Hong Kong Life

My Job

As my time working in Hong Kong draws to a close, I have to say that I really do love the students that I have been working with for these past few weeks. My floor is very respectful and fun to supervise. Even if there is sometimes a language barrier, we all work through it and stay positive. It is interesting to observe their relationships with each other and to watch them develop. Disputes do occur between them, but in the end they have been able to work it out and maintain a sort of “brotherhood” with the rest of their hall.

 

The City

The city of Hong Kong is definitely an interesting place—unlike any city I have ever been in before. The population of Hong Kong is over 7 million and that is quite a lot of people in such a small place. In order to accommodate so many, the city is full of skyscrapers—even more than New York City. Many of these buildings are enormous apartment complexes where the majority of Hong Kong residents live. As I walk through the city, it is evident that commerce is around every corner: from giant shopping malls to outdoor markets. The shopping districts are packed with crowds of people making public transportation ports a place of major congestion.

Public Transportation is, however, quite efficient in Hong Kong. They have a seemingly endless system of buses, minibuses, trams, ferries, and underground “MTR” subway trains. I have to say I have never waited more than 2-3 minutes to board any of the available options. This is because the residents truly depend on public transportation. Owning cars is almost unheard of because of the taxes enacted by the government and the exorbitant parking fees (which makes sense—there is simply no room for cars or parking lots in the city). The public transportation system is actually quite cheap and any form of public transportation can be paid for via “octopus card.” The “octopus” system is both efficient and convenient—the card works sort of like a “Visa Pay-Pass.” Whenever you board a bus or walk into the MTR, you simply press your octopus card to the sensor and it automatically deducts the correct fare. So many people use the octopus system that restaurants, convenient stores, and even vending machines all accept octopus payments. In the bustling commerce-city of Hong Kong, the octopus card makes transactions lightning-fast.

My time in Hong Kong was definitely a great contrast of my time through Europe. It is interesting to really see elements of “the East” overtake elements of “the West.” The architecture is prominently constructivist—like what I had seen in Russia. For example the apartment buildings were built so plain and so tall, you could see that the goal of building them was to house the most people in the smallest space. The cuisine is much different as well and actually authentic, unlike the Chinese food that we are used to in the USA. It became uncommon to find a restaurant that actually used silverware instead of chopsticks. In fact even “Western” cuisine was prepared differently than what I am used to, except for the chain-restaurants like McDonalds.

 

New Friends

Through the summer I am happy to say that I have left with new perspectives and some new friends. Besides my American co-workers, I had the opportunity to work with several residents of Hong Kong, and Mainland China. In was interesting to see us all learn from each other as our time went on. One girl from China, Lily, said that she had never before been to a dance, or heard of “being pied” among other things. As we planned activities for the students—she had to learn herself about what these strange “American” things were all about. Likewise, I learned much spending time with them on campus and in the city. I often bombarded Oscar, a resident of Hong Kong, with questions about the city and the culture and he was happy to answer. I even learned some Cantonese phrases along the way. Working in Hong Kong has afforded me a great experience that I am so fortunate to have had! I may even consider visiting Asia again in the future.

First Impressions: Hong Kong

Leaving Again

After getting home from Europe and spending two weeks seeing my family and visiting my friends, the time for me to go to Hong Kong drew nearer and nearer. I was excited for the trip, but I left the USA without the same anticipation that I had when I had left for Ireland. I realized that I had become much more confident in myself and I felt as if getting to Hong Kong would just be another country, and another cultural opportunity for me to experience.

Before boarding my 20-hour flight I was once again alone in the JFK International airport in New York. I had to wait a few hours, so I decided to watch a film on my laptop. Partway through the movie I noticed a flash of color in my peripheral vision—fireworks. There I was, on the Forth of July, with the New York City fireworks so close, yet I couldn’t really admire their majesty. The window in the airport separated me from them. The glare of the indoor lights blurred the display. I felt as if the situation was almost an oddly perfect image of what my life has been like for more than half a year. Everything that had happened in the United States, my country, I had to witness from behind the glass of a computer or television screen. There, once again, I was separated. As the plane took off, I admired the miniature bursts of light that appeared all over the landscape, behind the glass of the plane’s window.

First Impressions

The plane ride was exhausting; I tried very hard to sleep and to begin to adjust to the 12-hour time difference that I would experience in Hong Kong. It was clear to me that I was about to see a big change of culture from the moment I stepped on the plane. Everyone around my seat was Asian and the women sitting next to me did not speak any English.

