Major Difference

I have just stumbled across one major difference between school here and school in the states- graduation. Today the campus flooded with graduates from last May to participate in their commencement ceremony. I guess here they have to wait 7 months to receive the actual diploma. In Hong Kong, they actually receive diploma when they walk on stage, instead of like back in the states where we just get an empty leather folder and the important paper comes in the mail a few weeks later.

They also love flowers and graduation bears here. When I say bouquets, I don't mean a small bundle, I mean boys and girls alike are walking around with Miss America like, toddler sized  bunches of flowers! These things are huge and they look heavy! They even have a stand selling them here.Along with the bouquets nearly every graduate is carrying a graduation bear. Not all of them are bears, though a majority of them are. Hello Kitty, Pikachu and many others I don't know join the fray.

It is so interesting to witness the differences in ceremony between the two cultures. Though graduation is much the same, seeing so many walk around months after graduation with all of these gifts was a fun sight to see :)

I had Visitors!

A week ago ( I can't believe its been that long ago, but at the same time it feel like ages since I've seen them) my parents made the 16 hour plane ride to Hong Kong to come experience the city I am falling in love with. So for their week long stay I got to play tour guide and I loved every bit of it!

They arrived late Wednesday night, so I didn't get to see them until lunch time the next day after my last class of the week. We started their time here with me getting us ridiculously lost because I couldn't remember what station to get off of for dim sum (it was the first stop we went to by the way so I totally could have avoided this whole debacle) but after nearly an hour of walking- I really just us wanted to walk off lunch... before we ate it,,, we finally made it to my and my friend's favorite dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan. It is really cheap and has a Michelin star so its fantastic. They are famous for their bbq pork buns (which we all love but I don't think my parents were a fan, they called it bbq wrapped in a donut). Other than trying those, I had my parents try a variety of dim sum dishes, and they must have liked it, because we went to a different dim sum restaurant later on in the week. After that we made our way back to my parents hotel, where my dad took a short rest and mom and I got to talk on the 40th floor of their building that had a really neat view of the Harbor:

From there we made our way to the harbor so they could see the views up close and walk some of the other attractions. We made our way down the Avenue of Stars, and watched the Symphony of Lights, and say a cool light display om the side of several buildings, ready for Christmas

From there we went to make our way to dinner, and we managed to find this tribute to William Shakespeare that was beautiful and had a very Mardigras feel

on the scroll were some quotes from a sonnet- which one, I can no longer remember. After taking some pictures in front of the statue we made our way down Nathan Street in search of dinner, instead we stumbled upon a beautiful roof top bar, called Eyebar that has incredible views of the harbor. So we got a table on the balcony and the three of us chatted for a few hours before we really went out to dinner.

Friday evening I had a Finance midterm so I didn't get to spend a ton of time with my parents that day but I did see them for a small adventure and lunch. A friend of mine, Pedro, very kindly lead us to a tailor on Nathan Street so my dad could get some custom made button ups, and so I could finally own a blazer that fit well. The man -Sam of Sam's Tailor- was very kind and had a variety of pictures of him with everyone from the Bushes, and Clintons,  several famous stars like Bruce Willis and the Jacksons all over the walls, showing that he had made suits for some very famous people. I've got my dads shirts, they only took a week and I will send them to him soon, and my blazer is still in the sewing process, but it looked very nice at my first fitting. After that and a delicious and fun lunch, Pedro and I headed back to school to study and my parents look a boat tour of the harbor on a traditional Chinese boat that they said was lovely.

Saturday was another adventure, I met my mother mid morning and together we went for coffee (even here Starbucks are everywhere) before heading back to met up with my dad for lunch at the same restaurant as the day before (I think that was my parents favorite place to eat from the entire trip) then later that night we made our way to Temple Street Market where my parents got to see me barter with shop keepers for goods and we all came away with souvenirs and gifts for my brother back home.At the market, we found an open air restaurant that had the most deliciously seasoned crab! Dad had the chili crab and mom and I shared the ginger one, but we were all nearly sucking on the shells for more of the flavor.

Sunday was an early start as we made our way to the Big Buddha. I took them on the same trip I did with my buddies here, starting with the gondola ride to the top. We got some beautiful pictures, and had a great time walking through the small town and up to the top of the Big Buddha. This time around the town was more colorful, with flags of every color placed throughout the town, and more interactive entertainment like cutouts for you to pose with your face in:

this time around we also made our way into the temple next to the Buddha and it was absolutely beautiful, with an ornate outside and a golden worship room

Monday I was unable to see my parents due to school (it is really getting in the way of my fun here!;) but mom and dad took the ferry to Macau to see the Vegas of Hong Kong. They said it was neat, but never played a hand since the minimum bet was $65 US!

