What makes HK unique...

Well, I'm just about halfway done with my Masters now! It's pretty incredible when I think about it. I only have one week left of school for this semester. And what happens after that? I'm still trying to figure it out. I'll be staying in HK through the holidays, which is about all I know at the moment. The university is trying to set me up with an internship at CNN, but with the recent developments in India, they've been understandably busy. I desperately want to make some money though. Rotary's funds, unfortunately, barely cover enough for tuition and rent, so I'm living pretty modestly day-to-day. At home it was so easy to pick up a few babysitting jobs here and there, but the tricky part about HK is that everyone has a full-time nanny... EVERYONE. Just yesterday I was offered a job translating for a French documentary in production here, which would pay $230US/day, but unfortunately they needed me this Tuesday and I have my final online journalism course that day. Boo.

I guess English tutoring is the most common part-time work to get here, basically as easy to find as a babysitting job at home. I just recently started working with a nice lady named Tammy. She works as a secretary and wants to improve her conversational English and grammar. I thought teaching English would be a piece of cake because, well, I'm sort of fluent, but it's actually quite challenging! We've decided to meet for an hour twice a week at the Starbucks in Central. She pays $100HKD/hour for me to help her (which is about $12US), but that's actually much lower than the average rate by about half. I would feel uncomfortable asking for more though. It's already awkward enough when the hour is up and she has to reach into her purse to hand me money in front of everyone. I feel almost as though I'm stealing from her.

Anyway, it's starting to get cooler here finally. Maybe I'm just a wimp, but at night I get quite cold. The highs have been in the low 70s this week and lows in the 60s at night. I'm sure that doesn't sound bad, but I don't have ANY winter clothes. I need to buy some, but first I need money... the real world is challenging. I'm actually starting to get concerned because my apartment is like an ice box. There are no heating systems in HK either because it's normally very warm, so this should be an interesting winter. It's funny to walk around HK now that it's colder too because people wear the craziest stuff. I've seen fur coats and ski gear (and keep in mind it hasn't dropped below 60 yet).

Some other funny HK/Chinese things:

I witnessed some bizarre minibus activity recently. The other day I had a driver who was looking in the mirror and tweezing his whiskers while driving. Another driver stopped in the middle of the road across from an outdoor market and yelled for a woman to bring him a drink. He held up traffic (and everyone on the bus) while he waited for it. My friend, Leani, said she saw someone clipping their toe nails on the bus once as well. Haha, there is never a dull day here!

The McDonald's menu is also something quite interesting here. Check out this poster below for a delicious Fish Finger Deluxe Breakfast... yummy! They've also just introduced shrimp burgers (which is actually more like a shrimp paste) and apparently they are a hot seller. I'm not a McDonald's fan myself, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't fly in the States.



Also, I have been extremely impressed by the holiday decoration displays all over town. Hong Kong goes nuts for this stuff. As you can see, Chinese people are forward thinkers... it's not even December yet and they're wishing you a Happy New Year! I also like that the Japan Home Center (great place for all your home supply needs) is selling miniature Christmas trees. I'm getting excited!!

A little taste of home...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

This could quite possibly be my favorite holiday of the year! I'm bummed that I couldn't spend it with my family back home (in fact this is the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from my family), but thankfully I have a wonderful support system here in Hong Kong. My Chinese aunt and uncle, CK and Suk Yee, invited my roommate and I to a fabulous Thanksgiving feast at the Marriott. CK's brother and his wife, which is one of Mina's sisters (refer to August blogs for info on Mina) were also there, in addition to another one of Mina's sisters and her husband. It was definitely nice to spend the holiday with family, even if it wasn't my biological one.

I had a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, green beans, loaded baked potato, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and even pumpkin pie and apple pie for dessert. I had some really great, fresh sushi to add a little HK flavor to the meal as well. Everything was awesome!

And like a typical Thanksgiving, I was completely stuffed afterward. Sandy (my roommate) and I came back to our apartment, got into some comfy clothes (i.e. sweatpants and a t-shirt), and watched a movie.

I've been completely swamped with schoolwork this week, but decided to take a personal day today to celebrate some of my American culture. It's nice that I can be half a world away and still feel so connected to home.

Sandy is napping right now and I think I may do the same. Happy Thanksgiving again! I am so thankful for the love and support from each and every one of you! You all make my life so much richer.


