I'm back in the States, after nearly thirty hours of travelling. I'm still a little out of it in terms of jet-lag, but I've been able to get up and do things (Fourth of July at the waterfront, Holiday Park or something, shopping at Target, lots of family time, eating), and starting Monday will begin all the getting-my-life-in-Louisville-up-and-running ordeal. Banks, licenses, cars, insurance, jobs. In other words, fun to the max.
America feels so much different in ways that I can't begin to describe. And I've gone from a city of predominantly Asian people to one of predominantly...not Asian people. Which is always something of a shocker. Anyway. Really out of it right now, should probably hit the sack. Suffice it to say that I think I have finished with this blog. *tears* So if you've been reading all along, hope you enjoyed!
A bientôt, mes amis.
~Laura
Monday, June 30, 2008
I am almost at the end of my Hong Kong ETA experience. And what an experience it has been. Unexpected events, happenings, and growings up (hopefully). I will not be updating this blog too much after I get back to the States, since it was created for the sole purpose of tracking my time in HK. I feel the need for some closure on my time here. I've still got two and a half days, but that's nothing. I also still have to pack my room, which is a slightly larger something.
I have spent eleven months outside of the United States and my family and friends back home. I've made new friends here, predominantly among the other ETAs. I've learned how to eat all kinds of food that first off I never thought I'd eat (shark fin soup once only, jelly fish, chicken's feet, etc.) and second off always with chopsticks. I appreciate how wonderful the mass transit system is, though no doubt true appreciation won't arrive until I get back to using not so great and/or non-existent public transit at home. I've discovered new favorite drinks (iced lemon tea, which I can actually say in Chinese, gasp), new favorite restaurants and types of food, and the glory of arriving back in the gray box that is my room after a two hour trek from the main island or Lantau or wherever I've gone. I've eaten more instant noodles than I ever thought I would, a feat for me, since I've always been fond of ramen. Interestingly, I no longer eat cup noodles....I think I burned out after the, oh, I don't know, thousandth cup. I know and understand the glory that is 7eleven, and the fact that it stocks incredibly useful and incredibly bizarre things. I appreciate the various promotions said store(s) have done (Doraemon stampers, Hello Kitty whatever they were, and Paddington bears). I love the prevalence of taxis. I enjoy being able to go to the beach, even if it takes forever to get there. I love the shopping situation here, including my love affair with the store Esprit. *sigh* I got my hair chemically straightened here, and it still looks good even though it's grown out for several months now.
This seems a list of trivalties and not at all representative of what a trip to Hong Kong should be like. And true, if I think about the other 'big' things I did, I come up with lots more: teaching trips in China, Aladdin Jr. choreography and performances, SAPs/WAPs, developing and teaching modules, Self Access assignments, seeing pandas at Ocean Park, formal dinners/meetings with US consulates and donors to the program, two invasive knee surgeries and months of physical therapy, visiting Beijing, teaching primary school children English and seeing how excited they got to see us and play English games, shopping in the markets, eating a lot of interesting and usually enjoyable food, etc etc etc. And these do shape my perception of Hong Kong and my year here. But it's the little things that come to mind as I sit at my desk in the ETA office and think back on what I've done and experienced here.
I know that much, or even all, of my postings have been less reflection and significantly more recounting of this that or the other. This post isn't much different, only more comprehensive.
Also, let me bring something up that dominated my posts from 2007 and even into 2008. I tore my ACL in August of 2007. I had an initial arthroscopy in early September and reconstructive surgery at the end of October. It seems like that was all a bad dream now. Even the constant twinges of pain and the fact that I can't sit or stand or walk for extended periods of time (completely dreading the flights back, by the by) don't serve to make the experience more real to me. At the time, there was nothing more real, more terrifying, more lonely. I remember, feeling helpless and alone after my second surgery, when I had no visitors to the hospital, when all I had was a book (Starship Troopers I think) and a pain that shot from my toes to my hip, when my only visit was the hospital chaplain who came by and spoke with me for almost ten minutes and made me feel that I was not going to die and that this was not the end of the world. All a bad dream now. Admittedly, a dream that can still wake me up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, but a dream nonetheless. Even the painfully bland and unemotional letter from my surgeon means nothing to me anymore. The scars on my knee are vivid and noticeable, but they don't hurt. The feeling in my leg is coming back - it's not completely numb anymore. I can wear heels, I can run down a flight of stairs (not while wearing heels, obviously, being one of the most clumsly people I know), I can dance, and I can go on a trip to China without feeling like I might fall over/not be able to use certain bathroom facilities. I know I've talked about it a lot. But it was a big deal. I had to grow up a lot, I had to put up with a lot of pain, and I had to do a lot of it alone. I was knocked out twice and woke up, feeling awful, but never so happy to be awake. Although it might have been easier, in the short run, to have torn my ACL in the States near people who could take care of me and where the doctors and nurses first language was English, I'm so grateful that it happened abroad if it had to happen, in a country where even though I'm not a permanent resident, they paid for my surgeries. I only had to front the cost of Physical Therapy, overnight stays, and 2/3 of an MRI scan. And I am without words to describe how thankful I am that I had a surgeon who knew what he was doing and did it well, to have had a physical therapist who kept pushing me even when she knew I was in pain and didn't want to go on. Without them, I can't imagine what sort of condition I'd be in now.
Once again, I've lost myself in a torrent of words and have no idea what my point was to begin with. Hmmmmm.
Well, we'll do this in list form for now.
Favorites
Restaurants: Curry King (Tai Po), Ajisen Ramen (all over), Lemon Chicken restaurant (Sha Tin), Funny Drink Restaurant aka Blue Mountain cafe (Tai Po)
Stores: Esprit, Page One, Tai Po Plaza (series of small shops with amazing and ridiculous finds)
Mall: Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong)
Bus: 275 hahahaha, especially on Sunday, ha. ha. ha.
Beach: Lantau one (can't think of the name) or Shek-O
Amusement Park: Disneyland
Prominent animated character: Stitch
Food: dim sum!, chicken curry fried rice with an egg, chicken with lemon glaze, noodle dishes
Music Video: Jay Chou's Cowboy on the Run
Drink: Tung leng cha (spelling?) Iced Lemon Tea
Hospital: Nethersole Hospital Tai Po
Place to be at night: my room, one of my neighbor's room, the office
Chewing gum: Airwaves Herbal Mint
Most useful
Item from home: ipod speakers
Piece of advice: calling cards are a lot cheaper than just calling straight from your phone
Word: mgoi
Article of clothing: umbrella
Store: 7eleven
Book: Lonely Planet China
Thing: Pack of tissues. Always always carry tissues.
Most interesting
Comment: Your face looks fatter.
Outfit (that I have not worn): shorts, boots, and something glittery/frilly/ruffley
Outfit (that I have worn): leg warmers, heels, black halter dress
Bus ride: E41? Any minibus ride, because it feels like death coming at you at every turn
Things I have bought: all my souvenirs, my bright yellow jacket, and my huge silver bag
Trait that I picked up while over here: saying hai-a in a really whiny way
Most common
Comment: You look Chinese.
Food: Rice. And tea.
Difficulty: Lack of Chinese language knowledge/heat/humidity/rain
I'm sure I'll think of other things later on, but this will do for now, since I've been pecking away at this post for almost an hour. Should probably go work on packing. Or dinner. Either would be advisable.
Song I've listened to too many times while writing this: Bleeding Love
Why, why am I listening to this song?
I have spent eleven months outside of the United States and my family and friends back home. I've made new friends here, predominantly among the other ETAs. I've learned how to eat all kinds of food that first off I never thought I'd eat (shark fin soup once only, jelly fish, chicken's feet, etc.) and second off always with chopsticks. I appreciate how wonderful the mass transit system is, though no doubt true appreciation won't arrive until I get back to using not so great and/or non-existent public transit at home. I've discovered new favorite drinks (iced lemon tea, which I can actually say in Chinese, gasp), new favorite restaurants and types of food, and the glory of arriving back in the gray box that is my room after a two hour trek from the main island or Lantau or wherever I've gone. I've eaten more instant noodles than I ever thought I would, a feat for me, since I've always been fond of ramen. Interestingly, I no longer eat cup noodles....I think I burned out after the, oh, I don't know, thousandth cup. I know and understand the glory that is 7eleven, and the fact that it stocks incredibly useful and incredibly bizarre things. I appreciate the various promotions said store(s) have done (Doraemon stampers, Hello Kitty whatever they were, and Paddington bears). I love the prevalence of taxis. I enjoy being able to go to the beach, even if it takes forever to get there. I love the shopping situation here, including my love affair with the store Esprit. *sigh* I got my hair chemically straightened here, and it still looks good even though it's grown out for several months now.
This seems a list of trivalties and not at all representative of what a trip to Hong Kong should be like. And true, if I think about the other 'big' things I did, I come up with lots more: teaching trips in China, Aladdin Jr. choreography and performances, SAPs/WAPs, developing and teaching modules, Self Access assignments, seeing pandas at Ocean Park, formal dinners/meetings with US consulates and donors to the program, two invasive knee surgeries and months of physical therapy, visiting Beijing, teaching primary school children English and seeing how excited they got to see us and play English games, shopping in the markets, eating a lot of interesting and usually enjoyable food, etc etc etc. And these do shape my perception of Hong Kong and my year here. But it's the little things that come to mind as I sit at my desk in the ETA office and think back on what I've done and experienced here.
I know that much, or even all, of my postings have been less reflection and significantly more recounting of this that or the other. This post isn't much different, only more comprehensive.
Also, let me bring something up that dominated my posts from 2007 and even into 2008. I tore my ACL in August of 2007. I had an initial arthroscopy in early September and reconstructive surgery at the end of October. It seems like that was all a bad dream now. Even the constant twinges of pain and the fact that I can't sit or stand or walk for extended periods of time (completely dreading the flights back, by the by) don't serve to make the experience more real to me. At the time, there was nothing more real, more terrifying, more lonely. I remember, feeling helpless and alone after my second surgery, when I had no visitors to the hospital, when all I had was a book (Starship Troopers I think) and a pain that shot from my toes to my hip, when my only visit was the hospital chaplain who came by and spoke with me for almost ten minutes and made me feel that I was not going to die and that this was not the end of the world. All a bad dream now. Admittedly, a dream that can still wake me up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, but a dream nonetheless. Even the painfully bland and unemotional letter from my surgeon means nothing to me anymore. The scars on my knee are vivid and noticeable, but they don't hurt. The feeling in my leg is coming back - it's not completely numb anymore. I can wear heels, I can run down a flight of stairs (not while wearing heels, obviously, being one of the most clumsly people I know), I can dance, and I can go on a trip to China without feeling like I might fall over/not be able to use certain bathroom facilities. I know I've talked about it a lot. But it was a big deal. I had to grow up a lot, I had to put up with a lot of pain, and I had to do a lot of it alone. I was knocked out twice and woke up, feeling awful, but never so happy to be awake. Although it might have been easier, in the short run, to have torn my ACL in the States near people who could take care of me and where the doctors and nurses first language was English, I'm so grateful that it happened abroad if it had to happen, in a country where even though I'm not a permanent resident, they paid for my surgeries. I only had to front the cost of Physical Therapy, overnight stays, and 2/3 of an MRI scan. And I am without words to describe how thankful I am that I had a surgeon who knew what he was doing and did it well, to have had a physical therapist who kept pushing me even when she knew I was in pain and didn't want to go on. Without them, I can't imagine what sort of condition I'd be in now.
