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.