Hello All,
After being here for three weeks I have come to realize how much a fork and a napkin are appreciated. A few days ago I attended a luncheon where I had the chance to meet with people from the American Consulate. When I arrived at the meeting I sat down at the table and I was so excited because at my place setting there was a fork and a napkin! I didn’t realize how much I missed such common items. I have learned how to use chopsticks (pretty well too…) and I have learned to take my own napkins with me where ever I go (they don’t give you napkins in restaurants)… but it really was comforting to see a fork and napkin at the table. The meeting with the consulate was good too...
Another dinning experience:
The other day I went to Dim Sum with my friend Jess and her roommate Colleen. Colleen is a local student and she ordered for us. (Dim sum is a very traditional Cantonese/ Hong Kong meal served later in the afternoon.) You order a bunch of little dishes and everyone has some of each. Most of the dishes are some kind of dumpling or breaded thing or meatball. We also had some congee which is like a rice based "oatmeal" (or maybe more like grits..) and it had pork pieces in it. It was pretty good. We also had these things that had egg custard in them. They are all about the eggs here (clearly my favorite part of HK!—in case you don’t know- I don’t like eggs…) but I did try everything and even the egg stuff wasn't too bad. I could stomach it. Some of the egg stuff I actually liked! We also ate another traditional HK food---Chicken feet!! Yes, I really did eat chicken feet. I didn't like it, but I ate it. It didn't actually taste bad, I just didn't like it because it is basically like eating chicken skin. If you like chicken skin, you will like chicken feet... (unless you don't like bones....) there are a ton of little bones in the feet and you just have to put it all in your mouth, eat around the bones, and spit the bones out. It is a very complicated matter and not something I will try again and definitely not something I would suggest to a person who isn’t up for an adventure. But, over all the dim sum was pretty good :) Oh, and by the way, you don’t get a fork with dim sum—it is all chopsticks and no napkins!
Well, I'm off to go get ready for my camping adventure.
Check out my pics, I posted new ones :)
xoxo,
Cassie
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
monkey attack
Greetings from Hong Kong
I am now into my second week of lessons and I am finding University to be a great learning experience. I have only four classes (all of which are communications courses) and I have no lectures or lessons on Thursdays or Fridays!
My courses are challenging but not impossible and I like most of my professors. I really enjoy my multicultural communications course. The main focus of the course is on communication differences between people from Hong Kong and people from the United States. I am finding the course very helpful!
Outside of my regular course work, I have signed up to teach an English course once a week and to hold an English tutorial once a week. Those sessions will begin next week. I am looking forward to helping the locals with their English and I hope that in return, the locals can teach me some Cantonese.
Aside from University functions (courses and what not) I have been very busy. This past weekend I went to this place called Monkey Hill with some other exchange students… There were wild monkeys running around everywhere! I didn’t realize that Hong Kong had wild monkeys! But it does, and one tried to take my bag away from me. It scared the crap out of me! It was definitely an interesting experience… and of course we all ended up wandering around Monkey Hill and getting ourselves completely lost. We were lucky enough to run into a nice local man named Stanley who showed us how to get back to the main road—we had been wandering for a literal hour and a half.
Apart from the Monkey Attack, we also ventured out to go and see a film at the cinema. We say the movie Elizabeth- The Dark Ages. The movie was shown in English but had Cantonese subtitles. I went to see the movie with a number of students from England. I heart the British. It was a good experience. The movie was pretty good too… If you like any historical movies you might like it.
I have finally set up Skype and my webcam sooooo if you feel so inclined, download Skype. (It is an internet based program that allows you to talk country to country for free as long as the other person is also using Skype.) It is amazing and the quality of the voices is some times better than a cell phone connection.
Overall things are going well here. I miss a lot of the American food and it was sad that I couldn’t actually watch the Packer game (still upset that they lost…). But, they do have some amazing bakeries here and the weather is definitely a positive (it was 70 today!). I have met some really great people (locals, people from mainland, and the other exchange students). I am also learning a lot. Today I learned all about Chinese weddings—VERY different from a typical American wedding. Did you know that at a traditional Chinese wedding, the bride’s parents cannot attend the ceremony?