I arrived at the airport and got together my bags before making a plan to get to the University where I would be spending the next month. I purchased a public transportation card and got plenty of maps. Boarding my first bus, I had to point to my desired destination on a map in order to communicate with the bus driver, as he didn’t speak English either. I transferred to the metro and I quickly discovered that I was the only Caucasian on the subway. I became more sensitive to this fact and it was strange for me to experience. I had never before been in such a situation.

Meanwhile, the weather of Hong Kong was also unlike a climate that I had ever been in. The humidity and heat hits you like a ton of bricks and the air feels much more dense than what I was used to.  I was thankful for the air-conditioned bus and subway car.

After getting settled and moved into my new home, I got a hold of my friend in Hong Kong. Her name was Coni and she too studied abroad in Coleraine with me and we became friends. Coni showed me around the city and introduced me to authentic Asian cuisine. I tried it all, including something Coni called “the ligament of cow.”

Work

I am in Hong Kong working as a summer Resident Assistant for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. My job is to supervise the resident-students in the program as well as plan daily activities for them.  I worked for the same program last summer as well on a site in Hawaii, but this year is much different. All of my students are in fact Asian, and for many, English is their second language. Sometimes it is hard to communicate so I have to remember to communicate my messages concisely and effectively. Also, working with the University is sometimes a challenge because many of the workers do not speak English. Something as simple as ordering food can be so much more difficult. Luckily, my students help me every now and again.

For now, I am preparing to explore more of Hong Kong and to learn more about this new culture. I learn more each day.

Estonia and Coming Home

Estonia

            As we returned to Helsinki from Russia, we made our way to the other ferry port in the city to get to our final stop, Estonia. We stopped for some food at the market on the way before we boarded a tram towards the port. On the tram we saw a familiar face, Debora. Debora was a student from Mexico that also studied with us in Northern Ireland. Somehow, by chance, we met without any prior arrangements on this random tram in Helsinki. She was travelling alone so Miles and I asked if she would like to come to Estonia. She agreed.

The ferry ride to Tallinn was two hours long. We arrived and promptly checked into our hostel to go see the city. At our hostel we not only ran into a man that we met in our hostel in Copenhagen from Mississippi, but we also met two other men from Derry, Northern Ireland. They both had studied at the University of Ulster Coleraine and we were excited to exchange our stories from the University.

The city of Tallinn was small and featured many old structures such as medieval walls and towers. The streets were pedestrian friendly and there were many shops and restaurants just begging for tourists to visit. We enjoyed our time there and even took a day to visit the smaller town of Tartu. There, many locals stayed up all night long as even in Estonia, the sun was barely down for three hours.

After three days in Estonia, it was time for me to make my journey home. Reflecting on my time in Estonia—I truly believe that the world is much smaller than we may think. Well, at least that’s how I felt after meeting Debora, and the other friends that we made in Estonia from Northern Ireland. It was hard to leave Miles, he quickly became one of my best friends this last semester. However, life must go on, and friends come and go—but those we truly care about we will never forget. I know that we will keep in touch.

London, Once Again

            English! English everywhere! Signs, announcements, and conversations—all English! Arriving in London, I became very aware of how much I really did miss English. It had been two months since I had been in a predominantly English-speaking country! I landed in London after a two-hour flight from Tallinn and headed straight for my hostel to see if my bag was there.

I had sent my bag to a student-storage service for the two months that I was backpacking and I had given the service the hostel’s address to send to in order for me to retrieve it, but I never really received any confirmation that it actually arrived. Nevertheless, it was there and it was safe! I once again had all of my possessions that I brought-to and acquired-in Northern Ireland. Relieved, I spent the night going through my bag and my backpack, throwing out what I no longer needed, and consolidating everything else into one checked bag and a carry-on for my final flight home.

The following day, I woke up early and got ready to check out of the hostel. I went downstairs to eat breakfast and place my things in luggage storage only to find out that it was even earlier than I had thought. I set my alarm for 8AM, but the clock on my phone never changed from the Estonian Time-Zone. So, I was actually up at 6AM. I was annoyed, but decided to have an after-breakfast nap before going out into the city.

I arrived in time to visit Buckingham Palace to see the “changing of the guards” ceremony. (I had missed it the first time through London.) Afterwards, I had a quick lunch and visited St. Paul’s Cathedral. I was just in time for the afternoon Eucharist, and thus was able to get in to see the cathedral without purchasing a ticket. The palace and cathedral were both stunning and I was grateful to be able to see them before leaving.

