China

The first thing we did when we got off the boat in Hong Kong was head for the travel agency. A few hours later we had a $400 ticket to Beijing and a few hours to spend in Hong Kong.

Eric and I got separated from our group, but it didn’t matter because we were meeting at the airport. We just walked around Hong Kong, enjoying the sights. We stopped in a music store and played a few instruments. They only had one drum set and it wasn’t set up so I didn’t get a chance to play that, but they had a bunch of bongos that I played. After that we went to get some lunch. I ordered chicken curry and a Tiger beer. They do chicken slightly differently than I’m used to. They must just hack the chicken up without regard, because every piece had bones in it. There were chunks of chicken with either a bone going right through it, or just fragments of bone stuck in it. I had to pull pieces of bone out of my mouth the entire time. I talked to a few others who had the same experience.

After lunch we walked some more. It seemed like the only stores I could find were Fendi, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, and every other name that should be included. We hopped on the Star Ferry and headed to Hong Kong Island because our boat was docked in Kowloon and we wanted to check out another area. The Star Ferry cost HK$1.7 which is about $0.21. We walked around and then hopped on the Airport Express.

We flew Dragon Air, and it was the best flying experience I’ve ever had. They had free beers and dinner. I could not believe this! It seemed like we SASsers were the only ones taking advantage of the free drinks. I guess that makes sense because if the Chinese were at all like us the airlines would be out of business. This kind of service would never fly in the U.S. The meal was great too! Beef in sweet and sour sauce with rice and a salad. Then we got ice cream and coffee. What a treat flying in China is.

Also on the flight was the SAS trip to Beijing-Group A. We decided to stay at their hotel. When we got there, my good friend Jamie let me know that he had two double beds and no roommate. The bed was rock hard, but the blanket was nice, and it was free so I wasn’t complaining! When we got to the hotel everyone decided to go walk around at the bars, and we joined them for a while. Sitting in the street sipping on my beer at midnight, thinking about the 6:30 AM meeting we were planning, Jamie and I decided to roll back. I’m glad I did because they didn’t get back until 3! I felt great the next morning, which I am so grateful for, and you’ll see why in the next paragraph.

We had a four hour taxi ride to a remote section of the Great Wall. It is so much better traveling indy because the SAS group went to a different section where there were hundreds of people and a massive group of SASsers. We drove by remote villages and beautiful mountains. We hiked six miles of the roughest terrain I’ve seen. It was the best work out I’ve had since starting Semester at Sea. The Great Wall literally is built on 70-degree slopes. There were sections that were very sketchy. This part of the Wall was built on the top of a ridge. I can’t imagine the man power it took to bring stones up here. I can’t imagine the kind of drive and ambition it must have taken to build this massive wall on the top of the mountain out in the middle of nowhere. There was literally nothing around.

I don’t know what I can say about the Great Wall that has not already been said. We had a lecture on the difference between travel and tourism and what it means to be a travel writer. It is so hard to write about something like the Great Wall.

There was a group of “poor farmers” that followed us half way trying to sell us books. They would point out their small villages and fields. There were small corn fields built into sides of mountains. It was pretty sad to imagine working there. I felt bad for these people, who aren’t even that poor. I don’t know how I’m going to see even poorer people than this and not feel even worse.

I’m definitely not prepared.

Our taxi drivers waited the four hours it took us, and drove us the four hours back. Driving in Beijing is hilarious! Some were scared, some were worried, but I just found it hilarious, as I’m sure all of my friends who lived through the red Corsica would. Our taxi driver came up on a bus and instead of slowing down he pulled onto the shoulder and hit the gas. He had to floor it because there was a biker on the shoulder and we needed to pass the bus before we got to him. We barely missed the guy, and once we were back in our lane, there was another vehicle we need to pass. Our driver pulled into oncoming traffic with his horn blaring. We formed three lanes on a two lane road, with us having two wheels in both lanes, and made it through just fine. This wasn’t uncommon at all, as I saw dozens of people doing this. We passed people on winding roads with no clue who was coming around the corner. We had to slam on our breaks or run people off the road more than once. In the city, everyone drives with little more than an inch or two to spare. Changing lanes means laying on the horn as you edge closer and closer to the car next to you, ultimately forcing him to slam on his breaks and blow his horn.

