Hong Kong Adventure

Thailand

2007-03-03T17:48:00.000+08:00

'The Beach'

The beach famously known since the movie with Leonardo Dicarprio. It is on Ko Phi Phi Ley a smaller island off Koh Phi Phi on the west coast of Thailand.

Koh Phi Phi Island

Paul and I stayed at the Bay View resort which was on the hill looking over Laehim beach. The resorts and hotels in this area were not damaged in the tsunami, but there were a lot of new hotels still being built in the middle of the island.

The scenery on the way to Koh Phi Phi Ley. We took a speed boat over to the island and stopped to do a little snorkeling near the island. The water was so clear and the fish were brilliantly colored.

Our last thai meal before heading back to Hong Kong. On the last night we went to the night market and stayed to eat dinner.

Hiking in Hong Kong

2007-01-21T18:56:00.000+08:00

For all of you complaining about the lack of photos. Here is a slightly better picture of Paul and me.

We have been running and hiking more since the Christmas holiday. This is a photo from a trail around the old battery in Hong Kong. The guns were put up at a lookout to protect the island. From there the trail winds around to the Peak.

The view behind us is Central the main business district on Hong Kong island.

Christmas in Arizona

2007-01-21T17:28:00.000+08:00

No Christmas celebration can be complete without a giant inflatable Spongebob. This year the Austin clan went out to Yuma, Arizona to celebrate Christmas. Every year during the holidays the street that my grandparents live on is transformed from Vista Lane to Candy Cane Lane. Every house decorates just after Thanksgiving and then the cars start to trickle in. On Christmas Eve, police are needed to keep the flow of cars going.

Elliotts, Austins and Nelsons plus Medha, a French foreign exchange student.

This year marked the 45th year of Candy Cane Lane!

Vietnam

2006-12-12T17:15:00.000+08:00

Girls carrying a younger brother in a hill tribe near Sa Pa in the mountains of Vietnam. On the last morning of our biking trip, we went off roading and visited a Thai village. We were invited into a house which was so similar to the huts in Ecuador it convinced me of the theory that the tribes migrated from China and Mongolia. The funny part was the main living area included a wood burning fire with a cooking pot, a loom and a television playing "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in Vietnamese.

View from a scenic spot in Ha Long Bay which we fondly knicknamed "how long" bay. We joined a package trip from hanoi which started with a 3 hour bus ride in a tiny van crammed with 12 people and lots of luggage. Our bus made a rather long stop at a tourist trap of a shop which was stopping point for all the Ha long Bay tours. Unfortunately, we got there early and our van was trapped for much longer than expected. We also waited quite a while for our boat and then the next boat. We ended up reaching the hotel 4 hours late but then got in trouble for being 5 minutes late for dinner. Even with all of the waiting, the scenery was beautiful!

Carla and Marcus in a cyclo touring Hanoi on our second day. We rode the cyclos past pagodas, the main lake and jumped out at the Ho Chi Min's museum.

Paul and me on the second boat in Ha Long Bay. The boat was tiny but the views from the top deck were spectacular. The tiny huts behind us were built on the water. The villages were spread out throughout the bay.

On the first day of our bike trip, we stopped at a local school to drop off stationary, pencils and markers. Our presence completely interrupted all classes and the kids ran around us saying "hi" and using other English phrases that they must be learning in school. The teachers invited us inside for tea, and then we took a photo outside with the whole school.

Wedding in Spain

2006-12-11T19:35:00.000+08:00

In early August, I flew to Spain and met up with Paul to go to the wedding of another teacher that works at the Chinese International school. Patrick works at CIS and he is from New Haven, Connecticut. His wife, Nuria, is from Spain. The wedding took place in a small town just north of Barcelona where Nuria's family lives. The town is right on the water and was built up into the mountains.

The wedding took place in a Catholic church in down by the ocean. Most of the ceremony was in spanish, so Patrick had to be nudged whenever it was his turn to speak. Luckily he didn't have to say much more that si.

World Cup in Italy

2006-12-01T16:41:00.000+08:00

Ave and I traveled back from Cinque Terra to Pisa on Sunday in order to catch an early morning flight back to the US. We also arrived just in time to watch the last World Cup game from a bridge in Pisa. Ave had picked out her favorite pizza restaurant to eat in for dinner and then left plenty of time for us to find a bar to watch the game. However, the whole town was shut down because of the game, so we ended up getting kebabs, gelato and beer. Then we watched the game on a big screen put up in the middle of the street.

Neither of us thought that Italy was going to win. The honking and celebrating lasted all night. We ended up leaving Pisa at 7am the next morning not having seen the leaning tower or having had any pizza.

Cinque Terra

2006-12-01T16:25:00.000+08:00

Over the summer, I met up with Avelyn in Italy just as she finished her May mester classes. I flew into Venice and traveled back with her group to Florence where I stayed with her host family. While Avelyn was in classes, I wandered the streets and drank countless numbers of cappachinos. Hong Kong is definitely lacking good coffee!