It was strange—I was by myself once again in London. Yet, this time around I was much more content. I was comfortable being alone and seeing some sights before my flight back. I thought back to my first time in London—how it was cold and rainy, how I was alone and nervous. I was about to begin my semester in Northern Ireland and I didn’t know what to expect at all. I didn’t know that I would learn so much about the history of Ireland, that I would love my classes, that I would meet some unforgettable people who would change my life. All I knew was that I was alone and that I was destined for this new place called Coleraine.

Yet there I was again, in London—filled with these new, positive memories and experiences. I was a different person. I had so much more knowledge about the world and myself. I was able to focus on the present in London and to soak up the remainder of my time in Europe. I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, got my bags, and boarded the Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 scheduled for JFK International Airport. I was coming home.

Home

            How strange it was to meet my brother and his fiancé in the airport in New York, finally seeing them in person for the first time in over 5 months! And so weird to drive through Wilkes-Barre, to visit King’s, and to eventually get home to my parents. I couldn’t believe that I was back! It almost didn’t feel real. Now looking back at my program and my journey afterwards—they almost don’t feel real. I still think back to everything that I had experienced and find it so hard to believe that I was granted the opportunity to do and see so much.

I found myself for the first few days in a sort of “adjustment phase.” I actually had to adjust myself (besides just my body clock) to get back to my normal life here in the states! For example, when I was going to eat a yogurt from my fridge at home, I checked the expiration date, which was 07/04/11, and I almost threw it out! Yet, I opened it and it seemed fine. I realized that I had read the expiration date as April 7^th, 2011, because in Europe, dates are written with the date first instead of the month first.

Different things like that happened for the first few days, but I was back into the normal swing of things in no time. I also found that life around here hasn’t changed as much as I thought that it would. I’m not complaining though. I guess I was worried that life at home would change and that my friends at home would forget about me—but that was all just in my head. Everyone has been just as happy to see me as I them. And all in all, it is nice to be able to relax and to reflect on what I have learned over the last 5 months. What an adventure it has been!

Russia on a Whim

When I received my acceptance letter for the Irish American Scholars program for a semester of study in Northern Ireland, never did I expect to have to opportunity to travel through Europe for 2 months—let alone visit the country of Russia. As we were taking a break in our hostel, my friend Miles paged through a leaflet on Helsinki tourism and after a few moments he said excitedly: “we can go to Russia!” After a little research, we discovered that it was in fact true—you are legally allowed to be in the country for less than 72 hours without applying for a visa. The next evening—we boarded a ferry destined for Saint Petersburg, Russia.

As we arrived at the port in the early morning—all that could be seen of the city were the massive constructivist apartment buildings towering all around the port. They were blank, concrete towers—all built exactly the same and lined up in rows as far as the eye could see. The architecture was typical of the socialist era—I recall seeing the same type of buildings in Bulgaria while on the King’s Short-Term Study Abroad program through Bulgaria and Turkey. Once past the “wall” of concrete buildings—the city of Saint Petersburg was surprisingly Western. The architecture featured in the city was quite beautiful and the city had much to see.

We went to the Hermitage, which is the biggest art museum in the world—bigger than the Louvre in Paris. The Hermitage actually has over three million pieces, but only displays 5% at a time. We spent hours there and I even recognized some paintings such as “Woman holding a Fruit” by Paul Gaugain, which I had originally learned about in Dr. Scarboro’s Honors Modern and Contemporary History class in my first year at King’s. The Hermitage was beautiful and enormous on the outside and is known as “The Winter Palace,” featuring a baroque architectural design.

Aside from the Hermitage, I also enjoyed visiting the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, so –named because it is built over the site where the Russian Tsar, Alexander II, was murdered. The church was, in my opinion, the most unique building in the city—with both Baroque and Neoclassical elements. The church contains over 7500 square meters of mosaics, more than any other church in the world. It took over 27 years to restore the church to its current state because during World War II, it was used as both a morgue and a vegetable warehouse.

We also learned about the Siege of Leningrad, and about how over a million civilians died there in Saint Petersburg. The city now bears little visible scars from the attacks, and was overall a great place to visit. We were very fortunate to have to opportunity to get this taste of Russia and to really see how Westernization and Globalization has even reached as far as Russia. Not everyone speaks English there and sometimes getting around with street names in only the Russian Alphabet was a struggle-but the experience was well worth it.

My next stop is the country of Estonia, the last place that I will visit before making my way home.

Cheers!