Everybody I was with was on edge and saying how they could never drive here. I was laid back and laughing and saying how I would love to drive here. This is a driver’s paradise! It took me right back to my 15^th birthday, when I got my license.

Safe and sound back in Beijing, we headed out for dinner. I had one goal: Peking duck. I wanted to relive my NYC experience with Peking duck that I had with my family. My group picked the restaurant we ate at because it had Peking duck. I was so excited! Let me preface what happened with a mention of high school days. Baseball trips, football trips, and band trips always seemed to see me not getting my meal. More than once I would order along with everyone else and never get a bit of food. Same thing happened here. Forty-five minutes into the food, I decided to ask where my whole duck was. I received a “sorry.” We paid and left, and although I tried, I still never got Peking duck this entire trip.

The night wasn’t ruined though, and actually ended up being really great. Jamie and I found this little joint on a side street, and bought our 600ml beers for three Yuan, which isn’t even fifty cents. We sat outside and practiced our LOLA skills. Listen Observe Learn Act. The street was filthy and people were peeing outside. There were two groups of Chinese sitting right around us, having a great time. One of them was pretty wasted so it was kind of funny. Across the street from us there was a group of men that were playing some kind of board game that they were really involved with. There was a little convenience store that seemed to stay open all night. Next to that there was an outdoor cooker of some sort that people occasionally went up to and fried something up. It was an awesome night LOLAing with the locals and talking to Jamie.

The third day we saw Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. It was an interesting day full of history. The Summer Palace is a lake surrounded by gardens and palaces. We rented a boat and went out into the middle and just floated for an hour. It was so relaxing after the amount of walking we had done the past two days.

After that we headed for the airport. The flight back to Hong Kong left at 8:50 and lasted three hours. Zach and I talked politics the entire time. We both had grand plans of sleeping that never came to fruition. It was a great conversation. Zach wound up telling one of the Canadians traveling with us that if all she was going to do was bash on America, she can “get the fuck out.” This didn’t go over well at all and Zach got a middle finger in his face for it. Zach and I were arguing the entire time, but we came together on this issue. Neither of us have any patience for resident aliens who take advantage of everything good about America but then turn around and are completely anti-American. That is like your good friend in high school who is nice to your face and gets all the advantages of the friendship, but then when you aren’t around is calling you a fight starting punk and a menace to society!

Unbelievably enough, I left a bag on the flight, and had to go through all kinds of bureaucracy and phone calls but eventually got it back. I was just so amazed that this happened. But because of this we didn’t get back to the boat until around 3 AM and I was so incredibly tired. It felt so good to go to bed.

The next morning we hit up Stanley Market in Hong Kong. The bus ride to it was amazing enough. It gave me an entirely new view of Hong Kong. There are mountains and beaches. There were still 50+ story buildings, but it felt much more natural. The market was massive. Everything in this country is massive. I totally underestimated the size of everything. Hong Kong is way bigger than I thought. Beijing seems to go on forever. The Wall is bigger than I thought. Tiananmen Square is bigger than I thought, and the Forbidden City is at least ten times the size I figured it was.

After the market we came back to the city, and saw a soccer field and some basketball courts. We were able to get in a game with three Chinese kids, and they worked us over! They were incredibly fast and didn’t miss very many shots. It was such a workout, but it was so much fun. We couldn’t communicate but we could play ball.

When we got back to the ship I was so excited to see the laundry sign up. I was totally out of shirts, pants, and underwear. Right now I’m wearing sweats, my roommate’s shirt, and no underwear.

Overall, I liked China more than Japan. I would live in China before I lived in Japan. The only bad thing is the pollution. The pollution is so awful it is just mind blowing. Everybody literally had sore throats after one day in Beijing. I couldn’t even take a deep breath because it hurt the back of my throat. I felt so unhealthy. It’s no wonder they have all kinds of birth defects which are directly related to the pollution. The rivers run toxic green. If I had to live in China I would want to live as far away from a city as possible. If China continues on its current industrialization path, they will totally destroy their environment.

China is growing at 10% a year, and has been for a few decades. This growth is unprecedented and it is very visible. All I saw in Beijing was construction. It reminded me of Montana, which itself is depressing. Granted, they are doing a lot in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, but there are new skyscrapers everywhere. China can not continue on its industrialization path. They must industrialize in a different way than all the other countries did. The Western world of today industrialized when oil was cheap. China must develop on a different path.