Once again, I've lost myself in a torrent of words and have no idea what my point was to begin with. Hmmmmm.
Well, we'll do this in list form for now.
Favorites
Restaurants: Curry King (Tai Po), Ajisen Ramen (all over), Lemon Chicken restaurant (Sha Tin), Funny Drink Restaurant aka Blue Mountain cafe (Tai Po)
Stores: Esprit, Page One, Tai Po Plaza (series of small shops with amazing and ridiculous finds)
Mall: Festival Walk (Kowloon Tong)
Bus: 275 hahahaha, especially on Sunday, ha. ha. ha.
Beach: Lantau one (can't think of the name) or Shek-O
Amusement Park: Disneyland
Prominent animated character: Stitch
Food: dim sum!, chicken curry fried rice with an egg, chicken with lemon glaze, noodle dishes
Music Video: Jay Chou's Cowboy on the Run
Drink: Tung leng cha (spelling?) Iced Lemon Tea
Hospital: Nethersole Hospital Tai Po
Place to be at night: my room, one of my neighbor's room, the office
Chewing gum: Airwaves Herbal Mint
Most useful
Item from home: ipod speakers
Piece of advice: calling cards are a lot cheaper than just calling straight from your phone
Word: mgoi
Article of clothing: umbrella
Store: 7eleven
Book: Lonely Planet China
Thing: Pack of tissues. Always always carry tissues.
Most interesting
Comment: Your face looks fatter.
Outfit (that I have not worn): shorts, boots, and something glittery/frilly/ruffley
Outfit (that I have worn): leg warmers, heels, black halter dress
Bus ride: E41? Any minibus ride, because it feels like death coming at you at every turn
Things I have bought: all my souvenirs, my bright yellow jacket, and my huge silver bag
Trait that I picked up while over here: saying hai-a in a really whiny way
Most common
Comment: You look Chinese.
Food: Rice. And tea.
Difficulty: Lack of Chinese language knowledge/heat/humidity/rain
I'm sure I'll think of other things later on, but this will do for now, since I've been pecking away at this post for almost an hour. Should probably go work on packing. Or dinner. Either would be advisable.
Song I've listened to too many times while writing this: Bleeding Love
Why, why am I listening to this song?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The sky cleared enough to go to the beach on Saturday, which was lovely and clear and beautiful. Went to Lantau and did some swimming and lying out - but mostly just fell asleep for about an hour. I was feeling pretty sick.
Sunday was the kindergarten graduation. So adorable! They were wearing black robes with bright green bowties. And then they did their 'show,' and the class that I worked with was winter. They were wearing Christmas-y costumes and winter wonderland outfits. They did a 'dance' that I helped with. :) It was a music medley starting with a Disney version of 'Step in Time' which sounded oddly and suspiciously like a very bizarre and fast version of that song in Mary Poppins. Then, it moved into 'Jingle Bell Rock' and then into a Chinese version of 'Amazing Grace'. Very pretty. The other classes were the other seasons, including one season which used 'All for the Best' from Godspell. Pretty awesome. Felt awful after that (head swimming, feverish tendencies, etc) but had work to do in the non-airconditioned office, and then took a looooong nap. Then more work. Then more sleep.
Monday, hmmmm, Monday. Oh, I had to go to Wan Chai to take care of some businessy stuff related to taxes etc. Then went to lunch at a Sichuan restaurant in Soho. From there, back to campus, and then! And then! Monkey Mountain! hahahahaha. Serious hardcore monkeys everywhere. Some of which hissed and assumed attack positions. When they dropped down on the handrails next to you, it was pretty much terrifying. They were eerily human at times, especially the babies.
I went into the mainland on Tuesday with a couple people. Back to Guangzhou! My first China visit, and probably my last. *tears* We stayed overnight at a hotel. The first day it was really really hot and sunny, and we walked around, did a bit of shopping, ate some good food, and went on a cruise of the Pearl River. The next day it was raining. We went to a couple temples, the art museum, and dinner. We took the train there and back. Good times.
Today I had my last class with the kindergarten. Even though they've graduated, they still have three weeks of school left. I don't think these poor children are ever done with classes. We played games, and I had made candy bags for all of them. So it was a good time. Went bowling and had dinner. Good times.
Must needs get up early and pack a box and do laundry. Lots to do before I leave for the States. *meep*
Sunday was the kindergarten graduation. So adorable! They were wearing black robes with bright green bowties. And then they did their 'show,' and the class that I worked with was winter. They were wearing Christmas-y costumes and winter wonderland outfits. They did a 'dance' that I helped with. :) It was a music medley starting with a Disney version of 'Step in Time' which sounded oddly and suspiciously like a very bizarre and fast version of that song in Mary Poppins. Then, it moved into 'Jingle Bell Rock' and then into a Chinese version of 'Amazing Grace'. Very pretty. The other classes were the other seasons, including one season which used 'All for the Best' from Godspell. Pretty awesome. Felt awful after that (head swimming, feverish tendencies, etc) but had work to do in the non-airconditioned office, and then took a looooong nap. Then more work. Then more sleep.
Monday, hmmmm, Monday. Oh, I had to go to Wan Chai to take care of some businessy stuff related to taxes etc. Then went to lunch at a Sichuan restaurant in Soho. From there, back to campus, and then! And then! Monkey Mountain! hahahahaha. Serious hardcore monkeys everywhere. Some of which hissed and assumed attack positions. When they dropped down on the handrails next to you, it was pretty much terrifying. They were eerily human at times, especially the babies.
I went into the mainland on Tuesday with a couple people. Back to Guangzhou! My first China visit, and probably my last. *tears* We stayed overnight at a hotel. The first day it was really really hot and sunny, and we walked around, did a bit of shopping, ate some good food, and went on a cruise of the Pearl River. The next day it was raining. We went to a couple temples, the art museum, and dinner. We took the train there and back. Good times.
Today I had my last class with the kindergarten. Even though they've graduated, they still have three weeks of school left. I don't think these poor children are ever done with classes. We played games, and I had made candy bags for all of them. So it was a good time. Went bowling and had dinner. Good times.
Must needs get up early and pack a box and do laundry. Lots to do before I leave for the States. *meep*
Friday, June 20, 2008
Books I have Read in Hong Kong
Guide:
Bold – Read more than once (and probably more than two or three times)
Italics – Had read prior to coming to HK
Achebe, Chinua
Things Fall Apart
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
Purple Hibiscus
Anderson, Kevin J.
The Emperor’s Plague
Darkest Knight
Heirs of the Force
Ba, Mariama
So Long a Letter
Binchy, Maeve
Circle of Friends
Brown, Dan
Deception Point
Browning, Robert
Collected Poems (working on it)
Card, Orson Scott
Ender’s Game
Speaker for the Dead
Enchantment
Chang, Iris
The Rape of Nankin (working on it)
Coetzee, J.M.
Age of Iron
Cushman, Karen
Catherine, Called Birdy
Dangarembga, Tsitsi
Nervous Conditions
DeMaurier, Daphne
Rebecca
Dick, Philip K.
Solar Lottery
Dostoevsky, Fyodor
The Brothers Karamazov (working on it)
Eco, Umberto
How to Travel with a Salmon
Faith in Fakes (working on it)
Grahame, Kenneth
The Wind in the Willows
Gregory, Philippa
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Virgin’s Lover
The Boleyn Inheritance
Gristwood, Sarah
Elizabeth and Leicester
Hardy, Thomas
The Woodlanders
Heinlein, Robert A.
Starship Troopers
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Requiem
Methuselah’s Children (working on it)
Space Cadet
The Door into Summer
Glory Road (working on it)
Hughes, Thomas
Tom Brown’s School Days
Iyayi, Festus
Awaiting Court Martial
Jacques, Brian
Mossflower
Outcast of Redwall
The Bellmaker
Marlfox
Juster, Norton
The Phantom Tollbooth
Kidd, Chip
The Cheese Monkeys
Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird
Neruda, Pablo
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
Ngugi
I Will Marry When I Want
Orwell, George
Down and Out in Paris and London
Palahniuk, Chuck
Rant: An Oral Autobiography of Buster Casey
p’Bitek, Okot
Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol
Proust, Marcel
Swann’s Way (working on it)
Pullman, Philip
The Golden Compass
Ransome, Arthur
Favorite Russian Fairy Tales
Roth, Philip
Portnoy’s Complaint (did not finish)
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rushdie, Salman
The Moor’s Last Sigh
Sachar, Louis
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Wayside School is Falling Down
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Thrones, Dominations
Shaara, Jeff
The Rising Tide: A novel of WWII
Silverstein, Shel
A Light in the Attic
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Smith, Alexander McCall
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Soyinka, Wole
Death and the King’s Horseman
Tartt, Donna
The Secret History
Waugh, Sylvia
Mennyms in the Wilderness
Turner, Megan Whalen
The King of Attolia
Alison Weir
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Innocent Traitor
Elizabeth, the Queen
Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris
Queen’s Own Fool
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm
At least a dozen Agatha Christie Books
Scores of illustrated children’s books
And others I may have forgotten
Bold – Read more than once (and probably more than two or three times)
Italics – Had read prior to coming to HK
Achebe, Chinua
Things Fall Apart
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
Purple Hibiscus
Anderson, Kevin J.
The Emperor’s Plague
Darkest Knight
Heirs of the Force
Ba, Mariama
So Long a Letter
Binchy, Maeve
Circle of Friends
Brown, Dan
Deception Point
Browning, Robert
Collected Poems (working on it)
Card, Orson Scott
Ender’s Game
Speaker for the Dead
Enchantment
Chang, Iris
The Rape of Nankin (working on it)
Coetzee, J.M.
Age of Iron
Cushman, Karen
Catherine, Called Birdy
Dangarembga, Tsitsi
Nervous Conditions
DeMaurier, Daphne
Rebecca
Dick, Philip K.
Solar Lottery
Dostoevsky, Fyodor
The Brothers Karamazov (working on it)
Eco, Umberto
How to Travel with a Salmon
Faith in Fakes (working on it)
Grahame, Kenneth
The Wind in the Willows
Gregory, Philippa
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Virgin’s Lover
The Boleyn Inheritance
Gristwood, Sarah
Elizabeth and Leicester
Hardy, Thomas
The Woodlanders
Heinlein, Robert A.
Starship Troopers
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Requiem
Methuselah’s Children (working on it)
Space Cadet
The Door into Summer
Glory Road (working on it)
Hughes, Thomas
Tom Brown’s School Days
Iyayi, Festus
Awaiting Court Martial
Jacques, Brian
Mossflower
Outcast of Redwall
The Bellmaker
Marlfox
Juster, Norton
The Phantom Tollbooth
Kidd, Chip
The Cheese Monkeys
Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird
Neruda, Pablo
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
Ngugi
I Will Marry When I Want
Orwell, George
Down and Out in Paris and London
Palahniuk, Chuck
Rant: An Oral Autobiography of Buster Casey
p’Bitek, Okot
Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol
Proust, Marcel
Swann’s Way (working on it)
Pullman, Philip
The Golden Compass
Ransome, Arthur
Favorite Russian Fairy Tales
Roth, Philip
Portnoy’s Complaint (did not finish)
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rushdie, Salman
The Moor’s Last Sigh
Sachar, Louis
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Wayside School is Falling Down
Sayers, Dorothy L.
