation in the afternoon.

Technical challenges
Due to technical difficulties of practically every kind, it was a rather stressful couple days leading up to this. My computer screen has been damaged, which has really slowed my progress. Until I get it fixed, hopefully in Australia, I have been using some of the others' computers.

On top of that, having consistent Internet has been a challenge as well. Sometimes it doesn't work and that has impacted all of our ability to do research. Even when we have had Internet, we found it difficult to do particular research. For instance, if I googled anything having to do with "Tiananmen Massacre" and then pressed on the link, my connection would just mysteriously time out. We found this to be due to the web being highly censored by the government.

Despite all these challenges, I think it's been a good lesson in patience. It's also helped to give me a better understanding of what it can be like doing business in a foreign country. Sometimes hurdles like these are inevitable and you just have to roll with the circumstances.

Our case study
Everyone did a good job and we all were very relieved to finally be finished. David Horlock was our included honorary guest among our "panel of judges." He is the Vice President of New Services Development for Bureau Veritas.

One important aspect to managing China's product quality can be seen through the newly implemented REACH program (Europe's new chemical regulations). This process is meant to protect the environment and human health by controlling risks that rise from the usage of toxic chemicals in products. By keeping the manufacturer completely aware of the substances used in the product, this ensures full "transparency" if the ingredients were ever requested. Distrust and a bad reputation are among a company's greatest fear.

To prevent this from happening, Mr. Horlock's job is to consult, train, and provide companies with an important checklist to ensure they are complying with these regulations. He flew in to listen to our presentations as well as offer further insight from his perspective of our case study. We were fortunate to be able to further discuss our findings over dinner with him following our presentations. It was a fun evening as we celebrated all the hard work that went into this case study.

We spent most all day researching in preparation for the final presentation. For lunch, Ricky, Chris, Rach and I went on a goose hunt for Subway. Yesterday, we saw one as were driving, so we knew that they exist here. We asked Sally, our guide, to give us directions, so after about 30 minutes we get to the spot she told us to go. Little did we know what she was referring to.

We finally looked up and walla, there was the "subway" ... on rails! So walking back we just had to laugh at ourselves. We found a fast-food Chinese restaurant instead. The food was good; the mystery drink they gave us, on the other hand, was not so good, but so it goes.

135 million refrigerators
Later that day we went to Baosteel, the largest steel company in China. This ties right in with our overall case study. We used the analogy of 135 million refrigerators to show the impact that China's middle-class growth will have as they begin to demand more "basic durable" products such as this.

Once disposable income becomes more available to this growing population, the pressure will be on the steel industry; since steel is the major material used to produce these products. The issue then becomes focused on what is being done to combat the environmental and ecological implications that arise. Many measures are being taken to promote more efficiency and less waste, as we saw at this manufacturer.

Although China has a major pollution problem, I have noticed they are far better at recycling and conserving energy than we are in the U.S. For example, there are recycle bins everywhere, and all the buildings and hotels have timers on the light switches.

At Baosteel, we walked into what felt like a 150-degree oven. It was cool to watch the steel being made (photo right). We watched it as it went through various different chambers and came out looking like lava!

Experiments in laundry and fried foods
Washing clothes in the sink has been getting a little tiring. So our guide took us to this hole in the wall laundry place, literally (photo below).

At first glance we were all a little apprehensive, but the owners were so nice to us. Plus we were a bit desperate for some clean clothes. Their daughter practiced speaking English with us while we were there.

While waiting I bought the best dumplings I have had yet in China (photo right). Not to mention it was only fifty cents. On that note, the food in the restaurants seems to be consistently getting more "experimental": more slimy, more greasy, and more random surprises inside the fried crust. "Food," like jellyfish, fried corn and peas with mayo and sprinkles, fried goose liver, fried fat, fried dough, fried turtle, frog and other weird food combinations, only highlight the eating experiences we have had so far.

I think this is when I actually look forward to the stale cereal we often get in the morning. We have had fun with it, though, and trying different foods in these countries has been a good experience for all of us.

Tai Chi is very popular here, and so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go try it ourselves. Our morning was free so we woke up very early and caught a cab to a famous park nearby. We had many different types of groups to join, some being fast while others being slow.

We warmed up with the slower stuff and casually stepped in hoping no one would notice. With our foreign demeanor though, that was entirely impossible. We had a great time laughing at ourselves. I think the locals enjoyed it more because our amazing moves started to draw a crowd. First they would laugh at us, then give us a smile as if to say, "you need help."