Henry Paulson, the US Secretary of the Treasury, has formed a relationship with China to help shape their economic future. This is great news for America and China. We need to cooperate. I read this on the flight to Beijing.

I also read that Japan’s new Prime Minister wants to strengthen security ties with the US. This is more great news for America.

All I hear is that the US image is destroyed and everyone hates America. When you hear this, you must ask for clarification. It can either mean that the people hate American people, or the people hate the American government. It can also mean that their government hates our government. One person told me that he believed the Japanese and Chinese don’t like us, but they are nice to us because it is their culture. I don’t think anyone on this ship has experienced anti-Americanism. All I hear at the open mics is stories about how helpful people have been.

If the people really don’t like us, but they don’t show it to us, and their governments cooperate and work with the American government, where is the problem?

This issue has become a theme for my trip.

The top left is obvious. The top right is a picture of naturally camoflouged trees. The bottom is Hong Kong. 

The top left is the entire group before the Great Wall. The top right is Zach and me, and the bottom is Eric and me. 

The top left is my chicken meal I talked about. The top right is the Memorial to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square. The bottom is the Summer Palace. 

Japan

We pulled into Kobe at 8 AM and didn’t get off the boat until noon. We had to go through this process where we got our passports, and then there was a welcome reception that involved government officials and traditional Japanese theatre. There was an official from Kobe City Government who gave us some tips about Kobe and an official welcome. Then there was the US Consulate official who spoke to us about safety and other important things to know. He freaked everybody out by saying there was no places that would accept American cards and that we should get cash from the bank onboard. After he was informed that we have no such thing, he backtracked and said there were some ATMs that accept international cards, but no business will.

This wasn’t great news for me, because I lost my debit card! I didn’t find this out until I was standing in front of the ATM, going through my wallet. I’ve since torn my room apart and I could not find it! I felt pretty bad about that, but then one of the kids I was with got his wallet stolen or pick pocketed, and that put the whole thing into perspective. It could have been a lot worse, but it’s not that bad because I can pull $300 off of my shipboard account before every country, which should be plenty. Also, they will accept my credit card in China, so it shouldn’t be a problem, but it is still a huge pain.

Then some Japanese students performed some dances and presented some gifts and we were finally cleared to get off! We immediately went and hopped on a train for Osaka. There was probably 150 SASers going to the baseball game on the SAS trip, so a group of us decided to do it indy. I’m so glad I went indy because it was way cheaper and we didn’t have to sit around hundreds of other Americans. The ticket was about ten bucks and the game was great fun. I can’t believe how much the Japanese love baseball. They even had a pep band going. After the baseball game we went back to Kobe to check out the nightlife before heading back to a night on the ship.

The second day we got up about 6:30 and headed for Nagano to check out the monkey park. We didn’t get there until after the park was closed, so we walked around Nagano checking out the temples and eating dinner. After that we went into this sports bar to play some pool. We were the only ones in there, and they had a nice trap set on stage, so I asked if I could play it and the nice lady behind the bar said sure! I played for fifteen or twenty minutes and it was wonderful. After that we headed to our place to stay, which was an internet café! They had a special deal for all night and we took it. They had these mats on the ground in cubicles with computers, free juice and soda, and a shower to use. It ended up being about twenty five dollars.

The third day we got up and started making our way to the monkey park. We got to see a lot of Nagano driving around on the bus. I really liked it because it is a city situated in the middle of the Northern Japan Alps. I’m all about mountain towns. The hike to the snow monkeys was beautiful, and the monkeys were nuts. There were so many of them! I gave one a high five, and that made the entire trip worth it. I was under the impression we would get to sit in some hot springs with the monkeys, but that wasn’t the case. There too many people not bathing there for that to happen, but another group that went said nobody was there and they got to get in and bathe with the monkeys!