Thrones, Dominations
Shaara, Jeff
The Rising Tide: A novel of WWII
Silverstein, Shel
A Light in the Attic
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Smith, Alexander McCall
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Soyinka, Wole
Death and the King’s Horseman
Tartt, Donna
The Secret History
Waugh, Sylvia
Mennyms in the Wilderness
Turner, Megan Whalen
The King of Attolia
Alison Weir
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Innocent Traitor
Elizabeth, the Queen
Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris
Queen’s Own Fool
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm
At least a dozen Agatha Christie Books
Scores of illustrated children’s books
And others I may have forgotten
Less than two weeks left in Hong Kong. Ahhhhhhhhh. It's a hard concept to wrap my mind around. I can't imagine what it will be like to not be able to hop on the bus/KCR and go somewhere with fantastic stores, food, sights, etc. Not knocking the States, but it's just a whole different world here.
The LSAT is mercifully over. And I'm already starting to count down days till I hear back. But not quite. It's more that it just matches up almost perfectly to the days till I'm back in the States.
I feel that the next thirteen days are going to be crazy hectic, running around taking care of paperwork, packing, seeing the last few things, trying to figure out what all is happening in the States upon my return, etc.
Bit jittery at the moment.
The LSAT is mercifully over. And I'm already starting to count down days till I hear back. But not quite. It's more that it just matches up almost perfectly to the days till I'm back in the States.
I feel that the next thirteen days are going to be crazy hectic, running around taking care of paperwork, packing, seeing the last few things, trying to figure out what all is happening in the States upon my return, etc.
Bit jittery at the moment.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Flash floods, sea sickness, gambling, and Portuguese/Chinese encounters, also known as my weekend. :)
Friday went to pick up my glasses...awesome. Statement making in that they're black plastic frames and have glitter/rhinestones on the sides, but they fit and although they did make me dizzy and gave me a headache the first day, it went away relatively soon. As opposed to my other pair of black glasses which gave me a three day headache and made the world look a lot taller and further away than normal.
But the fun stuff! Macau.
I had originally planned to go just for Saturday. I was going with some people who were overnighting it, but I wanted to get back, be able to study, and not drop a ton of money. Went to bed late late Friday night, woke up earlyyyyyyy to the rain that seems to never stop. Didn't think too much of it as I got ready to go, but as I left the building the security guard gestured emphatically and excitedly to the door sign, which said that a black rainstorm warning had been issued. So I nodded and breezed right on out.
Taxi to Tai Po Center, 307 to the Central Ferry Piers. Should have been around an hour on the bus. Ended up being much more, because apparently a black rainstorm warning means A LOT of rain. The roads flooded in Central. We saw taxis stopped in the middle of the road with water up to their bumpers, trashcans floating down the street, restaurants/hotels/stores with the water lapping inside and sometimes even covering the floor. People were knee-deep in water and sloshing around. Luckily the bus got through a lot of the deep water, and we got out on a part of the street that wasn't incredibly flooded. Dashed through the rain to the ferry pier and managed to catch the boat we were supposed to take even though we were running late. I've been on a fair number of ferry rides in my life (around here and then out to Bald Head), but this one made me sick. Thought I was going to be violently ill, but managed to drift off to sleep for a bit.
Woke up to rain in Macau. Got off the boat, went through immigration, then wandered around in the rain trying to find the free shuttle bus to take us from the pier to the hotel. Had decided by that point to spend the night. My ticket was originally 11pm Saturday night, but the weather in HK being what it was, I thought it wiser to just stay in Macau. Anyway, finally decided to take a taxi to the hotel which wasn't that far away. Checked in but couldn't actually get into the room till after three. So we went to the Venetian. Which is a very large hotel/casino/shopping center. We took the free bus back to the pier and then another free bus from the pier to the Venetian.
How to describe the Venetian? Expensive, but almost gaudy. Really high ceilings with creepy chandeliers that were made of something that almost looked as though they could have been highly polished bone? Not sure. Bathrooms were nice. We wandered around and had lunch at a sort of all-you-can-eat buffet, only a very nice and classy one. Didn't eat a terrible lot because my tummy was still feeling funny. Then we wandered around the shopping mall. I assume it was built along an Italian theme...river with gondolas etc. Lots of shops, lots of people, the ceiling vaguely reminiscent of HP (painted to look like the sky). Finally went down to the casino. I played some of the slot machines which was fun. Lost of course. One of my friends played Blackjack, which looked like fun, but for my skill at playing it and the price of the buy in - wasn't worth it for me.
Left the Venetian and went to the hotel. Dried out for a bit. Then went for dinner at this Portuguese style restaurant. It was good. Walked around, saw the different casinos, and then went into the Wynn casino. We walked around it and ended up at the Starbucks there. :) I got id-ed going in. Not sure why. None of the others were stopped, but the guard looked my passport over. *sigh* Got back to the hotel at a reasonable hour. I didn't have any clothes with me as I hadn't planned to spend the night. I bought a tank top at the Venetian (at a 'cheaper' store) to wear under my jacket for the second day.
Woke up somewhat late on Sunday. Watched a bit of TV - we saw the dragon boat races! Then checked out of the hotel and went to Las Ruinas de Sao Paulo. Walked around, bought some things including a present for someone! ;). We stopped by a church. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a Catholic church. I don't know if I've seen an actual old-fashioned confessional booth in real life. The rain at least had stopped, thank goodness. Instead the sun was incredibly hot and the humidity intense. But still good to be hot than soaked. We had dinner at this little diner type thing. Apparently restaurants are not open between 3-6, and we had to eat early so that we could get to the pier by 6:30. I didn't eat much because I was afraid the voyage back might be sick-making. Had essentially a drink with frozen fruit in it. Tasty.
Got to the ferry pier, checked in, boarded the ferry, and THEN they announced that "There is rubbish in the intake" and we had to turn and go back to Macau. They made us get off and board another boat. But the passage was swift, didn't get sick, and they gave us complimentary Oreos. Took the bus back to Tai Po, stopped by McDonald's for a snack, and then back to campus.
I liked Macau. I also really enjoyed trying to figure out what all the Portuguese signs and menus said.
Today was another public holiday. I slept in, went to the grocery, studied for the LSAT etc. I teach tomorrow, only day this week since I took vacation because the test is Sunday. *meep*
Terrified out of my mind.
Lots of things that need to happen between now and when I come back home. But none of it matters till after this test. Wish there were going to be people around the Saturday before the test, but most people will be on an outing to Sai Kung. Didn't want to run the risk of getting back at midnight the night before the test, and Sai Kung is pretty far out. It's okay. I'll have time to do stuff after the test. I hope. *fingers crossed*
And I'm once again at the end of a long rambly recounting of things I've done.
*deep calming breaths*
In the immortal words of the Little Engine Who Could: I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can....
Friday went to pick up my glasses...awesome. Statement making in that they're black plastic frames and have glitter/rhinestones on the sides, but they fit and although they did make me dizzy and gave me a headache the first day, it went away relatively soon. As opposed to my other pair of black glasses which gave me a three day headache and made the world look a lot taller and further away than normal.
But the fun stuff! Macau.
I had originally planned to go just for Saturday. I was going with some people who were overnighting it, but I wanted to get back, be able to study, and not drop a ton of money. Went to bed late late Friday night, woke up earlyyyyyyy to the rain that seems to never stop. Didn't think too much of it as I got ready to go, but as I left the building the security guard gestured emphatically and excitedly to the door sign, which said that a black rainstorm warning had been issued. So I nodded and breezed right on out.
Taxi to Tai Po Center, 307 to the Central Ferry Piers. Should have been around an hour on the bus. Ended up being much more, because apparently a black rainstorm warning means A LOT of rain. The roads flooded in Central. We saw taxis stopped in the middle of the road with water up to their bumpers, trashcans floating down the street, restaurants/hotels/stores with the water lapping inside and sometimes even covering the floor. People were knee-deep in water and sloshing around. Luckily the bus got through a lot of the deep water, and we got out on a part of the street that wasn't incredibly flooded. Dashed through the rain to the ferry pier and managed to catch the boat we were supposed to take even though we were running late. I've been on a fair number of ferry rides in my life (around here and then out to Bald Head), but this one made me sick. Thought I was going to be violently ill, but managed to drift off to sleep for a bit.
Woke up to rain in Macau. Got off the boat, went through immigration, then wandered around in the rain trying to find the free shuttle bus to take us from the pier to the hotel. Had decided by that point to spend the night. My ticket was originally 11pm Saturday night, but the weather in HK being what it was, I thought it wiser to just stay in Macau. Anyway, finally decided to take a taxi to the hotel which wasn't that far away. Checked in but couldn't actually get into the room till after three. So we went to the Venetian. Which is a very large hotel/casino/shopping center. We took the free bus back to the pier and then another free bus from the pier to the Venetian.
How to describe the Venetian? Expensive, but almost gaudy. Really high ceilings with creepy chandeliers that were made of something that almost looked as though they could have been highly polished bone? Not sure. Bathrooms were nice. We wandered around and had lunch at a sort of all-you-can-eat buffet, only a very nice and classy one. Didn't eat a terrible lot because my tummy was still feeling funny. Then we wandered around the shopping mall. I assume it was built along an Italian theme...river with gondolas etc. Lots of shops, lots of people, the ceiling vaguely reminiscent of HP (painted to look like the sky). Finally went down to the casino. I played some of the slot machines which was fun. Lost of course. One of my friends played Blackjack, which looked like fun, but for my skill at playing it and the price of the buy in - wasn't worth it for me.
Left the Venetian and went to the hotel. Dried out for a bit. Then went for dinner at this Portuguese style restaurant. It was good. Walked around, saw the different casinos, and then went into the Wynn casino. We walked around it and ended up at the Starbucks there. :) I got id-ed going in. Not sure why. None of the others were stopped, but the guard looked my passport over. *sigh* Got back to the hotel at a reasonable hour. I didn't have any clothes with me as I hadn't planned to spend the night. I bought a tank top at the Venetian (at a 'cheaper' store) to wear under my jacket for the second day.
Woke up somewhat late on Sunday. Watched a bit of TV - we saw the dragon boat races! Then checked out of the hotel and went to Las Ruinas de Sao Paulo. Walked around, bought some things including a present for someone! ;). We stopped by a church. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a Catholic church. I don't know if I've seen an actual old-fashioned confessional booth in real life. The rain at least had stopped, thank goodness. Instead the sun was incredibly hot and the humidity intense. But still good to be hot than soaked. We had dinner at this little diner type thing. Apparently restaurants are not open between 3-6, and we had to eat early so that we could get to the pier by 6:30. I didn't eat much because I was afraid the voyage back might be sick-making. Had essentially a drink with frozen fruit in it. Tasty.
Got to the ferry pier, checked in, boarded the ferry, and THEN they announced that "There is rubbish in the intake" and we had to turn and go back to Macau. They made us get off and board another boat. But the passage was swift, didn't get sick, and they gave us complimentary Oreos. Took the bus back to Tai Po, stopped by McDonald's for a snack, and then back to campus.
I liked Macau. I also really enjoyed trying to figure out what all the Portuguese signs and menus said.