Group shot ...sorry about the mirror glare


CK's brother and Mina's sister (husband and wife)


Mina's sister and her husband (New Yorkers now) ...*FYI, the woman in the background (American) hoarded all of the cranberry sauce, took two full plates of pie and other miscellaneous desserts, and went back to the buffet at least a dozen times.


JW Marriott HK buffet= fabulous!


Thanksgiving station with my favorite turkey-slicer guy.


Pumpkin pie ...a skinnier version.

October... and then some.

Hello everyone! It's been so long since my last post that it may be good to introduce myself again. My name is Sarah, I am studying at HKU, and somehow an entire month+ has flashed by before my eyes. I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone. No need to worry though. I am happy, healthy and safe. I will try to be more diligent about keeping you updated.

In the next few paragraphs I will attempt to recap everything that has happened in my life since my last post 6 weeks ago, although I'm sure there will be many forgotten details. I apologize for that. (Yikes! I still cannot believe it has been that long).

In late September my friend, Ryan, came to visit for about 10 days. It was challenging keeping up with the demands of school and trying to be a good hostess at the same time, but I enjoyed the opportunity to do some touristy things that I had been putting off.

Top 3:
-Taking the cable cars to Lantau Island and hiking up 300 steps to see the Giant Buddha (apparently the largest seated Buddha in the world).


-A one-night trip to Macau and winning $600HKD at the Venetian roulette tables.


-Hiking up to the lookout point on Cheung Chau Island, a quaint fishing village.


Moving on...

October 13: I gave a Rotary presentation to my host club, the Rotary Club of Tsim Sha Tsui. It went very well. I still get nervous right before I present, but that usually passes quickly once I get into it.



October 17-24: Spent a week in Cambodia and Vietnam with Lily Wu, another Rotary Scholar. If you're curious about my trip, drop me a line. There is way too much to cover just in this blog. I'll try to devote another entry entirely to my Cam and Nam experiences later on.

October 29: Gave a Rotary presentation to the Rotary Club of Lan Kwai Fong. I made it a little more interactive this time by teaching them how to say "y'all" at the beginning. It was quite entertaining. :)


October 31: HALLOWEEN!!! To my surprise, Halloween is a HUGE holiday here. Children trick-or-treat and adults go to Lan Kwai Fong, usually dressed up and slightly intoxicated. There is also another group that goes to LKF simply to take photos of the crazy, costumed drunk people. It is one of the MUST-DO events in HK. Total madness! (Just check out the crowd below). I went out with some of my grad school friends. Leani and I were both fairies (pink and purple... it was basically an excuse to get the wigs, which we both swear we'll use again...).




November 2: Home Care for Girls 10th Anniversary dinner. I went with my host Rotary club because it is one of the projects they support. Home Care for Girls provides shelter and counseling to young women in HK (ages 13-18) who come from unstable families and/or home environments. The program gives them the skills and emotional support to become independent.

November 5: Watched the U.S. Presidential Election results live from the Hong Kong Club. It was an event sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce and was open to the public. Americans made up only a small percentage of the attendees. There was quite a large European and Asian representation. The crowd was also overwhelmingly for Obama though. I think I found about 5 McCain supporters and 1 Green Party voter.


November 8-9: Rotary Orientation for outbound scholars. This was the first time HK Rotary District 3450 hosted a regional orientation. It turned out to be mainly Taiwanese scholars in attendance. Myself and some of the other inbound scholars, in addition to Rotary alumni, helped prepare the Taiwanese scholars for their upcoming study abroad periods by teaching them how to give presentations, preparing them for culture shock, and giving them skills to help overcome potential obstacles. I really enjoyed getting to know the group. Also, to my surprise, I met another Rotary scholar from District 7770 in Columbia, SC!! His name is Matt and he's teaching English to kindergartners here in HK before starting his scholarship period next summer in Grenada. It really is such a small world!

In fact, I just got home from having dinner with Matt and his girlfriend Katy, who is also here teaching English. We had grits at a 24-hour breakfast place to celebrate our "southerness". I even got them with cheese, so yummy! :)

Okay, so I know that was a very brief glimpse into everything I've been doing recently, but I promise to do better in the future. Also, I want to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who has sent me mail so far...

Thank you Kim Jamieson, Brandon Sharpe, Nana & Pop, and Aunt Sue Sue!!! I love you all!! xx

Come on Lucky #3!!

