Hong Kong's "Best" University

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.