Today was another public holiday. I slept in, went to the grocery, studied for the LSAT etc. I teach tomorrow, only day this week since I took vacation because the test is Sunday. *meep*
Terrified out of my mind.
Lots of things that need to happen between now and when I come back home. But none of it matters till after this test. Wish there were going to be people around the Saturday before the test, but most people will be on an outing to Sai Kung. Didn't want to run the risk of getting back at midnight the night before the test, and Sai Kung is pretty far out. It's okay. I'll have time to do stuff after the test. I hope. *fingers crossed*
And I'm once again at the end of a long rambly recounting of things I've done.
*deep calming breaths*
In the immortal words of the Little Engine Who Could: I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can....
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
I'm down to the last month in Hong Kong, which is crazy. My time in college flew, but this! This was ridiculous...seems like only days ago I was getting back from our China trip, and not that long ago that it was still 'cold' out.
Now, it's humid, hot, rainy, and bug-infested. But that deters me not at all...well, okay, actually it deters me a bit. Hate bugs and go into panic mode at sight of them usually, rain has prevented the beach excursions, and the humidity just makes it hard to see (when I come out of the AC, or the air-con if you will, my glasses fog up preventing sight and encouraging near death encounters with large busses). But! Life is good. And KY humidity probably won't feel half so bad...maybe.
Have not managed to do many of the things I mentioned in the last post, except study. Putting in anywhere from two to four hours a day, and it's helping. *fingers crossed* Have also read three and a half Heinlein books since I think Thursday. No, I haven't finished Brothers K, but am working on that too.
I bought new glasses yesterday. Made the (correct) choice between getting my hair chemically restraightened and spending the money (plus some) on a pair of glasses that I will be able to use for years. Love the ones I have, but I need the new prescription. And it's cheaper to buy them here. At least the lenses are by quite a bit. If I'd buy cheaper frames, it would help, but hey! I think that the total price is still under what my current ones cost, just not as cheap as I could have gotten.
Have discovered that 7eleven sells frozen xiao long bao. It's not the best ever, but it makes a nice snack change to cup noodles. I cannot wait to get back to the States and have a few American dinners. The food here is great, but sometimes, you just want a steak. Or a brautworst (spelling?). Or that pasta dish with brie. Or cheese. Lots of bread and cheese. ANd to drink water at restaurants. I like tea a lot, and coke is okay, but I grew up drinking water with my meals, and I miss that. Or to make cookies, brownies, and cake with home-made icing. Yum!
Now, it's humid, hot, rainy, and bug-infested. But that deters me not at all...well, okay, actually it deters me a bit. Hate bugs and go into panic mode at sight of them usually, rain has prevented the beach excursions, and the humidity just makes it hard to see (when I come out of the AC, or the air-con if you will, my glasses fog up preventing sight and encouraging near death encounters with large busses). But! Life is good. And KY humidity probably won't feel half so bad...maybe.
Have not managed to do many of the things I mentioned in the last post, except study. Putting in anywhere from two to four hours a day, and it's helping. *fingers crossed* Have also read three and a half Heinlein books since I think Thursday. No, I haven't finished Brothers K, but am working on that too.
I bought new glasses yesterday. Made the (correct) choice between getting my hair chemically restraightened and spending the money (plus some) on a pair of glasses that I will be able to use for years. Love the ones I have, but I need the new prescription. And it's cheaper to buy them here. At least the lenses are by quite a bit. If I'd buy cheaper frames, it would help, but hey! I think that the total price is still under what my current ones cost, just not as cheap as I could have gotten.
Have discovered that 7eleven sells frozen xiao long bao. It's not the best ever, but it makes a nice snack change to cup noodles. I cannot wait to get back to the States and have a few American dinners. The food here is great, but sometimes, you just want a steak. Or a brautworst (spelling?). Or that pasta dish with brie. Or cheese. Lots of bread and cheese. ANd to drink water at restaurants. I like tea a lot, and coke is okay, but I grew up drinking water with my meals, and I miss that. Or to make cookies, brownies, and cake with home-made icing. Yum!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
So yay! I had my birthday, obviously, and it was good times. I celebrated by teaching a couple classes at the primary school (they both sang happy birthday to me because my co-teachers knew it was my bday), a rousing dinner at McDonald's, and then bowling!
Since then, I have been predominantly working in the primary schools both on this campus and the other. I have also been to the beach a few times...back to Repulse Bay, then Shek O, half-hearted beach trip to an island whose name I forget, and Lantau. I think I could make a habit of going every Friday, assuming it doesn't rain. I've been wandering around Hong Kong some, doing a bit of shopping, sightseeing, eating. I went to the Bun Festival on Monday, which was at the above island. It was crazy crowded, there was a long parade, lots of buns, etc. It was fun, although incredibly overwhelming.
I've been doing a lot of reading and studying as well. I started Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov about a week and a half ago. It's really good, but of course incredibly intense. And sometimes, I'm just not quite up to a good theological and psychological discussion of everything and anything. Which is why I got The Phantom Tollbooth from the library today. I'm partway through several books right now: Brothers K, Phantom Tollbooth, The Woodlanders by Hardy, starting a book of Robert Browning's poems, have started Umberto Eco's Faith in Fakes, am almost consistently somewhere in the middle of The Secret History, and I'm about to start a Concise History of the Catholic Church. I really do need to make a list of what all I've read in HK. I think it would be illuminating.
The LSAT studying is happening, and it's having a slow but much needed effect. Although I'm still missing quite a few questions, first off I'm missing less, secondly I feel like I have a better grasp on the test (that is to say, I'm not guessing on half the questions), and finally I don't hate it quite as much as I used to. Today alone I've spent about three plus hours with it. Yesterday I worked for about three as well. Either Monday or Wednesday I'm going to make myself sit down and take a full-out test (five sections instead of four). Less than four weeks now...the panic has *finally* kicked in.
Many primary school lessons this week, lots of studying, hopefully a beach excursion, and I'd like to knock out a couple hundred pages of Brothers K if possible, read some poetry, finish the Hardy book because it's not long or hard but I've been reading miserly bits for almost three weeks, etc. And I want to take either the 271 or the 307 and get lost in TST or Central respectively. I mean, my purpose is not to get lost, but rather to wander. Although knowing me, the getting lost is bound to happen.
Since then, I have been predominantly working in the primary schools both on this campus and the other. I have also been to the beach a few times...back to Repulse Bay, then Shek O, half-hearted beach trip to an island whose name I forget, and Lantau. I think I could make a habit of going every Friday, assuming it doesn't rain. I've been wandering around Hong Kong some, doing a bit of shopping, sightseeing, eating. I went to the Bun Festival on Monday, which was at the above island. It was crazy crowded, there was a long parade, lots of buns, etc. It was fun, although incredibly overwhelming.
I've been doing a lot of reading and studying as well. I started Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov about a week and a half ago. It's really good, but of course incredibly intense. And sometimes, I'm just not quite up to a good theological and psychological discussion of everything and anything. Which is why I got The Phantom Tollbooth from the library today. I'm partway through several books right now: Brothers K, Phantom Tollbooth, The Woodlanders by Hardy, starting a book of Robert Browning's poems, have started Umberto Eco's Faith in Fakes, am almost consistently somewhere in the middle of The Secret History, and I'm about to start a Concise History of the Catholic Church. I really do need to make a list of what all I've read in HK. I think it would be illuminating.
The LSAT studying is happening, and it's having a slow but much needed effect. Although I'm still missing quite a few questions, first off I'm missing less, secondly I feel like I have a better grasp on the test (that is to say, I'm not guessing on half the questions), and finally I don't hate it quite as much as I used to. Today alone I've spent about three plus hours with it. Yesterday I worked for about three as well. Either Monday or Wednesday I'm going to make myself sit down and take a full-out test (five sections instead of four). Less than four weeks now...the panic has *finally* kicked in.
Many primary school lessons this week, lots of studying, hopefully a beach excursion, and I'd like to knock out a couple hundred pages of Brothers K if possible, read some poetry, finish the Hardy book because it's not long or hard but I've been reading miserly bits for almost three weeks, etc. And I want to take either the 271 or the 307 and get lost in TST or Central respectively. I mean, my purpose is not to get lost, but rather to wander. Although knowing me, the getting lost is bound to happen.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Been awhile.
So China. I went there again. We had our second teaching attachment trip, and I was in Nanjing. We flew out of Hong Kong on Thursday morning and came back not that Sunday but the Sunday after that. So 10 days.
We were lodged comfortably in Western style at the Green Tree Inn, which, unlike the hostel in Guangzhou, pretty much opened onto a main street with stores, taxis, and food. We were responsible for most of our own meals, although we did have some arranged dinners which were usually Chinese style banquets. And the hotpot we had the first night. Solid mushroom hotpot. I've never eaten that many mushrooms, being not a huge fan, and to be honest, I'm not sure I even was aware of the fact that there were so many edible mushrooms.
I got, as expected, what I shall refer to as the Tour Guide syndrome while in Nanjing. Hanging out with a bunch of people who, not to put to fine a point on it, are clearly foreigners, all people turn to me to translate. Which makes it even funnier when one of the other ETAs busts out their putonghua instead. I can pretty much only say thank you, and even that I manage to mess up by thanking people in Cantonese instead of Mandarin. Of course, now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I want to thank everyone in Mandarin now.
Our duties were pretty straightforward. We were teaching at an Institute that was across the Yangtze River, so we took a bus back and forth twice a day. It is a huge river, and the bridge is forever long, and the traffic is crazy. Also, interestingly, there are bus stops in the middle of the bridge, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You'd think that once you were on a bus on the bridge you would just want to cross all the way over, not get off midway and catch another bus. Anyway, we mostly worked with small groups of students...intensive talking and such. They had some questions already developed, but a lot of it was just impromptu. We also did a games morning which was pretty fun. Sack races, three-legged races, limbo, relays, etc. We ate at the canteen on campus for lunch. And we had a guest room on campus so that during our long breaks we could go chill out (literally...I was not prepared for how cold it was).
I also went to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, twice actually. Once with just a couple other ETAs and once with my group of eight. It's intense, gloomy. I have no idea how it compares to the Holocaust Memorial, but this one did not beat around the bush and had a fair amount of brutal photographs and stories in addition to more innocuous artifacts.
I got sick upon returning...tummy troubles. Went to the ER and when I had told them that I had been in China, they just nodded and said 'Ah, so you ate dirty food.' *shrug* I'm feeling better, but still pretty shaky. I just ate my first decent meal in a couple days, and it may or may not have agreed with me. But then again, curry fried rice may or may not have been the nicest thing to give it. I'm just so sick of bread and crackers.
We're starting up projects at new primary schools next week in addition to continuing our duties at the primary school on campus. Much of the other responsibilities are falling off as students leave campus. And I...I need to crack down on the whole studying thing.
Anyway, it's Friday, I've spent the majority of the last five days in my bed feeling miserable. It reminded me uncannily of the early parts of September and November. *shudder*
So China. I went there again. We had our second teaching attachment trip, and I was in Nanjing. We flew out of Hong Kong on Thursday morning and came back not that Sunday but the Sunday after that. So 10 days.
