Mong Kok

On Sunday I went to Mong Kok with Anna, another exchange student from HWS. Neither of us had been but so many other international students had and highly recommended it.

We spent a good portion of the afternoon in Mong Kok, just roaming the streets, looking at the vendors and shopping. First of all- it was so crowded- I felt like I was in Times Square; I think it was because we went on a Sunday. The MTR was packed, you could barely move.

We roamed through the famous Ladies’ Market, where there are lots of little vendors selling anything and everything from clothes to purses to jewelry to electronics. The skill of bargaining is necessary here.

We found a little restaurant and bakery to go to for lunch- where I had beef and pineapple over rice. We had ordered a thing of spring rolls to split but they never came.

We continued to meander around the area, coming across a variety of shops and hourly hotels. We also found this playing field where some kids/teenagers were playing soccer.

Mong Kok was a great place to spend the afternoon and I’m interested in going back, but probably not on a Sunday. 

NSO

For the past three days, I’ve been participating in Lingnan’s New Student Orientation or NSO. All incoming freshmen/first-years and exchange students are required to participate as it introduces everyone to life at the university. We were divided up into groups of about 15 students with 4 peer mentors, or Year 2 or 3 students. I was in group 42 and there was a girl from South Korea, two from Mainland China, and about 12 from Hong Kong.

NSO started off with a dim sum lunch at a nearby restaurant followed by a welcoming ceremony in one of the school’s auditoriums. The ceremony was very interesting. The hostels here are very energetic/competitive- it kind of reminds me of Hogwarts Houses- but the hostels here compete with noise (?). At lunch the executive board of Hostel F taught us the Hostel F Cheers, which are used to show their pride and such. When we got to the auditorium every hostel was cheering and singing their cheers. They had these huge boxed cut-out letters and flags to represent their hostel. Each and every time we were in the auditorium everybody sang and went crazy.

For dinner, my group had High Table, which is a tradition where students eat with the university’s senior members. The dinner used traditional forks and knives, which allowed the Chinese students to practice using these utensils.

Day 2 started off bright and early with breakfast in one of the common rooms in our hostel. Let me just note that only the rooms have A.C. here, the hallways, common rooms, bathrooms, etc. do not. So for both mornings, we’re eating in this common room and I swear its 100+ degrees-not fun. And at one point a boy opened the window-not that it would help because it’s just as hot outside as it is inside.

We had a 3-hour session in the auditorium. It started off with an Official Welcome from the school’s president followed by a group photo- where everybody got together on the ground floor in the auditorium and the photographer stood on a ladder on the stage. Then came some boring talks about the G.P.A. and academic policies. Most students either fell asleep or talked through the speech. It amazes me- in every single presentation the Chinese students would have side conversations and wouldn’t pay attention. It would get to a point where it was so obvious nobody was paying attention and you could barely hear the speaker. In the afternoon we had more talks- but this time they were in Cantonese. Yep. Couldn’t understand a thing.

Later that evening there was a Campus Life Carnival where a lot of clubs and activities had booths set up where you could learn about the club and join. I joined the Rowing Club and got a free t-shirt and bag!

The final day of NSO comprised of a tour of the library-which is absolutely gorgeous and has so many books I could spend hours there- and a fitness test, which I barely had to do because my blood pressure high. The one part I had to do was a skin fold test- they like grabbed part of your skin on your arm, waist and leg and measure it. And, as most of you know I am very ticklish so I was basically dying during this and the lady thought I was absolutely crazy.

Classes start on Wednesday so I have a few days to explore!

The Peak and Victoria Harbor

Lingnan and OMIP have organized 3 days of optional tours to give students a chance to explore some popular areas of Hong Kong. This past Saturday was the first day and I attended the Peak and Victoria Harbor cruise tour.

When I visited Hong Kong in 2006 with P2P we arrived just after a typhoon so the it was very foggy and overcast, providing a poor view from the Peak. For our tour, we were all hoping for a beautiful day and we certainly lucked out with the weather.

We took the tram from the Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus to the Peak Tower.

  

 

Up at the Peak Tower I walked around with a few people and took in the view. A group of us walked up a nearby hill in hopes of getting a different view.

We walked around the shopping area at the top and a group of little boys came up to us and wanted to ask us a few questions to practice their English (I think they were part of some club or Boy Scouts type of thing). They were interested in our impressions of Hong Kong, why we were here and such.

We then took a bus down to the Harbor where we went on a boat cruise along Victoria Harbor. It was a great chance to see the skyscrapers and mountains among Hong Kong.

I want to see both the view from the Peak and Victoria Harbor at night. Every night along Victoria Harbor there is a light show and that is definitely on my to-see/do list. 

Arrival Pictures

I finally found an adapter yesterday at the Peak and have been able to charge my computer. So now for some pictures!

A welcome card from Professor William Lee Associate VP

 

The entrance to Lingnan University

  

My dorm room

 

And the view from my room!

Yesterday I went on a tour to the Peak and on a ferry ride along Victoria Harbor. It was a great tour and it was a beautiful day so we had a spectacular view from the Peak. Stay tuned for a post and pictures about that!

Arrival!

After 24hrs+ of travel I have finally arrived in Hong Kong! And it was definitely worth the trip.

The 16-hour plane ride wasn't too bad- I barely slept because the chair was uncomfortable, so I kept busy by watching the personal TV on the chair in front of me.  I watched multiple movies, and numerous episodes of TV shows. When I arrived in HK I met up with 3 other kids from Roger Williams and waited with them until our bus from Lingnan arrived. There were about 30 kids or so heading to Lingnan- from all parts of the U.S., to mainland China, and various other parts of the world.