For their final full day here in HK, I took them to the highest point of the island, The Peak. This time around I got to spend more than 5 minutes up there, and we even took the tram up with some incredible views:

From there we went all the way up to the 360 degree sky terrace, where, though it was hazy (as is incredibly common here) the view was still breath taking

We walked around,explored the malls up there, had dim sum for lunch and the headed back to the bottom. 

We ended my parents adventure with a trip to another market, this time, Ladies Market. Though a little more expensive, it is much larger, with a greater selection of merchandise.

The whole week with my parents was incredible! I loved being able to talk to them, and to once again see the sights I enjoy, plus I got to share them with people I love. The whole week was just what I wanted and I loved every minute of it. It was sad to see them go, but I have less than 6 weeks here left (saddening I know) so I will see them again soon!

If you have made it to the end of this rather long post, thanks and I will talk to you again soon!

I took a Hike

And what a looooong hike it was! We were gone for over 12 hours and hiked for over half of that (the other half was spent at an absolutely incredible beach)!

I don't actually know what the name of the hike is, I agreed to it like 10 hours before we left. I probably (definitely) should have looked a bit more, but even though I absolutely sucked at hiking, I am crazy glad I did it.

Thw day started early, at 8am, where the group (lead by local student ambassadors) met at a train station to take a series of buses to the start of the trail. It took about an hour or so to reach the start, and then the hike began. It started off easy-luring me into a false sense of security- with paved trails at a slight incline. That abruptly ended and the stairs began. Long stretches of them with short relief between the flights. I thought I was in shape (sort of at least) but this trail proved me completely wrong. The worst part was that there were several mountains to climb before reaching the beach, so you would reach the top of one mountain, expecting to see the beach, only to be met with the crushing disapointment of more mountain, and this happened again and again, like 4 or 5 times! What made it worth it was that as you reached each peak there were incredible views to take in:

Plus, it helped that the day was overcast, so we didn't really get burned or killed by that ball of fire. After about 2 hours of this, and some rock parts where I nearly fell my way down the slopes, we finally reached one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. The water was so clear, that in the crystal blue waters I could see all the way to the bottom (though it was less than 6 feet deep- to compare with other beaches, where I could barely see a foot into the water). The sand was smooth and the beach was nearly empty:

One crazy thing was that as we reached the beach, there were cows just grazing along the edges! They left shorty after we arrived, but it was insane to see them just hanging out by the beach.

We spent several hours at the beach. Me and three friends were the only ones to get in the water (crazy right!) but after that fun, and a picnic lunch, I managed to take a nap, as did several others. When the time came none of us wanted to leave, but we knew we had to because we had hours ( like 5) left ahead of us to hike. 

This time, the beginning started out hard, with nearly 30 minutes of steep uphill climbing. However, after that, it was all down hill, and at a small incline- the terrible part was that we had to walk this for nearly 4 hours to get to the bus terminal!

There were some fun parts, like the cows came back (I even touched a few) and we had some beautiful photo opportunities  with a reservoir as the background (that are of course on someone else's camera) and we had a good laugh as we walked and sang whatever songs came to mind. However, it just took way, way, way too long and by the end of it everything hurt and all I wanted was to shower and sleep. 

Though I hurt a lot the next day, and everything hurt that night, the experience was incredible. The views were breath taking, the beach was the best, and just hanging out with my friends made the whole experience incredibly worth it! Crazy as it sounds,I would absolutely do it again,

International Festival

Last Wednesday, the international office of HKBU put on the international festival, where 9 groups of exchange students representing more than 11 countries hosted tents representing their countries.

Of course we couldn't let America be left out, so Izzy and I put together a booth to host for the night. We included several foods to taste, including cheddar Sun Chips, sour cream and onion Lays, as well as Jambalaya with shrimp and ham. The Jambalaya was a little hard to make. I had to improvise with several steps, like the whole dish was made in a wok and my measuring cup was a washed out coke can- still tasted as good as usual though!

No matter the steps to make it, the food was a hit!! Students and teachers were coming back for seconds and thirds, and many brought friends back to try the food as well! Part of what helped us, was that we were serving little testers, whereas many of the other booths were dishing out plate fulls of their dish, so they ran out of food within the first half hour while we had food till the very end!

Besides food, we also had a Prezi slideshow constantly running that featured beautiful pictures from across the US. Pictures included everything from the Texas State Fair, to Myrtle Beach, the Washington Monument, and Bush Gardens. I had a playlist made to go with the show that featured American Oldies like Queen, The Beach Boys, MC Hammers You Can't Touch This, Journey's Don't Stop Believing, Wagon Wheel and other favorites.

