Term in Asia 2009 - Week One

Term in Asia 2009
Ian Butters, Tajhia Cartwright, Bart De Jong, Annika Duveneck,
Natasha Elder, Brett Granger, Tyler Krueger, Edgar Macias

Greetings Northwood!

We all hope things are going smoothly where you are. Our trip has been wonderful so far! Term in Asia 2009 is made up of a great group of individuals, and we are all having lots of fun, learning about fantastic cultures, and eating some delicious food.

It’s hard to believe how much we’ve accomplished in only one week! After a very long day and a half of traveling, the entire group was very excited to see the beautiful JHL resort. We all feel very fortunate to be staying in such a lovely place. Our first day started off by visiting the Chinese Temples and Buddha Mountain. There were so many great things to see, each student took about one hundred pictures. From there, we went to our first fitting at Mr. Albert’s tailor shop, New Mode. There are going to be some sharp dressed students when we return! From here, we ate dinner at a very nice outdoor restaurant where Zeched ordered our table a variety of Thai food to try, and we were entertained by some traditional Thai dancing.

For Day 2, we had an island holiday. We drove to the resort area of Pattaya and took a speedboat to an island, where we swam, relaxed, and walked along the beach and some of the little shops.

The next day, we woke up early and drove to Kanchanaburi where we went straight to a floating river market. This was such a neat experience. There were many different vendors to see and each of us got to try our hand at a little bargaining. From there, we made our way to a floating restaurant on the River Kwai for lunch and then took a speed boat ride down the river. Next, looked around the local shops before heading to the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. Many of the soldier’s gravestones had very touching messages from their families. It was very moving, especially with the fact that many of the soldiers were close to our ages and from many of our home countries. Bart, who is from The Netherlands, even saw several De Jongs within the cemetery.

Day 4 was a continuation of our Bridge on the River Kwai adventure. First, we went to Hellfire Pass (pictured below) where we watched a short video covering the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway, and then went for a walk along the pass. It was also moving to see the video and pictures of the POW’s who built the railway, and it helped us all appreciate our lives a little bit more. After our hike, we stopped by a neat little waterfall on our way to lunch. From there, we went on our elephant trek! It was quite an adventure, as it started to pour rain once we were all on our elephants. We all had a blast with this jungle experience. After our elephant adventure, we a scenic train ride back to Kanchanaburi and were able to see many lovely sites of the Thai countryside.

So as you can see, we’ve been quite busy so far. Next on our list is a trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a short trip to Trat, and about a one week stay in downtown Bangkok. Stay tuned for more!

Dear Students:

Thanks for putting these comments on this new blog! We think it will be a valuable tool for you to express what you are learning and discovering in other countries and within other cultures. I and my colleagues hope it will ignite a passion within you to learn as much as you can about the diversity of this world we all inhabit, and share that passion with others.

Safe and happy travels!

Lance Lewis
Dean of International Programs
Northwood University

It's over already?

This is the opening to the cenote (sink hole) that we were able to rappel down into at Pac Chen


The temple at Chichen Itza


We returned from Mexico yesterday afternoon. The trip was so amazing! We visited Chichen Itza, Xcarat, Xel-Ha, Pac Chen, and many more places while in the Yucatan Peninsula. Each new place we visited offered a new and wonderful experience. Some of these experiences included visiting ancient Mayan ruins, snorkeling in undergroud rivers, and rappelling into a cenote (sink hole). I learned so much about the Mayan civilization and it's history. I never could have imagined what an experience the trip was going to be. I can't believe it's over already. I will never forget this spectacular week in the Yucatan!

Heather Jurrens

Mexico Study Tour

Here are some pictures to go with our blog from yesterday.

What Day is it Again?

It seems as though the days just sort of blend together over here, with no definite end to one, or a clear-cut beginning. To start off Monday, we got up bright and early, for most it was around 7:30 am or so to start getting prepared for our first agency visit. Our first visit was with the JWT Groupe. It was very informative and a very cool visit. From their top floor meeting room, you had a view of all of Paris, it was incredible. We got out of that visit early, so we headed to the Louvre since it is closed on Tuesdays. Spent a solid two hours seeing all the Louvre has to offer: the Mona Lisa, Aphrodite, Madonna of the Rocks, and Napolean's Apartments. The video is when you first walk onto the Louvre Campus, just a 360 degree view of how massive it is. The picture is inside the infamous Glass Pyramid. After the Louvre, we high-tailed it to the offices of BETC Europe where we received an amazing presentation on European Advertising and then got a tour of the Rooftop Lounge; once again with an amazing view of Paris! After BETC, it was time to play the Metro game and squirm our way back to the hotel. Now, just waiting to go out to dinner!

-Logan Wilke

Another group leaves for the Yucatan

Join another group of Northwood students as they travel to the Yucatan... They're already posting!!

Here they are at the Study Abroad orientation. With campuses in three states, we often communicate with each other via interactive TV.

Mexico Study Tour

Day 1: November 13th, 2008
We finally arrived at our gorgeous resort and we all bonded over our first dinner in the Yucatan. We are so excited to visit Chichen Itza tomorrow and the rest of Professor Harris’s itinerary. Hasta Luego!

Day 2: November 14th, 2008
Today, we left our hotel early and began a tiring, three hour long bus ride to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Upon arrival, our awesome tour guide, Hugo, informed us about all the sustainable actions taking place to insure the preservation of temples and other ruins. After leaving Chichen Itza and enjoying a Mexican buffet, we arrived in the colonial city of Valladolid. We visited a historic cathedral, which reflects the strong Spanish influence in the Mexican culture. Upon arriving back at our hotel, we enjoyed a late night swim in one of the pools and a walk on the beach.

Day 3: November 15th, 2008
On our second full day in Mexico, we visited the ecological park, Xcaret. While here, we snorkeled through an underground river and observed the aquatic life and the underwater caves. After snorkeling, we ate an extravagant lunch where we all tried new and exotic forms of Mexican food. The next couple of hours allowed us to separate and enjoy different parts of the park on our own. After our solo explorations, we met to watch an authentic Mexican rodeo. Our last attraction at Xcaret was a spectacular show that took us on a journey through Mexican history and culture from pre-Hispanic to modern day. The show gave us examples of the various culture found throughout Mexico.

Day 4: November 16th, 2008
Today began with more ancient Mayan ruins at the walled city of Tulum. Hugo provided us with a very in-depth explanation of the city and its history. From Tulum we traveled to Xel-Ha, where we were able to experience more snorkeling for a very quick two hours. Along our way down the inlet toward the ocean, there were two twenty foot cliffs that we were able to jump off of into the water. Following our extensive view of ocean life, we enjoyed another awesome Mexican buffet. Next, we were allowed to explore some of the surrounding areas of our hotel, including a near by marina that houses dolphins, during some free time. Currently, we are getting ready to enjoy dinner and then the night life in Playa del Carmen! Adios amigos!