Tonight I am going out with some friends for sushi and then off to go to karaoke, and this weekend I am attending a Hong Kong HOBY camp!
I miss you all and I hope to hear from you… keep me posted on what is going on in America while I am half way around the world!
Cassie
I am now into my second week of lessons and I am finding University to be a great learning experience. I have only four classes (all of which are communications courses) and I have no lectures or lessons on Thursdays or Fridays!
My courses are challenging but not impossible and I like most of my professors. I really enjoy my multicultural communications course. The main focus of the course is on communication differences between people from Hong Kong and people from the United States. I am finding the course very helpful!
Outside of my regular course work, I have signed up to teach an English course once a week and to hold an English tutorial once a week. Those sessions will begin next week. I am looking forward to helping the locals with their English and I hope that in return, the locals can teach me some Cantonese.
Aside from University functions (courses and what not) I have been very busy. This past weekend I went to this place called Monkey Hill with some other exchange students… There were wild monkeys running around everywhere! I didn’t realize that Hong Kong had wild monkeys! But it does, and one tried to take my bag away from me. It scared the crap out of me! It was definitely an interesting experience… and of course we all ended up wandering around Monkey Hill and getting ourselves completely lost. We were lucky enough to run into a nice local man named Stanley who showed us how to get back to the main road—we had been wandering for a literal hour and a half.
Apart from the Monkey Attack, we also ventured out to go and see a film at the cinema. We say the movie Elizabeth- The Dark Ages. The movie was shown in English but had Cantonese subtitles. I went to see the movie with a number of students from England. I heart the British. It was a good experience. The movie was pretty good too… If you like any historical movies you might like it.
I have finally set up Skype and my webcam sooooo if you feel so inclined, download Skype. (It is an internet based program that allows you to talk country to country for free as long as the other person is also using Skype.) It is amazing and the quality of the voices is some times better than a cell phone connection.
Overall things are going well here. I miss a lot of the American food and it was sad that I couldn’t actually watch the Packer game (still upset that they lost…). But, they do have some amazing bakeries here and the weather is definitely a positive (it was 70 today!). I have met some really great people (locals, people from mainland, and the other exchange students). I am also learning a lot. Today I learned all about Chinese weddings—VERY different from a typical American wedding. Did you know that at a traditional Chinese wedding, the bride’s parents cannot attend the ceremony?
Tonight I am going out with some friends for sushi and then off to go to karaoke, and this weekend I am attending a Hong Kong HOBY camp!
I miss you all and I hope to hear from you… keep me posted on what is going on in America while I am half way around the world!
Cassie
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Hmmm.. So Laundry?
Greetings from HK!
I finally have internet in my room! Which is VERY exciting! And, I have a mobile phone! Yay! I finally feel connected with the “outside” world again… My number is:
Dialing code: +852 and number: 97176446
I can even receive text on my phone so feel free to send me a message anytime.
This week has been good so far. I have had a number of classes and they seem to be going alright. I have a graphic communications course, a multicultural communications course, a video editing course, and a public relations course. For my multicultural communications class I have to make friends with someone from another culture---I don’t think that will be too hard for me here! And, I have become the subject for a number of students in that class. It is a little weird being someone’s “homework.”
The courses do not seem like they will be TOO difficult—comparable to the U.S. I have scheduled my classes so that I only have class on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I also “teach” and English class on Tuesdays.
Today the experience of the day was figuring out how to do my laundry. I have been doing my own laundry for years so I would have never imagined that this would be a complicated task…. But I had no clue what I was doing. The washers are different and everything is in Cantonese. I cannot tell what kind of cycle I put it on or what temperature water I used. It took me forever to find the start button and I’m not sure if I put the detergent in the correct place. I suppose I will find out soon when I go to take my clothes out of the wash in a few minutes.
