One of the best things about studying abroad in Hong Kong is how close you are to so many different destinations. During the week break we had between the end of classes and our exams, a few of my friends from here, Andrew and I went to Malaysia. We have been doing a lot of serious sight seeing every time we travel or go into different cities in China so this trip was more for relaxing before our exams. We went to a small island off the coast of northeastern Malaysia called Pulau Perhentian Kecil. This island is known as the “Small Perhentian” because next to it is a slightly larger island. You are able to walk from one side of the island to the other in about 15 minutes, but you have to walk through a jungle (literally) to get to the other side. It made an interesting first trip when we decided to go to the other side for a barbeque one night after it had gotten dark and without flashlights. We were using our phones and cameras to light the path!

We stayed in a small wooden chalet for every night except the last where we stayed in a dormitory. The chalet only had one bed, three windows, a fan, and a mosquito net…the bare minimum, but that was really all you needed. The fan was an especially good thing to have, as the temperature when we first got there was 90 degrees and the humidity usually tops in between 80-95% everyday. All the restaurants, shops and accommodations on the island have to use generators for electricity, so usually they have a certain time of the day they turn on the generators. The chalet we stayed in turned their power on from 7pm to 7am every day. Seven in the morning is very early to wake up anyway, but when you wake up that early because you are sweating because the electricity powering your small room fan is switched off, it seems much earlier! The heat and humidity weren’t so bad after we realized how people cope on the islands is to stay as close to the ocean and go into the water as much as possible! So this is why we spent so much time on the beach, because we had to…Once the sun went down, it was much more comfortable. At night there were a couple places that had outdoor bars with really low tables and beach mats laid on the sand. Everyone on the island was relatively young and there on vacation so the atmosphere was very relaxed, perfect before exams!

We went snorkeling one of the days we were there and got to swim with sharks and great big sea turtles. The coral reefs were amazing and we saw so many fish. I don’t know a lot of the names of the fish but we did see clown fish…when our guide was stopping the boat for the first time he said “and here, you’ll see the Nemo fish if you swim down to the bottom”. Good job Disney! We did buy a water camera so we got some really great shots of the marine life.

After leaving the island we went to Kuala Lumpur and spent the day sight seeing there while we waited for our flights. We mostly shopped in the Central Market, but we also went to the National Mosque and saw some really great architecture. I also bought a few pieces of batik art. Batik is a wax-resist dyeing technique used on fabric. This type of art is very popular in Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is a huge city and we didn’t have time to see enough of it to give it justice. There are so many different cultures within the city so it is interesting because you get a little feel for each one as you walk around.
 

The Twin Towers are the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur.

The "Small City" picture is just a shot of Kuala Lumpur.

And the turtle and fish are from when we went snorkeling (obviously..!)

For Easter, students at HKBU get a full week off. This Easter break is the equivalent of a spring break in the US and is when a lot of students take time to travel. For this break, a few of us from BGSU went to Beijing.

Three of the students who went took a plane (about a three hour trip) and the other three of us took the train. The train was cheaper than the flight which was why some of us decided on that route, but it was about 25 hours from Hung Hom station in Hong Kong to Beijing West Station in China…yikes. It wasn’t too bad though, really. We got a sleeper cabin that we shared with three other people (for a total of six) and slept most of the time on the way there and back. (Of course the time we were awake we were studying our notes from Hong Kong… preparing for those exams!) On the train ride there, I talked with a woman who is half Chinese who lives in Florida and was visiting family in Beijing for a week. She works as a teacher at a jewelry making school in Florida. Really interesting lady. We exchanged information and I got her business card and the website for her school. You never know, maybe some day I will learn to make some gold and silver rings from her. She wanted to meet up with us in Beijing but it never worked out, as we didn’t have phones that worked and already had tours planned with our group.

Since there are a few other people who I am sure will write about the tours we did in Beijing, I will write about another experience that only a few of us had. On Friday night, two days before we were to leave Beijing, Andrew and I went out to explore more of Beijing at night. We decided to go to an area of Beijing called Bar Street. It was exactly as the name sounds; bars and restaurants all around a lake. It was a pretty large area and there were also shops to buy handicrafts and stands selling candied fruit and cotton candy. You could have even rented a paddle boat and taken it around the lake. There were a lot of local people as well as tourists in this area and we took time to just explore what the area had to offer.

While walking around the lake, we stumbled upon a large crowd of people in an open area. When we first walked up, we heard music playing and saw people playing with hacky sacks and whole groups of people, children and adults alike, jumping rope. However, most of the space was taken up by people dancing. Of course I had to join in jump roping and then tried to learn some of the dances. We met a really nice older local guy who spoke very fluent English and he became our dance teacher. He told us we made the local “Chinese people very very happy because you dance with us!” and that we should come back at the same time the next night to dance again. It was so much fun and so random!

We woke up early the nest morning (Saturday) to see the Summer Palace. It was an hour bus ride to the palace and when we got there there was already a ton of tourists. But we walked up to the top of the area and there weren’t as many people and we got some good shots of the temples.

Glad to have another really touristy place out of the way early, later that afternoon Erica, Andrew and I went to a local restaurant in the Hutongs and had dumplings, hot pot, and fried noodles. So much food! And so cheap, I think we paid about $15 for three of us to eat!

We walked through the Hutongs that afternoon and went into some shops and looked around. Hutong means “old lane” and are alley ways where local people live. The streets are really small, usually just big enough for a car to drive through (why cars would cut through I don’t know, they usually end up stuck behind pedestrians, bicyclists, animals, children, nosy tourists who want to see what local life is like…etc.) It was really cool seeing the way local Chinese people live. The touristy parts make it seem like everyone has a really nice house and lots of extra money and really cover up the real life that is all around in Beijing. I really enjoyed seeing these areas the best, it really opens your eyes and makes you appreciate the things you might take for granted. For example, most of the houses in the Hutongs don’t have private toilets, you have to share with around ten other houses. Also, it can cost up to 8 RMB to take a shower in some places (that’s a little over 1 dollar). Really interesting.

Later that night we went back to dance again and our teacher was there, just like he said he would be. (He told us this was a nightly ritual). He was thrilled to see us and told us he didn’t think we would really stick to our word and come back. We learned some more dances and got to talk to him more. I said something about how we had walked through the Hutongs earlier that day and was really interested in seeing the inside of one. He was delighted we had taken so much interest in local Chinese culture and life and said his friend lived across from the square where we were and that they would love for us to be their guests. He pointed to his house and we walked with them to the house. It was amazing! The house was so small but there was only two people living there. Our dance teacher had to be our translator because his friend and his wife and brother and niece didn’t speak much English but it was really an amazing experience. The wife was so happy to have guests that she even cooked for us! The friend bought noodles from a stand and a leg of lamb for each of us and offered us so much food. We all ate together and drank the local beer that is brewed in Beijing, Yanjing. We visited with them for about 2 hours and just talked. The wife even painted our fingernails! (the girls’, not Andrew) She said she would like to open her own shop in Beijing so she did our nails for free to practice. The couple said they have lived there in that house in the Hutongs for two years and that we were their first foreign guests. What an honor. We were all so shocked about how nice and friendly and welcoming they were. We took lots of pictures with them and the wife even let me take a picture of her kitchen. She didn’t want me to at first, because, being a woman, thought it was too messy for company to see. It was such a small area! It was definitely smaller than anything anyone in the US is used to, but it was a nice little house. Just big enough to live in and have some space, but nothing extra or extravagant.

Our dance teacher kept saying “see, we Chinese are poor, but we are happy. We dance and we eat together and we don’t have much, but look how happy we are.” It was really cool getting to be with a local family and sharing in something that few tourists get to experience. This part of the trip was definitely my favorite; it was more interesting than going to the temples that didn’t really have that much meaning to me being that I have no physical or emotional connection with them. The guy also kept trying to convince us to stay in Beijing. “why do you need to go back? To learn in a classroom? Look at how much you are learning here, interacting with people. You are learning here. You can’t learn this in a classroom. Stay here and learn Chinese and Chinese culture and teach Chinese people good English. I will show you dancing”. It was amazing!! This really made me realize how much I would like to travel to other places and get to know how other people around the world live. Such an experience, once in a lifetime!!

So, that was just a small part of our trip to Beijing. The time flew by but I think we made the most of it. I would love to go back some day. Beijing is so full of life and its such a great city. If you ever get a chance to go there, I hope you see the tourist spots, you know, the Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc. but I think where I had the most memorable and best experiences was off the beaten tourist track. There’s no way for a travel company to be able to organize real life into a neat little group tour package.

Here is a picture of the family that invited us to their house. They were so friendly and we were so honored to be their guests!

This guy was in the square painted calligraphy in the street with a rag and a bucket of water. It looked really good, I've seen a few people using water to do calligraphy on streets and sidewalks.

This group of people was singing and playing instruments around the lake.

This is a picture of one of the Hutongs we walked through.

So lets see where to begin…I went to Beijing with 5 other students from BGSU during our Easter break. Dr. Bennion, a Bowling Green professor, met us their and planned two days of tours for the group and a meeting with the American Embassy. Three of us opted to take an approximately 3 hour flight, and the other three chose to take the train for about 25 hours. My group included Melissa, Liana, and myself. To insert an interesting point, the stewardesses came around and collected all foreign newspapers before we landed, because they are not permitted in China.

 

 

Hi, everyone!  My name's Liana - this is my first blog entry for the CBA.  I've been keeping another blog during the semester for my family and friends.  So far, this semester has been an incredible experience for me.  It's been fun and new, confusing and exciting, and I wouldn't trade my time here for anything!

Some of the other students have written posts about many of the activities I've done, too.  So, instead, I would love to share some experiences I've had with my roommate, Sophie.  Sophie's not a local Hong Kong student.  She's actually from Beijing.  She's not an exchange student - she'll be at HKBU until she finishes her studies.  I'd like to tell you about a couple of different foods she's introduced me to since I've been here.

Back in February, the Chinese students celebrated Yuanxiao Jie, also known as the Lantern Festival.  This day falls on the 15th day of the lunar year, and it marks the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.  The festival began during the Han dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD), and from what I’ve read about it, it’s really just a holiday to celebrate family and friends, and have fun.  Paper lanterns are displayed everywhere, children carry lanterns through the towns, and friends gather to watch lion and dragon dances, solve riddles, and eat good food.

Some of the most important foods eaten on this holiday are sweet dumplings, called Yuanxiao.  These dumplings are made out of glutinous rice flour and stuffed with traditional fillings.  These fillings are considered to be sweet, when compared to more savory fillings such as meat and vegetables.  Traditionally, the fillings are either peanut or black sesame seed.  I had the chance to sample these dumplings at a gathering for the Mainland students that Sophie invited me to.  They were okay - the texture was a little difficult to get past.  The dumplings are boiled and served with the water they’re boiled in.  The glutinous rice flour was really, really slimy, and that alone didn’t do much for my palate.

Funny enough, a couple of days later, my RA called a floor meeting, and these dumplings were served again.  I’m not sure what the difference was, but those dumplings were very good!  They didn’t seem quite as slimy, or I was prepared for it this time, but the fillings were incredibly tasty, both the peanut and the black sesame.

Here’s a photo of the sweet dumplings - I didn’t take this one, I found it online at http://www.chinapictures.org/photo/chinese-festivals/lantern-festival/40205174332037/

I’ve also had another variation of these dumplings a couple of times.  At a barbecue with Sophie, I had these dumplings with a peanut filling.  However, these dumplings were dry and coated with shredded coconut.  Those dumplings were great - I ate a ton that day.  Just a few days ago, I lent Sophie some clothing for her to wear to an athletic thing she was doing.  As a thank you, she stopped at a bakery and bought those dry dumplings again.  I was so excited, until she told me the filling: red bean paste.

Now, red beans are a traditional dessert food here in China.  They’re considered to be “sweet,” although I still think most of the foods that feature red beans could use a lot more sugar before I would ever call them sweet.  I haven’t really cared for any of the foods I’ve had made out of red beans.  Needless to say, I was a little wary about these cute little dumplings she gave me.  But, I tried one, and, lo and behold, they were delicious.  Just goes to show that the preparation is everything!  They were perfectly sweet - maybe I’m finally just getting used to “sweet” foods here.

Here’s a photo of a dry sweet dumpling - my last one!