After we had seen our fill of monkeys, we started the long process of bus hopping, subway surfing, and train riding to get to Tokyo. This is where the group I was with started to feel tension. The girl I was with and this guy I was with had a huge personality clash, and it just created a tense situation. Also, everybody I was with was on a “budget” so every decision we made was based on dollars. I hated this. We got to Tokyo and I wanted to go to Roppongi and check out the live bands and what not, but we had to catch a two dollar bus, and they didn’t want to spend that money. I was like whatever let’s just walk then. We get about half way there and my group decides it is too sketchy and they want to go back to the station. I fought this decision tooth and nail but ultimately failed. We got back to the station and sat down in a café to find a place to stay. I already knew there was a hostel in Roppongi for 3500 Yen, which is about $35. Nobody was down for this because it was “too expensive.” They wanted to find another internet café, but we couldn’t find one where we were. Then my group decided they just wanted to go back to the ship. I was flabbergasted. I was so against this, but I didn’t want to stay in Tokyo by myself. I new that the trains stopped running eventually, so I tried stalling as long as possible, and it paid off. The trains were closed, we were stuck. I was so pumped. So then the group decided they wanted to pull an all nighter and catch the train the next morning. I was not happy about that idea either, but we did decide to go to Roppongi. We ran into a bunch of SASers there, and they all had places to stay for between 20 and 30 dollars. I wanted to get a hotel or hostel or something, but they didn’t. Luckily, we found another internet café, which cost ten dollars for the entire night. We then walked around Roppongi, having a good time. We all ended up going back to the internet café at different times. One kid went back around two, I got back at three thirty, the other guy got back at four thirty, and the girl got back at five thirty. This internet café sucked so incredibly bad. Unlike the first one we stayed in, these didn’t have mats on the floor, they just had a chair. I attempted sleeping in the chair, but it didn’t work so I ended up sleeping on the hard tile floor. They didn’t have a shower either, which lead to me feeling like a total bum the next day.

The fourth day we woke up around seven and started the trek to Nara. I really enjoyed Nara because it was the smallest city we had visited. It had a lot of street venders, which was a first for Japan. I bought some stuff on our way to the deer park and the giant Buddha. I enjoyed the deer park, but not as much as the giant Buddha. This Buddha resides in the largest wood building in the world. It consists of 160 kg of gold and a lot more bronze. There was a hole in the back that was the same size as his noise, and I fit through it. My feet were killing me by this time because I was wearing my Doc Martin boots, and they were meant to have insoles, which I didn’t. My feet are still recovering. Not only that but I was feeling awful because I barely had any sleep and I didn’t get a shower. I was sweaty, smelly, and tired. We made it back to the ship that night and I sat in the shower for a long time.

The fifth and final day we again rose very early and headed to Kyoto. I really liked Kyoto too. We went to the golden pavilion and numerous other temples and shrines. We headed back early because we didn’t want to miss dock time, but we had plenty of time. The only kid I ever want to travel with again and I decided to take a hike instead of heading back to the ship early. It was the last day and I still hadn’t had sushi or sake, so we made a point of it this day. The last time I tried sushi I almost threw up all over the table, but this time it wasn’t that bad. We also bought a bottle of sake for the hike. We were just walking to the end of the town. We got very high up in the mountains on this road, and there were houses way up there. If I had to live here I would want to live there, at the end of the road. After we reached the top and turned around, we started drinking the sake. We only had 300 ml, but it was very enjoyable.

We made it back on the boat and found out that we won’t be going to Qindao anymore. There is a huge typhoon right in our path that has ocean swells of 35 feet. We instead are going straight to Hong Kong. Flexibility is key.

Overall my impression of Japan is that it’s a great society, although one I would never want to live in. All the people were very nice and helpful. There are very few bums. The food is superb, and the beer smooth. You can get beer out of vending machines, and I have no problem with that. People smoke in public places all the time. The public transportation is superb. It is extremely easy to travel around Japan. It is so developed that is very similar to the United States. The people are packed into multi-family dwellings because they have used up all the flat ground, and have started building up onto mountains. The train rides really illustrate this fact because from one city to the next there is no break in housing or skyscrapers. I almost started to feel claustrophobic because there is no open land except for mountains. There is no way to get away here. In Montana, I can hop in my car and be miles from civilization and people in minutes. There is no such option in Japan. This is one of the reasons I would not want to live here. I could not live in a place where there are no dirt roads and no end to buildings. I could not live in a place where hardly anyone drives cars. There are no houses with yards. Their fields are about a quarter the size of the average field in Montana.

The top left is one of many policemen that helped us a great deal. The top right is the snow monkey. The bottom left is the golden pavilian in Kyoto. The bottom right is the drums I got a chance to play. Notice the LAT reprsentation in this picture and the others with my work shirt on.  

The top left is the giant Buddha and the top right is the temple it resides in. The bottom picture is me trying to squeeze through the nostril sized hole. It gives you a good idea of the size of the Buddha. 

Pretty self explanatory top pictures. The bottom left is us resting in a garage, and the bottom right is in Nara 

The top left is one of many great meals and the top right is one of many finished meals. The bottom left is the very usefull picture menu, and the bottom right is another meal. 

I think my car is bigger than the fire truck. The streets are tiny. The important information was posted in the gangway. 

September 11

I’ve had eight days straight of Japanese study. I’ve studied their economy in my Economics Analysis class. I’ve studied their climate in my Earths Climate class. I’ve studied their music in my World Music class. I’ve studied their art, history, culture, customs, psychology, practices, religions, Shintoism, Buddhism, Mt. Fuji, shrines, temples, gardens, baths, and monkeys in my Global Studies class.

I have so many expectations for Japan right now it is almost unreal. I’ve seen so many pictures and movies about Japan that I feel like I’ve already visited it. During the summer I thought I needed to do research on these countries, but that is definitely not the case because the classes do plenty well.

Last night was an Aft night, and I spent the entire time talking politics. One kid was so fired up he kept having to put his hands on my shoulders. Every time he did this I could not help but burst into hysterical laughter. I felt like he was really trying to get his emotion across to me, and it was just too much. I’m sitting in the piano lounge right now and he just walked by and we had a friendly discussion. I told him I appreciate his passion for politics, and he mentioned that we are all united in a passion for travel and that he wanted to continue the discussion later because I seem educated. This is good stuff.

I guess I can’t post on 9/11 without commenting on it. We had a moment of silence today during Global Studies, which I felt was very appropriate. I do think the most important thing to realize on this fifth anniversary is that America has not been attacked, although there have been many attempts. I don’t buy the fact that America has created more terrorists through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do buy the fact that Iraq is a great place for Islamic Jihadists to go and fight the Great Satan instead of America herself. I could elaborate on this all day long, so if what I just typed isn’t crystal clear I can go deeper, but won’t for now.

It’s one day from Japan and I think I finally decided who I’m going with and what I’m doing, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Life on the ship

All I hear around the ship is griping and complaining about the Global Studies exam. The anti-Farkas sentiment aboard is just unbelievable. Nobody seems to like the poor guy, which in part could be due to his insistence on no questions during class. Not only that, but somebody had the bravery to ask him what should be expected on the exam, and they were publicly laughed at by Farkas. I don’t really mind the guy, but that could be because I got a 45 out of 50 on the exam, and the highest grade was a 48. He said it was a typical distribution of grades, so I’m pretty satisfied. Even the professors like to make jokes about his “known known, known unknown, unknown unknown, and contaminated known” classification of everything.

One of the professors was talking about Japan, and started making fun of their language difficulties. He had everyone repeat after him when he said “herro.” I found it hysterical, but some girl left crying.

We have some interport Japanese students onboard, and they had a little question and answer session. Someone asked how much money we should need if we had a Japan Rail Pass and planned on spending five independent days in Japan. They said $1000! There is no way I’m going to spend that kind of money in the first port. I’ll sleep in parks, on benches, and in trains if I have to, and many other people feel the same way. Hostels cost fifty dollars, and capsule hotels are similarly priced. I have no interest in paying fifty dollars to sleep in what is continually compared to an MRI machine. I guess it’ll be interesting.

Time on the ship takes on a totally different dimension. It is so easy to stand on the front deck and watch a sunset for two hours, because there is little else to do. Actually, when I’m at home, my friends and I just sit around chatting, and it is very enjoyable. But last night, I stood on the front deck watching the sun go down, socializing. Then, I went to the back deck and watched the moon rise, socializing. Just sitting and talking is the number one thing to do. At dinner, it’s not uncommon to sit at the table for hours once one is finished, socializing. I have yet to suffer from boredom, and I don’t think many people on this ship have either. There are certain people who are driving themselves crazy because they can’t “get out.” I do not take my time on this ship for granted. Some people can’t wait to get to Japan. I can’t either, but I’m not wishing we were there already. I’m scared about how fast this all is going to go, and I don’t have time to be bored or wish time away.

I checked out the bongos the other day and went out on the fifth deck and played along with a guitar player. Everyone was eating dinner, and they much appreciated the music. It was tons of fun. Also, we had a karaoke night, and I participated. I sang a little Afroman with a friend. It was hilarious.

A common sign. 

Very important information. 