After exams, Avelyn and I headed to Cinque Terra for a weekend of hiking. We made it through all the trails that link the five villages the first night, and due to complications with the train, we spent the rest of the weekend suntanning on the beach, shopping and eating great seafood. (photos above)

Dragon Boating Races

2006-12-01T16:10:00.000+08:00

The practices and races take place at Stanley which is on the southern side of the island. Teams are legally only allowed to practice 10 times before the race but the professional teams are known to buy their own boats to get around this rule. Our team was a mixed male/female team. We were called the Sundowners and are in the orang tops on the left. The boats around the edges are tied closely together and form a perfect horseshoe around the racing area. Everyone not racing hangs out on the boat watching, eating, drinking and dancing to the blaring music.
This was the end of the second race of the day for our team. All the boats paddle out turn towards the beach and wait for the gun before racing back in to the beach.

This is a photo of the whole team. I am in the front and I work with Belinda (on my left) and Carla (3rd from the left in the front row).

Long Delay!

2006-12-01T16:08:00.000+08:00

Due to my own stupidity when packing this summer, I have not been able to load pictures on to my computer and add to the blog until now. I hope you enjoy the short blurbs and the pictures.

Symphony of Lights

2006-05-05T20:35:00.000+08:00

After 8 months in Hong Kong, I finally saw the Hong Kong light show from Tsim Sha Tsai. The first night Vicky and John were here, we took the old Star ferry over to Kowloon, wandered the markets, and made it back to the waterfront in time for the 8pm light show.

The light show has just been admitted into the Guinness Book of World Records because it has the largest number of independent or company buildings participating and has been going daily for the longest period of time.

The best view is from Kowloon because you can see the entire business area of Hong Kong Island from across Victoria Harbour. Strobe lights flash, buildings change colors, and some even sport pocka dots. It is quite a show although it would be interesting to have the music in the background to help coordinate the symphony of lights. I will have to find out what symphony they actually used when coordinating the light show.

Year 6 Camp

2006-05-05T10:56:00.000+08:00

Year 6 was split into two groups that traveled between two locations. The group that I was a part of started on Tung Lung Island where we camped in tents and had outhouses for toilets. The activities on the island were the best of the two locations though. On the first day, my group did the zip line across the ocean between two cliffs and then we moved on to rockclimbing. The kids took pictures of my climb while yelling encouraging suggestions about where to put my hands and feet. Unfortunately, my feet and hands are about 5 times bigger than theirs and the suggestions didn't always work.

One of the activities at the Sai Kung location was raft building. In teams the kids had to build a raft with inner tubes, rope, and bamboo sticks. Then they had to paddle across a little bay, rescue their teacher, and transport the teacher back to the other side. Marcus and I weren't sure the raft would actually make it across to us, but both teams made it.

Two kids in my group heading over the cliff towards the zip line. In the backgrond, you can see the rockclimbing spot and the absailing (repelling) spot.

A far away view of a team headed to the zipline.

Camp Reflection

It was great to see the kids open up over the 3 days. Most of the kids had never experienced anything like this before and even hiking on non-concrete paths was new. Unfortunately, they weren't good with bugs either and one tent of boys kept me up all night because of a spider. One girl brought a powder that was supposed to keep away snakes, so her tent had a big yellow powder circle around it.

Things to remember for next year:

Don't get stuck in the tent that is on the way to the bathroom on the first night because the kids don't sleep at all the first night!
Bring snacks because the kids are responsible for cooking the food and sometimes it was a bit interesting.
Don't volunteer to be the only teacher supervising the girls in the dormatory at the youth hostel.

Hong Kong Rugby 7's

2006-05-05T10:33:00.000+08:00

The Kiwi team meets just after a game at the Rugby 7's. It wasn't the professional All Blacks playing, and unfortunately the team didn't start the games with the traditional Hakka.

This photo of the South stand doesn't really do a good job of capturing the craziness. In this part of the stadium, fans are allowed to drink and most have on wild costumes. The heat on Saturday made the guys in Speedos and swimming caps the best dressed, but various superheros and literary characters filled the seats as well.

During the team procession, the Kenyans danced in traditional dress. The French seemed to have the best sense of humour though. After hearing the amount of booing on Saturday, they showed up on Sunday with cardboard shields with chickens dressed in French colors. At each corner of the stadium they stopped, huddled together and allowed the fans to throw various objects at them. Even a few eggs were hurled!

After the procession of teams, a traditional lion, dragon, and unicorn dance was performed in the stadium.

Neon Signs

2006-03-26T16:16:00.000+08:00

Along with the great restaurants the strip in Sai Kung have tons of massive neon signs. They are a bit cheesy looking but they add to the environment.

Seafood in Sai Kung

2006-03-26T15:53:00.000+08:00

In Sai Kung, Ave and I ate at a restaurant looking over the harbor. This strip is famous for the seafood restaurants that have tanks of marine life and you can pick the exact fish out that you want to eat. Before eating, Ave and I walked along the harbor and saw the boats that line up with the catch of the day. In the evening you can see people out buying their dinner.