Bradley and I at Happy Valley Racecourse after our wins!

I know this post is a little late, but I still think it's worth mentioning. Last Wednesday evening my friend, Bradley, brought me with him to the Happy Valley Racecourse for a little horse racing (and wagering). The race track is part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which (according to Wikipedia) is the largest taxpaying organization in Hong Kong, as well as the largest private donor of charity funds, contributing an average of over HK$1 billion (approximately US$130 million) annually over the past ten years.

Gambling is totally okay when it's for charity, right?

It was my first time at the race track and I was completely clueless about the horses competing. Some people pick horses with the funniest names to win, but I didn't even know that much. Brad's friends tried to explain the boards to me and what my odds of winning would be if I picked one horse over another, but it all sounded like gibberish. I settled on "Quinella Place" with horses #4 and #6. Basically, if #4 or #6 had placed in the top 4 then I would have won (the amount of money varies). I also bought a ticket for "Place" on horse #3, meaning if horse #3 placed in the top 3 (as long as there are 7 or more declared starters) then I would win... AND I DID WIN!! It was only $34 HKD, but I was still very pleased! (I bet $30 total though and lost on Quinella Place, so technically I was only up $4, but I pride myself on knowing when to quit). ;) It was a very fun experience. It's definitely on my "To Do Again" list.

Hong Kong Betting Guide


My Quinella Place ticket (I had to cash in the other one for my winnings).


Happy Valley Racecourse... THE place to be on Wednesday nights.

Typhoon Time (again)!

I am currently (as I type this) in the middle of a level 8 typhoon. Typhoon Nagupit was originally predicted to pass off the coast of Hong Kong, but that apparently changed somewhere along the way. This marks my second typhoon experience since arriving in Hong Kong. I'm kind of feeling like a pro now. I checked out some DVDs from the school library and am now preparing for a very relaxed evening. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that class will be cancelled tomorrow.

Update on Typhoon Nagupit in the South China Morning Post.

Gale or storm force wind is expected or blowing generally in Hong Kong near sea level, with a sustained wind speed of 63-117 km/h from the quarter indicated and gusts which may exceed 180 km/h, and the wind condition is expected to persist.

Action - Complete all precautions now before gales commence. Lock all windows and doors. Fit bars into positions and insert reinforced shutters and gates if available. Adhesive tape fixed to large window panes in exposed positions will reduce damage by broken glass.

Do not stand near windows on the exposed side of your home. Move all furniture and valuables away from these areas. Make sure you have a safe place to shelter, should windows be broken. Now is the time to decide which rooms you will use to shelter if the windows on the exposed side of your home become broken.

Owners of neon signs should arrange for the electricity supply to their signs to be switched off.

Park your car where it is least likely to be damaged.

Avoid staying in the street. Return home as soon as possible if conditions so permit.

*(The above info on level 8 typhoons is from the Hong Kong Observatory site).

A tea tale...

As I'm sure everyone is well-aware, tea is a very popular beverage in Hong Kong. If you go to any Chinese restaurant here, it's pretty much a staple. You'll receive two pots, one with tea and the other with hot water. When a table runs out of hot water, in order to get more they prop the teapot lid off to the side a little. Just recently I found out why. Like I said in my last post, everything that happens in Hong Kong (and Chinese culture in general) stems from some sort of legend or story.

Apparently, there was once a very poor man who did not have enough money to pay for his meal, so he devised a plan to get around it. He placed a small bird inside one of the teapots. When his waitress came by to refill his tea, the bird flew out. He claimed that it was a very rare and special bird, and the restaurant ended up paying for his meal. From that point onward, Chinese restaurants will not refill pots that still have their lids on because they don't want to risk a similar situation. (This story was told to me by the president of the Rotary Club of New Territories).

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!

Zhong Chau Tsit Fai Lok!! (That means Happy Mid-Autumn Festival in Cantonese).

The celebration lasts for three days starting around the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. The first day is to welcome the moon, the second day is to celebrate the full moon, and the third day is to chase after the moon. Here's a little background info courtesy of Wikipedia (it's legit... I checked it out):

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. For thousands of years, the Chinese people have related the vicissitudes of life to changes of the moon as it waxes and wanes; joy and sorrow, parting and reunion. Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. All family members try to get together on this special day.