I went to a Foreign Exchange Student programme (I have to spell like the British while I am here…) and there was a group of Hong Kong students that preformed a jump roping show for us. They are hardcore jump-ropers here. It was amazing what they could do. They were doing flips in between jumps and switching ropes and all sorts of crazy things. It was really neat. Other than that my day was not too exciting—just another day of class.
In my morning class (9:30-12:30) my professor mentioned “ohhh it is so early right now, maybe that is why you are all so quiet…” It was 10:30! They have a very different idea of sleeping here. Most students stay up VERY late and do not wake up until the afternoon. My roommate sleeps at a relatively normal hour so that is nice. A friend of mine (Andrew), his roommate (Leo) asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner –a seemingly normal request except it was 4:00 in the MORNING! I find it really crazy that people don’t sleep here… it is different. It is a lot of fun though—there is always something to do.
Well, I must go and figure out the dryer. That will be an experience!
XXXX
Cassie
I finally have internet in my room! Which is VERY exciting! And, I have a mobile phone! Yay! I finally feel connected with the “outside” world again… My number is:
Dialing code: +852 and number: 97176446
I can even receive text on my phone so feel free to send me a message anytime.
This week has been good so far. I have had a number of classes and they seem to be going alright. I have a graphic communications course, a multicultural communications course, a video editing course, and a public relations course. For my multicultural communications class I have to make friends with someone from another culture---I don’t think that will be too hard for me here! And, I have become the subject for a number of students in that class. It is a little weird being someone’s “homework.”
The courses do not seem like they will be TOO difficult—comparable to the U.S. I have scheduled my classes so that I only have class on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I also “teach” and English class on Tuesdays.
Today the experience of the day was figuring out how to do my laundry. I have been doing my own laundry for years so I would have never imagined that this would be a complicated task…. But I had no clue what I was doing. The washers are different and everything is in Cantonese. I cannot tell what kind of cycle I put it on or what temperature water I used. It took me forever to find the start button and I’m not sure if I put the detergent in the correct place. I suppose I will find out soon when I go to take my clothes out of the wash in a few minutes.
I went to a Foreign Exchange Student programme (I have to spell like the British while I am here…) and there was a group of Hong Kong students that preformed a jump roping show for us. They are hardcore jump-ropers here. It was amazing what they could do. They were doing flips in between jumps and switching ropes and all sorts of crazy things. It was really neat. Other than that my day was not too exciting—just another day of class.
In my morning class (9:30-12:30) my professor mentioned “ohhh it is so early right now, maybe that is why you are all so quiet…” It was 10:30! They have a very different idea of sleeping here. Most students stay up VERY late and do not wake up until the afternoon. My roommate sleeps at a relatively normal hour so that is nice. A friend of mine (Andrew), his roommate (Leo) asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner –a seemingly normal request except it was 4:00 in the MORNING! I find it really crazy that people don’t sleep here… it is different. It is a lot of fun though—there is always something to do.
Well, I must go and figure out the dryer. That will be an experience!
XXXX
Cassie
Monday, January 14, 2008
My First Week!
Hello All!
In the past few days I have been VERY VERY busy! I have now been in Hong Kong for a little over a week and I have definitely “experienced” Hong Kong. On Wednesday a very large group of exchange students (about 60 or so) all met up and went out for a very traditional Chinese supper. It was pretty tasty. I’m not quite sure what I all at though…. Some of it I did not like. They serve the chicken with a thick skin on it and most of the meat comes with many bones. I like to stick to veggies and rice. After dinner the entire group went to Happy Valley to watch the horse races. Horse racing is very big in Hong Kong and Happy Valley was very crowded. It is a beautiful track and the horses were gorgeous! A number of exchange students placed bets and a few even won! After the horse races we all went out on the town.
On Thursday, we (Eric, Lauren, Laura, and I) got up pretty early and headed to Lantau Island. It takes just a short bit on the MTR and then a cable car ride or bus ride to get there. We took the cable cars. The cable cars are similar to the rides at a state fair that go over the entire fair grounds. Same concept except larger and completely enclosed… You get in the cable car and then go up on a wire and then cross the water and go over the mountains and through valleys. The ride was about 20 minutes. It was very beautiful. At some parts we were entirely in the clouds and you couldn’t see ahead of you or behind you… I don’t think I have ever been so high up in my life except for when I am in an airplane! It was very neat.