These tanks were right behind our table at dinner.

Ave and I got a fixed meal which was huge! We had clams, crab, lobster, and oysters. Unfortunately we took this picture near the end of the meal because at one point our entire table was covered in dishes piled high with food.

Ave's Visit

2006-03-26T15:37:00.000+08:00

Cocktails at the Beach

On Tuesday, Ave and I went to Stanley Market and then had an amazing dinner at Wildfire which is in a huge old colonial building that looks out over the water. It was one of our more chill evenings because we were tired from all the walking on Monday.

Dinner on Friday

Ave flew out Friday night, but it was late enough that we were able to have dinner and go to a re-opening of a club in Lan Kwai Fong. We were out dancing right up until we went to the airport.

Kuala Lumpur

2006-03-22T18:26:00.000+08:00

Batu Caves

When I arrived in KL, Bahar picked me up at the airport, drove me to his apartment, so I could drop off my stuff. From there we went to lunch and then headed to Batu Caves. Batu Caves are a place where thousands of Hindus come to worship. I was a few weeks early for Thaipusam festival (Bahar has some great photos online), but I arrived just in time for the unveiling of the huge gilded statue of Lord Moruga. Thousands of Hindus were present for the ceremony which ended with flower petals dropping from a helicopter.

This is a shot inside the caves. I climbed the 272 steps into the caves on an extremely hot day. Obviously the view from inside was worth it.

Kuala Lumpur Skyline

One of the last days of the trip, Bahar drove me through some of his old neighborhoods. It was almost like a tour of my housing in C-ville because he has lived in quite a few neighborhoods in and around KL. We drove up through a beautiful old neighborhood though and were able to get a gorgeous view of the city.

Chinese New Year

2006-02-15T14:23:00.000+08:00

All the students gathered at the rails on each level to see the performances in the courtyards. The primary courtyard is on the 3rd floor of the school and there are a total of 8 floors.

The school's Dragon Dance team gathers just inside the Moon Gate waiting for the Headmaster to start the celebration.

The Lions Dance was also performed by secondary level students. Two students are hidden under the costume and the team has been practicing all year to get the routines down.

The Dragon Dance Team in action. The dragon follows a ball on a stick which is just out of the picture. The dragon's body must also follow the movements of the head exactly.

One lion posing outside the Moon Gate.

Chinese New Year Photos
We had Chinese Week at school the week before the actual Chinese New Year holiday. The kids were allowed to wear Chinese outfits on Monday and Friday instead of the usual uniforms. Here are a few photos of the lion and dragon dances that were put on in the mornings. The drumming that goes along with the dances could be heard all over Hong Kong and in Malaysia.

Dragon Boat Training

2006-01-17T20:17:00.000+08:00

I'm exhausted so this is going to be short. The dragon boat team met at Stanley pier at 4:45PM. About half of the women are Stanley housewizes (very rich women)! Practice started with some brief explanation of how to paddle while leaning out of the boat. Then we headed out into the water. The conditions as the coach indicated were shitty (in a Bristish accent). It was rainy, dark, and really choppy. We headed out to another cove to find smoothier water to work on drills, but we didn't find smooth water anywhere. We ended up just doing drills out on the open water before heading into shore.

I got a few compliments from the coach, but I did completely soak the lady sitting in front of me. I got smacked by the paddle of the lady behind me though, so I think we are all learning. We paddled for a bit over an hour. My arms are a bit sore, but I am going back next week.

First Class Movie Theaters

2006-01-11T20:43:00.000+08:00

I definitely recommend seeing a movie in one of the palace theaters while in Hong Kong. It is like being in first class on an airplane. The palace has 6 seats across in each row. Each seat is a huge leather lazyboy with automatic feet rests that come up and seatbacks that go back. The seats are grouped in twos with a wood and brass console in between. The consoles are complete with call buttons to summon an usher an order popcorn or soda. The only thing that is lacking is a blanket because the theaters are freezing!

Sha Tin Races

2006-01-11T17:15:00.000+08:00

Gambling at the School Christmas Party!

Not only did we have alcohol at the Back to School Night, but we went to the horse races and gambled at the Primary school Christmas Party.

This was my first experience at the races, and we were in a fancy box high above the track. The box was complete with tv screens that displayed information about the races, a wall of windows, a serving staff, and doors that opened up to an outside seating area.

We had a few big winners in our group! Sadly, I was not one of them. I won money steadily on the first three races that I bet on and then lost just as steadily on the last three. I only came out about $10 short though.

Next time I will try the Happy Valley races. The track isn't quite as fancy, but you are much closer to the action.

I went to China!

2005-12-04T19:42:00.000+08:00

Today I went to Shenzhen, China to kick off my holiday shopping. I had bought a visa earlier in the week because I can't get across the border without one. Five of us got up early, so that we could arrive as the stores opened. Two of the teachers brought wheeled suitcases which I discovered is quite common because people buy so much stuff here to bring back to Hong Kong. My learning support teammate had a book on the mall in Shenzhen and had highlighted particular stores to visit.

