Thursday, November 6 ("Hong Kong or New York?"/ Hong Kong): Another country: China. I looked out my window and saw tons and tons of tall buildings. Hong Kong could be mistaken for New York. I got dressed, ate breakfast, and went outside to look at all the tall, shiny buildings.

Once the ship was cleared for disembarkation, several staff members debated how to explore the city. Earlier in the day I told Kesho I would go with her to see the big Buddha, but I wasn't feeling up for it. Several people wanted to go shopping and bounce around town. That also didn't sound good. Shalina wanted to be alone. Curtis wanted to do a bus tour. Becca had to work. I wanted to see Victoria's Peak. Unfortunately, no one seemed interested in going to Victoria's Peak, so I decided to go alone after lunch. I returned to my cabin to get my camera and organize a few things when Curtis called…he said we could combine our interests and go to Victoria's Peak first…yay, a travel buddy!

Curtis and I ate lunch, then headed off the ship. The ship terminal was located in a huge mall, which was perfect because I needed another camera memory card. We found a camera store, where I made my purchases. Then we ran to the bank for cash. After those stops, we went directly to the ferry. So, basically, we got off a ship to ride a ferry. The MV Explorer docked in Kowloon, about 15 minutes across the water from Hong Kong. Prior to this trip, I did not know that the Hong Kong province has its own money—different from the rest of China. Hong Kong dollars are issued by banks in the business district, while China's Yung dollars are issued by the government.

We rode the star ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong, jumped on the 15C upper decker bus, and took the Peak Tram up to Victoria's Peak. The Tram ride was super steep…possibly one of the scariest modes of transportation I've taken. Anyway, the view from Victoria's Peak was spectacular and really put Hong Kong into perspective. The Peak area was stunning (and I hear it's the most fashionable place to live in Hong Kong because real estate prices are astronomical).

Curtis & I were the only SASers on the peak for quite sometime, then a bunch of students and staff coincidentally showed up at the same time. One student asked me to take a picture of him, which I did without a problem. I'm always trying to get the perfect shot, so I step down one step, and—OMG—I accidentally dropped this kid's camera. I felt so bad, especially because I didn't know his name. There are 650 students on the voyage and I comfortably know 150 folks names and faces. Then there are people that I see, but I can never remember their names. Well, this student is one of those people who I always see and say hello, but we don't have any real connection. So, there we were, as his point and shot camera slipped out of my hand onto the ground. He picked up the camera, tried to turn it back on, and realized it landed on the front lens; the front lens was slightly bent, which meant the camera lens could not retract itself when turned on and off. I felt completely horrible! He was cool, calm, and collected about the whole thing and assured me that it wasn't a big deal. I offered to loan him my second camera or chip in on fixing his camera, but he insisted that all was okay. Once he left, several staff posed for a few pictures and for the rest of the afternoon Curtis wouldn't let me live down my blunder. Ouch!

After Victoria's Peak, Curtis and I enjoyed dinner at Bubba Gump, shopped around the mall adjacent to Victoria's Peak, and returned to the Kowloon side. Before we left Vietnam, Becca, Shalina, Curtis, and I agreed to go out the first night in Hong Kong. When we returned to the ship, Curtis held me to the promise and we looked up a few places to go out.

Becca, Curtis, and I went out to Aqua Spirit, a on the 28th floor with panoramic city views. It was a funky (good) little place. We met a few people…I danced with MBA students and persuaded the DJ to play some Chris Brown…and partied it up in a student free environment. Becca went to the bathroom and ran into Cindy, Amy L, Neal, Amy H, and Jay, who were sitting in another section of the club. Amy H and Jay joined us and we stayed out until 3am. We definitely had a fun night…Amy has black mail pictures of me doing the funky chicken—no comment.

Saturday, November 8 ("Sad News"/ Beijing, China): While we were eating breakfast, Kedren's parents called to share sad news. Last night a student, Kurt Leswing, was seriously injured and killed by a drunk driver in Hong Kong. What a tragedy. This is AND was the kind of news I never wanted to experience during our voyage.

The ship arrived in Hong Kong on Nov 6 and over 500 people disembarked and planned to travel independently throughout China for three days. In fact, only 127 shipboard community members sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai. Since so many people disembarked, I wondered how others would hear the news. I also thought about the fact that we had passed the countries, especially India, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where crossing the street was absolutely dangerous. By no fault of my own, I was nearly hit in Vietnam. Now, someone being struck in Hong Kong (of all places) seemed unlikely. Hong Kong seemed urban, modern, safe…I didn't have a personal relationship with Kurt, but I honor and respect his life.

Gosh, what a terrible tragedy for all those involved!! Did students see the accident? What will his parents do? What does this mean for the shipboard community? How will members from his land campus respond?

Human life is valuable and precious and fragile. I am reminded that not only is tomorrow not guaranteed…the next moment is not guaranteed. In the end, life is just a series of moments strung together over time. When I worked at d*** Clark's American Bandstand, my manager died within moments of us working together. One moment we were laughing and joking...then moments later he was having a severe heart attack in the bathroom. In an instant, he was gone. At age 20, Scott was the first death I ever experienced. Kurt's untimely death forces me to slow down and one, be safe and two, be present to each moment.

Curtis, Kedren, and I discussed how we would deliver the news to other SASers. We decided to ask people if they heard the news and be supportive as we shared the news with others. The news deflated our excitement, especially because Kedren and Curtis knew Kurt. Despite such a sad update, we managed to get ourselves from Shenzhen to Beijing without any complications.