To get people involved at our tent we had a game they could play. They would draw a slip of paper out of a box that had one of the state names on it. They then had to match the name to the map of the US we had taped to the table. Attendants really loved this! Even other Americans  played (some did better than better than others). People typically knew immediately where states like Texas and California were, but most of the time people knew the general area, or were really off in their guesses. We didn't make it easy for them though! I had printed off the map of the US, and didn't realize that it didn't include Alaska or the Hawaii Islands, however, Izzy made the slips of paper and left those states in the mix, so several people pulled states that weren't even on the map! Oops!

Then, for further entertainment, there was also a fashion show where countries could wear the traditional outfits of their country. Most countries had these beautiful outfits with colors and embroidery and real significance to the country. However, America- represented by Chris, a boy from my school- paraded around in his cowboy boots and hat, plus jeans and a plaid shirt. The whole thing was a little (okay a lot) cliche, but it made me laugh and Chris did a great job up there!

The whole night was so much fun! We got to go around an see the other tents and try their food, like Crepes (France), Nutella (Italy), and local dishes I could never pronounce. Plus, students love America and several had studied abroad all around the country and enjoyed to talking to us about their visits! It was so great to hear from other people and watch as they tried our food and played the game. Many even wanted pictures with us! We felt famous:) It was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I was here for it since it is only in the fall semester.

Cheung Chau

Several weekends ago, a local friend, Shirley, took several of us to an outlying island called Cheung Chau. It took about a beautiful 1 hour ferry ride to get to the island. and then we got to explore!

The first thing we did, at Shirley's suggestion, was to try a local snack of fish balls in a sauce. They were....interesting. Not bad per say, but not what I expected. It was like someone blended a bunch of fish meat, then packed it into a ball, boiled it and dunked it in a sauce o your choice ( i got satay and its kind of like a watery, spicy bbq sauce). I'm glad I tried it, but I'm not sure I'd do it again. One food that we had there that I really do want again was this egg waffle thing. I'm pretty sure it was just a sweeter, buttered waffle in a form that looked like massive bubble wrap but whatever it was,it was delicious. Another good meal (I promise eating wasn't the only thing I did) was dinner, when the six of us shared some grouper in corn sauce, sweet and sour chicken and calamari that was all very delicious as well!

Other than trying food we could only get at the island, we explored some of the beautiful features. This island is known for having been a trade point for several pirates. So, after renting bikes to get around the island faster, we made our way to these caves that the pirates used to smuggle goods through. On the way up there were some beautiful views:

The cave itself was short (thank goodness) because it was a small cave that had one point where you needed to turn to your side, suck in and shuffle your way through. That part nearly gave me a panic attack, but thanks to friends (and literally light at the end of the tunnel) I made it through with only a minor scratch! It was cool, and I could do it again because I know what to expect (but I'm pretty sure I'm never going to). After the cave we took a detour to a beautiful ocean front path before heading back to town:

In town we made our way through the local streets and its shops. They sold everything from shoes and bags to glass figurines, shells and friendship bracelets. It was like the Florida Keys meets Hong Kong.While we were shopping, we managed to catch an incredible view of the sunset before we made our way to dinner and the ferry home.

Despite being a shorter day (we were only on the island for a several hours) we were all tired. So, back at the dorm, we all showered and then got together for a relaxing movie (cheetah girls baby!!) before calling it a night with this on this incredible day.

The Only language I know

I mentioned a few weeks back that I agreed to teach 15 students English. By teach I mean chat with them and help them better the English they know, not teach them everything from the beginning- I don't think I could do that.

At this point I have had two classes and I'm so glad I did this! I've yet to have all 15 students show up to class, but that's good, because then the ones that do show up get the ability to talk more this way. Most of them come from Mainland China, and are here just to better their conversational English. In order to do this I've been working with them, telling them common idioms (like cool it and get a move on, and I'm beat) so they can better understand conversations, and just having them talk by answering questions like "if you could have any superpower what would it be and why?" They all like to talk and it is so fun and interesting to hear their answers.

The first question I asked them was why they wanted to learn English, and their answers shocked me! They told me that English was a connector. It allows them to be able to talk to people from nearly any country. One boy even told me about a time when he met a boy from Korea or somewhere and they were able to communicate only because they both spoke English! I had no idea that English meant so much to people around the world (and than goodness because it is the only language I speak).