After a variety of MTR rides and an hour in passport lines, we made it across the border and ventured into the giant mall. We squished into an elevator with other customers toting a variety of luggage on wheels from carry-on size to giant.

Our first stop was for DVD's. We found the shop #21 which we were looking for but were surprised to find golf-clubs and random stereo equipement rather than dvd's. The salesmen assured us it was fine and invited us in. We were each asked to sit on these kiddy sized plastic chairs while they pulled down the metal security door to the shop. Then one of the guys climbed up on the shelves, moved one of the ceiling panels and disappeared through the ceiling. We were passed books of dvd covers and asked to pick. When we picked a dvd the other salesman recorded a number and spoke into his walkie talkie. About 10 minutes later, the security door would lift about a foot and a bag would be shoved under which contained our selections. When getting ready to leave we had to stay because the police were checking the floor. It was a bit spooky but pretty funny too. Those dvd's were my only illegal purchases for the day.

I am not going to go into anymore detail because I want to keep most of my purchases a secret because I don't want to give away gifts.

Anyone interested in traveling?

2005-11-30T13:42:00.000+08:00

There are tons of places that I want to see while living in Hong Kong! AND I’ve decided that I need to try to organize my trips. If you want to travel to any of the following places let me know, so that I wait until you come.

New Zealand (again for a much longer period of time- specifically I want to hike and camp and possibly bungy jump on the South Island)

Australia (need to get my scuba license first though, as with New Zealand October- March is a better time to travel there)

Vietnam

Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, and climb Mt. Fuji)

Malaysia

Thailand (would love to go on a relaxing beach/spa vacation here)

China (Great Wall, Guilin, and more)

Cambodia

Bali (also a great beach vacation destination)

I have asked for travel books for Christmas, so I can learn more about all of these places. If you have been or know of other things to see in these areas, please add on. Bahar- I know nothing about Malaysia, so I need some suggestions. If you want to join me, just let me know when! I reliably have a Midterm break (in October), Winter break, Chinese New Years (early February), Spring break (in April), and the summer off. I know it is a grueling schedule!

Vicky and John's Wedding

2005-11-29T18:13:00.000+08:00

There is not much to say other than the wedding was perfect! Vicky and John are two of the most caring and genuine people I know, and I am so glad that they found each other!

If I had been brave enough to have given a speech at the wedding I think I would have mentioned the story that Vicky told me shortly after they got together.

Apparently third year of college, John lived in Lambeth and had to walk to the biology building each day for classes. Vicky was living at 1800 JPA at the time with Margaret and me and had to walk to the Architecture school each day. John remembered passing Vicky on his way to classes and thought she was really cute.

The only reason A.J. was able to convince him to come to our barbecue at the beginning of 4th year was because A.J. told him there was going to be a cute half asian girl at the party. John came because he hoped it would be the same girl he had passed on his way to classes.

Other Random Tidbits

2005-11-21T21:33:00.000+08:00

Quidam, one of the Cirque Du Soleil performances, is excellent! I went last Friday! The music is magical. The Chinese girls that twirled big spools on ropes were amazing along with the man and the woman that were able to balance each other in the air. The performers were all incredibely muscular! I would definitely recommend going and paying the money for a front view. All seats are great though because it is such a small intimate set up.

The secondary staff at CIS also has a great band. The guys played at The Wanch which is a tiny little bar in Wan Chai on a random side street. We went to see them after Cirque Du Soleil on Friday night. They play cover songs and can play just about everything on request. This was the second time I've seen them perform. On Friday, they also called up a bunch of other teachers to sing along. I'm not sure if it is because karaoke is so popular here, but all the singers were great.

The evening ended with a bit of dancing in Wan Chai!

New Cantonese phrases

2005-11-21T21:22:00.000+08:00

Yet, yee, saam, say (one, two, three, four)

I learned this tonight in my body combat class. Although, Carla continued to confuse me by saying it backwards. She is used to hearing her Chinese teaching partner, Lillian, counting backwards in class.

Doe Zan (good morning)

My nice door man taught me this a couple weeks ago .

Bo Ma San Doa (Braemar Hill)

This is useful when trying to get to school in the morning because CIS is on top of Braemar Hill. You have to make sure the ending of Doa goes up otherwise you end up going to an apartment complex at the bottom of the hill.

I wish there were more, but I will keep learning.

Pictures of Macau

2005-11-14T20:24:00.000+08:00

Tile work on the floor of the Institution of Education. Macau has all the tile work and beautiful colors of other European countries. Below, Gabbe and Holly pose next to the fountain in the courtyard.

The walkway that leads up to the courtyard at the Institution of Education.

Macau

2005-11-14T19:32:00.000+08:00

Macau is another island near Hong Kong. It is famous for its casinos and furniture. I've been twice so far although the first trip was purely shopping.

Gabbe, Holly, and I went on our second public holiday. However, we didn't realize we needed passports, and as a result, we didn't reach Macau until 2pm. We shopped most of the day, and I ended up carrying home a small butterfly cabinet.

Two weekends ago, Jeff and I headed back to see the island. We started out with a cup of coffee at Starbucks (a local tradition obviously). Then we jumped on a bus to Coloane island. I wanted to see the black sand beach because I thought it would be a fun place to go and stay if I needed a weekend away from the city. The beach did have black sand which in fact turned the water a lovely brown color. We didn't stay there long because it was really just a beach and not much else. We jumped on the next bus back to Taipo which was luckily a shorter ride because Jeff and I were standing on the minibus and it was not made for a guy over six feet to stand up in.

In Taipo, we ended up checking out the East Asian games. We lucked out and got tickets to two soccer games. Noise makers have not been banned in the stadiums here and everyone was enjoying banging them around. The soccer played by U19 or U21 teams was pretty good. The last one was rather uneventful because the North Korean team didn't push up the field much (although their defense was good). Jeff and I ended up leaving at the beginning of halftime of the second game.

We had another exciting bus ride. It started out with me frantically trying to scrounge up enough change to get on, and then I ended up being the last person on at the stop. I traveled to the next stop hugging the change machine at the front of the bus because it was packed. Jeff and I were shocked when the bus driver pulled up at the next bus stop and let on seven or eight more people. Luckily, we didn't let anymore people after tha. However, we were so crammed in that neither of us could see where we were going or know when to get off. We ended up having to take a taxi back over to the restaurant because we were so far away. We had an excellent dinner at a local restaurant called A Lorcha (the name of the Portugese boats). The food was fantastic and we tried some of the local green wine.

High Class in Macau

2005-11-14T19:10:00.000+08:00

This is the front end of a wedding car. Jeff and I saw this car parked behind a row of beautiful bungaloes that used to look out on a gorgeous sea view. We couldn't help but take a picture of it. Although, I did feel bad for the poor driver who had to sit and wait in the car. Vicky if you want the Mr. and Mrs. Hello Kitty pair for your wedding car, I'd be happy to bring some back for you and Johnny!

I never thought I'd see the day . . .

2005-11-14T18:58:00.000+08:00

I never thought I'd see the day that I would cheer for anyone over Ireland (seeing as UVA doesn't play any Irish teams), but I was definitely cheering for the ALL Blacks when they played Ireland's rugby team last weekend. The hakka at the beginning is enough to get anyone excited about the game. Ireland got squashed! Most of the fans were Irish since we were in an Irish pub, but most people left at halftime.

If anyone wants to come see the Hong Kong Sevens, you are welcome to stay with me. The rugby games start March 31st and go all weekend!

New Zealand

2005-11-02T21:07:00.000+08:00

New Zealand is absolutely beautiful! This picture gives you only a tiny glimpse of how gorgeous the countryside is in New Zealand. Lake Tarawera is in the middle of the North Island right near Rotorua which was our first stop.

My favorite part about New Zealand so far is the forever changing countryside. We only drove in about a 3 hour radius from Auckland and the landscape changed dramatically. New Zealand has rolling green hills and tons of sheep like Ireland. There are volcanoes, geysers, and boiling mud pools reminiscent of Costa Rica and South America. Then there is the redwood forest similar to Muir Woods near San Francisco along with tropical beaches. Last but not least are the vineyards and the cypress trees which makes you think you are in Italy (and the wine is fantastic)! And that's only part of the North Island.

Since being back I have already bought and watched the first Lord of the Rings movie, and I can't wait to go back and hike on the South Island because that is where most of the filming was done. Right now though I need to go to bed because I am still a bit jet lagged!

Good Night!

Camping with 8 Year Olds

2005-11-01T19:52:00.000+08:00

Two weeks ago I got a chance to join the year 4's on their annual camping trip. It was rather entertaining to see the kids all outfitted with the latest hiking backpacks in miniature sizes. Tears did ensue from a few kids who had never been away from home before along with grumbling from many about having to carry their own gear. Most of the kids have amahs or helpers at home who do almost everything for them.

We headed out to Lantau Island on a slow ferry at 8:30AM on Monday morning. All 88 made it to the campsite after having to walk about a half a mile from where the bus dropped us off. The group was very distracted by a herd of wild water buffalo that grazed in the feed just behind the camp. Upon arrival, the kids were whisked away by the camp leaders to get tours of the campsite leaving the teachers to sit at the beach resteraunt and enjoy tea and coffee.

Of course within 5 minutes of the first activity (tent setting up) the first pair of tighty whities appeared. From then on there was a never ending supply of underwear, girls and boys, being passed around camp.

I helped one group of boys, fondly knicknamed the old men, set up their tent. They are incredibly nice kids, but they all act as though they are 60 already. Gabbe and I have fun picturing what they will look like sitting in a pub or playing chess together when they get older.

In the afternoon, the kids were put into groups and did a variety of activities. The most anticipated of these was the kayacking which several parents were adamantly against. No one drowned or even fell out of the kayacks, so all was good. Others went on a nature walk, and the highlight of that activity was playing with hermit crabs and trying to incite the water buffalo to charge onto the beach.

The activities wrapped up just as the sun set, and we all headed off to light the campfires that the kids had prepared earlier in the day. Roasting hot dogs was the highlight of the evening. Some of the girls had no idea why their hot dogs were not getting cooked even though the hot dog was held about 3 feet from the fire.

That evening I headed back to Hong Kong Island on the ferry because I had meetings and other classes to attend on Tuesday. The ferry I caught was packed with Mormons on their mission. Needless to say, I decided not to convert.

I arrived back at camp Tuesday night just in time for dinner and a beach movie. One of my wonderful but very ADHD kids met me as soon as I stepped out of the cab. He was bouncing around in his bare feet and begging to go back to his tent because he had forgotten his shoes and wouldn't be able to eat without them. On the walk back to his tent, he told me that one of the water buffaoloes had wandered right through one of the groups of kids as they made their way back from the nature hike. This was a highlight of the day because (as my student informed me) he was born in the year of the buffalo, so he is not scared of them and can talk to them. Adorable kid!

The kids were exhausted Tuesday night because they had been up all of the night before and had played hard all day. Several fell asleep during the movie on the beach. We watched a classic which had Matt LeBlanc and a monkey that played baseball. The ones that stayed awake loved it, and the teachers were just glad that the screen didn't fall into the ocean because the tide was coming in.

Wednesday went pretty smoothly, and we managed to get everything packed up and back on the bus. The ferry ride flew by, and we got all the kids and gear on the buses headed up to the school. Unfortunately, one of the buses broke down on the way which just added a bit more fun to the end of the trip.

I definitely prefer camping with my friends, but it was really interesting to join these city kids on their first camping trip!

Superlatives

2005-10-09T07:58:00.000+08:00

Best New Find- Aji Ichiban- A store where I can buy snack sized packs of wasabi covered peas and flavored nori (seaweed).

Most Helpful Cantonese Phrase- Nee Doe Ung Goy (spelled somewhat phonetically) means "here please" and is used to get the mini-buses to stop. The phrase works about 70% of the time and is more effective when it is almost sung. However, the other 30% of the time I end up all the way down in Causeway Bay.

Closest Historical Landmark to my Apartment- Tin Hau Temple (2 blocks from Intelligent Court) was created to honor the Goddess of the Sea.

Best Take-Out- JoJo's Indian Food

Oddest Sight- My taxi driver plucking chin hairs with tweezers at stop lights.

Best Security System- HSBC bank- To access the online banking, you need to have a log-in name, a password, an electronic device that produces a random number to enter (the number changes each time you push the button), and random numbers from your passport number (example- 7th #, 3rd #, 8#). That is just for online banking! There are also ATM pins, and phone pins, and you have to sign papers at the bank to authorize yourself to make transfers online or over the phone. Needless to say, I'm saving a lot of money because I can't access my money.

Oddest Sound- British accents coming from 5 year olds.

Best Place To Go Dancing- Anywhere in Wan Chai- Mes Amis and Carnegies are the favorites though. Carnegies has a bar that everyone dances on!

Most Recent Goal- Train for a mini-triathalon- Carla, Gabbe, and I have found a relay mini-triathalon in November that we are going to sign up for, and we are searching for races in the spring. I'm also taking body pump classes to build up my arms for dragon boating in January.

Best Part of My Job- Trips! Year 4, 5, and 6 have camp, and I'm going to Taiwan with Year 6.

Best Place To Go Out- Lan Kwai Fong- An area with narrow streets lined with bars, clubs, and resteraunts. Hundreds of strands of white christmas lights are strung over the streets from building to building. It is located in Central one of the major business districts, so on Friday is it is overflowing with business people in suits who are out for happy hour. Right now the weather is perfect, and everyone hangs out, chats, and drinks in the streets as the music pours out of the bars and clubs.

Language Factoids- Putongwa is the original name for Mandarin. Cantonese has nine sounds while Putongwa only has four.

Best School Fact- Two girls from a rich family come to school with 3-4 bodyguards and they aren't any bodyguards but ghurkas (the British version of Ghorka). Ghurkas are highly trained fighters from a tiny village in the mountains of Nepal. They fought against the British when they were colonizing the region in 1812. Today units of ghurkas fight in the British army, are stationed in Iraq, and are the most respected and sought after bodyguards.

Most Annoying Realization- Even though I have lost a little weight since arriving, when buying clothes, I have to buy the biggest sizes available. Asian women are very tiny!

Best Way to Spend a Saturday- Relaxing on a Junk trip- Junks are the traditional Chinese fishing boats. With a group of at least 14, you can rent out a junk for a day. The crew serves snacks in the morning as you are taken to a semi-private beach at which point you can jump off the junk and swim ashore or be taken to the beach on a smaller speed boat. Lunch is catered on the boat and then everyone naps, reads, chats, or continues to swim throughout the afternoon. It is a great way to be spoiled for a day!

Once upon a time

2005-10-04T06:43:00.000+08:00

Since Liz hasn't updated in a while, and Blogger lets me, I am going to write something...

... ...

Oh yeah, I used to live in Hong Kong. My parents took us to McDonald's when we were good, which also meant I got to ride the ferry, because that's how you got to the McDonald's. And there was a game center right outside the McDonald's. That was awesome.

Hong Kong is hilly. Or at least we lived on a hill. To get to our apartment, you had to walk up a spiral driveway through the garage. And then there was a playground behind the apartments further up another hill. And to go to preschool, we walked down a road that was made out of stairs.

One time, my parents were going out and left me at a friend's house. I didn't like that so I cried and made a big fuss. The friend said I could play with a typewriter, so I felt a little better. But then it turned out to be a fake toy typewriter, not a real one, so I got upset again. My grandmother (in South Carolina, not Hong Kong) had a typewriter - it was pretty cool, except she was always afraid we'd break it.

I had a recurring nightmare in Hong Kong that a giant would walk by the window (we lived upstairs, so he must have been pretty big) and reach in to take me. I'd run down the hall to get away, except there was a window in the living room too, so he could still find me. He was a scary guy, that giant.

I guess those last two stories don't really have anything to do with Hong Kong.

The Legend of Hou Yi and Cheng'e

2005-09-16T12:41:00.000+08:00

Here is the second part of the story:

The Legend of Hou Yi and Cheng’e

Legends There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. the most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'e ascended to the moon. A long, long time ago, a terrible drought plagued the earth. Ten suns burned fiercely in the sky like smoldering volcanoes. The trees and grass were scorched. The land was cracked and parched, and rivers ran dry. Many people died of hunger and thirst.The King of Heaven sent Hou Yi down to the earth to help. When Hou Yi arrived, he took out his red bow and white arrows and shot down nine suns one after another. The weather immediately turned cooler. Heavy rains filled the rivers with fresh water and the grass and trees turned green. Life had been restored and humanity was saved.One day, a charming young woman, Chang'e makes her way home from a stream, holding a bamboo contaiver, A young man comes forward, asking for a drink. When she sees the red bow and white arrows hanging from his belt, Chang'e tealizes that he is their savior, Hou Yi. Inviting him to drink, Chang'e plucks a beautiful flower and gives it to him as a token of respect. Hou Yi, in turn, selects a beautiful silver fox fur as his gift for her. This meeting kindles the spark of their love. And soon after that, they get married.A mortal's life is limited, of course. So in order to enjoy his happy life with Chang'e forever, Hou Yi decides to look for an elixir of life.He goes to the Kunlun Mountains where the Western Queen Mother lives.Out of respect for the good deeds the has done, the Western Queen Mother rewards Hou Yi with elixir, a fine powder made from kerndls of fruit which grows on the tree of eternity. At the same time, she tells him:If you and your wife share the elixir, you will both enjoy eternal life. But if only one of you takes it,that one will ascend to Heaven and become immortal.Hou Yi returns home and tells his wife all that has happened and they decide to drink the elixir together on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month when the moon is full and bright.A wicked and merciless man named Feng Meng secretly hears about their plan.He wishes Hou Yi an early death so that he can drink the elixir himeslf and become immortal.His opportunity finally arrives. One day,when the full moon is rising, Hou Yi is on his way home from hunting. Feng Meng kills him. The murderer then runs to Hou Yi's home and forces Chang'e to give him the elixir, Without hesitating, Chang'e picks up the elixir and drinks it all.Overcome with grief, Chang'e rushes to her dead husband's sied, weeping bitterly.Soon the elixir begins to have its effect and Chang'e feels herself being lifted towards Heaven.Chang'e decides to live on the moon because it is nearest to the earth. There she lives a simple and contented life. Even though she is in Heaven, her heart remains in the world of mortals. Never does she forget the deep love she has for Hou Yi and the love she feels for the people who have shared their sadness and happiness.Another legend explained the role of the Old Man on the Moon, the Divine Match-maker. The Chinese believed that marriages were made in Heaven but prepared on the moon. The Old Man on the Moon tied the feet of young men and women with red cords for marriage. Thus a maiden made offerings and prayed to him during the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping that some day she would ride in the red bridal sedan chair.

Mid-Autumn Festival

2005-09-16T12:38:00.000+08:00

Here is the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival which is going on this weekend in Hong Kong. The story is interesting, and the fact that we get Monday off is fantastic. There are millions of paper lanterns hung inside and outside of all the buildings in Hong Kong, and there will be dragon parades in the evenings all weekend. For Amy Tan readers, this is also the festival during which mooncakes are eaten. This story comes from Lilian Wong one of the Year one teachers who has lived in Hong Kong most of her life.

Mid-Autum Festival

The story of Hou Yi and Cheng'e is a famous legend associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon. In addition to Cheng'e, some people say that there is a rabbit and an old man on the moon. Do you believe that? Do you know what is actually on the moon?

Most of us eat moon cakes during this festival. Do you know there is a story behind this popular sweet food? In the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese leaders planned to overthrow the corrupt Mongolian government. They made special cakes for the coming August Moon Festival. Messages were inserted into the cakes, telling people to start a coup together on the night of the Moon Festival. Finally, they succeeded. To commemorate this, Chinese people started eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Try the game "Message in the Mooncakes" below and learn some cool phrases and idioms with "moon" and "cake"!

Excuse Errors

2005-09-12T02:30:00.000+08:00

Hi! I can't seem to correctly fix errors such as "my apartment huge." I followed all directions for editing and republishing, but it isn't working. If you know how to do it, please write a comment, and enlighten me. Thanks!

Intelligent Court

2005-09-12T02:14:00.000+08:00

Location, Location, Location

My new apartment is in a corner of three major areas of Hong Kong Island: Tin Hau, Tia Hang, and Causeway Bay. It is five minutes from the busiest intersection (in terms of pedestrian traffic) in the world, four minutes from a MTR station (metro), one minute from the bus stop where I catch a bus to school, and three minutes from Victoria park where I run in the mornings.

Specs and Quirks

My apartment is huge compared to what I was expecting (approx. 625 square feet). It has two bedrooms, a newly remodeled kitchen and bathroom, a huge window in the living room. The window looks out on a view of green trees and the gigantic Central library. My bedroom window looks out on a trees and a small hill that leads up to another main road.

The apartment is beautiful, modern, and furnished. I lucked out because the owners were fixing it up for their daughter who decided that it wasn't convenient enough for her. The place is in great condition because no one has lived in it since it was remodeled. The floors are new and the place is freshly painted. One side of living room is bright yellow but will hopefully be tamed down a bit by the pictures that I bought in Stanley Market.

Now on to the quirks. There is an extremely loud water drain just outside my kitchen window which is rather annoying in the morning. The drain actually backed up on my first morning in the apartment and flooded the backroom which leads to the fire escape door. Conveniently, the room is slightly angled, so all the water drained out under the door and down the back stairs. No damage was done because the backroom is all tile. It was during a period of Amber rain (the lowest but still significant rain level indicator). The flooding has not occurred again, but currently the lighting in my bedroom is going haywire.

View from School

2005-09-11T13:58:00.000+08:00

Chinese International School
on Braemar Hill

This is the view at night from the back of the school. My office has this exact view! It's stunning!

Apartment Photos

2005-09-11T13:30:00.000+08:00

Hi

2005-09-11T08:35:00.000+08:00

Is this working?

Stanley Market

2005-08-29T12:15:00.000+08:00

Today I did my first fun shopping trip. Holly and I went to Stanley Market to buy decorations for our apartments, and we bought beautiful stuff. I will take everyone who visits to Stanley Market because it has excellent deals, and the quality of the items is good too.
I bought 6 framed pictures for the walls. Two are large versions of the Chinese symbols for Harmony and Strength. They are intricate designs of gold dragons on blue and green backgrounds. The other four are a matching set of vases with different bouquets. The designs of each of the vases has a specific meaning and are slightly different. They will hopefully calm down the bright yellow wall.
I also bought an umbrella stand (kind of like a giant vase) which is extremely useful especially during the rainy season (right now). I ended up buying a small vase and a pot as well because everything was so beautiful! I think it is official. I am going to need a shipping container when I move!

Duality of Hong Kong

2005-08-28T09:25:00.000+08:00

One of the things I love most about Hong Kong is the amazing duality of almost every aspect of the environment.

The landscape on Hong Kong Island varies dramatically between different ends of the island. I live very close to Causeway bay which is a huge shopping district filled with skyscrapers which flows into the other industrial areas like Central and Wan Chai. If you jump on a bus for a 20 minute ride to Repulse Bay or the area around Stanley, you will climb through mountains covered in green vegetation (and apparently a lot of snakes as well). You will pass beaches and lots of undeveloped land.

Hong Kong is incredibly modern in its architecture and yet skyscrapers are built and repaired using bamboo scaffolding. It is rather bizarre to see bamboo holding up a balcony on the 37th floor of an apartment building.

The people here in Hong Kong are is also modern and business conscious yet many superstitions and traditions are kept alive. When new buildings are built Feng Shui masters are always consulted to make sure the the building design will not bring bad luck. One gigantic building in Repulse Bay actually had to be redesigned, and a whole was added in the middle to allow the dragon of the mountain access to the sea. Numbers are important as well. When I got my mobile phone, I was asked if I wanted it to start with an 6 or a 9 (both are lucky number, 9 means eternity). After choosing 9, I was given 3 pages of possible numbers and was asked to choose the number that fit me the best. I was actually expected to take my time and make my decision carefully.

I will have to continue this list of examples because I am still learning a lot about Hong Kong.