Seeing that I like to move around so much, I think learning Tai Chi was good therapy. It's challenging because you're moving in slow motion for 15 minutes straight while having to maintain complete control of your muscles the entire time. Ricky and Tash got a thumbs up ... but I think only because they have blue eyes. Haha - I am just kidding, they were good. But the people here do seem to gravitate toward anyone with blonde hair and/or blue eyes so maybe that gives them some advantage ;)

Finally, after we made fools of ourselves, a few of the "pro's" stepped in to offer us some pointers. They were all so eager to help us; which certainly made for a great time this morning.

After a couple hours of practicing our very "strenuous" Tai Chi moves, we went back to the hotel and started working on our final case study we will be presenting in a couple days.

For lunch, Chris and I went on a hunt for food. Finding anything not Chinese was a bit of a challenge however. I never thought I would stoop this low, but we eventually just settled for McDonald's. After that, I think I realized Chinese was better.

At 4 we went to the T.V. tower; the third tallest building in the world. If there wasn't so much smog that evening, I think the view would have been incredible. However, it was cool being on the 265th floor!

That evening we had a change of pace as we went to a great Brazilian barbecue. Afterward, Rach and I went for a run and then called it a day.

We left in the morning and flew to Nanjing to see the famous museum where we learned about the Nanjing massacre of 1937-8.

Prior to today, I didn't know anything about this tragedy. It was absolutely incredible to see this museum. Walking through it reminded me of the time I traveled to Austria and saw a concentration camp.

The Japanese were gaining control of much of China and moved in on Nanjing. Here the Japanese went into complete hysteria after gaining control over many cities in China. Their undefeated army had a controlling mindset of "kill all, destroy all."

What followed was a devastating six weeks of rape, murder, and torture that's hard to even imagine. In this short time period, more than 300,000 Chinese citizens and officials were killed. This is considered the flashpoint between China and Japan. The horrors of this grave history struck me in the same way the Nazi camps did; it's the reality of seeing what man is capable of doing.

For lunch we went to a fancy Chinese restaurant. All of us about went tone deaf after listening to the same song repeat itself for 90 minutes straight. I think Benjie, our musician in the group, was about to go crazy from this single melodious elevator music.

So finally after that long "tuneful" lunch, we drove to Shanghai. We stopped at this little rest stop along the way to get some interesting snacks. Of course we couldn't read any of the labels so every taste was a bit of a surprise. We finally arrived around 10pm, just early enough for some dinner. I was too tired to even eat, though; after so much traveling all I wanted was a bed.

Our guide Jo, who fortunately speaks very good English, took us to see the Terracotta Warriors, which is now considered the Eighth Wonder of the world.

In the year 210B.C, around 7,500 clay figures were buried for the purpose of protecting the Qin emperor, the first declared emperor of China. In fact the very name of "China" is derived form that of the Qin. He was also the first emperor to try to unite China through a series of battles. He believed that this terracotta army of warriors would protect him after he died. Emperor Qin eventually died at the young age of 50 but spent most of his life preparing for a majestic burial and "second life." Meanwhile he ordered his workers to discover an elixir of life, and so he spent a great amount of resources in an unsuccessful attempt to discover it.

When he died, thousands of officials and craftsmen were buried alive with him in order to keep this tomb a secret. The construction of this massive tomb created precedent for the emperors to follow. Two thousand years later, some farmers were digging a well and ended up making the biggest archaeological discovery of the 20th century. One of the farmers was actually at the museum signing autographs, so it was kind of neat to see him in person.

Afterward we went straight to lunch and then did some shopping. I am getting better at bargaining, but I am not nearly as good as Daniel. He doesn't only cut the stated price in half but starts off at 10 percent of that price. The crazy thing is half the time it actually works. I am glad we have some good bargainers on this trip because it keeps me from getting taken. I give in too quickly, but I am learning to just walk away and that always seems to work. After that bargaining episode we went to a Buddhist Temple and walked around. It was an incredibly hot day today, ranging in the temperature of 110 degrees.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped to climb the Xi'an wall, which surrounds the city. Built to protect the city from foreign invaders, it is a total of nine miles round. Rachael and I wanted to run it but probably would have had a heat stroke if we tried. While the others decided to walk around on the wall, Benjie and I thought it would be cool to rent a two-seater bike. We had 30 minutes so we had to bolt, but we made it on time. Now we can say that we were able to see the whole city in 30 minutes!