This one shows the red bean filling.

Yea, I know, it may not look that appetizing, but I promise, it was tasty!  I even found a couple of recipes for these dumplings online, so I’ll be sure to make them when I get home!

A couple of days ago, Sophie shared another traditional food with me.  These snacks, called zongzi, are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu Festival, which takes place in May or June, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar year.  The modern festival is celebrated with Dragon Boat races, a special wine, and zongzi.  The festival is said to have originated in ancient China with a man named Qu Yuan.  He lived during the Warring States Period, before China was unified.  He was an advisor for the state of Chu.  He warned the king that the state in Qin could attack and defeat Chu, but the king did not listen to him.  In 278 BC, Qin did in fact invade Chu, and Yuan was so distraught that he threw himself into the Miluo River and drowned.  The townspeople admired him and took to boats on the river, throwing food in the water (thought to be zongzi) to keep the fish from eating his body.  Morbid, I know.  Anyway, this gave rise to the Dragon Boat races of today, and the eating of zongzi.

Zongzi is a bundle of sticky rice (again, considered to be “sweet,” according to my roommate) filled with a variety of different ingredients.  Some fillings are savory, like meat and vegetables, and others are “sweet.”  Yep, peanut and red bean again.  Anyway, these bundles of rice are wrapped in leaves to hold them together and steamed or boiled.  Bamboo leaves are often used, but other plants are used as well.  Each type of plant has its own scent and flavor, and the rice absorbs these flavors while it cooks.

Here are some photos of zongzi.  The first is from http://www.china.org.cn/english/LivinginChina/214280.htm

The second, showing the red bean filling, is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zongzi.jpg

Sophie had a pack of two pieces, and she offered me one.  She had to show me how to eat it.  I had no clue whether the leaves were supposed to be eaten or not!  I almost fell out of my chair when she told me that they usually sprinkle sugar on the rice before eating it.  Real sugar!  The rice and bean filling were both pretty good - helped out by the sugar, of course.

I asked Sophie if she had bought the zongzi from a store here in Hong Kong, and she made me laugh with her response.  “Of course not!  You can’t find such tasty food here in Hong Kong,” she said.  Her mom had included the snacks with a package of food she had sent earlier this semester, direct from Beijing!  I’m glad Sophie’s able to have a taste of home, too.  Goodness knows I’m able to find a ton of foods I’m familiar with from the States.  Actually, Sophie made another interesting comment a few weeks ago.  She said she thinks it’s easier to find foods from the U.S. in Hong Kong than it is to find foods from the Mainland.  I wouldn’t know, of course, as I don’t know what’s usually eaten in the Mainland, but that stinks if it’s true.

I’m happy that I don’t have to write red beans off completely.  It’s great to try some traditional foods from the region.  The food served in the dining hall isn’t really “traditional,” so to speak, and I try to avoid it whenever possible anyway!

Here are a couple new things I have done.

 Lion’s Rock

After spending so much time in an urban area, it’s nice to go out and do things outside of the city and without all the people. One of the ways we got out to see another side of Hong Kong was to hike up Lion’s Rock. The hike took about an hour and while most of it was paved and had stairs climbing to the top, the rest was just an incline. I think this was my favorite part of our trip so far. The view at the top was amazing and it was so cool to stand at the very top of the mountain we can see from our residence halls. There were a lot of local people climbing up and coming down from the top when we went and I couldn’t believe how easy some of them made it look! I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but going up Lion’s Peak was very challenging. On the way down was much easier, but you had to be careful not to get going down too fast. We also saw monkeys on the trail while walking back down! It was really interesting to see monkeys instead of squirrels like in Bowling Green. Haha.

10,000 Buddha’s Monastery

This was the most interesting monastery we have been to yet, in my opinion. The monastery sits up on a hill and its quite a walk to the top. On the way up to the monastery, the trail is lined with golden (plastic) Buddha statues. Once you get to the monastery, there are Buddha statues lining the inside of the temple and all around the area at the top. There were so many! Also, each one had a different facial expression.