We were lodged comfortably in Western style at the Green Tree Inn, which, unlike the hostel in Guangzhou, pretty much opened onto a main street with stores, taxis, and food. We were responsible for most of our own meals, although we did have some arranged dinners which were usually Chinese style banquets. And the hotpot we had the first night. Solid mushroom hotpot. I've never eaten that many mushrooms, being not a huge fan, and to be honest, I'm not sure I even was aware of the fact that there were so many edible mushrooms.
I got, as expected, what I shall refer to as the Tour Guide syndrome while in Nanjing. Hanging out with a bunch of people who, not to put to fine a point on it, are clearly foreigners, all people turn to me to translate. Which makes it even funnier when one of the other ETAs busts out their putonghua instead. I can pretty much only say thank you, and even that I manage to mess up by thanking people in Cantonese instead of Mandarin. Of course, now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I want to thank everyone in Mandarin now.
Our duties were pretty straightforward. We were teaching at an Institute that was across the Yangtze River, so we took a bus back and forth twice a day. It is a huge river, and the bridge is forever long, and the traffic is crazy. Also, interestingly, there are bus stops in the middle of the bridge, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You'd think that once you were on a bus on the bridge you would just want to cross all the way over, not get off midway and catch another bus. Anyway, we mostly worked with small groups of students...intensive talking and such. They had some questions already developed, but a lot of it was just impromptu. We also did a games morning which was pretty fun. Sack races, three-legged races, limbo, relays, etc. We ate at the canteen on campus for lunch. And we had a guest room on campus so that during our long breaks we could go chill out (literally...I was not prepared for how cold it was).
I also went to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial, twice actually. Once with just a couple other ETAs and once with my group of eight. It's intense, gloomy. I have no idea how it compares to the Holocaust Memorial, but this one did not beat around the bush and had a fair amount of brutal photographs and stories in addition to more innocuous artifacts.
I got sick upon returning...tummy troubles. Went to the ER and when I had told them that I had been in China, they just nodded and said 'Ah, so you ate dirty food.' *shrug* I'm feeling better, but still pretty shaky. I just ate my first decent meal in a couple days, and it may or may not have agreed with me. But then again, curry fried rice may or may not have been the nicest thing to give it. I'm just so sick of bread and crackers.
We're starting up projects at new primary schools next week in addition to continuing our duties at the primary school on campus. Much of the other responsibilities are falling off as students leave campus. And I...I need to crack down on the whole studying thing.
Anyway, it's Friday, I've spent the majority of the last five days in my bed feeling miserable. It reminded me uncannily of the early parts of September and November. *shudder*
Monday, April 7, 2008
The weather, after several days of blah and rain, has brightened up and is wonderful again. In spite of my illness, I took advantage of it this weekend to go for a hike/walk at the Peak and then to go to the beach! I hadn't been to a beach in Hong Kong (except that disastrous attempt to Sai Kung shortly after my surgery when I couldn't go in the water...see one of those November entries about that), so this was my first proper time to the beach. It was nice. We went to Repulse Bay which like everything awesome in HK (except Festival Walk) is a good two hours from campus. Anyway, we read on the beach, went swimming, and built a large sand wall to prevent the tide coming in. It reminded me of being at Bald Head and the many times that I would do said activity, or just dig really big holes in the beach for no good reason whatsoever.
What I liked about Repulse is that I felt safe, which is odd, because I usually feel incredibly unsafe at beaches. The waves were not strong, there wasn't really an undertow at least where I was, and the water is 'fenced' in. Normally I don't like to go in much over where I can touch, but I felt comfortable swimming out.
Anyway, I got a fantastic tan and the sun, sand, and water cleared up my head for a bit, although by the time I got back to campus, I thought I was going to die from my headache. But it was totally worth it.
Chill day today...called in sick to the primary school since it sounds like I'm trying to cough up my lungs. Taught a class here. Went to the grcoery. Cleaned my room. Took an LSAT test....well, 3/4 of one. I'd done the first section last week. I need a lot more practice, suffice it to say. Took a two and a half hour nap where I had strange dreams about books I've been reading. Incredibly disconcerting.
I can't believe it's April. I feel like time has been steadily increasing in speed since I went off to college. Freshman year was so quick, soph/junior year even faster, senior year a blur, and this! Sometimes it feels like I've been here for years, and other times it feels like I just got off the plane and am still jet-lagged. Of course, the hint of the Aug/Sept weather helps that sensation.
Oh! And I can not only jog and wear small heels...I also *finally* broke myself of the habit of using my knee brace.
What I liked about Repulse is that I felt safe, which is odd, because I usually feel incredibly unsafe at beaches. The waves were not strong, there wasn't really an undertow at least where I was, and the water is 'fenced' in. Normally I don't like to go in much over where I can touch, but I felt comfortable swimming out.
Anyway, I got a fantastic tan and the sun, sand, and water cleared up my head for a bit, although by the time I got back to campus, I thought I was going to die from my headache. But it was totally worth it.
Chill day today...called in sick to the primary school since it sounds like I'm trying to cough up my lungs. Taught a class here. Went to the grcoery. Cleaned my room. Took an LSAT test....well, 3/4 of one. I'd done the first section last week. I need a lot more practice, suffice it to say. Took a two and a half hour nap where I had strange dreams about books I've been reading. Incredibly disconcerting.
I can't believe it's April. I feel like time has been steadily increasing in speed since I went off to college. Freshman year was so quick, soph/junior year even faster, senior year a blur, and this! Sometimes it feels like I've been here for years, and other times it feels like I just got off the plane and am still jet-lagged. Of course, the hint of the Aug/Sept weather helps that sensation.
Oh! And I can not only jog and wear small heels...I also *finally* broke myself of the habit of using my knee brace.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
So Easter Holidays. Two weeks. Crazy lots of time that I thought would be spent loafing, reading, etc. And there was some of that, of course, but there was also lots of other exciting and novel things as well. To begin with, I had to get a new Visa to China due to an unfortunate set of markings on my previous Visa. This involved two trips to the main office branch in Wan Chai (about an hour and a half from where I live...a bus, a train, and a ferry away). There was a long wait, mostly due to the fact that we went on a Monday morning with public holidays approaching. We had to go back that Thursday to pick them up, and we were lucky enough to get multi-entries! Which means that for the next six months, I can go into China as often as I like. The first week of break involved hanging out with some of the other ETAs who were on campus. There were multiple bowling trips (one night that included playing pool), shopping excursions, and meals of course. I went hiking finally! After the last disastrous attempt two and a half weeks after surgery in Sai Kung, this one was pleasant and not as challenging, although there were still stairs, hills, and dirt paths. The thing about HK is that it seems at times deceptively small, yet it takes ages to get anywhere. It took I would say a good two hours to get to the place (bus, train, ferry I think, bus, and then taxi). But it was worth it. Parts of it reminded me of hiking in Bernheim Forest, of which I have many fond memories. Of course, we didn't stop to search for shale or attempt to make arrowheads, but still. After the hike, we swung by a beach and soaked our feet in the ocean for a bit. I can't wait till it's warm enough to go to the beach properly since I missed all that this summer what with the surgeries and all.
Let's see, what else did I do? Tutored, started studying for the LSAT with a little bit more serious attention than I had shown before. I learned how to knit! I am in the process of making a reddish scarf that has the misfortune of fluctuating dramatically and frighteningly in width. But as it's my first one, I can only hope that I shall improve over time. I read a lot, but that's hardly surprising. I'm back in my Tudor England kick again after reading a lot of African Lit and History in preparation for my module. And I think my next 'reading project' if you will is Korean history. I've forgotten everything that I learned about it in college, and I remember that I liked reading it, so I'm going to try to add that to my schedule.
Anyway, the really fun stuff: Beijing!!! Four of us went, which was the perfect number. We took a hard sleeper train up. There are six beds to a room, and we had the two middle and two upper bunks. We couldn't actually sit up properly in them, but we mostly sat out in the hallway blocking the way and playing cards which was fun. The trip took approximately 24 hours, which is a long time to be confined in the amount of space we had. We got into Beijing on Tuesday afternoon and took a harrowing bus ride to our hostel. The hostel was called the Red Lantern. The four of us shared a co-ed room with two bunk beds. We unpacked, went out for dinner, and then walked around Beijing. It was much colder than I expected it to be...I guess I've gotten used to HK weather or something.
On Wednesday we woke up, had breakfast at the hostel, and then left to go to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. We took a bus there, walked around, took pictures, etc. It was really impressive. I had no idea how big the Forbidden City was (I'll post Beijing pics at a later time, after I load them to my computer). It was imposing, austere, and amazing. Then we went to a late lunch/early dinner and had Peking duck. Quite tasty. From there we took a taxi to the Temple of Heaven. It was this huge circular building, painted with brilliant blues, reds, and golds. It was surrounded by other buildings, long paved pathways, and a park that we walked around. The park was disturbing, and at first we couldn't quite place what it was, but we finally figured it out. We think they buried the trees. Like maybe by several feet. There was no sign of roots, and the huge branches that I normally associate with being higher up on the trees were significantly and bizarrely close to the ground. Then we returned to the hostel and rested for an hour or two, then headed out for dinner and to check out the night life of Beijing.
Slept in on Thursday, rolled out of bed and had a very slow start to the day. I was already starting to come down with a cold from no doubt being improperly clothed for the cold weather. We rented bikes and biked around Beijing, and honestly, that may have been my favorite part of the trip. Biking around Beijing is craaaaazy. There are biking lanes, but there are pedestrians there as well. And in some areas, you don't have your own lane, or even if you do, the buses pull into it and honk at you to get out of the way. And while I don't mind too much playing chicken with pedestrians, other bikers, and even cars, playing chicken with the buses is just a bit too much for me I think. It was also wonderful for me to be able to do that kind of physical activity I think...it made me feel less like a hopeless cripple and more like my normal relatively active self. We went out for dinner, but I can't remember where....all in all a chill day.
Woke up at 6ish on Friday to go to the Great Wall. We went to Mutianyu (I'm sure that spelling is atrociously wrong), which was a popular area, but not overly touristy. We took a cable car up the mountain to the wall, and with my dislike of heights, it was a somewhat frightening ride. Unfortunately, the weather decided that it wanted to rain after three days of nice sunniness. So we did the Great Wall in a cloudy misty haze, which lent it an aura of mysteriousness and gloominess. Then, because we were up so high, the misty rain turned to snow. Which was actually quite magical. We were on the Wall for almost four hours. There were lots of stairs and ups and downs, so it was challenging without being overly so. However, towards the end, the snow had melted and made the walkways quite slick and after I slipped and fell, we decided to go back down and have a hot cup of tea. We were also by this point all sick. :)
We returned to the hostel and napped, then we got back up to go out to dinner. We picked this great Sichuan restaurant. It was cheap and the food was great. And before I can continue my story of the night, I must say a little something about taxis in Beijing. They do not exist. We tried to flag down a taxi after dinner for almost half an hour...we were walking around looking for them and they were either all full or they wouldn't stop. Of course, it was night and rainy, so that didn't help. Anyway, we finally stopped outside of a hotel and decided that our best bet was to see if they would call us a taxi. So I went up and asked the concierge, and apparently in Beijing they don't actually telephone for a taxi. So one of the staff went outside and hailed us a cab. Which was great. Thanked him for that. And luckily, the concierge had asked us where we were going and was able to communicat that to the driver much better than we would have been able to.
