Class Happenings

For two of my classes, Media Ethics and Media, Culture and Society, I have the same professor, Lisa. Both classes have been talking about objectivity, fairness and truth in the news and it has been a rather exciting week in class. In Media Ethics, Lisa invited a reporter from the Apple Daily Newspaper, who was at the Manila hostage situation, to come and talk to us about that event while focusing on being truthful and objective. And today, the Media, Culture and Society class visited Cable TV. These were both great hands-on experiences and provided insight into the journalism world of Hong Kong.

The reported from Apple Daily spoke in Cantonese so Lisa translated for me. He talked about being in Manila while the hostage was taking place and what he as a reported had to go through to get the right story because at the time many different things were being said. He had to deal with informing the public about this breaking news but also respecting the rights of the wounded and dead. One thing he mentioned was actually not reported- I forget if he talked to this woman or somebody else, but this lady was wounded and felt extremely guilty because she was late to the bus and by being late the gunman was able to get on the bus so she felt like the hostage was her fault. The reporter said they didn’t report this because they didn’t want to bring more stress or attention to the woman.

Outside Cable TV

This morning though, I went to Cable TV, one of the local TV stations in Hong Kong. I was so excited to go because I had never been to a TV station before. We were given a tour of the studio by one of the producers. We were lucky enough to be there while they were doing a live broadcast, so we were able to watch it for about ten minutes from the control room. It was amazing. I never really considered what goes on behind the scenes in airing a news segment- so much planning. In one of the smaller studios we talked about the blue background they use. Anchors aren’t allowed to wear blue because it blends in with the background and viewers would only be able to see their head- think Harry Potter’s invisible cloak. The producer actually had a blue blanket and showed us what it would be like- it was so cool.

Cable TV's version of Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak

We then got to sit down with one of the news directors and he talked a lot about the Manila hostage and what it was like for the station to report the news. The computer in the room had a program where they have news segments from years ago. We were able to watch the ones from August 23 when the hostage was first reported. The anchor was informed about the hostage during the middle of the broadcast and then had to report it to the viewers, so for a good moment, she’s just starring at the ground listening to her producer tell her about the situation via her ear bud; it was very interesting to watch, especially after just being in the control room. The news director also talked about being truthful and objective especially in breaking news. When the hostage situation was developing, there were a lot of different versions of the story going around and they waited until they got exact details to report to news. Although they had to wait to break the news, he said they didn’t want to misinform the public or worry the wrong people, so it was worth the wait.

Blurry picture of control room

It was great to see a TV station as well as talking with a reporter. After taking two journalism classes at HWS last semester, I hated journalism and wanted nothing to do with it, but these two experiences definitely opened my eyes to a different view of journalism/broadcast…

The entire class with our professor, Lisa.

Most of the class with the news director

Mid-Autumn Festival

This past week marked the Mid-Autumn Festival, which celebrates the harvest and the brightest moon of the year. It was celebrated on Wednesday night (Sept 22) and Thursday was the ‘day following Mid-Autumn Festival’ so we didn’t have classes. I lucked out because Thursday is one of my busy days with 4 classes/tutorials and none of them met. J Unfortunately though I had a late class Wednesday night from 5:30-8:30pm, but we got out a little before 7pm. A bunch of exchange kids went into Central/Causeway Bay (?) to see a celebration but I didn’t get out of class in time to make it. L Oh well. I was able to hang out around campus and celebrate here.

On Monday though, OMIP organized a Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration where a bunch of exchange and local students got together in the canteen to celebrate the Festival. There were a bunch of different stations and activities that gave great insight to local celebrations. We were able to try a lot of different foods, including mooncake and different types of fruit. Mooncakes are small little round pastries, with “A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs” (Wikipedia). I had heard a lot about them and have seen hundred of advertisements for them in various MTR stations so I was very interested yet hesitant to try them. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like them- something about the egg yolk… But I tried it and woah. It was so sweet and was not for me. Not too many exchange kids seemed to like them, but I hear there are a lot of different types so I am going to search for some other kinds and give them a shot.

Some food- meat on a stick, hot dogs and some other things that I don't know what they are...

The mooncake is right in the center, with Starfruit to the left and Pomelo to the right

Some other activates included playing local board games and making lanterns. I played the Chinese version of Chutes and Ladders and won! As a prize, I got the board game.

Chinese Chutes and Ladders

Lantern making

The night as a whole reminded me of Casino Night at CBC; lots of tables set up around the room and you could go to the different activities as you pleased. It was a great chance to participate in local celebrations while learning about the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Noah's Ark

Last weekend I went with a few other girls to Noah’s Ark. Lingnan offered a tour during the first few weekends but we had all opted to visit the Big Buddha but were still interested in Noah’s Ark so we decided to make the trip for ourselves.