We got back just on time and then found out they were not going to give us our deposit because they said we "broke" the bike. We were finally able to convince them that rust doesn't just appear in 30 minutes so the "damage" was not from us. The language barrier just made it that much more difficult but after about 15 minutes of that little dispute they finally let us go. Note to self: no more renting antique bikes from sketchy vendors.

That night we went to a legendary dumpling restaurant right off the main square. We tried a grand total of 15 different types of dumplings that night! After our dumpling feast we decided to explore some of downtown before heading back to the hotel. Right outside the restaurant there were these adorable little puppies for sale. We all took turns holding them. We then walked around, did some go-cart racing on the sidewalk, shopped for a little while, and then split ways with some of the group. While a few stayed longer, Chris, Ricky, Rachael, and I all had fun riding a little motorized tuck-tucks back to our hotel.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Nanjing to see the museum then drive 4 and a half hrs to Shanghai, where we will be for the next five days. Hopefully we will have Internet access, which has been very difficult for us to get ahold of lately.

This morning was a bit rough. I woke up with a raging fever and a bad cough. Rachael is sick too, so that makes two of us a little under par. It's a good thing we have our "walking pharmacy," aka Ricky, with us. So not to worry, we are getting better.

We visited the Three Gorges Dam Project today, the largest engineering project in the history of the world. The dam will supply 17 percent of China's clean energy. Just over 1 million residents were resettled for this massive project. The dam is located on Zhongbao Island at Sandouping town in Yichang, Hubei. That evening we left for X'ian and arrived at the beautiful four-star New World Hotel.

Tomorrow we get to see one of the most famous discoveries in China, the Terracotta Warriors. Timing is also drawing near for our presentations, so we met with our individual groups again in the evening to outline our presentation.

This morning came real fast. In fact, it came too fast. Rach and I missed our wake-up call and woke up 10 minutes before we had to leave. Considering none of my things were packed and clothes still wet from washing them in the sink the night before, it was a little overwhelming, but we made it on time.

So we left for the hotel and once we arrived, we had another group meeting for a recap on what we have done so far and what we will be doing tomorrow - visiting the largest water control project in the world today.

Rachael and I didn't start our run until about 8pm, so it got dark rather fast. We ran along the Yangtze river, and the streets were very congested with people. We saw the locals dancing in the streets and wanted to join, but I think we already stood out enough trying to dodge these crowds of people.

We were finally able to catch up on some much needed rest last night. After having our usual morning banquet, we drove to the headquarters of Haier to speak with some of the managers about the effects that the increase in the price of steel has had on their product. We also enjoyed an extensive tour around three levels of Haier's products on display and a stirring, dramatic movie about the development of the company. Next we had the opportunity to ask some questions to a number of higher Haier employees - we mostly learned about the supply chain and Haier's plans to expand into the global market.

This ties directly in with our case study and final presentation in Shanghai in a week. We will be exploring the effects of, "What happens when 135 million Chinese people want a refrigerator?" For instance, what are the economic and social implications of this huge increase in demand for steal? Haier is the world's fourth largest white goods manufacturer and one of China's Top 100 IT companies.

When we returned to the hotel Rachael and I immediately went for a run, along with Tash, Ricky, and Benji, who decided to join us for another jaunt along the waterfront. Immediately following our run, we raced to the showers and then off to dinner at a fancy Korean (Qingdao is on a peninsular jutting out close to Korea) barbeque restaurant, which connected to our hotel, the four star Grand Regency. This was a pleasant change of pace for all of us, considering every day has been the same food since we first arrived in China. We invited a few of the Haier employees to join us for dinner as a means of thanking them for their time.

Later that evening we went out with our new-found friends from Haier and explored some of the city. It was nice to have some locals show us around. After doing a little shopping, lighting candle lanterns in the sky, and lots of walking, we parted ways. Ricky, Dan, Benji, Rach, Tash and I decided to walk back to our hotel about a mile away. On our way back Benji was having "drummer withdrawals." He is a drummer for a band in Sweden and thought it would be fun to go to a night club, pretend it was his 25th birthday, and somehow manage to be asked to play the drums. So next thing we know, we are sitting at Club New York in Qing Dao rocking out to Benji playing the drums on stage.