I thought this was interesting- Miley (my roommate from mainland China) told me that English teachers here recommend "Friends" and "Forest Gump" to help learn English. Huh, go figure. You'd think children's shows would be easier/better? Nope, apparently the shows are found funny to mainland students studying English and therefore help to retain the language. She says she loves both and she is also a big fan of CSI (the original). She just finished watching all nine seasons last week.

So it is March already and I have been getting into the swing of things with classes. A lot of group projects have been assigned which is different compared to BGSU but it has been fun. Because of having to spend so much time on school work the amount of site seeing has diminished a little bit and routines have been established. But we always have time for good food. Our dining hall in the dorms is called "the canteen" and while the food is good we are always looking for something more than just rice and something that looks good enough to try. My roommate, and local here, took a few of us to a Curry Restaurant last week and it was amazing. I guess there is really no name for it but because of its location the locals refer to it as E7. The food was really good, which is important, and our server was very helpful. She made many recommendations and I think our meal was twice as good because she was so great and helped us to order the right food. We have also been just down the street about a mile to Kowloon City where there are more restaurants than anyone could visit in the amount of time we are here but the locals speak very highly of all of it. Of course many of us have been growing tired of rice and noodles (that is the common diet here) so we have cheated and visited the McDonalds, Dan Ryan’s, and other "American" type restaurants. It would surprise you at how much you miss simple things like Reese's and Pop Tarts when you cannot have them...I've cheated and my fiancé was amazing and mailed me those things for Valentine's Day! However, we have had the opportunity to try many interesting foods, some I wasn’t going to consider trying, I’ve eaten sushi and calamari for the first time and there have been “fish wings” and rice roles.

Other than food, some of us hiked up one of the highest peaks in Hong Kong, Lion Rock. It was an amazing experience and I encourage anyone who comes to Hong Kong to do it. On the way up you encounter wild monkeys and a lot of photo opportunities, but the best is at the top. We could see the entire city including the old airport, the ocean, and some of us joked we could see China. It was absolutely spectacular! It really put into perspective how large this region is.

A few of us along with the other international students have also ventured out to the horse races. It was interesting but nothing too exciting. I had never been to a horse race like that so it was interesting to see once. The crowd there is also a fun one to encounter but as a whole it wasn’t anything extremely special.

A few other places we have been since I last blogged that don't need much explanation has been The Avenue of Stars and the Botanical Gardens which were both fun and the garden was beautiful.

Well BG once more exciting things occur I will be sure to let you know. School has been keeping many of us busy so there isn’t a whole lot to report. The rainy season is also beginning here as well so we will see how that goes!

The Group that climbed Lions Rock

The view from the top

Lions Rock from the ground

Horse and Jockie from the races

Megan and I outside of the Botanical Garden

Statue of Bruce Lee on the Avenue of Stars

Jackie Chan's Star and handprints on the Avenue of Stars

And for your viewing pleasure, Hong Kong at night from Victoria's Peak

Hello from Hong Kong!

So where do I start? It’s going on our second month here at Hong Kong Baptist University and I feel like we have done and seen so much. I see a couple other students have been pretty busy on this blog so I will just give a condensed version of some of the things I’ve experienced.

Ok, first off, there are about 7 million people in Hong Kong and sometimes it feels like they are all trying to ride the MTR at the same time (the subway system here is called the MTR). You get used to getting pushed/pushing your way through the crowds; its just what you have to do to get around. The MTR is definitely the best public transportation here, it is extremely efficient, cheap, and really clean. Most rides cost between $0.36 and $0.80 using the discounted student “Octopus” card. If you are planning on staying in Hong Kong for an extended period of time, you need to get an Octopus card. Everyone here, even small children, have one.

Here are a few things I have done so far.
LAMMA ISLAND

We went with the chaplain’s office the first couple weeks we were here to hike on Lamma Island. This is a small fishing island that has a few restaurants and grocery stores and amazing views. Its very rural, not built up at all. There were a lot of houses with gardens in the front and side yards and a lot of dogs. It was very interesting to see how people lived outside of the city. Some of the international students and I went out with a local girl, Zoyo, to get lunch on the island at a little "mom and pop" place. It was all outdoors with just a tent over the tables. The tables and chairs were just those plastic ones you get for outside barbeques. Even the kitchen was outdoors. (HK is tropical so it never really gets cold, maybe 50 at the coldest..yay!) I tried fish balls and fish wings there, both of which I am not really a fan of. When I told my roommate about trying the fish balls, she told me that she doesn’t like them either. She is from mainland China and she said they are one of the more popular dishes for Hong Kong but the local people are generally the only people who like them.