When we got to Lingnan, we were taken to our hostels; I am in Hostel F, which is part of the Northern Hostels. I also met my roommate, Yolie, who is from Kowloon, which is just a short train ride away. She doesn't move in until September though. A group of us were hungry so a few student buddies walked with us to a local mall- Fui Tai- where we got some sandwiches.
 Back at the hostel we were shown around- bathroom, laundry room, fridge and common area. The bathrooms have a keypad lock, and well, to say the least I struggled with it for the first 12hours and had to have sercurity come and open it twice. But I have since mastered it!

Thursday was filled with unpacking and shopping. I went back to Fui Tai to get some necessities as well as an adapter because mine broke and my computer died.  No luck on the adapter though so I am still computer-less. :-(

Today (Friday), was the Exchange student orientation. We were introduced to OMIP (Office of Mainland and International Programs) and did a scavenger hunt around Lingnan and Tuen Mun town center. It was very interesting as it was the first chance I've had to actually walk around Lingnan. And thanks to the scavenger hunt, I found this computer lab so I'm able to get online until I find a new adapter.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Peak and Victoria Harbor!  {Stay tuned for pictures}

My Bags are Packed and I'm Ready to go...

So I'm just about all set to go- surprisingly a good 24+ hours before my plane takes off- just a few last minute things, mainly insulin, but then I'm off! I leave tomorrow (Monday, Aug 16) for New York City, where my mom and I will stay the night at my Nana's house and then head to JFK airport on Long Island for my flight Tuesday afternoon. 

       Packing for four months was a struggle to say the least. Luckily, I'm only packing for 1, maybe 2 seasons. The weather in Hong Kong is about 90 degrees in August and only gets down to 50-60 in December so I only had to pack light clothes- I have no idea how I would have packed if I were going to somewhere cold. And just thinking about my suitcase, I probably have too many shirts and shoes; oh well, too late now. I did my best to combine my diabetes supplies- my mom and I managed to fit 16 boxes of strips into just 5 boxes! But the 16 vials of insulin will be in my carry-on bag in a sweet little cooler.
       In addition, My carry-on bags are packed with things for the plane- a book, sudoku puzzles, and word searches, along with my iPod, journal and other fun things that will hopefully keep me entertained for a 16 hours plane ride.

New Beginnings

Hi! I’m Sara and I’m a junior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) in Geneva, New York. This fall though, I won’t be spending my days overlooking the beautiful Seneca Lake, but rather around Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, as I will spend 4 months studying at Lingnan University, trying new things and challenging myself in a new location.

A change of scenery is always a good thing; something new and different, something outside one’s comfort zone. With an HWS education, students are encouraged to become ‘global citizens’ or citizens who are actively involved in the local and global community and are able to make connections between the two. Studying abroad provides students this opportunity to become a global citizen as one becomes a part of another culture by experiencing it.  In just eight short days, my journey to becoming a global citizen continues when I board the plane my 16 hour-long ride.

                                                                                                      Photo Credit: Lingnan University

My journey to becoming a global citizen began long before today. Throughout high school, I frequently traveled as a Student Ambassador for People to People; I’ve been to China, Europe, South America and Antarctica. These trips provided me with a foundation and understanding of other cultures as well as my own. Experiencing different cultures allowed me to reflect on my own culture while learning to accept the differences.

You may be asking yourself, “Why Hong Kong?” I’ve been asked that question multiple times over the past few months; even when I first went to China in 2006, people always asked why, when I said I was going to China. And well, I have a few reasons:

1.     Why Not? When I came home from China in 2006, I was a different person. I fell in love with the culture and have always dreamed of going back. My trip in 2006 was scheduled to spend 2 days in Hong Kong, but due to weather and flight cancelations, we barely spent 24 hours there (which is why I decided to name my blog- More than 24 Hours) and I have always wanted to go back. When the opportunity came for me to study abroad in Hong Kong, I didn’t have to give it a second thought.

2.     In my mind, I can go to Europe at any age. I like to think it will be easier for me to travel around Europe when I’m older than it would be for Hong Kong or any other place in Southeast Asia. And a plus- the current exchange rate for Hong Kong is a much better for the U.S. dollar than the Euro. J

3.     It’s Hong Kong; it’s a cosmopolitan city. It used to be a British colony and is now part of China. It’s a booming city that will play an important role in worldwide business, trade, media etc. And it’s not a suburb like Geneva or my hometown. I’ve always wanted to go to school or live in the city and living in the cosmopolitan city will give me the experience I’ve always dreamed of. In addition, most people will speak English (from what I’ve heard) so although language may be a barrier in some situations, I will still be able to communicate with most people.

4.     It’s a great location. I’ve been surrounded by water my entire life- I live right on the Atlantic Ocean, and go to school on Seneca Lake. Studying in Hong Kong will give me a chance to live by another body of water. Furthermore, when I was looking to study abroad, I knew I wanted to have the chance to travel to other places, and in Hong Kong, it couldn’t be easier- mainland China is available by multiple forms of transportation while Thailand, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Japan, and many other countries are just a plane ride away.

As I prepare for the next four months abroad, I’ve been asked multiple times whether I am nervous or excited. Truthfully, I’m excited. I can’t wait to live in a different country, experience a different culture, challenge myself and try something new.