On Lantau Island is the world’s largest outdoor Buddha. There is also a little village that we walked through and a few market shops and a number of monasteries. To get up to the Buddha you have to climb up a TON of steps. It was worth it though once we got to the top.
They had some evergreen trees up there and they looked very different from the evergreen trees in WI (you will have to check out a picture). The view from the top of the Buddha was amazing!
The monasteries were very neat. Many people still practice their religion and burn incense to praise their gods. The monasteries were very beautiful—very ornate and colorful buildings. We took a bus back to the MTR and on the bus ride back we actually had to stop for some cows that were wandering about in the road… It almost felt like home for a moment. (hehe)
On Friday we (a bunch of exchange students) all got together and went to Hong Kong Island. We went to a revolving restaurant for lunch. It was on the 64th floor! You could see out over all of Hong Kong and Kowloon. It was very neat. The food was pretty good too—they had an impressive dessert section. After lunch we took a tram up to Victoria’s Peak. You get into a little red trolley and it takes you straight up into the mountains and up to the peak. It was a very steep ride. The peak was beautiful. You could see everything! On the tram ride down you ride down backwards… It was almost a little scary! On Friday night we all got together and went out for sushi. After 10 at night there is a place that has half off sushi. For only $5 USD I was able to get 8 pieces of wonderful sushi and a strawberry daiquiri. I was quite pleased.
On Saturday I went on a cultural tour. We (a bunch of exchange students) all loaded onto a coach bus and went to a number of places in the New Territories. We saw a few monasteries, the Wishing Tree, the oldest and only traditional pagoda in HK, and the Yuen Yuen Institute. It was a great day for sight seeing and I learned a lot about the Hong Kong Culture. We also had Dim Sung for lunch. It was rather quite interesting. Some of it was not good at all and some of it was pretty tasty. I liked the barbeque chicken one best ;)
On Saturday night my friend Jess and I cooked dinner and then we (Jess, Andrew, Lewis, and I) all headed out for the night. We had SO much fun out and about!
On Sunday, we all took the day to sleep in a bit and then later in the evening Jess and I headed to Mong Kok to go to the ladies market. I really enjoy Mong Kok and the ladies market has pretty much every random thing you could ever want. We also hit up a tea house while we were in Mong Kok. I got the coconut milk tea with tapioca jelly balls in it (not as gross as it sounds) and Jess got an amazing passion fruit jasmine tea. We also got an order of “supreme toast.” It is basically toast with coconut butter and almonds on it. It was really good.
Today was my first day of class. It went pretty well. I have class from 3:30 to 6:30 on Mondays. My professor is interesting… Very nice guy. I think I will enjoy the class quite a bit.
Overall I really like it here a lot. Sometimes I get a little tired of Chinese food so it is nice to make my own dinners. I miss really random things like having and oven (they don’t really cook with ovens or stoves sooo we just have a hot plate)… microwavable popcorn would be nice… And it would be great to get American football. But.. all things I can do without. I’m making do. I have met some wonderful people. I hang out with Jess and Andrew from England quite often and a guy named Lewis who is from Chicago. We have a lot of fun together… and at that, I am just about to head off to dinner with Jess.
I will post again soon. I miss everyone very much and I would love to hear from you!
XOXO
Cassie
In the past few days I have been VERY VERY busy! I have now been in Hong Kong for a little over a week and I have definitely “experienced” Hong Kong. On Wednesday a very large group of exchange students (about 60 or so) all met up and went out for a very traditional Chinese supper. It was pretty tasty. I’m not quite sure what I all at though…. Some of it I did not like. They serve the chicken with a thick skin on it and most of the meat comes with many bones. I like to stick to veggies and rice. After dinner the entire group went to Happy Valley to watch the horse races. Horse racing is very big in Hong Kong and Happy Valley was very crowded. It is a beautiful track and the horses were gorgeous! A number of exchange students placed bets and a few even won! After the horse races we all went out on the town.