LANTAU ISLAND AND THE BIG BUDDHA
This was one of my favorite trips so far. We paid $55 HK dollars, (just under $8 US) to take a bus UP A MOUNTAIN. I really have some respect for these drivers, the road is usually just one lane and they drive these great big tour buses up them with no problem at all. We were going to take a cable car up to the Buddha but it cost $107 HK to ride that (about $15, we are cheap college students...haha) It is kind of like the cable cars that go across Cedar Point but they are a lot bigger and take you up a mountain and across trees and stuff...no big deal really…I saw that a couple of the other students took this route to see the Buddha and if I could go back, I would have definitely taken the cable cars.

LADIES MARKET
This is a huge stretch of a couple streets that is open from around noon to midnight every day. There are people selling copy watches, purses, jewelry, clothing, suitcases, and pretty much anything else you could want. We've been through a couple times and you bargain with everyone so you can usually get a good deal here. It was hard at first but with a little acting and negotiating, you can usually get the price you want or at least a really good deal.

LUNAR NEW YEAR FAIR
Summed up, people everywhere, selling stuffed animals, toys, aprons, scarves, candy, food, cane sugar juice (which they 'squeeze' and bottle there in front of you!), jewelry, light up stuff, blow up stuff, hats... a lot of typical fair goods but people were loving it all! They even had stuffed donuts, Starbucks coffee, Pringles (which were named 'Smileys'), and croissants. And because this coming year is the year of the OX, there were also people selling ox toys, t-shirts, hats, and anything else you could imagine. It was really interesting to see everything.
Farther into the fair there was also a flower market that sells everything from daffodils to lillies to mini orange trees. I guess this only happens two weekends a year for lunar new year. We were really fortunate to be here for this occasion, it is definitely something you need to attend if you are in Hong Kong for the lunar new year.

LUNAR NEW YEAR PARADE AND FIREWORKS
Local people here are crazy about parades and fireworks. We left 2 1/2 hours early to see the parade. I am thinking, "oh ok, well, that makes sense, we are going to want a good spot maybe on a lawn or something so we can all sit and watch the parade..." nooo...we got there 2 hours early to stand shoulder to shoulder with half of Hong Kong (ok, maybe that is an exaggeration but it felt like it!) By the end of the night, the lady behind me was pressed against my back and resting her hand on my shoulder to get a better view. I think she was even in one of our group pictures! She was very nice and she was laughing at us because we were trying to learn how to say "Happy New Year" in Cantonese. I don’t think the parade was nearly as good as the fireworks but the traditional dancing dragon that is associated with China made an appearance at the parade and that was exciting.

Another thing that I found interesting.

Miley, my roommate from mainland China, told me that English teachers here recommend Friends and Forest Gump to help learn English. You'd think children's shows would be easier/better? Nope. She says she loves both and she is also a big fan of CSI (the original). So we keep finding out more and more that we have a lot in common.

With the weather still being cool, and a free day to make plans, Liana and I decided to take the one-hour ferry to Macau and see what we could see. Technically speaking, we left Hong Kong (passport stamping involved). Upon arrival we found a tourist information center and picked up a few pamphlets to browse though and plan our day. I’m pretty sure half of Liana’s info ended up being in Portuguese, which was humorous.

We decided on 5 spots that looked interesting, and got on bus 28C. This one looked like it would go near the Templo Kun Iam, the first place on our list. Here is the thing about the buses. Even if you know where you want off, it’s basically impossible to know the number off stops the bus will make first, and when is the right time to ring the buzzer and get off in the desired location. Only the main stops are listed, and there are tons of little stations everywhere. We basically just guessed and got off. After lunch at an un-named restaurant franchise that is the epitome of globalization, we found some street signs and navigated our way to the temple. I was surprised to walk under the incense coils and see that they were actually burning on the ends.

We decided not to brave the bus again, and walked to the next destination, Jardim Lou Lim Ioc. This was a lovely garden in the city, and certainly a haven for those who live in the hustle and bustle every day. I saw several people meditating and making the most of the atmosphere. This was my favorite stop of the day!

Next, we walked to the Guia fortress, near the center of the city. The view was spectacular from the top. We sat down for a minute to look at the map and decided that the next stop looked a bit far away, and that some of the streets were not labeled. We decided a taxi ride would be nice, and I proceeded to hail a taxi for the first time ever. The map I had was nifty because I could point to the destination in English, and the Cantonese version was right next to it. The driver took us to the Ruin’s of St. Pauls Cathedral. This was an interesting stop, and there was a room underneath called the Museum of sacred art that struck my fancy.

Liana and I were able to continue on the walking journey, and we arrived at Senado Square, a very popular tourist attraction! I bought a tea (no idea what it was called) and it tasted like rose water, which surprised me…I think I liked it? A group of kids asked if they could interview me for a class project, and we had a little chat about the Chinese New Year festivities. Will I celebrate the New Year back home?? Well yes, but I doubt I will get any red packets…

The light was fading and the twinkle lights over Senado square where pretty grand. I have always been a fan of twinkling ambience. We stayed for a while and then decided that we were ready to find our way back to the East side of Macau for the ferry terminal. This meant another bus ride, but we picked the right one and our location was really easy to spot, so everything went fine. A very enjoyable day!

Templo Kun Iam

Jardim Lou Lim Ioc

View from Guia Fortress

Looking down from the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral

Me, Liana, and the ruins of St. Paul's

Senado Square

Also Senado Square

This post is from Jan 31st

Liana and I decided to explore Lantau Island and finally see the “Big Buddha.” We got all the way to the Island riding the MTR and then headed right around the corner from the station to get in line for the Ngong Ping Cable Car ride. This was a 25-minute ride over beautiful scenery up into the mountains. The 85-foot high Tian Tan Buddha statue appeared in the distance and we were soon back on solid ground and ready to explore. After some spaghetti, which was delicious by the way, we followed the crowd and started ascending Buddha’s steps.

The view from the platform at the back of the statue was stunning. The South China Sea was in the distance, and little islands appeared in the haze as the horizon faded into the sky. I had one of those moments were everything sort of stops, and I just stood there and took it all in. Truly Beautiful.

We also went to the Po Lin Monastery and checked that out, but I can’t really think of anything to blog about for that stop…

When we were ready to return to Tung Chung on the cable car, the line wrapped through the street and a sign at the end said, “approximate queuing time from here to boarding--60 minutes.” We got in line and pretty soon after a guy walked by with a sign for the express line, where you volunteer to stand up for the whole ride. The wait time was 5-10 minutes!! After a wee bit of coercion I convinced Liana that it would be totally worth it, and it was!

We didn’t get a chance to go to Tai O, on the NW side of the island. This town is famous for being a fishing town with a bunch of stilt houses. So, we have a reason to go back to Lantau Island. =)

First View of the Buddha

Incense at the Po Lin Monastery

Po Lin Monastery

Inside the Temple

This post is from Jan 28th

My friend Celia is one of the student ambassadors for HKBU who picked international students up at the airport, and helped us feel welcome. She sent a text to some of us yesterday, and it reads:

“Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! “Kung Hei Fat Choi” is a phrase that we use to say to each other most frequently in the new year, it means “Hope you can be rich in all aspects”, now I give this phrase to you with my best wishes =)"

So there you have it, “Kung Hei Fat Choi.” If you fold your hands together in front of you and raise them slightly up and down while saying the phrase, you can pull it off. Traditionally, little children are given small red packets with a newly minted coin inside. I was given two!! Although my coins were chocolate=)

Last night I went to the Chinese New Year parade. The group I went with read online that a front row viewing requires a 2-hour early arrival! We got there about 1.5 hours before the parade, and I was in about the fourth row, give or take some elbows. The parade started from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and ended up at the New World Centre, which I was directly across from. There were some cool drummers that marched by, and quite a few interesting floats and such. Tonight continued the festivities with fireworks near the harbor, quite a big celebration!

This post is from Jan 17th

Last night I went with a few friends to the Avenue of The Stars promenade, on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. At 8:00 PM every night, there is a laser light show across Victoria harbor called Symphony of the Lights. I really enjoyed being by the water, seeing the twinkling lights on the buildings, and watching the show. Plus, we stopped and got coffee, which is always delicious.

This morning, I got up at 8, packed a lunch, and got on a bus with a group to Central, where a boat took us to Lamma Island. Don’t get my wrong, I love roller coasters, but the rocking of the boat from side to side messed with my equilibrium. I was feeling a bit nauseous, but was soon distracted by the beauty around me, and feeling better. We perched on some rocks near the water for a while, and then hiked over to the south side of the Island. It was only about 50 minutes of hiking, and the views out over the water were simply breathtaking.

Symphony of Lights

Lamma Island

A street view

A view near campus

This post is a bit old, since it happened the first week we were here! I am adding some things from my personal blog, so I think this happened on January 9^th!

All the international students met this morning at 9:15, boarded 3 busses, and headed to Wong Tai Sin Temple. We were told that many people go to the temple twice a year, once to ask the gods for something, and once to thank the gods for granting their requests. There were people carrying incense above their heads, and kneeling in the temple. My friend Kelly and I were a bit concerned that someone was going to light our hair on fire, but that crisis was adverted thank goodness.

Next, we went to the jade market, which was really neat. I bought a bracelet for about $5 US after practicing my bartering skills. It was crazy seeing rows and rows of booths selling jade products. Everybody was ready to sell something, and sharing the price on their calculators. It kind of caught me off guard when one guy just said hi and sat there. I wanted to buy something from him, but I’d already made my purchase.

We left the jade market and headed to the peak, which was quite a view. I will most certainly be going back to the peak for an evening view sometime. (not alone--don’t worry =) It’s so nice being in HK for a few months, because I don’t feel rushed to get all the sightseeing packed into a week. After snapping a bunch of photos we were off to Aberdeen, to take the restaurant shuttle boat over to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant for Dim Sum. I believe this is the largest floating restaurant in the world. It was amazing on the outside AND inside. Again, I want to see this place at night.

After this, we went to Repulse bay and walked on the beach for a bit. I snapped a photo of Jacky Chan’s house on the side of a mountain! The last stop was Stanley Market, a must for tourists. I got a red and gold Pashmina (scarf) and a change purse for the mass amounts of change that seems to be accumulating in my bag. My friend Ao Siqiao from Mainland China wanted an English name, so Kelly and Brendan suggested Austin and it stuck.

 I’m gonna call it a day on the blogging, because this is getting rather lengthy!

View from my Window

Wong Tai Sin Temple

View From Victoria Peak--note the IFC2 where batman was!

On the way to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Repulse Bay

Hello BGSU! Warm greetings from Hong Kong. I am one of the Fab 9 as we are becoming known. So, what you are studying in Hong Kong? Why? I've heard that before. But why not? I have been here about a month now and at first I couldn't remember why I even wanted to be here. Homesickness set it so quickly, a little too quickly. But now that I've gotten to know the city I am so happy I am here. I have been able to go from skyscrappers to trees and the ocean in just a short boat or train ride, who wouldn't want to be here. I have met so many people from other countries, and coming from a person who wants to travel more later, I have gotten to know personal tour guides. So far I have gotten to experience Central, which is exactly as it sounds the center of the city. Victoria Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong where you can see just about everything; the street markets where the asking price is never what you have to pay. I have sat on the beach in January, I've gone hiking on Lamma Island, and experienced a New Year's celebration unlike any other. Not to mention I have personally seen and been in the building Batman jumps off of and into in the Dark Knight (I know lame right?) HKBU (Hong Kong Baptist University) or Hong Kong's Best University as the locals like to refer to it is such a nice school. The campus is set in what seems like the middle of everything. The MTR (the subway) is just a short walk away and it takes you where ever you want to go. The local students are also very friendly and got out of their way to be helpful.  My roommate is a local student and she is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. Macau is another place I have been so far. It is what most people refer to as a mini Vegas. But it is unlike any place you will ever see. So after a month of being here I could probably already write a book but this is my journey in a nutshell. I'll keep in touch and all of you stay warm!