Today wasn't quite so busy, which was nice. When we arrived, we drove to the famous Tsingtao Brewery. While walking through the museum, we learned about some of the history of the company. Of the 600 breweries operating in China, Tsingtao has always been the largest and most prestigious of them all. Tsingtao is also the number one branded consumer product exported from China. I tried very hard to be interested but it was somewhat of a struggle ;)

So finally after that little bit of beer history, we went to the hotel, where Rachael and I immediately took off for a run and did a little exploring ourselves. We found this great pathway that stretched along the beach of a nearby bay. I have noticed a trend while running here. Everywhere we run people don't move out of the way - in fact they stand in the same place and stare at you without blinking an eye. If we could have a staring contest they would win hands down.

Afterward we walked to dinner and once again had some more Chinese food. There are so many options when it comes to our "buffet banquets." You get to choose between deep fried tomatoes, deep fried bacon, deep fried dough, deep fried green beans, deep fried fish, deep fried chicken, deep fried eggplant, etc, ... yes you get the idea - so many deep fried options.

We began our day with a trip to Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately our appointment at the U.S. Embassy was cancelled, but we made up for it with other perks and extra time on the Wall. It was an incredible experience to walk around a place you only ever see and read about in books.

A great deal of history lies in Tiananmen Square, this being the largest public city square in the world - most notably for what took place almost 20 years ago, the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. After Chairman Mao died in 1976, his successor Deng Xiaoping introduced series of reforms in order to modernize China. However, not all was just fine and dandy. Despite a great deal of economic change, restrictions on the Chinese people's freedom of speech kept human rights in China far from Western standards.

Social discontent came to the fore when students and workers gathering in the square to mourn the death of liberal figurehead Hu Yaobang turned into a protest. After warning the demonstrators to leave, the army got sent in, and around 1000 civilians were shot down and run over by tanks in the famous square, in full view of international media. This was an awakening for the rest of the world. The result of this protest just proved how truly suppressed Chinese people still were and the freedom they were denied. Clearly the students didn't have a right to free expression.

We walked around, and then just like any good tourist would do, took a million pictures facing every direction. Afterward we headed for the Heavenly Temple, the largest sacrificial temple in China. Built in the 1420s during the reign of Emperor Yongle, it is the site where the emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasty would offer their sacrifices to Heaven and pray for rain and good harvest. While walking around the gardens we observed groups of mostly elderly citizens dancing, singing, and playing Taji Ball. Ricky and Dan decided to join in and practice using their "soft hand" skills.

The Great Wall of China

After our breakfast feast we headed for the Great Wall, one of the Eight Wonders of the world. Built to keep foreign raiders out, it is perhaps the most remarkable defense system known to man. It's hard to imagine this entire wall being built by hand, and consequently, the inevitable death toll that followed. Our guide, Tina sang to us "Hey Jude" on the way; it was quite amusing. She was seriously the best guide ever; even though she did carry around that ridiculous-looking bright yellow flag held up in the air - it just screamed "tourist."

Once we got to the Wall (or an accessible section of it at least), what had started as a beautiful Beijing day turned to pouring-down rain. That just further added to the experience because then we got to dress up in these cool white plastic ponchos that made us all look like ghosts.

Some of the guys thought it would be cool to race to the top (by top I mean as far as we could go). Unfortunately for the guys, though, the girls conquered. As the sky started to clear up and it stopped raining, we could see further into the distance. It is difficult to put into words how incredible this was to see. The thick smog also made for a fantastic series of mysterious, "urky" pictures ... though we could hardly make out the other side of the valley to grasp the full expanse of this majestic wall.

Beer and then some ...

Next we headed for dinner at another traditional Chinese restaurant, but with hula dancers this time. Yep that's right, and not to mention one of them was a guy. When we finished our meal the dancers came off stage and for some reason aimed straight for all of us "outsiders." First they tied red thread around our wrists. We were nervous about what this could possibly mean, and they then brought out beer for everyone. Everything seemed perfectly normal until they started to force feed it to the guys themselves. We girls were very entertained. That whole time I was thinking "oh man I hope they don't do this to us because I have an aversion to the taste of beer." Well sure enough, one of the girls forced a cup of beer down my throat. Right when I thought all this jazz was over, we were all coaxed on stage to perform some sort of traditional Chinese cha-cha dance with them. It was quite hilarious, and we all got a good laugh out of our newfound moves.