A little background on Noah’s Ark according to a brochure I got, “The world’s only full-size replica of Noah’s Ark on the Ma Wan waterfront overlooks the magnificent Tsing Ma Bridge and features a series of life-sized sculptures of exotic animals. Noah’s Ark is a new tourist attraction in Hong Kong, and it’s central theme of love of life, family, the Earth, and positive values makes it a wonderful destination for a family tour.”

Anna S., Anna G., Alexa and I outside the entrance

In my words, it was basically a huge plastic ark on the waterfront with huge plastic animals outside and a museum inside. It was geared towards families and little children, but still provided some good information. When we purchased our tickets there were so many different options to choose from, prices ranging from $60-100+HKD and allowing access to different parts of the park. We picked the $90HK with access to the garden (where the animals where) and the inside of the ark.

The inside of the ark was, like I said, a museum, providing all types of information and interactive activities educating visitors about current day arks as well as Noah’s Ark. For example, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, located on the Norwegian island, Spitsbergen; the ‘seed ark’ contains every type of seed in the world and was made in 2006 incase of a world disaster. {And inside, we weren't allowed to take pictures. :-( }

We were also able to see two different short films inside the ark; one was about Noah’s Ark and the second was about arks in the future/saving the world. I knew I was in Asia during the first movie because it depicted the story of Noah and well Noah and the rest of the characters were all Asian. It was interesting to see and hear the same story I’ve been told from an Asian perspective/with Asian characters. The second movie was more of a “Save the Earth” movie as it focused on why we would need to prepare another ark in the future or what kinds of natural disasters could occur if we don’t protect the environment. Both movies were in 3D so it added some extra interesting effects.

Outside the ark there was a path with plastic animals, all in pairs, lined up, getting ready to go into the ark. There were a variety of animals, so I had and hadn’t seen before and they provided some good photo ops.

Once we were finished with Noah’s Ark, we decided to go into Central/SoHo for dinner. We found a small little Mexican place where we all feasted on nachos and quesadillas. Ahh, the little reminders of home. J

Something we came across when leaving Noah's Ark

Hong Kong Park

Last Monday, Kat and I wandered over to Hong Kong Park, in hopes of crossing something off my “To Do/See” list as well as being productive on a day when we both don’t have classes. Hong Kong Park contains a greenhouse, an aviary, waterfalls, a viewing platform and many other things. We spent about 2 hours walking around and exploring; we lucked out because it wasn’t crowed at all, probably because it was a Monday, but it was nice to roam around without constantly running into or rather around people.

Our first stop was the greenhouse, but while walking there we stopped at a waterfall and took some pictures. When we got to the greenhouse there were three main parts: an ‘at room temperature’ room, a humid room, and a desert room, all providing different climates for different plants. {Kerri- you would have loved this place and all the plants}.

When we arrived and looked at the map we noticed there was an ‘Olympic Square.’ Although neither of us knew what it was, we wanted to check it out, so that’s where we headed next. It was basically just a small stadium that was constructed for the 2009 East Asia Games.

We were on our way to the aviary when we came across the viewing platform and decided to climb to the top. With only 105 stairs, it wasn’t a bad climb, but it was in a spiral, so it was a little odd (like the Fire Island Lighthouse climb, but a lot smaller). The view from the top provided a nice panoramic view of the surrounding area, which was mainly building, but we could see a snippet of the harbor as well as some mountains.

We finally reached the aviary after getting a little lost and climbing more steps, but it was well worth it. The aviary had over 600 exotic birds and an elevated walkway, which allowed us to see a variety of types. At one point Kat was standing near a sign and a bird came up and sat on the sign. It reminded me of Antarctica, when some animals would just decided to come up to the humans and see what we’re all about.

Birds eating some fruit...

Hong Kong Park is also home to the Museum of Tea Ware, which we ventured around in for a little while, mainly because the building had A.C. but it was very interesting to learn about the history of tea and tea ware.

Festival Walk

Last weekend (I am so behind on updating) I went to Festival Walk with a few friends. It was a rainy day and as an indoor mall, Festival Walk gave us something to do while still experiencing the culture of Hong Kong.

The mall was huge. It was connected to the MTR station- there are actually a lot of MTR stops with malls connected- so we didn’t even have to walk outside. There were about 6-8 floors and hundreds of high-end stores and various eating establishments. When we arrived, we briefly walked around the mall, checking out some stores and places to eat. We came across an ice-skating rink- yes, an ice skating rink in the mall- with hundred of little Chinese kids learning to skate and taking lessons. It was amazing. We had planned on eating when we arrived and decided to eat in the food court and found seats just overlooking the ice skating rink.  For lunch I got a bowl of rice, chicken and egg. It was pretty good.