On Thursday, we (Eric, Lauren, Laura, and I) got up pretty early and headed to Lantau Island. It takes just a short bit on the MTR and then a cable car ride or bus ride to get there. We took the cable cars. The cable cars are similar to the rides at a state fair that go over the entire fair grounds. Same concept except larger and completely enclosed… You get in the cable car and then go up on a wire and then cross the water and go over the mountains and through valleys. The ride was about 20 minutes. It was very beautiful. At some parts we were entirely in the clouds and you couldn’t see ahead of you or behind you… I don’t think I have ever been so high up in my life except for when I am in an airplane! It was very neat.
On Lantau Island is the world’s largest outdoor Buddha. There is also a little village that we walked through and a few market shops and a number of monasteries. To get up to the Buddha you have to climb up a TON of steps. It was worth it though once we got to the top.
They had some evergreen trees up there and they looked very different from the evergreen trees in WI (you will have to check out a picture). The view from the top of the Buddha was amazing!
The monasteries were very neat. Many people still practice their religion and burn incense to praise their gods. The monasteries were very beautiful—very ornate and colorful buildings. We took a bus back to the MTR and on the bus ride back we actually had to stop for some cows that were wandering about in the road… It almost felt like home for a moment. (hehe)
On Friday we (a bunch of exchange students) all got together and went to Hong Kong Island. We went to a revolving restaurant for lunch. It was on the 64th floor! You could see out over all of Hong Kong and Kowloon. It was very neat. The food was pretty good too—they had an impressive dessert section. After lunch we took a tram up to Victoria’s Peak. You get into a little red trolley and it takes you straight up into the mountains and up to the peak. It was a very steep ride. The peak was beautiful. You could see everything! On the tram ride down you ride down backwards… It was almost a little scary! On Friday night we all got together and went out for sushi. After 10 at night there is a place that has half off sushi. For only $5 USD I was able to get 8 pieces of wonderful sushi and a strawberry daiquiri. I was quite pleased.
On Saturday I went on a cultural tour. We (a bunch of exchange students) all loaded onto a coach bus and went to a number of places in the New Territories. We saw a few monasteries, the Wishing Tree, the oldest and only traditional pagoda in HK, and the Yuen Yuen Institute. It was a great day for sight seeing and I learned a lot about the Hong Kong Culture. We also had Dim Sung for lunch. It was rather quite interesting. Some of it was not good at all and some of it was pretty tasty. I liked the barbeque chicken one best ;)
On Saturday night my friend Jess and I cooked dinner and then we (Jess, Andrew, Lewis, and I) all headed out for the night. We had SO much fun out and about!
On Sunday, we all took the day to sleep in a bit and then later in the evening Jess and I headed to Mong Kok to go to the ladies market. I really enjoy Mong Kok and the ladies market has pretty much every random thing you could ever want. We also hit up a tea house while we were in Mong Kok. I got the coconut milk tea with tapioca jelly balls in it (not as gross as it sounds) and Jess got an amazing passion fruit jasmine tea. We also got an order of “supreme toast.” It is basically toast with coconut butter and almonds on it. It was really good.
Today was my first day of class. It went pretty well. I have class from 3:30 to 6:30 on Mondays. My professor is interesting… Very nice guy. I think I will enjoy the class quite a bit.
Overall I really like it here a lot. Sometimes I get a little tired of Chinese food so it is nice to make my own dinners. I miss really random things like having and oven (they don’t really cook with ovens or stoves sooo we just have a hot plate)… microwavable popcorn would be nice… And it would be great to get American football. But.. all things I can do without. I’m making do. I have met some wonderful people. I hang out with Jess and Andrew from England quite often and a guy named Lewis who is from Chicago. We have a lot of fun together… and at that, I am just about to head off to dinner with Jess.