Explorer during the night. 

Explorer during the day. 

Very cool looking water. 

 

This is the all important notification to leave our bags of laundry outside our cabin. 

Hawaii

I arose at 5:30 AM to watch the sunrise as we floated into Honolulu, and it was definitely worth it. I came out on the deck in the warm early morning air to see beautiful islands rising out of the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It was breath taking. These islands are the most isolated islands in the world. There is really something to be said for seeing land after days at sea, and the tropical islands of Hawaii made me feel like a real explorer. I imagined being the first human to see these islands. Seeing Diamond Head Crater from the ocean really put the nature into the scene.

When we were trying to get off the ship, the computers went down! The Assistant Dean came on and said we should go sit on the deck or something. We were flabbergasted. Luckily, they were back up in less than five minutes. I’m guessing it was just a simple restart if they are using Windows machines.

Once I was on land, I felt like I was going to be sea-sick. It’s pretty strange to be completely sober and standing still on dry land and toppling over to the side, one foot up in the air and both arms flailing to maintain balance. I’m sure plenty of people were wondering what all our problems were as we walked down the street bumping into each other. My dad was right about the sea-sickness. I don’t need all of my patches, and it would have been better to not wear them and just get used to the ship.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is on the opposite side of the island, which I was very happy about, because the bus drive from Honolulu was scenic. The mountains on Oahu are extremely steep, and the highways all tunnel through them. The bus driver pointed out a bunch of movie sets on the way, including Jurassic Park, Tears of the Sun, and 50 First Dates.

In the Village of Fiji, I participated in a tribal war dance, and I definitely can see how doing such things could totally prepare a guy for war. I’m going to adopt a few of the moves for when I’m next in a club. If I’m ever a football coach, I’m going to make my football team learn a Polynesian war dance and perform it before every game.

In the Village of Tonga, I participated in some tribal drumming. I totally enjoyed it, and that’s about all I have to say about that.

In the Village of Samoa, I watched a guy climb a coconut tree with supreme efficiency. I had no idea this was even possible. It was very primitive.

Laura though it would be a good idea to try Breadfruit that we picked off a tree. Big mistake, except it completely cleaned out my system, if you know what I mean. I consider myself lucky because I didn’t have to throw my underwear away. I am not looking forward to the many more expected experiences just like this.

I met Eric, who attends Berklee College of Music, and we checked out musical instruments. I’m pumped they have a drum set on board, and we can check it out. Tonight I went to Christian Worship, and saw many familiar faces.

Everyone is so excited for Japan. One day in Hawaii was such a tease!

The sun rise as we pulled into Honolulu, Diamond Head Crater, the Honolulu skyline. 

Me at the Luau, my plate of food, the house used to sacrifice humans, and the chief. 

someday

It’s only one day now until we get to Hawaii, and everyone is excited! I have begun to feel better as well! My foot is healed, the shin splints are gone, my lips are healed after what seemed like an entire tube of chap stick, my tongue is one or two days away from being one hundred percent, and I can actually see! I took off the sea sickness patch and I’ve felt fine for a couple of days now.

I set up a College Republican table at the activity fair, which was nothing new to me. It was so much fun. I had just had two beers from the happy hour, so I was ready to recruit. Thirty five students signed up! I was stunned! I even got one guy to sit with me and recruit. I would say the majority of students who walked by said they had no interest in politics at all, but if they had to choose they would choose Democrat. This makes sense because they are admittedly uninformed. The activity fair was only supposed to go from 1800-2000 hours, and then the Union was to be used for Community College, which is a voluntary presentation every night on differing topics, but Bob, the videographer onboard, decided to take up Operation Iraqi Freedom with me. The academic dean ended our conversation because we were too loud.

A lot of people may be wondering what good a College Republican group onboard would be. First of all it is a place for conservatives to come together and fraternize. As on every campus, we are a minority and need each other. Also, it will be a place where we can process our experiences together as conservatives. We will be seeing and learning new things, and it will be nice to dialogue about them as conservatives. We can talk about what America’s policy should be towards each country. As all the officers of the UM Chapter know, I want open meetings where everyone has a voice. Aside from all the unproductive ideas I just put forth, I see us somehow pushing the conservative cause on campus. That could be through rallies or debates. I’m open to ideas.

Being a College Republican does not mean you have to agree with the Republican leaders, it just means that someday you will be the Republican leaders.