Another great part about teaching this class is that I am making friends I didn't expect to make. After class last week a girl contacted me and asked to grab coffee so she could practice and get some tips on how to be a student ambassador for an American journalist coming to speak. This week, on our way to coffee, another student saw us and joined. In the end the three of us sat at Pacific coffee for over an hour just talking and having a good laugh! At the end, we agreed to meet up before class next week and try lunch at a delicious noodle place right next to campus:)

This class is giving me so much more than I thought. I expected to feel good for helping people, but I'm making friends and gaining insight that I never would have if I hadn't have taken this opportunity.

Holiday Break

This week we had Wednesday and Thursday off for the Chinese National Day. What was great about this week is that because I don't have classes on Tuesday or Friday I had a 6 day weekend! The downside is that the protests were blocking large portions of Central, so several buses were rerouted or suspended. Also, several of the friends (including one that was going to give a local citizens tour of the island) wanted to be at the protests, causing several plans to be reworked. However, this was still a fantastic holiday.

We decided to spend it getting to know Hong Kong better. Starting on Tuesday, a few of us ventured out to temples around the island. Our first stop was the 10,000 Buddha Monastery, and boy was it an incredible sight! It sat atop over 400 steps (and we couldn't have picked a hotter day or time to climb them)! Lining the steps the entire way were golden statues portraying what I believe were monks:

Once you finally reach the top of the stairs, the view is incredible:

Then you enter the Temple's grounds. Outside in the courtyard of the temple are statues of Buddha and his followers in different states. Each one was ornate and many were beautifully painted:

Sadly, pictures were not allowed inside the actual temple, but I was able to catch one of the outside:

The inside was unforgettable and truly filled with 10,000 Buddhas.  On each of the walls were 30 shelves, each lined with 100 Buddha statues, holding a variety of poses. Then in the middle were 3 massive golden statues of Buddha and his disciples, reaching nearly to the ceiling. In front of the three beautiful statues was the "Indestructible Diamond Body of Buddha"  covered in ornate robes and sitting inside a glass box. In total, it was a sight you could never tire of, with more things to look at than I could ever describe. Before we left the temple, we stopped at a stand they had selling souvenirs and religious items. Here, we each bought a beautiful bracelet that had been blessed by a monk to forever commemorate the trip we had to this incredible site.

From there we traveled to another religious site, this time the Chi Lin Nunnery. This is the largest group of hand made buildings in the world. Though I believe we missed the incredible gardens that accompany the site (apparently they were across the street, but it's ok, I'll come back with my family) The actual temple portion was beautiful.

Sitting in the middle of the city, this structure sits right beyond Plaza Hollywood, looking, from the street, unimposing. However, as you travel up the steps and into the courtyard you are met with beautifully hand crafted wooden masterpieces(or buildings, whichever you wish to call them) surrounding a concrete courtyard with lotus ponds placed throughout:

Once again, pictures were not allowed within the temple.Inside were several rooms, each containing a different golden version of Buddha and his disciples accompanied by a short blurb on a plaque about their significance and their story. Then as you enter the main temple area, you are met with an breath taking sight. In the middle sits Buddha on a lotus throne, as tall as the room, with a beautiful filigree throne back. to his sides are his highest two disciples, and between them and Buddha, two more followers, each offering something to the center statue. The sight, and the dwarfing feeling the statues created, are memories I will never forget. Though there was less to see here than at the first temple, the sights here were no less incredible, and made for a fabulous end to our temple tour.

The next few days were spent relaxing on several beaches. On Thursday we went to Repulse Bay, It was cloudy all day which has its ups and downs. On the bright side, I didn't get burned, I just got a little tanner (which like never happens!). On the down side, the view wasn't as visible and the sunset (the reason we went to this particular beach) wasn't visible at all. Even with that the day was so much fun! I haven't been in the sea for years, so just floating in it was exciting. Plus,the beach had floating platforms stationed a ways out in the water that you could lay on. Those were so relaxing as they rocked with the waves. Later on in the day a few of us decided to play in the sand and we made me into a mermaid! It was so entertaining because people kept coming up to us and asking for pictures, so I'm in the photo books of several mainland tourists:)

On Saturday we went to another beach, Clear Water Bay. This beach was much the same as Repulse Bay, with the floating platforms and the beautiful view. This water was more clear, I could see farther down into the water, but it was by no means crystal clear. The day was once again cloudy, and it looked like it was going to rain for a while, but it was still a lovely, relaxing day. 

Sunday was mostly homework. I did try an English Church with some friends in the morning. The pastor is from Arkansas, and, while small, the service was enjoyable. Afterwards, several of the younger members got together to get lunch, which was really interesting, because it was the first time I met non-students in Hong Kong. 

Over all it was an exciting break. I got to see history, and beautiful views and I finally made it to the beach (and I plan to go back every week until I leave)! I'm sad to have to go back to school, but I guess it is inevitable (doesn't mean I have to like it).