I will post again soon. I miss everyone very much and I would love to hear from you!
XOXO
Cassie
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Arrival and the first few days...
8 January 2008
Hello all!
Well, I have made it to Hong Kong! I have been here for a couple days now and I love it so far. It is very neat, very different, but very neat.
I flew out this past Saturday. I left my house at 6:20 a.m. and I flew to L.A., then Taipei, Taiwan, and then to Hong Kong. By the time I landed in Hong Kong it was 9:00 a.m. on Sunday my time but 11:00 p.m. on Sunday Hong Kong time. (The time difference is 14 hours!) The flight itself was pretty good. I watched four movies and learned how to count to ten in Cantonese.
On Monday I was able to check into my dorm. The dorm itself isn’t bad. A little smaller than dorms at La Crosse… And people here do not deck out their dorms quite like we do. No futons, t.v.s, refrigerators, or even microwaves in the dorm. The beds are very short too. I fit alright but if I was much taller I would hang off the end! The showers are interesting to work- you have to turn the hot water heater on and then turn a lever to the left and then turn the water handle to “cold” in order to get hot…that took me a while to figure out. I am on the fourth floor of a 14 story building… (Thankfully we do have elevators—or else living on the 14 story would be a bear!) The dorms themselves are a hike away from campus. There is a big hill between the dorms and the academic building.
There are many hills here. It is almost like San Francisco. The hills are never ending and steep. The campus is not at all like La Crosse. It has only three buildings: the academic building (where all of the classes are), the amenities building (where all of the offices are) and the sports complex. All three buildings are very large and basically attached. Each building is about seven stories high and there are escalators everywhere. The academic building is also connected (by a walkway bridge) to a 7 story shopping mall! The subway system (which is called the MTR here) is on the bottom floor of the mall.
It is very easy to get around. The public transportation is great. The MTR is pretty easy to navigate. We (some other exchange students and I) had to take the wrong train a few time in order to figure it out but I think we have the hang of it now. The pollution and smog is very bad in some parts though and in some places I found it almost hard to breathe… It makes me appreciate clean air!
On Monday afternoon I met up with four students from the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY) that I met in the states at a leadership seminar last year and who live in Hong Kong. They showed me around Hong Kong a bit and took me to Mong Kok. It is an area of Hong Kong that is exactly what you would picture Hong Kong being. Flashing lights and advertisement everywhere, tons of street markets, tons of people, big busses and cars everywhere…. It was really neat. We ate some kind of squid balls and fish balls (I liked the squid ball but not the fish ball) and then we got some tea drink that had black jelly ball things in it—they tasted kind of like gummy bears. It was interesting. Pretty tasty. I have eaten only Chinese meals since arriving except for one (at dinner last night I had pizza----it’s my favorite food-hard to give up!!). I have tried some very interesting foods…
Yesterday we went to Hong Kong Island and explored. Hong Kong Island is where all of the big businesses are. We walked around a few parks and saw all of the tall buildings. Some have very neat architecture. We went to see the Star Ferry at Victoria Harbor and we walked through Hong Kong Park. We also saw St. Andrews Cathedral.
I do not have internet service in my room as of yet, I am working on that. I have to apply for wireless internet. I am able to get online and check my email at the academic building. I do however have an address and a phone number:
Cassandra Holtz
403A, Hall 5
Student Residence
City University of Hong Kong
22 Cornwall Street
Kowloon
HONG KONG
My room phone number is:
85234423231
(I’m not in my room all that often though… soon I will have a cell phone and I will email that number when I have it.)
Tonight I am going out with some other exchange students and tomorrow I have some orientation program. On Saturday there is a tour and my classes start on Monday.
Overall things are going great… The airport had lost my luggage but I got it back yesterday!! and the hills are crazy, but I’ll get in shape… The smog is thick but bearable, maybe I’ll get one of those health masks to wear around (probably not but…)—many people wear them actually. So, I don’t have too many complaints. I am enjoying myself so far and already learning a lot!
Please send emails or letters or call- it is nice to hear from people at home
I miss everyone and will write again soon!
Cassie
Hello all!
Well, I have made it to Hong Kong! I have been here for a couple days now and I love it so far. It is very neat, very different, but very neat.
I flew out this past Saturday. I left my house at 6:20 a.m. and I flew to L.A., then Taipei, Taiwan, and then to Hong Kong. By the time I landed in Hong Kong it was 9:00 a.m. on Sunday my time but 11:00 p.m. on Sunday Hong Kong time. (The time difference is 14 hours!) The flight itself was pretty good. I watched four movies and learned how to count to ten in Cantonese.
On Monday I was able to check into my dorm. The dorm itself isn’t bad. A little smaller than dorms at La Crosse… And people here do not deck out their dorms quite like we do. No futons, t.v.s, refrigerators, or even microwaves in the dorm. The beds are very short too. I fit alright but if I was much taller I would hang off the end! The showers are interesting to work- you have to turn the hot water heater on and then turn a lever to the left and then turn the water handle to “cold” in order to get hot…that took me a while to figure out. I am on the fourth floor of a 14 story building… (Thankfully we do have elevators—or else living on the 14 story would be a bear!) The dorms themselves are a hike away from campus. There is a big hill between the dorms and the academic building.
There are many hills here. It is almost like San Francisco. The hills are never ending and steep. The campus is not at all like La Crosse. It has only three buildings: the academic building (where all of the classes are), the amenities building (where all of the offices are) and the sports complex. All three buildings are very large and basically attached. Each building is about seven stories high and there are escalators everywhere. The academic building is also connected (by a walkway bridge) to a 7 story shopping mall! The subway system (which is called the MTR here) is on the bottom floor of the mall.
It is very easy to get around. The public transportation is great. The MTR is pretty easy to navigate. We (some other exchange students and I) had to take the wrong train a few time in order to figure it out but I think we have the hang of it now. The pollution and smog is very bad in some parts though and in some places I found it almost hard to breathe… It makes me appreciate clean air!
On Monday afternoon I met up with four students from the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY) that I met in the states at a leadership seminar last year and who live in Hong Kong. They showed me around Hong Kong a bit and took me to Mong Kok. It is an area of Hong Kong that is exactly what you would picture Hong Kong being. Flashing lights and advertisement everywhere, tons of street markets, tons of people, big busses and cars everywhere…. It was really neat. We ate some kind of squid balls and fish balls (I liked the squid ball but not the fish ball) and then we got some tea drink that had black jelly ball things in it—they tasted kind of like gummy bears. It was interesting. Pretty tasty. I have eaten only Chinese meals since arriving except for one (at dinner last night I had pizza----it’s my favorite food-hard to give up!!). I have tried some very interesting foods…
Yesterday we went to Hong Kong Island and explored. Hong Kong Island is where all of the big businesses are. We walked around a few parks and saw all of the tall buildings. Some have very neat architecture. We went to see the Star Ferry at Victoria Harbor and we walked through Hong Kong Park. We also saw St. Andrews Cathedral.
I do not have internet service in my room as of yet, I am working on that. I have to apply for wireless internet. I am able to get online and check my email at the academic building. I do however have an address and a phone number:
Cassandra Holtz
403A, Hall 5
Student Residence
City University of Hong Kong
22 Cornwall Street
Kowloon
HONG KONG
My room phone number is:
85234423231
(I’m not in my room all that often though… soon I will have a cell phone and I will email that number when I have it.)
Tonight I am going out with some other exchange students and tomorrow I have some orientation program. On Saturday there is a tour and my classes start on Monday.
Overall things are going great… The airport had lost my luggage but I got it back yesterday!! and the hills are crazy, but I’ll get in shape… The smog is thick but bearable, maybe I’ll get one of those health masks to wear around (probably not but…)—many people wear them actually. So, I don’t have too many complaints. I am enjoying myself so far and already learning a lot!
Please send emails or letters or call- it is nice to hear from people at home
I miss everyone and will write again soon!
Cassie
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