We meandered around the mall for a while. I was looking for an agenda book for school but could only find 2011 ones. We walked into a few of the higher-end stores, like Marc by Marc Jacobs, just to check out the prices.

{A note about prices- the majority of things here are cheaper than the U.S. Food is rather cheap, I've gotten meals for less than $3 U.S. but then again I've also splurged on some meals. Material goods are usually cheaper than in the U.S., but some things were more expensive, for example some of the 2011 agendas I found were more than $25USD, while in the U.S. the same one would be less than $15. The only things that I've found to be more expensive here than in the U.S. are things in the high-end stores- a few bags in Marc by Marc Jacobs were almost twice as much as they would be in the U.S.}

We found this huge department like store- they were selling everything- from food, to calendars, to umbrellas and sandals, to luggage and travel necessities, and jewelry. It was great to walk around and check everything out.

There was a grocery store that looked and smelled much nicer than the one by our school, so we checked it out before leaving. Wow. They had a great selection of American food at relatively cheap prices. It was nice walking around a store and seeing a lot of American brands. 

The One-Month Mark

It’s been just about one month since I arrived in Hong Kong. It feels like I’ve been here for more than a month but then I remember that I still have three more months here! But as a few of us were discussing last night, we’ve gotten to know Hong Kong. We know the MTR, minibuses, taxi and octopus card systems, as well as how to flag down a waiter/waitress to order, how to use chopsticks, and are starting to get used to the unpredictable but hot weather. I know which way to look when I cross the street (since they drive on the other side of the road here) and to always stand on the right side of the escalator so people can walk on the left side.

But there are still a few things that I am completely lost in and I don’t know if I will ever figure them out. First, I don’t know which side of the street to walk on. I thought since they drove on the opposite side of the road they’d walk on the opposite side of the road. Well, they don’t. But they don’t always walk on the right side either. Sure, in some of the MTR stations the stairs are labeled with and X and an arrow showing you which way to go, but people don’t always follow it.  So when I walk, I am constantly dodging people and getting out of their way, because they’re don’t move either.

Secondly, I have yet to figure out how to eat meat on a bone with chopsticks. Seriously. It’s a disaster whenever I get meat with bones; I’ve learned to try and avoid ordering meat with bones, but sometimes it doesn’t work out so well. The Chinese have it down to a skill- they put the meat and bone in their mouth and somehow get the meat off the bone and then take the bone out of their mouth with their chopstick. It sounds so easy but it really isn’t. But I will say that since I’ve arrived, eating noodles with chopsticks has gotten much easier because I’ve learned the skill of putting the noodles into the spoon and then using the chopsticks to eat off the spoon.

I may have mentioned this in my NSO post, but I’m bringing it up again here. The Chinese students here talk during class/while the professor is talking. I don’t understand it. During NSO, sure, you had to sit through these long talks about nothing too important, but in a class of 30, where we are supposed to be learning, it boggles my mind. The other day I was in a class where the teacher constantly switches between English and Cantonese so the Cantonese students would fully understand, so I was already lost and confused because I would zone out when it was in Cantonese and then zone in when it was in English and she was constantly switching; she was also speaking very softly so it was already hard to hear her. Then the kids behind me started having their own conversation, so it felt like there were a million conversations going on around me.  It happens in all of my classes, the professor teaches and the students have their own little side conversations. I like to think that they’re just further explaining the topics to each other in Cantonese but I can’t be certain.

But I still have 3 more months to get a better understanding of this culture. I created a list of things I want to see or do before I leave. I’ve been able to cross a few things off already but I know I have many more exciting days ahead! And even more exciting news- just yesterday I booked my ticket to Thailand! I’m heading to Bangkok and Ko Samui October 2^nd until the 10^th with my friend Kat! It’ll be a nice little birthday gift to myself. J

Ocean Park

Saturday was the final day of tours offered by Lingnan and I was lucky enough to have signed up for the Ocean Park tour the first day it was offered.

Ocean Park is a combination of an amusement and marine park- it’s basically the best of both worlds, education and fun! It’s located on HK Island and there are two main areas, on two different parts of a mountain, the Waterfront and the Summit. To get from one end to the other visitors can take either a cable car or the Ocean Express- basically a tram like thing.

I wandered around the park with a friend from HWS, as well as a few other exchange students and the two student buddies who were leading the trip. It was raining all day, but that didn’t stop us from seeing the majority of the park. We started on the bottom of the mountain, the Waterfront, and our first goal was to see the pandas; the park has two exhibits of pandas and both exhibits had a few pandas hanging out. 

In one exhibit there were red pandas, which were really cool, especially since I’ve never seen them before.  We also wandered around and saw some fish, alligators, and a few rides, but the rides were closed due to the rain.

