Journeys through Asia: HK in retrospect

HK Island at Night (view from the TST promenade)

It has been a long and arduous journey to Macau. For three weeks we have been living in the Tao Fung Shan Monastery in Shatin. It was very very far up this mountain; so far that taxis will not even come up to pick you up. It is a beautiful place with picturesque views of the green lush mountains. The accommodations are relatively dodgey ( I never even use that word...lol...but Kitty, Tat's cuz, has trained me to use it with all the time we have spent together). There are ten girls sharing this small one bedroom cabin. The cabin is set down the hill on a narrow and windy path for about 1\2 mile. On the path, common encounters include large insects, hungry monkeys (that have no problem grabbing onto your leg to get your food), and poisonous snakes.

These are the monkeys we saw on our morning hike up to the dining hall.

I guess the only offsetting factor are the gorgeous views of Shatin. Shatin is mostly a dormitory city for the people working in Central. There are a number of families and babies running around the malls. The malls are pretty much central gathering point of HK. That is where you eat, socialize, and of course shop. Shopping is not just a leisure activity - its almost a sport of sorts...On a daily basis, you are in a mall. With the MTR designers smartly placing all the stops with mall exits there is really no way to avoid the stores. All the time people are carrying bags from various designer stores. HK culture is much more of a consumer culture than America. For the most part the girls are very trendy with the latest designer bags, shoes, etc. Its ALL about the name...which I myself have come to be as well so I'm really not one to judge. It is a bit painful to be in the mall when you have a limited budget...for some reason I'm always attracted to the clothes that are not on sale of course.

From what I can absorb from the culture of HK in our limited time, I feel that HK is a very very fast moving city...there is never any time to slow down, even in the outer parts of HK that are far removed from the city. There are definitely pros and cons to this type of lifestyle. You can feel energized by the hustle and bustle of the city when you are in the mood for it. On days where you need to slow down it is very hard to find a quite place to unwind. Besides our monastery on the mountain, peace and quiet doesn't really exist in this hustle and bustle. Sometimes I can see that Fulbright purposefully put us on mountain to help people adjust to the culture. We have a number of people who are from small towns in the midwest. If you aren't from a large city, HK could get some time getting used to because of the crazy amounts of people and the fast pace lifestyle.

I think the one place that truly exemplifies the life of HK is in the MTR stations. In Central, you are amongst 100s upon 1000s of people trying to navigate the underground maze known as the MTR station. everyone puts their head down and walks quickly to and from the trains. People in HK are on a mission - they are going to meet a client, meeting a friend at the mall, trying to get to work. People don't really acknowledge each other...they are on tunnel vision to get from point A to point B. That is how you just deal with the hustle and bustle. The locals do not even notice the crowds and crowds of people that are out on the streets at all hours of the day. It is just as crowded at 10am and 10pm.

Takes three people to exit the MTR

When you come to a foreigner country, there are usually two things that define your experience - your interactions with the local people and the food. As for the interactions with the local HK people at the universities, they have been very friendly. They seem to be intimidated by being around a lot of Americans. Most university students are not confident in their English skills even when they can speak and write at a relatively high level. For the most part, they have been incredibly friendly and eager to speak to you. The UMAC students have been a bit more outgoing to speak...but it may be the dorm environment in which everyone is more willingly to meet each other.

As for my local interactions in HK, people are moving too quickly to even notice that you are there. Coming from a big city, that isn't anything new and is almost considered my comfort zone. Coming to Macau will definitely help me to slow down, which is a lot harder than it seems. I'm probably more comfortable at the speed of life in HK but Macau will be a refreshing change. Almost like when I moved from the city to davis. Its like a breathe of fresh air...well fresh air in china doesn't really exist, but you get the point...lol

As for the food, I've definitely had a diverse selection of food. The cheap eats are amazing. $5.00 for a meal is considered slightly expensive for lunch...LOL. Cafeteria and food court meals usually range from 3-4 bucks which is AWESOME...greasy chinese food can definitely hit the spot on some days. Tat's family has taken us to our fair share of fine dining in our short four weeks in HK...I heart free food!! The food has been excellent, but I still have my cravings for burrittos, bagels and froyo...oh how i miss you froyo. The loss of froyo and burritos has been made up by the amazing dim sum...I heart dim sum:) I haven't had it in 5 days and I'm already craving it...LOL.