Scandinavia

Copenhagen

     After a 20-hour train ride through Poland and Northern Germany, we arrived in Denmark and made our way to the capital, Copenhagen. We met our friend that we made in Coleraine during the semester there, Miles, and he joined Joy-Lynne and I for the trip. He too was backpacking through Europe and had traveled to Denmark to meet us. We both hadn’t seen him in over a month and it was a good reunion.

We learned right away that Copenhagen (and well all of Scandinavia) was actually very expensive. In order to save money, we cooked in our hostel and made cheap meals like Spaghetti and stir-fry with fresh vegetables. At the hostel, we made friends with two American army-men our age who were currently stationed in Germany, but had a long weekend for Memorial Day. They were both very nice and they decided to see Copenhagen with us.

We walked around the city and saw the statue of the Little Mermaid—placed there because the writer of the popular Disney movie was actually from Denmark. My favorite part though was walking through the “free city” of Christiania. It is this a community of artists and hippies that started their own community free of government regulations and law. The place was overgrown with green and every building was covered with paintings and graffiti. The people there were friendly and there were many small stands selling handmade jewelry and other souvenirs.

 

Stockholm

            After saying goodbye to our new Army friends, we left on a train to Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm turned out to be my favorite city in Scandinavia. It was beautiful, unique and it really felt safe. We couch-surfed there with a girl named Rebecca. She moved to Stockholm from the United States just two weeks prior, and felt as if she could use some familiar American company. Rebecca had just graduated from an undergraduate university in Boston and, on a whim, applied for a job in Stockholm. To her surprise, she got the job and moved there shortly after. She was very kind and hosted us for our stay in Stockholm.

The city of Stockholm is so big because it is actually made-up of a series of islands connects by bridges. The old city had tiny, winding, cobblestone streets and the city was full of great big parks that many locals poured into all day long. Days there are also especially long. The sun would set at about 10PM and would rise very early around 3AM. The actual darkness time actually continues to decrease until “Midsummer’s” where it is only dark for about 2 hours total.

While we were there, all of the local secondary schools were finishing for the yearand the seniors were celebrating their graduation. It is a tradition in Stockholm for every class of students (which is around 30 students that took all of their classes together for the entire duration of secondary school) to rent a dump truck and pile into the back of it and parade around the city. Each truck was decorated with banners and tree branches (symbolizing summertime/new growth) and each truck blasted music as they drove around the streets. As trucks would pass each other the students would splash the others with water and laugh and cheer.

I learned about this tradition when I met my friend Sara from Stockholm for coffee. Sara studied for a year as an exchange student at my high school 5 years ago. Never in my life would I have imagined that I would be talking with her over coffee in Sweden.

 

Oslo

            Joy Lynne had her flight booked out of Oslo, so her and I traveled there to spend a few days before she left and Miles stayed in Stockholm to wait for my return. Oslo was even more expensive than Copenhagen and Stockholm (we later found out that it is known to be the most expensive city in Europe)! Joy Lynne and I loved visiting the Vigeland Statue Park—where hundreds of statues of nameless people were carved and arranged—each one displaying a different stage of life. The statues were very real and relatable—they depicted such things as the innocence of childhood, and the struggles of parenthood.

Aside from the park, Oslo wasn’t really our favorite place. On our way to see the famous Opera house (which was a beautiful, modern piece of architecture) a man tried to pickpocket me in broad daylight! He asked if I had a lighter and after shaking my head “no” and continuing on my way, he grabbed my wrist tightly and began to violently speak to me in Norwegian. I tired to release myself from his grip and I didn’t allow him to get into my pocket with my other hand as he attempted. I stayed calm and stood my ground until another man came upon the scene and yelled at him in Norwegian. The thief let go and hurried off. I thanked the other man, and as we tried to walk away, he tried to pickpocket me as well! I pushed him off and said “no” and walked away quickly. I could tell that Joy Lynne was afraid—but the situation was over and we got back to our hostel safely.

I think that the most important thing when dealing with people like that is to not panic and to stand your ground firmly. I didn’t show either of them any fear and I didn’t allow them to rob me. I was glad that I was safe and that my things weren’t stolen. If however, either man had some sort of weapon—then I wouldn’t try to fight it, as I believe that your own health is worth so much more than a wallet. It is important to note as well that before going to any country, I make sure that I know all the correct emergency numbers just in case. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared, and it is always better to play it safe when you are out of your own environment. Luckily, I didn’t need to call anyone and this was the only situation like this that I have faced so far.

 

Finland

          Leaving Joy Lynn was hard for me, but I was happy for the time we had together and I was happy to meet Miles again in Stockholm. We immediately got onto a ferry to Finland to continue our Scandinavian adventure.