Woke up on Saturday, packed, checked out, and went to the train station. We had gotten a soft sleeper going back for just a little bit more than we had paid for the hard sleeper (the hard sleepers all being full for the most part except top bunks which we didn't want). So it was just the four of us in a car and we had room to sit up in the bed. We slept a fair bit because we hadn't been sleeping a lot in Beijing and because we were all sick. We also played round after round of Hearts. And I shot the moon!! Arrived back in HK Sunday afternoon, got back to campus, did laundry, and then went to the office to do work to prep for the week.
So that's that. Photos will be up soon. I'm going to Nanjing soon with the ETA program, so I'm looking forward to that too. And since I have a multi, I may try to pop into China for weekend trips (weather, leg, and finances permitting) before I leave. I can'tbelieve it's April. Three months left in HK. And only two and a half left till the LSAT. That's terrifying. I'm really going to miss living here.
But all in all, a great break. Looking forward to whatever comes next!
Let's see, what else did I do? Tutored, started studying for the LSAT with a little bit more serious attention than I had shown before. I learned how to knit! I am in the process of making a reddish scarf that has the misfortune of fluctuating dramatically and frighteningly in width. But as it's my first one, I can only hope that I shall improve over time. I read a lot, but that's hardly surprising. I'm back in my Tudor England kick again after reading a lot of African Lit and History in preparation for my module. And I think my next 'reading project' if you will is Korean history. I've forgotten everything that I learned about it in college, and I remember that I liked reading it, so I'm going to try to add that to my schedule.
Anyway, the really fun stuff: Beijing!!! Four of us went, which was the perfect number. We took a hard sleeper train up. There are six beds to a room, and we had the two middle and two upper bunks. We couldn't actually sit up properly in them, but we mostly sat out in the hallway blocking the way and playing cards which was fun. The trip took approximately 24 hours, which is a long time to be confined in the amount of space we had. We got into Beijing on Tuesday afternoon and took a harrowing bus ride to our hostel. The hostel was called the Red Lantern. The four of us shared a co-ed room with two bunk beds. We unpacked, went out for dinner, and then walked around Beijing. It was much colder than I expected it to be...I guess I've gotten used to HK weather or something.
On Wednesday we woke up, had breakfast at the hostel, and then left to go to Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. We took a bus there, walked around, took pictures, etc. It was really impressive. I had no idea how big the Forbidden City was (I'll post Beijing pics at a later time, after I load them to my computer). It was imposing, austere, and amazing. Then we went to a late lunch/early dinner and had Peking duck. Quite tasty. From there we took a taxi to the Temple of Heaven. It was this huge circular building, painted with brilliant blues, reds, and golds. It was surrounded by other buildings, long paved pathways, and a park that we walked around. The park was disturbing, and at first we couldn't quite place what it was, but we finally figured it out. We think they buried the trees. Like maybe by several feet. There was no sign of roots, and the huge branches that I normally associate with being higher up on the trees were significantly and bizarrely close to the ground. Then we returned to the hostel and rested for an hour or two, then headed out for dinner and to check out the night life of Beijing.
Slept in on Thursday, rolled out of bed and had a very slow start to the day. I was already starting to come down with a cold from no doubt being improperly clothed for the cold weather. We rented bikes and biked around Beijing, and honestly, that may have been my favorite part of the trip. Biking around Beijing is craaaaazy. There are biking lanes, but there are pedestrians there as well. And in some areas, you don't have your own lane, or even if you do, the buses pull into it and honk at you to get out of the way. And while I don't mind too much playing chicken with pedestrians, other bikers, and even cars, playing chicken with the buses is just a bit too much for me I think. It was also wonderful for me to be able to do that kind of physical activity I think...it made me feel less like a hopeless cripple and more like my normal relatively active self. We went out for dinner, but I can't remember where....all in all a chill day.
Woke up at 6ish on Friday to go to the Great Wall. We went to Mutianyu (I'm sure that spelling is atrociously wrong), which was a popular area, but not overly touristy. We took a cable car up the mountain to the wall, and with my dislike of heights, it was a somewhat frightening ride. Unfortunately, the weather decided that it wanted to rain after three days of nice sunniness. So we did the Great Wall in a cloudy misty haze, which lent it an aura of mysteriousness and gloominess. Then, because we were up so high, the misty rain turned to snow. Which was actually quite magical. We were on the Wall for almost four hours. There were lots of stairs and ups and downs, so it was challenging without being overly so. However, towards the end, the snow had melted and made the walkways quite slick and after I slipped and fell, we decided to go back down and have a hot cup of tea. We were also by this point all sick. :)
We returned to the hostel and napped, then we got back up to go out to dinner. We picked this great Sichuan restaurant. It was cheap and the food was great. And before I can continue my story of the night, I must say a little something about taxis in Beijing. They do not exist. We tried to flag down a taxi after dinner for almost half an hour...we were walking around looking for them and they were either all full or they wouldn't stop. Of course, it was night and rainy, so that didn't help. Anyway, we finally stopped outside of a hotel and decided that our best bet was to see if they would call us a taxi. So I went up and asked the concierge, and apparently in Beijing they don't actually telephone for a taxi. So one of the staff went outside and hailed us a cab. Which was great. Thanked him for that. And luckily, the concierge had asked us where we were going and was able to communicat that to the driver much better than we would have been able to.
Woke up on Saturday, packed, checked out, and went to the train station. We had gotten a soft sleeper going back for just a little bit more than we had paid for the hard sleeper (the hard sleepers all being full for the most part except top bunks which we didn't want). So it was just the four of us in a car and we had room to sit up in the bed. We slept a fair bit because we hadn't been sleeping a lot in Beijing and because we were all sick. We also played round after round of Hearts. And I shot the moon!! Arrived back in HK Sunday afternoon, got back to campus, did laundry, and then went to the office to do work to prep for the week.
So that's that. Photos will be up soon. I'm going to Nanjing soon with the ETA program, so I'm looking forward to that too. And since I have a multi, I may try to pop into China for weekend trips (weather, leg, and finances permitting) before I leave. I can'tbelieve it's April. Three months left in HK. And only two and a half left till the LSAT. That's terrifying. I'm really going to miss living here.
But all in all, a great break. Looking forward to whatever comes next!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
With the end of Aladdin, one would assume that time would suddenly be a bountiful commodity, but alas, such is not the case.
Interestingly, dance things have kicked in. I did an African dance workshop on campus on Thursday. Six people showed up and we danced ourselves silly. I was impressed with how quickly they picked up the moves! It was a lot of fun...and a lot of work. I'd forgotten how exhausting teaching/learning that dance is. Then, another ETA and I are working on some dances for a thing (apparently my new favorite word, on this day) in April. Indian dance, which to use an expression from my PT I've only touched. We worked two and a halfish hours on Friday, and it was good. Also a workout, which is what I need. Not quite related to dance, but physical movement none the less, I can jog! Not long or quickly, but I can do it!
I volunteered to do a Primary School Easter party on Friday afternoon. We had the students decorate paper eggs and then had them hide and find them. We also did an egg toss with hardboiled eggs. It turned into more of a throw-the-egg-as-hard-as-you-can-while-screaming-or-giggling-hysterically event, but was amusing for us.
I will also be doing (with other ETAs) an Easter party in the dorm on Tuesday. And in preparation of that, we 'blew' eggs today. This involves making two small holes in an egg and blowing out the contents then cleaning them in preparation of decorating them. This makes them last longer. Although I miss making Easter eggs back home and having contests with them.
I (finally) started LSAT prep. With the assistance of another ETA who has already taken the test, I started working on the Logic Games section. And it's so much easier to understand what's going on when someone maps it out and helps you work through a problem rather than trying to figure it out through a book. I've still obviously got much more work to do, but at least I don't feel quite as helpless as I normally do when faced with those questions.
I also went to a karaoke place last night! We got a room (seven of us) and sang loudly and no doubt offkey for close to three hours. It was a hilarious and good time.
Easter break is in a week. It seems like we're always having breaks. Ridiculous. I plan to study/explore Hong Kong. I was in Wong Tai Sin today looking for the place where I'll take the LSAT (yes, I know the test is in June, but one of the other ETAs has a test there in a few weeks, so I tagged along for the finding of it), and I realized how much I don't know Hong Kong at all. We'll blame my knee.
The weather is being simply stunning. Warming up, sunny, a little snap in the air. :)
And classes are going well.
So I guess my week can be summed up as a week of egg-blowing, scream singing, mall shopping, lsat studying, Easter partying, random dancing type THING.
Interestingly, dance things have kicked in. I did an African dance workshop on campus on Thursday. Six people showed up and we danced ourselves silly. I was impressed with how quickly they picked up the moves! It was a lot of fun...and a lot of work. I'd forgotten how exhausting teaching/learning that dance is. Then, another ETA and I are working on some dances for a thing (apparently my new favorite word, on this day) in April. Indian dance, which to use an expression from my PT I've only touched. We worked two and a halfish hours on Friday, and it was good. Also a workout, which is what I need. Not quite related to dance, but physical movement none the less, I can jog! Not long or quickly, but I can do it!
I volunteered to do a Primary School Easter party on Friday afternoon. We had the students decorate paper eggs and then had them hide and find them. We also did an egg toss with hardboiled eggs. It turned into more of a throw-the-egg-as-hard-as-you-can-while-screaming-or-giggling-hysterically event, but was amusing for us.
I will also be doing (with other ETAs) an Easter party in the dorm on Tuesday. And in preparation of that, we 'blew' eggs today. This involves making two small holes in an egg and blowing out the contents then cleaning them in preparation of decorating them. This makes them last longer. Although I miss making Easter eggs back home and having contests with them.
I (finally) started LSAT prep. With the assistance of another ETA who has already taken the test, I started working on the Logic Games section. And it's so much easier to understand what's going on when someone maps it out and helps you work through a problem rather than trying to figure it out through a book. I've still obviously got much more work to do, but at least I don't feel quite as helpless as I normally do when faced with those questions.
I also went to a karaoke place last night! We got a room (seven of us) and sang loudly and no doubt offkey for close to three hours. It was a hilarious and good time.
Easter break is in a week. It seems like we're always having breaks. Ridiculous. I plan to study/explore Hong Kong. I was in Wong Tai Sin today looking for the place where I'll take the LSAT (yes, I know the test is in June, but one of the other ETAs has a test there in a few weeks, so I tagged along for the finding of it), and I realized how much I don't know Hong Kong at all. We'll blame my knee.
The weather is being simply stunning. Warming up, sunny, a little snap in the air. :)
And classes are going well.
So I guess my week can be summed up as a week of egg-blowing, scream singing, mall shopping, lsat studying, Easter partying, random dancing type THING.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Random (Aladdin) Picture Time!
The Guards
The Dancing Girls on the Balcony
ETAs!
Trying on other costumes after the show
Guards, Narrator, Townspeople, Carpet, Parrot
The Guards
The Dancing Girls on the Balcony
ETAs!
Trying on other costumes after the show
Jafar and me
The only place I had to put my lovely flowers was the extra garbage can
Sultan, Jafar, Aladdin, and choreographers
Guards and Parrots (one of my fav dressing room pics)
Yes, I wore this for a dance....
Genie, Cloud, Jafar
All Hail Prince Ali!
Parrot and a Cloud
Cast and Production Team
Sunday, March 2, 2008
And it's March! I used to be much better with keeping this updated. I'll blame Aladdin for it...it seems to be the convenient scapegoat for why I haven't studied for the LSAT, sent out resumes, etc. But Aladdin is over, sadly. It was really fun. The performances went well, the audiences were pretty good, and there are going to be some great pictures from pre, post, during, and post-post show. And we're getting copies of Thursday night's performance, so everyone who wants to see the ridiculousness that was Aladdin Jr can. :) And the cast got us (us being the choreographers and the directors etc) beautiful bouquets of flowers! It was so sweet of them. I didn't have a vase big enough to hold them (there's so many), so I used the extra trashcan in my room. I'm so incredibly classy.
The weather is starting to warm up and yesterday and today it has been absolutely gorgeous! I went to Yuen Long Saturday with another ETA and the teacher we work with at ECLC. We had Thai and Vietnamese food, which was really good. And then we went to Wong Tai Sin temple and then to a garden place in Diamond Hill. It was so nice to be off campus and outside in the nice weather.
Easter break is in two weeks...it's two weeks long. I feel like we just came out of Chinese New Year vacation, so it's odd to have even more time off. I plan to wander around HK, study, read, and honestly probably do a bit of shopping.
We got our assignments for the next China trip. I'm going to Nanjing! Very excited about that. We're going mid-April and that is pretty much the extent of my knowlege on this particular subject.
It seems so weird to not have Aladdin anymore...it hasn't quite sunk in yet. I've been working on it for six months or so. Odd.
As we go on
we remember
all the times we've
had together
and as our lives change
from whatever
we will still be
friends forever
(albeit perhaps facebook friends)
Ohh!! Random note. I saw my surgeon again on Tuesday. According to him, I'm still fighting for the last 2-5 degrees of straightening on my knee. But! I don't have to see him again till the end of May, which indeed may be the last time I ever see him. *sniff* And my PT, who I saw on Thursday, says I can start doing once a week PT visits, as long as I keep up the exercises at home and start going on walks/jogs. So cheers!
Photos to come at a later date.
The weather is starting to warm up and yesterday and today it has been absolutely gorgeous! I went to Yuen Long Saturday with another ETA and the teacher we work with at ECLC. We had Thai and Vietnamese food, which was really good. And then we went to Wong Tai Sin temple and then to a garden place in Diamond Hill. It was so nice to be off campus and outside in the nice weather.
Easter break is in two weeks...it's two weeks long. I feel like we just came out of Chinese New Year vacation, so it's odd to have even more time off. I plan to wander around HK, study, read, and honestly probably do a bit of shopping.
We got our assignments for the next China trip. I'm going to Nanjing! Very excited about that. We're going mid-April and that is pretty much the extent of my knowlege on this particular subject.
It seems so weird to not have Aladdin anymore...it hasn't quite sunk in yet. I've been working on it for six months or so. Odd.
As we go on
we remember
all the times we've
had together
and as our lives change
from whatever
we will still be
friends forever
(albeit perhaps facebook friends)
Ohh!! Random note. I saw my surgeon again on Tuesday. According to him, I'm still fighting for the last 2-5 degrees of straightening on my knee. But! I don't have to see him again till the end of May, which indeed may be the last time I ever see him. *sniff* And my PT, who I saw on Thursday, says I can start doing once a week PT visits, as long as I keep up the exercises at home and start going on walks/jogs. So cheers!
Photos to come at a later date.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
It's mid-February! How crazy is that?
They started me on the treadmill this week, at a brisk walk of 5.5 kph. Being on a treadmill is an incredibly disorienting and yet somewhat enjoyable experience. Like the stepper. But I feel both would be enhanced if I were allowed to listen to music at the same time. I see my surgeon in a week and a half again. So we'll see how that goes.
The three modules are going well, although one of the Spanish classes was really quiet in terms of participation. I started up the next round of Social English, which also went well. Aladdin is one week till opening night!
I bought another LSAT prep book, this one specific to logic games, as I'm not really having much luck with them thus far at all.
We had a great Valentine's Day party at the dorm last Tuesday. Cookie decorating, card making, and music...quite a few people came, they seemed to enjoy it, and we didn't have an excessive amount of candy leftover, surprisingly.
I restart classes at the Primary School tomorrow!
And now random picture time again!
They started me on the treadmill this week, at a brisk walk of 5.5 kph. Being on a treadmill is an incredibly disorienting and yet somewhat enjoyable experience. Like the stepper. But I feel both would be enhanced if I were allowed to listen to music at the same time. I see my surgeon in a week and a half again. So we'll see how that goes.
The three modules are going well, although one of the Spanish classes was really quiet in terms of participation. I started up the next round of Social English, which also went well. Aladdin is one week till opening night!
I bought another LSAT prep book, this one specific to logic games, as I'm not really having much luck with them thus far at all.
We had a great Valentine's Day party at the dorm last Tuesday. Cookie decorating, card making, and music...quite a few people came, they seemed to enjoy it, and we didn't have an excessive amount of candy leftover, surprisingly.
I restart classes at the Primary School tomorrow!
And now random picture time again!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Happy (belated) New Year!
It's the Year of the Rat!
We had the week off because most students go home for the holiday. I went shopping earlier this week. :) Partially for sweaters and t-shirts (I realized I have only one warm sweater and only black t-shirts) and also to get things for our dorm Valentine's Day Party. It reminded me of being an HA again, buying arts and crafts supplies and a vast amount of candy. So that should be fun.
On Thursday some of us went into TST for the parade. We waited for almost an hour and a half, and then the thing kicked off. Some of the floats/performances were really interesting, like the one where a collection of children perched precariously on sticks or something several feet above the ground. There were dancers, elaborate costumes, dragons held by people on rollerblades. The floats were essentially a showdown of major companies or attractions in Hong Kong, such as Cathay Pacific and Ocean Park. There was one that was an ad which read "Shop for Real" meaning don't buy fakes. I couldn't see too well because we were three or four rows back from the parade and everyone had huuuuuge cameras that they shoved up as soon as anything approached.
Oh, and we also went to the Wishing Tree at Lam Tsuen. Supposedly, at one point, you threw oranges at the tree and if they stuck then your wish came true...? Or something. But when we went, the tree was pretty much tied up and there were signs asking that things not be hurled at the tree.
Today I have a half day practice for Aladding, 2-9. Weeeeeeeee!
It's the Year of the Rat!
We had the week off because most students go home for the holiday. I went shopping earlier this week. :) Partially for sweaters and t-shirts (I realized I have only one warm sweater and only black t-shirts) and also to get things for our dorm Valentine's Day Party. It reminded me of being an HA again, buying arts and crafts supplies and a vast amount of candy. So that should be fun.
On Thursday some of us went into TST for the parade. We waited for almost an hour and a half, and then the thing kicked off. Some of the floats/performances were really interesting, like the one where a collection of children perched precariously on sticks or something several feet above the ground. There were dancers, elaborate costumes, dragons held by people on rollerblades. The floats were essentially a showdown of major companies or attractions in Hong Kong, such as Cathay Pacific and Ocean Park. There was one that was an ad which read "Shop for Real" meaning don't buy fakes. I couldn't see too well because we were three or four rows back from the parade and everyone had huuuuuge cameras that they shoved up as soon as anything approached.
Oh, and we also went to the Wishing Tree at Lam Tsuen. Supposedly, at one point, you threw oranges at the tree and if they stuck then your wish came true...? Or something. But when we went, the tree was pretty much tied up and there were signs asking that things not be hurled at the tree.
Today I have a half day practice for Aladding, 2-9. Weeeeeeeee!
Monday, January 28, 2008
I'm soooooooooooooo cold.
And I figured out how to upload pictures! It was really easy...it just must not have worked the first time I tried. So here's a little bit of randomness from Hong Kong:
Costumes from Aladdin, "Friend Like Me"
Costumes from Aladdin, "A Whole New World"
My room when I first moved in....it's a lot nicer looking now.
The view from my room.
The view from my room.
Me as Stitch at Disneyland!
PS! My bamboo! Alive and well!
C-block at IEd (canteen, library, etc)
View from LP, outside C-Block.
My campus is so fun! I post more pictures later, when I take some more good ones. :)
And I figured out how to upload pictures! It was really easy...it just must not have worked the first time I tried. So here's a little bit of randomness from Hong Kong:
Costumes from Aladdin, "Friend Like Me"
Costumes from Aladdin, "A Whole New World"
My room when I first moved in....it's a lot nicer looking now.The view from my room.
The view from my room.
Me as Stitch at Disneyland! 
PS! My bamboo! Alive and well!
C-block at IEd (canteen, library, etc)
View from LP, outside C-Block.
My campus is so fun! I post more pictures later, when I take some more good ones. :)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
First week of full schedule. I had my Spanish modules with the other ETAs, and those went well. We have some new students in Spanish 2 who have never had Spanish before, which is mildly problematic, but we'll work that out. And then today I had my Intro to African Lit class. Only nine people signed up for it, and only 7 showed, so it's like a small intense lit course back at Bryn Mawr. It's actually kind of nice, because we can circle up and discuss. I just hope everyone sticks it out through the semester. They're all nice though, so we'll see how things go.
I had my first reading back at ECLC today, the kindergarten. They're all so adorable. They were New Year's greeting cards to put in little red envelopes. Ooh, and I have a lead on a volunteer opportunity while here. More about that if it works out. :)
I had my first reading back at ECLC today, the kindergarten. They're all so adorable. They were New Year's greeting cards to put in little red envelopes. Ooh, and I have a lead on a volunteer opportunity while here. More about that if it works out. :)
Friday, January 18, 2008
Long time no update....craziness.
I went to Ocean Park last weekend. We saw the pandas! And we totally saw the pandas taking care of their daily business, heeheehee. And we went on a few rides, played a few games, ate a lot of food. Tried to find a panda stuffed animal. Well, found lots, but they were all either huuuge or not soft at all. I suppose I shall just stick to collecting stuffed penguins. Went to the dolphin show as well. They're so cute! And when they flip up in the air, they remind me of wontons. *shrug*
Speaking of things in HK that remind me of really odd things, I finally realized what's bothered me about the apartment buildings (besides the fact that I'm scared of heights). They remind me of the scene in The Matrix when Neo wakes up and looks down, and you see all those pods of humans being raised. Sometimes, the apartment buildings look like that, especially ones that aren't just very tall rectangles, but have more angles and stuff.
The semester has started up again, but slowly for me, which I guess is nice. Classes started two weeks ago in the Primary School and Aladdin rehearsals, then the workshops kicked in last week, and next week my modules (the co-taught Spanish ones and my Intro to African Lit one) start this week. Yikes! Much to do. This will be a busy working in the office weekend I think. Which is all right with me. It's gray (or at least it was today) and it's cooooold. The fifties. Freezing at night, without AC. But I'm enjoying it, since it's much easier to layer on warmth than deal with the heat of the summer.
I saw my surgeon again on Tuesday. I didn't have to wait long this time to meet with him, and then he told me that my knee was still lacking the last five degrees but that he wasn't worried about the bending bit. I see him again in six weeks. Ooh, which I think is the same week as Aladdin. Mmmm, well, I assume the appt will be in the morning, and the show is, oddly, at 4:30. Still doing PT. Same old same old there, only I think my PT thinks I'm not trying. *meep*
I read a really interesting book last week...Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Terrifying, if you think about it, but engrossing. Then I read the second book of the series...not quite as good in my opinion, but that might be because it's a bit harder to follow and the violence (though significantly less in quantity) was much worse in quality.
