Day 1 byThomas Marvelli

Hello  everyone from Hong Kong International Airport!!

My name is Thomas Marvelli. I attended Barrington High School in Barrington, Rhode Island.  I am currently a Sophomore at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Thanks to the Academy and Dr. Ghosh, a bunch of students and I can experience the learning opportunity of a lifetime in Thailand.

The preparation process extends for around two months when we learned the basics about Thai culture and business. We learned about several ports like Laem Chabang, Songkhla, and Bangkok, as well as some Thai terms.

After a month of waiting it was time to take the second step of preparation, it was time to pack… I wouldn’t wish packing for an entire month on anyone. Constantly weighing a suitcase to see if it fit the weight requirement had been one of the most tedious processes of my life.

Finally, step three! My family dropped me off at the airport. After a worried goodbye from my parents, as I had never flown internationally by myself before; it was time to see all of my friends again. To my surprise after weighing my check bag over and over again it turned out be over by one pound!! I was even able to get a conversation with the TSA agent about our football team which I am a part of.

Step four, following the surprise of a lifetime it was time to get some dinner. We all decided to eat the Wahlburger in the airport food court.

I have to say for such a long flight of 14 hours, the time went by very fast. Watching all three Godfathers, and Inception; time was well spent. The food on this flight hadn’t been like anything I had seen before when it comes to quality and quantity. Our first meal was chicken, rice, bread, cheese, crackers, a drink, and an ice cream bar. It was amazing. Then at five in the morning, Mr. Kelly and I thought it was a good idea to get a cup of noodles. Which it was because it was delicious. Then the final meal was a brunch of eggs, bacon, fruit, and coffee. Also was quite awesome.

By then it was almost time to land in Hong Kong. It was really cool to see the mountainous landscape from the plane window. Once we landed we all were cracking jokes regarding the fact that it felt like we just skipped an entire day. Hong Kong International Airport is super nice. It has a similar vibe as malls in the US, being all white and shopping centers spread all over.

We all then met up at our new gate, which is where I am currently writing this journal. As my journal entry comes to a close I just want to thank you all for reading about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.