We arrived in Helsinki and began to explore the city directly. Helsinki was interesting in that it had a very large outdoor market that sold furs and other items made from animal skins and bones (mostly deer and moose). They even had reindeer meatballs and sausages that I sampled with Miles (they were actually quite good)! Aside from that, the city was also not our favorite—but most people go to Finland for the outdoors, not the city! So the two of us decided to go on a hike through a local National Park that was rumored to have wild flying squirrels! The hike was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We walked through dense forests and along beautiful lakes. Upon returning home, we discovered that we could actually go to Russia without a visa for under 72 hours by taking a specific ferry to Saint Petersburg. We couldn’t pass it up.

On the Move.

While backpacking, life moves fast, and everyday is just as exciting as the last. Imagine each day, being in a different place—a different culture than your own, and within a few days, being in another new place just waiting to be explored. Since visiting the island of Santorini in Greece, I went through Athens,Thessaloniki, Sofia, Beograd, Budapest, Zagreb, Split, Brach Island in Croatia, Ljubljana, Vienna, Martin, Prague, and Krakow.

My time in Eastern Europe has actually been more enjoyable to me than Western Europe. These cities are all still beautiful and brimming with history and culture, but they are just not as “commercialized” as Western Europe. This means two things: less tourists and cheaper prices (which to me has created a much better experience). For example in my hostels in Croatia, Ljubljana, Vienna, and Krakow—I have had entire “8 person” rooms to myself (it helps too that I am not traveling during “high tourist season”).

Budapest

In Budapest I couch-surfed with a Hungarian couple, Jozef and Andrea, and they were great hosts. After a day of seeing the city and visiting the “Museum of Terror” (which was once headquarters of the both the Nazi and Soviet leaders in Hungary—now a museum devoted to the history of the double-occupation that the country of Hungary underwent) Jozef and Andrea took me to a local theatre production at a University in the city. The production was actually a satirical musical about a Jewish man secretly working as a Nazi commander in Hungary. It was quite good, and they projected English subtitles above the stage, so I was able to understand it well. It was, however, odd to me that they would have a play such as that. It was something that made-sense to citizens of Hungary and contained themes of Hungarian pride and elements of Hungarian humor—themes that wouldn’t make sense in American theatre. I was grateful to have been able to see it, and to have been able to talk to Dodo and Andrea about how it was to live under Soviet rule. Andrea said when the change occurred in 1989—it was a smooth transition for them, they were all ready for it.

Martin

When I went to Martin, Slovakia, my brother, Joseph had arranged everything for me to meet and to stay with his friends there. Joseph taught English in Martin for a year with a Full Bright scholarship two years ago—and while on this trip, I wanted to take the opportunity to see where he lived. I stayed with his friend Lorenz, and met his other friends and some of his old students. I was able to see some of his favorite spots in the city and eat some traditional Slovak dishes like Halusky.  It was a great way for me to connect with Joseph and to understand what it was like for him to live in Slovakia. His students remembered him well and spoke of him with good regards—I was proud to hear it.

Krakow

The city of Krakow was also a beautiful city, and being that I am half-Polish myself, I was very excited to be able to see a little bit of Poland. Krakow has the biggest market square in Europe and it was bustling with merchants, locals, and tourists. I was able to try some traditional polish food and listen to live Polish folk music. On one day, we visited the Salt Mines of Wicesism, which contained old statues and enormous underground cathedrals all carved from rock. They were beautiful and featured intricate carvings of religious stories and figures.

We also visited Auschwitz to see the remains of the concentration camp that existed there during WWII. The experience was moving, and certain aspects made me feel uneasy, such as walking to “death wall” where they shot and killed hundreds of prisoners, seeing the enormous pile of human hair that was saved from the shaving of the victims of the camp, and walking through the gas chamber and crematorium, where thousands of people were killed. It felt strange to be there and to walk through the camp—among other tourists and school groups. I imagined the scene at Birkenau, where thousands of Jews and other prisoners were marched to their collective death—now herds of tourists march through the camp—trying to fathom the monstrosity of the camp. I tried to imagine what the camp looked like in its use, and tried to realize that this place was the last place that so many people would have seen.

I learned a lot from visiting Krakow, and seeing Auschwitz. It is important to know that part of traveling is learning these hard lessons and applying them to your knowledge of the world. I know that I have already taken much from this trip and these lessons will forever change my perceptions and understanding of both history and life.

That’s it for now-Copenhagen waits!

Cheers!