We took the cable car up to the Summit; it provided a great view of the South Asia Sea and surrounding mountains. Once we got to the Summit we walked around the Atoll Reef and Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium, both focused on life underwater and showed hundreds of different fish and underwater creatures.

The Summit had many rides, including 2 rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, swings, and that pharaoh boat ride. The rain forced many of the rides to remain closed, but we lucked out because for about a half hour the ferris wheel and one of the rollercoasters was opened, so we got in line for the rollercoaster and were able to get one ride in.

Yep. I went on my first rollerocast, in Hong Kong. J It was epic. It had 3 loops as well. 

We continued walking around the park, saw some sea lions, watched a dolphin show, and went on the Ocean Park Tower. The dolphin show was a quick 15 minutes, but amazing. The dolphins knew so many amazing tricks and were synchronized so well. The Ocean Park Tower was basically just a lift that went around in a circle twice, to provide a view of the entire park and surrounding area of Aberdeen.

Before leaving the park, a few of us went on one final ride, the Raging River, something similar to Canobie’s Boston Tea Party, or a log ride- where you basically sit in a log thing and go down a hill and water splashes up. We figured we were already soaking because of the rain, so why not. I wore my raincoat, so the people I was with figured I could sit in the front and be protected. Throughout the ride, they take your picture, and well there were some awesome pictures of me- basically bundled up in my raincoat, eyes closed and mouth wide open screaming.

Overall, it was a good day, even with the rain. The student buddies we were with played a major role in this, as they were able to show us almost everything; I don’t think I would have seen half the things if I wasn’t with them. 

Symphony of Lights

Hong Kong is home to a famous light show, where the buildings along Victoria Harbor (HK Island side) light up every night to music. It took me a few weeks, but I finally got to see it this past Friday night.

My friend, Kat, had to go into the Central to get her HK ID since she is here for a year, so I went in with her and we decided to check out the light show later that night. We ended up wandering around HK Island and along the piers for a while. We also wandered into the grocery store and found a lot of American products! We found and purchased Tostitos and Cheetos. J It was a nice reminder of home.

We met our friend Anna at the train stop for the light show and ventured over to the harbor. We found seats against a railing and relaxed for a while before the show started. There was some guy performing music and karaoke and he started singing The Doors at one point.

The Symphony of Lights started at 8pm and is set to some Cantonese music. It was established by the HK Tourism Board and last about 15 minutes. Friday night was kind of foggy, but you could still see most of the lights. It was a nice show, definitely a tourist thing, and something we decided we’d see again in December, but nothing too spectacular.

After the show we were all starving and craving American food. We walked about 15 minutes to this nearby strip of restaurants where we decided on a small little Italian place. But not before walking by the famous Peninsula Hotel. It's a famous hotel in HK known for it's high tea. I plan on going there some afternoon before I leave for the tea. Dinner was a bit pricey but it was worth it. When we sat down, the hostess handed me a wine list- it was so weird knowing I could order something alcoholic legally.  During dinner it started down pouring as well as thundering and lightning. It was great. We walked backed to the MTR station in the rain as well as back to school after the commute back.

The Peninsula

Where we had dinner.

And, it’s been raining ever since…

Hostel Dumpling Night

Instead of ‘dorms,’ Lingnan has ‘hostels.’ There are 6 on campus, 4 are the Southern Hostels- A, B, C, D- and 2 make up the Northern Hostels- E and F. . I am in Hostel F. Each hostel has a Warden, who is kind of the director of the hostel/an adult, and a bunch of tutors, who I see as comparable to RAs.

As I explained during NSO, each hostel kind of does it own thing and has it’s own traditions. And earlier this week I was able to participate in one of Hostel F’s own traditions- Chinese Dumpling Night for Exchange Students.

So on Monday night, most of Hostel F’s exchange students gathered in the common room on the ground floor with the executive board, tutors and warden of Hostel F.

Our Warden first showed us how to make dumplings and then everybody gathered around the table and started making their own dumplings. I had to make a few dumplings before I got the hang of things, but once I did it was so much fun! There were two huge bowls-one with meat, the other with veggies- and dozens of chopsticks to pick up the mixings to put into the dumpling. There were so many piles of dumpling sheets (I’m not really sure what to call them- the dumpling sheets?) Hands were everywhere, but somehow we managed to make hundreds of dumplings without poking anybody with chopsticks.

There were so many different designs of dumplings, you could definitely tell who had made them before and who was just beginning. The Warden explained that you could usually tell who made it by the design, which was so true. Mine were so simple, while some of the tutors’ were so complex.

The tutors began to cook the finished dumplings, while we continued to make them, and then it was time to feast! And feast we did! They were all so delicious and the tutors kept filling up our bowls. It was a great night to meet the Warden as well as the tutors and executive board and other exchange kids in my hostel while eating dumplings!