Are We There Yet?

So what's up with this "quasi" stuff? (Pronounced by Dr. Noell as KWAH-zay) It keeps showing up in all our reading, trying to confuse us and succeeding. It's been a grind for the past few weeks, but we are almost there... A couple tests tomorrow, a relaxing weekend, and then we are out of here! Good thing we were informed about all our packing and traveling needs 5 days before we leave like: what to wear, the money situation, and where we are going. Don't worry! We got most of it figured out, I hope. Matt is the proud owner of a couple suits too many, but you already know he is going to be looking fly all over Asia, so I suppose it doesn't matter! Motivation is running low and our attention has drifted to more important things than Globalization in an Asian Context such as: Rocky IV, Miracle (particularly Herb Brooks speech by a 4 year old), 30 Rock, and Oreos! Soon, very soon, we will be flying 13 hours non-stop to Tokyo, followed by another flight to Seoul. Movies on movies on movies... 14 hour time change isn't bad is it? Let's hope it is manageable... Well, in the words of Dr. Norton, I'm going to imply the Forrest Gump rule. "Thats all I have to say about that!" Until next time!

Tommy

"I Bleed Cat Yellow"


Matt


If there's one thing I learned at our group's visit to the Caterpillar plant last Tuesday it's that those guys go all out for their Cat equipment and company. Our tour guide might have actually convinced me that he indeed bleeds Caterpillar yellow and I think he might have been legitimately insulted that we didn't know who Cat's founders were. Whoops...


Besides a pretty extensive safety meeting, that included instructions on how to put on shoes and a warning on the tripping hazards of table legs, the tour was pretty awesome! We learned a lot about an impressive company that boasts the biggest global operations in the industry. Turns out Cat has the 2nd most recognized brand name in the world. We also saw how a super high tech assembly line works. The plant itself was absolutely massive. Lasers, tattooed guys with big beards, and robots that drive themselves and use a giant flame to melt metal together? Does it get any better than that? But it does. We actually got to climb onto one of Cat's big rigs! I'm pretty sure that at that moment, 1/4th of my childhood dreams were fulfilled!


I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all can't wait to get to Asia and see how things are done over in China and South Korea. It's going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Be sure to tune in to see what adventures we are all getting into. Hopefully these pictures are the first of many!


God Bless

Hey everyone! First blog post!

This post: Emory Griffith

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and girls. Fans, parents, friends… beloved pets. I, along with Matt Lorier, Tyler Cuculi, and Tommy Cardle would like to thank you for checking out our blog.  If you didn’t know, we are preparing to embark on an Asian quest that will put our grit, determination, and possibly stomachs to the test. We are going on the “Iron Sharpens Iron: Asia” program offered through Wheaton College. 

Just a little background on our trip: We are part of a group of a group of 10 students that will be visiting Seoul, South Korea, Hong Kong, and several cities in China including Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing. It’s a business/international relations trip, so our group will be visiting factories, businesses, embassies, and churches all over the place.  Needless to say, we’re stoked.

Now you might be asking yourself. “Myself, is this blog worth reading?  Is this a great way to keep up with Emory, Matt, Tyler, and Tommy over the summer?  Should I share this with my friends and coworkers and postmen? Will this be thought provoking and entertaining? Is this introspective interrogation a useful practice?” The answer to all of your questions is YES! We would love for you to follow us as we post updates from around the world. The gameplan is for us to take turns writing about our experiences and posting pictures, humorous anecdotes, and observations. We’ll try to keep the posts short and sweet (and sour) because I know y’all are busy people. (And you only have 30 seconds to browse while your ad on YouTube or Hulu is loading anyways...) 

Anyways, that should do it for my first post. You should be hearing from Matt (aka The Goose) pretty soon. Until next time, have a great summer and live every week like it’s Shark Week.

            -EG