The Olympics

Since its incredible billion-dollar makeover, Beijing is very different than what I expected it to look like. New roads, new buildings, an incredible airport; you could tell that most of the city had been very modernized. Although we could only see from a distance, we were fortunate to be able to see some of these Olympic sites. This included the famous "Bird's Nest," where the opening ceremony will be held, the infamous "Water Cube" for the swimming, as well as part of the Olympic village.

I know they are starting to take measures to clean up the pollution too but it's hard to imagine it being any worse than it is now. There is so much hidden beauty being blanketed by the overwhelming smog. Coming from mountain air myself, this was definitely the first thing I noticed. Beijing has cleaned up quite a bit though, and much of the city seems fairly modernized. Also since being in Beijing, I was surprised to see how much less friendly the people are compared to in Vietnam. They are not as eager to help, and for some reason they do a lot of pushing and shoving.

That night we met with our professor to further discuss our case study and prepare for our final presentation in Shanghai on July 3. The following morning we left for Qing Dao. We had to wake up at 5:30 to beat the rush-hour traffic. And by the way, traffic in Beijing is unreal. I have never seen so many people walking around at 5:30am. It seems like rush hour around the clock.

Well, it is hard to believe it has already been 5 days. We are currently on our way to Beijing. While flying over Hong Kong, it was incredible to see how highly dense the city was and yet so contained. Most all of the buildings were so similar to each other.

Tomorrow we will get a briefing from the U.S. embassy on the current economic and political situation in China, followed by a briefing on the changing dynamics of Chinese society and the increasing appetite for consumer goods. We will make a few cultural visits, walk the Great Wall and then see the Olympic Game sights. We have a busy day ahead, so I better get some rest.

After 36 hours of time travel, Ricky, Rachael and I (better known as the three Americans) finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Although it was a long way, we had fun just getting here. We met up with the rest of our group in Vietnam, making a total of 11 of us, including our professor, Dr. Ian Farnie.

There are six Australians from Curtin University (Dan, Tash - the only other girl - Daniel, Jared, Chris, Tristin - and then there is Benji, the lone Swede). Working with other students from different cultures has been rewarding on many levels. I have been able to learn from them and hear what life is like in their home countries. Plus, they have awesome accents; I am hoping they will rub off by the end of this trip.

Welcome dinner
That first night we met our guide, Linh, and then briefly introduced ourselves to each other. We had a great dinner at this very quaint and authentic Vietnamese restaurant called Kinh Bac. I am not entirely sure what it is I ate, but I liked the food a lot. Breakfast is served buffet style and is very different, to say the least. You will find anything from chocolate cake to steamed vegetables or even sushi. As much as I like to try new things, I think I'll stick with the traditional breakfast foods.

On our way back from the welcome dinner, we were bombarded by a bunch of little girls trying to sell us gum. It was a sort of surreal scene. These little girls were running around at night in their pajamas by themselves. It was hard to see such desperation in such young children. Yet it was also rather humorous at the same time because they only went after the guys, grabbing and chasing them all the way back to our hotel.

The next morning we went to meet the Australian General Consulate, Mr. Scully, who spoke to us about the current state of the Ho Chi Minh City economy. Some of the issues Vietnam is currently facing have much to do with the U.S. war with Vietnam over 30 years ago. It is a very transitional country right now, as it moves from a highly centralized "command" economy to more of a market economy, like that of China.

The rapid growth in urban industrialization and population migration are increasingly corrupting the environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the past several years, Vietnam has been among the countries with the highest growth rate in the world, maintaining a steady 8.5 percent annual rate. That is very good considering their current poverty state. There is still a strong correlation between the corruption and poverty that we see here.

Mr. Scully discussed the culture as giving preference to family members in the job market. At every level of bureaucracy here, money is absorbed by accepted corrupt practices and bribery. Previously the Ho Chi Minh City was the center of production, now these factory industries are being spread out to the surrounding provinces.

Bargaining power
We went to the market our second day here and did a little bargaining. I must admit, though, I am not very good at this. Rachael, on the other hand, caught on real fast and didn't give in till she got the price she wanted. Ricky didn't buy anything but rather stood by as our "fashion expert" helping us decipher the fake stuff from the real. It's overwhelming sometimes when there is so much of the same thing everywhere you turn. Everything here is very cheap, though, and you can often easily bargain down to at least 50 percent of the stated price.

