Postcards from Hong Kong, and Beyond: Time's a-Whizzin' By!

Wow, I have been in Hong Kong for nearly three weeks now! Orientation week ended with many good memories and new friends. Week one of classes was overall exhausting yet enjoyable. I was busy sampling a bunch of different classes whilst trying to find the quickest, least steep, most shaded, routes to my classes. Now as week two is about to begin, I am much more prepared with my new water bottle, a pocket-planner, my student Octopus card, cute new earrings, and knowledge of shortcuts around campus.

Meeting new people, trying to remember names, and going out all day takes up a lot of energy! I had been tired since Day 1 of orientation week, but it was all worth it. I met some sincerely nice, interesting, and cool people (I can't think of one person I've met who does not fit into one of these categories!). I guess it's sort of a process and journey to find your "niche group", but I try not to fall into the trap of thinking that I have to stick with a single group of friends. In fact, I enjoy weaving my way around different so-called "cliques" because I get to meet so many fascinating people and learn about so many different cultures. That week I made friends that I truly hope I will get to know more in the coming months. Whenever I get the chance to talk to people one-on-one or in smaller groups, they have consistently turned out to be fun, friendly, and open-minded people! Turns out that at CUHK, everyone is awesome. J

Something I've noticed is that the Korean drama/music craze is on the global scale and not limited to my friends in the States (*ahem* Raymond, Eileen, Eva, KLow *ahem*). I suddenly think of my brother randomly declaring once, "Koreans are TAKING OVER THE WORLD!" I want more and more to visit Korea each day. Reliable sources have told me that the food is delicious, and cheap too! Although Korea is not big, there is a lot to do - karaoke (Koreans are good at it), drinking (the elders encourage young people to drink more because they think it is the best way to bond. Good for business and good for making friends. Maybe this explains the stereotype that Koreans are super clique-ish), shopping, and eating. And after tonight's party (it was Hyeon Jeong's 21st birthday, and her friends all threw her a birthday bash/dinner) I've learned that 1) Korean girls are great cooks, and 2) Korean guys are great at cleaning. Those boys are such gentlemen! They wiped the counter-tops till they were sparkling clean and scrubbed each dish with care. So, they aren't just good looks ;)

Here's a photo tour of the end of orientation week through the first week of classes at CUHK:

CUHK IASP Welcome Dinner. A night to meet new friends, learn Chinese (Canto "telephone"), and eat a traditional Chinese dinner with 500 other international students!

Me, Ki, Emily, Nanami, Lu, and Joanne.
I feel so lucky to have met so many amazingly diverse and multi-cultural people. Sometimes I wonder what brings each of us here together in Hong Kong at this moment. We all lived such vastly different lives before we arrived, but here, we are all living a common experience.

Ki Gin, an amazing artist, a great friend, and a beautiful girl with a ★radiant★ personality.

Our table at the welcome dinner! From mainland, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the US.

Penny and I went to the restaurant near our hostel/dorm. They have dim sum there! It so beats UCSD.

Hong Kong City Tour with IASP.
Destination #1: Victoria Peak. A group picture with the coolest girls of them all! Aren't we adorable? This was the start of a great day.

Lu, Joanne, Jenn, Melissa, Eujin, Miyeon, Leslie, Hyeon Jeong, Me, Tin, and Yuma. A super friendly old man who was a volunteer at The Peak helped us take so many of photos with like four cameras in each hand. Thus, photo credit goes to Ronnie! Thank youu! haha.

My new UCSD buddies! I'm so glad I got to know Leslie and Melissa here. They are so cool, so down-to-earth, and so super awesomely nice J

We are tiny in HK!

Haagan Daz is good ANYWHERE in the world, and Hong Kong is no exception. NOMS! :d

Destination #2: Stanley Market. Volia!

Destination #3: The Avenue of Stars. Peek-a-boo!

Destination #4 was an extra treat for those with energy for even more fun after a long and tiring day. A (random) group of us went out for an delicious Indian dinner thanks to the awesome student helpers! How could you turn down an opportunity to meet these beautiful faces?

I'm so happy to be here right now. ★

The heavy fog lifted a bit, and we got a magnificent view of Hong Kong Island during our after-dinner stroll.

It was really nice to enjoy the breeze, the quiet of the night, and the company of new friends in front of the harbor view.

And one last group picture to wrap up our day-long tour. Hong Kong is still awake, but we're all off to bed... G'night J

One floor up from where I live, there is a beautiful piano room! There's a view of the Tolo Harbor and a huge room to myself. But best of all, there is air-con!

Because CUHK is on a hill, it is very useful to know the many shortcuts. Mysterious stairways link dorms, libraries, classrooms, and canteens together. Sounds like there's much more to discover on campus! My roommate just mentioned "Lovers' Road", and I've heard of a place in New Asia college where there is supposed to be an amazing view of the sky and water meeting and meshing into one if you stand at a certain place...

I love all the green at CUHK! I walk by here often to get food and groceries in central campus. To the right is an elevator aka a shortcut back to my dorm... :)

Old trees are cool! And they can be found everywhere around campus. On rare occasion when I'm not rushing somewhere, I am pleasantly surprised at how beautiful our campus is.

The night view from the 9th floor of my hostel. I have to make a conscious effort to just stop (in HK it's a challenge) and appreciate the little things that the city has to offer.

Me, Huining, and Tina after lunch in Chung Chi college. I met Tina at the bus-stop (a great place to meet friends). She and Huining are from Singapore - I really want to visit one day!

Do NOT fish on campus.

We have a lake in CUHK.

The lake has lotus flowers, koi fish, and froggies.

My first time experiencing a thunder storm in Hong Kong... my roommate was amused at how fascinated I was by the flashing lights and loud sounds. It's actually quite relaxing in my opinion. Everything seems more slow-paced and quiet when there's thunder and lightning. It gives me a serene anticipation and excitement similar to that that I get on the night of Christmas Eve...

Laura and me in Hong Kong!!! I "tutored" Laura in English as a volunteer at UCSD last year when she was an exchange student, and now she's my lovely host in Hong Kong. It was so meet up a good friend from home over food and shopping.

@ Langham Place. Upon Laura's recommendation, I got kimchi with tofu and rice in a claypot. Omg - So good. I really wanted to take the half I couldn't finish back to my dorm...

Close-up of my food! Want some? J

Laura's dish from Pepper Rice was amazing too. Well worth the wait in line. Goodness, I love this place.

Ah! We finally found it! A famous dessert shop in Mongkok.

Yay, it's us in HK. I was so happy J

I spent the Saturday after Week One of classes at Susie's place. It was a nice and relaxing day. I discover what a great cook she is - peach crepes and laiyeu cake for breakfast, home-made pizza for lunch, and Indonesian noodle soup for dinner. All delicious!