Oh! And I've purchased something fantabulous. I think it ranks in the top three most awesome items I've bought in HK (it's pushed the blue glasses off the list); I got a striped sweater hoody with a Hello Kitty on the pocket with a fuzzy pink bow. Hahahahaha. But it's very comfortable...not terribly warm, but I figure it'll warm up again soon.
For a man of your charisma and mystique
It's taken far too long for you to reach your peak
Why is my status always quo?
Why does no one want to know?
~Jafar, "Why Me", from Aladdin, Jr.
(The lyrics just take over my mind sometimes)
I went to Ocean Park last weekend. We saw the pandas! And we totally saw the pandas taking care of their daily business, heeheehee. And we went on a few rides, played a few games, ate a lot of food. Tried to find a panda stuffed animal. Well, found lots, but they were all either huuuge or not soft at all. I suppose I shall just stick to collecting stuffed penguins. Went to the dolphin show as well. They're so cute! And when they flip up in the air, they remind me of wontons. *shrug*
Speaking of things in HK that remind me of really odd things, I finally realized what's bothered me about the apartment buildings (besides the fact that I'm scared of heights). They remind me of the scene in The Matrix when Neo wakes up and looks down, and you see all those pods of humans being raised. Sometimes, the apartment buildings look like that, especially ones that aren't just very tall rectangles, but have more angles and stuff.
The semester has started up again, but slowly for me, which I guess is nice. Classes started two weeks ago in the Primary School and Aladdin rehearsals, then the workshops kicked in last week, and next week my modules (the co-taught Spanish ones and my Intro to African Lit one) start this week. Yikes! Much to do. This will be a busy working in the office weekend I think. Which is all right with me. It's gray (or at least it was today) and it's cooooold. The fifties. Freezing at night, without AC. But I'm enjoying it, since it's much easier to layer on warmth than deal with the heat of the summer.
I saw my surgeon again on Tuesday. I didn't have to wait long this time to meet with him, and then he told me that my knee was still lacking the last five degrees but that he wasn't worried about the bending bit. I see him again in six weeks. Ooh, which I think is the same week as Aladdin. Mmmm, well, I assume the appt will be in the morning, and the show is, oddly, at 4:30. Still doing PT. Same old same old there, only I think my PT thinks I'm not trying. *meep*
I read a really interesting book last week...Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Terrifying, if you think about it, but engrossing. Then I read the second book of the series...not quite as good in my opinion, but that might be because it's a bit harder to follow and the violence (though significantly less in quantity) was much worse in quality.
Oh! And I've purchased something fantabulous. I think it ranks in the top three most awesome items I've bought in HK (it's pushed the blue glasses off the list); I got a striped sweater hoody with a Hello Kitty on the pocket with a fuzzy pink bow. Hahahahaha. But it's very comfortable...not terribly warm, but I figure it'll warm up again soon.
For a man of your charisma and mystique
It's taken far too long for you to reach your peak
Why is my status always quo?
Why does no one want to know?
~Jafar, "Why Me", from Aladdin, Jr.
(The lyrics just take over my mind sometimes)
Friday, January 4, 2008
Happy Belated New Year's!
I didn't do much of anything for New Year's, but that's okay with me. I'm not a big New Year's person to begin with, and the crowds and the money and all that...meh.
Let's see. I went to Disneyland on the 30th! It's tiny compared to the Disneys in the States, but that was okay because I was able to get around the park in a day. Stayed until the the sun set, and then the castle at the entry to Fantasyland lit up in a dazzling array of glitter and lights. Saw Disney characters (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, etc) but sadly no Stitch. There was a 'ride' that had about an hour line for Stitch Encounter. We had no idea what it was, but as a fan of the Stitch, we waited. It turned out to be an interactive Stitch ride, where they must have had several cameras hooked up so that the 'actor' who was voicing Stitch could talk to the audience and respond to what they said. It was pretty hilarious. Then there was a ride on a 'river' complete with fake animals that sprayed water or popped out of the river, dolls that 'shot' at you as you passed, a fire breathing um cave, and garbled narration.
I finally went to one of the markets, in Mong Kok. I bought some presents, including a pair of sunglasses for me. Merry Christmas me! It's funny, you walk down this long street with a lot of people and stalls on either side, and you come across several places selling the exact same things...the beaded bracelets, the jade keychains/cell phone charms, the embroidered bead bracelets for lack of a better way to describe them, really nice jade and wood figurines, fans, etc. And tons of Gucci bags. I kinda want one, although I'm totally not the type who goes for namebrand prominently displayed all over something. Had good dim sum that day too. :)
I saw the Golden Compass!!! *Spoiler alert/if you don't want to hear me go into the details about book-to-movie things you should skip the next two sections*
All right, so let me preface this with two things: 1) I read His Dark Materials Trilogy (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, and Amber Spyglass) a long time ago...I remember waiting for the third book to come out with the same fervor that some people awaited HP7. I have reread Golden Compass more times than I care to count, judging by its broken spine, the evidence on its pages that I read it while waiting for bloody noses to subside, the softening pages from constant handling, etc. And I really really like those three books. 2) I think that some book to movie endeavors work really well. HP, for example, I think works. I'm not sure about LotR because I never actually finished one of the books, but they were still good movies.
With that said, it was a highly disappointing and unexpectedly so movie. Lyra was all right..she wasn't like I pictured her, but that's to be expected. I liked the character of Roger. The daemons were amazing. And I want one. How the daemons die I thought was well done. Nicole Kidman, although I do not really like her as an actress, was amazing as Mrs. Coulter. The sets were interesting, and I think they did a decent job of trying to create a world like ours but not. The way they did the reading of the Golden Compass was interesting...confusing but interesting. The plot! The dialogue! My goodness! What were they thinking? Putting aside the book, the movie plot was terrible. It didn't make sense. The transitions from Svalbard to Bolvangar...that makes absolutely no sense. The character of Iorek was contradictory and ended up just being wishy washy. He's a warrior by trade and personality, yet rather than being a compassionate warrior and caring for Lyra, he becomes some sort of overly parental overly worried character. And the way he delivered his lines, and admittedly he had some ah interestingly worded lines and by that I mean just terrible lines (an example? "Do you wish to ride me? We will go faster without armor."), just made everything more cheesy. And the movie was just one big lead up to a climax that never really came. It kept you worried and for me on the edge of my seat because it was quite suspenseful, but it seemed to be only that. It was event after event, with no down time...I was constantly worried about what would come next...and I even pretty much knew what was coming. And back to the book version, they didn't end the movie!!! Spoiler! You have to kill one of the characters off and rip open a gateway to another world at the end of this movie, or else there's no way to start the second movie! Yes, while it made the book unbearably sad because of it, it has to happen! Oh, and the whole dance around the "Authority/Magisterium" thing...fffft! Did not work. Oh well. Oh! But the way they construed the process of intercision was creepy and scary and hearbreaking.
All right, I'm through ranting. I just hope The Other Boleyn Girl is less disappointing. If nothing else, I'm sure the costumes will make up for it. :)
Wow, I'm listening to Jay Chou, and this song sounds like a song by Manau, who are French. Or is Manou? I forget...I lost the CD. *tears*
I didn't do much of anything for New Year's, but that's okay with me. I'm not a big New Year's person to begin with, and the crowds and the money and all that...meh.
Let's see. I went to Disneyland on the 30th! It's tiny compared to the Disneys in the States, but that was okay because I was able to get around the park in a day. Stayed until the the sun set, and then the castle at the entry to Fantasyland lit up in a dazzling array of glitter and lights. Saw Disney characters (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, etc) but sadly no Stitch. There was a 'ride' that had about an hour line for Stitch Encounter. We had no idea what it was, but as a fan of the Stitch, we waited. It turned out to be an interactive Stitch ride, where they must have had several cameras hooked up so that the 'actor' who was voicing Stitch could talk to the audience and respond to what they said. It was pretty hilarious. Then there was a ride on a 'river' complete with fake animals that sprayed water or popped out of the river, dolls that 'shot' at you as you passed, a fire breathing um cave, and garbled narration.
I finally went to one of the markets, in Mong Kok. I bought some presents, including a pair of sunglasses for me. Merry Christmas me! It's funny, you walk down this long street with a lot of people and stalls on either side, and you come across several places selling the exact same things...the beaded bracelets, the jade keychains/cell phone charms, the embroidered bead bracelets for lack of a better way to describe them, really nice jade and wood figurines, fans, etc. And tons of Gucci bags. I kinda want one, although I'm totally not the type who goes for namebrand prominently displayed all over something. Had good dim sum that day too. :)
I saw the Golden Compass!!! *Spoiler alert/if you don't want to hear me go into the details about book-to-movie things you should skip the next two sections*
All right, so let me preface this with two things: 1) I read His Dark Materials Trilogy (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, and Amber Spyglass) a long time ago...I remember waiting for the third book to come out with the same fervor that some people awaited HP7. I have reread Golden Compass more times than I care to count, judging by its broken spine, the evidence on its pages that I read it while waiting for bloody noses to subside, the softening pages from constant handling, etc. And I really really like those three books. 2) I think that some book to movie endeavors work really well. HP, for example, I think works. I'm not sure about LotR because I never actually finished one of the books, but they were still good movies.
With that said, it was a highly disappointing and unexpectedly so movie. Lyra was all right..she wasn't like I pictured her, but that's to be expected. I liked the character of Roger. The daemons were amazing. And I want one. How the daemons die I thought was well done. Nicole Kidman, although I do not really like her as an actress, was amazing as Mrs. Coulter. The sets were interesting, and I think they did a decent job of trying to create a world like ours but not. The way they did the reading of the Golden Compass was interesting...confusing but interesting. The plot! The dialogue! My goodness! What were they thinking? Putting aside the book, the movie plot was terrible. It didn't make sense. The transitions from Svalbard to Bolvangar...that makes absolutely no sense. The character of Iorek was contradictory and ended up just being wishy washy. He's a warrior by trade and personality, yet rather than being a compassionate warrior and caring for Lyra, he becomes some sort of overly parental overly worried character. And the way he delivered his lines, and admittedly he had some ah interestingly worded lines and by that I mean just terrible lines (an example? "Do you wish to ride me? We will go faster without armor."), just made everything more cheesy. And the movie was just one big lead up to a climax that never really came. It kept you worried and for me on the edge of my seat because it was quite suspenseful, but it seemed to be only that. It was event after event, with no down time...I was constantly worried about what would come next...and I even pretty much knew what was coming. And back to the book version, they didn't end the movie!!! Spoiler! You have to kill one of the characters off and rip open a gateway to another world at the end of this movie, or else there's no way to start the second movie! Yes, while it made the book unbearably sad because of it, it has to happen! Oh, and the whole dance around the "Authority/Magisterium" thing...fffft! Did not work. Oh well. Oh! But the way they construed the process of intercision was creepy and scary and hearbreaking.
All right, I'm through ranting. I just hope The Other Boleyn Girl is less disappointing. If nothing else, I'm sure the costumes will make up for it. :)
Wow, I'm listening to Jay Chou, and this song sounds like a song by Manau, who are French. Or is Manou? I forget...I lost the CD. *tears*
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