While in the market we had a quick sit-down lunch at tables knee height made of trays that appeared from nowhere as soon as we seemed remotely interested in lunch. The food came out equally as instant. Talk about fast food - but in the Asian sense: healthy, cheap, and to be eaten with chopsticks.

To cross or not to cross?

See video of Sierra crossing the street.

On our way back from shopping at the local market, we decided to cross a busy intersection just for kicks. In America, I would say this situation would likely get you run over, but here, somehow you end up on the other side alive. People don't stop honking either. It's like playing musical instruments here. Everyone wants to chime in and see who can make the most noise or something.

I also noticed that there are a lot of motorbikes here. In the past these were all bicycles, and if the economists are right, in the future we should see all these being replaced with cars. That's a scary thought, considering how small the roads are and crazy the drivers - yes even crazier than in Texas. Sometimes you will see a mother and four kids crammed onto one motorbike. It's an indicator of your status and wealth whether or not you own a scooter bike. The "wealthy" are the ones who can provide their own form of transportation.

Later that day we had a meeting with some Curtin alumni from Vietnam themselves. They were all graduates of Curtin Master of International Business, now holding prominent executive positions in banks and corporations. They helped to give us a little more insight into the current business environment in Vietnam. Mr. Quoc Vu works in Vietnam's largest bank, ACB, as the managing director. One of the others, Ms. Dao Nguyen, works for the second largest bank as deputy general director. They both have benefited from the rapid development of banking in Vietnam.

That evening we had dinner with our guest at the beautiful Lemon Grass restaurant in the Palace Hotel. Located on the top floor, we could see the city of Saigon very well. Unfortunately this is when the jet-lag kicked in real bad for me. I have never felt so tired as I did that night. However, Rachael and I somehow managed to fit our training in late that evening. Tash and Chris accompanied us as we snuck into the Sheraton next door to use the treadmills because the ones at our hotel were not working.

Cu Chi Tunnels
The tunnels were originally built during the time of the French and were later added to during the time of the Americans. It was a very complex system that the Vietnamese villagers of Cu Chi escaped to when they were being bombed.

We had the opportunity to go in the tunnels and see what it was like for ourselves. The tunnels were very narrow and stuffy, and we crawled about 180 meters - long enough to make us feel claustrophobic and very hot. It's hard to believe that this is the way these people lived for so long. Any outsider could admire this huge complicated system they had built. They were a very tactical and innovative people, and even as an American I can't help but respect them for what they endured those many years.

Prior to entering the tunnels we watched a short video talking about the War from the Vietnamese perspective. One line that really stood out to me described the American soldiers as a "crazy batch of devils." The Cu Chi Fighters were relentless. I thought one phrase captured it best in saying it was "fatalism mixed with courage."

We also had the opportunity to take a few shots at the shooting range. We all bought some ammo and practiced our shooting skills. I think I almost blew out my eardrums, though, on that first shot.

War Remnants Museum
The museum is public display of exhibits showing the effects and aftermath of the Vietnamese war. There were eight different exhibits to walk through, and I was very taken aback by many of the displays. Many of the photos were very alarming to see, images that will stay in my mind forever. Just walking through some of the exhibits gave me goosebumps.

One exhibit showed the aftermath of "Agent Orange," a chemical weapon experimented for the first time by the U.S. against Vietnam. Many have termed this as a "reckless misuse of chemical pesticides" and also experimentation on human subjects, many of whom who were civilians. It was the most disturbing reality to see.

One section was dedicated to the international newscasters. It was often chilling to see pictures that these reporters took just seconds before their death. This exhibit was dedicated to showing the reality that prompted a major public outcry from much of the Western world. This was in part due to the fact that the gruesome experience of war was being captured in color for the first time, and broadcasted right in the living rooms of those back home. These reporters played a major role in getting the truth out there. Seeing these realities face to face was certainly an eye-opening experience for all of us.

Water Puppet Theatre
In the evening we enjoyed a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show by the Ho Chi Min City's Golden Water Dragon Theatre. With a live orchestra of percussion, lutes and voices, the show consisted of a series of mini stories - everything from the celebration of sacred animals to planting rice paddy fields and catching frogs - and all on water. This vibrant and beautiful form of puppetry has been performed by the Vietnamese since the 11th century and has been an instrument of international cultural exchange for the Vietnamese.