Today, festivities centered about the Mid-Autumn Festival are more varied. After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special performances in parks or on public squares. Chinese family members and friends [*and Rotary scholars* - my addition to Wikipedia] will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes together. There are many variations of moon cakes. They are typically made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in a pastry. They are very rich and sometimes contain cooked egg yolks in the middle). Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:

• Carrying brightly lit lanterns, lighting lanterns on towers, floating sky lanterns
• Burning incense in reverence to deities
• Planting Mid-Autumn trees
• Collecting dandelion leaves and distributing them evenly among family members
• Fire Dragon Dances

There are many legends associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Here are a couple from Hong Kong Fast Facts and another from Culture Quest. Check them out... Chinese legends are so interesting. I swear there's a story connected with everything!

So, that brings me to my participation in all of this. After a lovely dim sum lunch with the Rotary Club of New Territories yesterday afternoon, we set out for Yan Chai Hospital (also in the New Territories - not that close to HK Island. If you're curious, here's a map). Our service activity was to throw a little Mid-Autumn party for the senior citizens living there. A hospital staffer said they care for 51 seniors, but only 20 were able to go home to their families. Some of the patients didn't have any family left at all. It was really sad to learn that. The best way to equate it is not having anyone to spend Thanksgiving with back in the States (or some other really big family-centered holiday). Our job at the nursing home was to act as surrogate family members for a few hours. I found this to be especially awkward because I couldn't actually communicate verbally with any of them. I smiled a lot and even gave a few "thumbs up," but other than that I was at a loss. It was still a great experience though. Lily served as my interpreter for most of the afternoon. Mrs. Leung was one of my favorites. She's 96 years-old, but just as spunky and independent as if she were 60. (Side note- There were actually quite a few seniors either approaching 100 or older, but they all looked AMAZING for their age. I'd never guess they were that old). Anyway, Mrs. Leung went on and on about how nice it is that she doesn't have to depend on anyone to feed her or take care of her. She was such a tiny woman that when she spoke passionately, her legs would sway back and forth because she couldn't touch the floor. So cute! Below is a photo of us together.



The activities included singing traditional Chinese songs, a birthday celebration, playing a "Hot Potato" Mid-Autumn Festival trivia game (along with prizes for winners), and moon cake for all. Right as things were winding down, a Rotarian called my name and said I was being requested. One of the gentlemen I had interacted with earlier spoke a small amount of English and wanted to tell me something. (He also spoke a little bit of French and Japanese, so we had fun just yelling out phrases to each other). When I approached him he reached for my hand and said, "Thank you very much," in perfect English. He then started to cry and said he was very touched by us being there. I was so overwhelmed I started to cry too... in the middle of everything. We must have looked like quite a pair. I had to excuse myself because I couldn't stop crying. It just really struck me that he was so appreciative of me being there that he made the extra effort to speak my language just to tell me so. I was so moved. It was one of those experiences when you realize that we're all the same, regardless of where we're from, what language we speak, our religious beliefs, and so on. We all have the same basic needs, to be loved and to spend time with the ones we love. I'll never get the image of him crying out of my head and I get teary just thinking about it. I don't know his name, but here is a photo of us (pre-meltdown).



Below is a complete slideshow from the hospital visit.


Mid-Autumn Festival service project

The rest of the day was tear-free. Lily, Sandy and I had dinner together (our own little Rotary scholar family) in Causeway Bay and then headed to Victoria Park for the lantern festival. It was so cute to see all the little children with their tiny lanterns and I was most impressed by the giant lantern displays depicting various scenes from the moon goddess legends. We also saw some Asian dances, which were pretty cool. Those Indian boys can definitely bust a move. Check out the video clip. :)



Tonight was the final evening of festivities. After dinner with Suk Yee and CK (fitting since they are my Chinese aunt and uncle and this is a family holiday), I headed to Tai Hang to catch the Fire Dragon Dance with Sandy and Brendon (more Rotary scholars). It actually sounds cooler than it really is. The dragon is constructed with lots of tiny, smokey sparkler things, and the smoke burned my eyes a little. It was also EXTREMELY crowded. Below is a slideshow of pictures from the lantern festival and the fire dragon dance. Please feel free to leave comments. My experience in Hong Kong so far has been one of a lifetime!



Victoria Park Lantern Festival and Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance