Appreciate More; Complain Less

It's been a really long time since my last blog, but I haven't had a good chunk of time to dedicate to a blog. I definitely don't want to forget anything so a future goal is to blog more frequently.

Tuesday evening we went to a stop past Sha Tin to Tai Wai. We ate at a sketchy vendor, where I got fried balls of octopus (smothered in mayo & seaweed) and the others got potstickers and chicken kebabs. I also had my first experience peeing in a hole....The first establishment I went to I asked for a restroom and after talking to about 5 people I was pointed outside to the alleyway. I turned outside to a room maybe 1 square foot with a sink a hole in the ground. Disgusted, I started walking away. The guy asked me 'No good?' Definitely, no good. I went to a travel agency or some other building that seemed nicer a couple shops down. Again, I was pointed to the alley out back. Again, it was a hole in the ground. Realizing that this was probably my fate, I sucked it up and used the toilet. There was pee on the ground everywhere, but at least I would be able to squat without my arms touching the walls. I tried to pee slowly at first to avoid other fluids splashing on me, but the smell in that tiny enclosed room was so horrific I couldn't stand it. I started peeing faster and ended up peeing on my boots. That was the least of my worries, though. I left that closet of a bathroom as soon as possible. Thank goodness I had hand sanitizer on me. We then went to a small local bar where the Hong Kong police actually ended up coming in, turning on the lights, and checking everyone's IDs. Good thing I decided to bring my passport with me! We ended up asking the next day if bringing a passport is necessary, because clearly we don't want to lose such an important document. We were advised to make a copy. If a copy isn't acceptable, at worst we would have to leave the bar. We can't get in trouble for not having identification on us. Overall, it was a good night once the police left, though.

The next day, Wednesday, we continued orientation stuff.  We wasted the day sitting in an auditorium listening to boring registration information and the like. Exhausted and jetlagged, I spent the evening sleeping from 6pm to midnight. The others went to Mong Kok, another train stop, but I clearly skipped the evening's events. I stayed up until 4:30am, chatted with a few people, and tried to look up classes.

On Thursday, we went to another useless orientation meeting. In the evening, we went to LKF, the bar district. Thursday is apparently ladies' night. Hong Kong has no open container policy, so the big place to go before bars is 7-11. A beer costs $40 plus HKD in a bar/club, but 7-11 sells them for much cheaper. (Not sure of the price since I didn't buy one buy I think they are $5-10HKD? Needless to say, the price difference is huge.) People literally go to 7-11 and drink right outside before entering bars. We went to a small place and then taxied back. It costs approximately $50HKD to take a taxi, so we always ride the train to a destination for around $4-15HKD. (Remember, it's around $7HKD to $1USD; going to the mall costs 50 cents!) After 12 or 1ish we have to take a taxi when the train stops running.

On Friday, all the Notre Dame kids minus Nancy had lunch at another canteen. This one was by the United dorms. I decided to go more American and got a smoked salmon sandwich and fruit  cup for $34HKD. You can usually get a meal for $20HKD at a canteen, but I figure I'm still paying less than $5USD for a much healthier meal. I can only eat so much noodles and fried rice. I spent the afternoon looking up classes.

All of the internationals got together for a welcoming dinner at Star Seafood Floating Restaraunt in Sha Tin. Along with another ND student, our table had 2 girls from France, one from UNC - Chapel Hill, and 4 from Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a 10 course meal, plus noodles/rice, dessert, and fruit; essentially, it was 13 courses. There were lots of noodles, meats, and fish. My favorite dish was some kind of fish, presented whole. Everything was served family style and we selected what we wanted off of a platter. The waiter served a few of the courses to us, including the fish and some noodle dishes. I refused to try one dish. The head scared me off:

Dessert was red bean soup. It tasted just like the redbeans in manju. An orange completed the meal.

We went to an afterparty arranged by previous international students. They said it was going to be awesome, but it was basically lots of people cramped into a small bar ironically called 'Space'. I lost my black peacoat, so overall fail for the night.

Yesterday (Saturday), we had a Hong Kong City Tour. First we stopped at Victoria's Peak. We took some beautiful pics from the tower, which they charged us $25HKD to go to the top of.

There was a little presentation on the tower where people could write messages to/about loved ones. I made one that said, "I love you, Mom & Dad! Love, Miyako" and stuck it on. I'm a great daughter.

We ate at a restaurant where I got shrimp wontons in fish soup with Ramen-like noodles. Eating out is very different. While this restaurant had napkins, very few of the canteens provide any. Nancy, another ND student who is Chinese, told us that her mom told her to always carry napkins on you. Paying the bill is also different. When we went to pay, they gave us the entire bill ($496HKD) without any receipt of what items cost. The chopsticks are also longer and thicker than Japanese chopsticks. While I am no expert, I was curious as to why I have been having so much trouble using them!

Our second stop was at Stanley Market. The view was again beautiful:

 A group shot of all the Notre Dame Students (John Bellaire, Grace Johnson, Nancy Zhu, Jackie Kinney, me, and Santiago Rubio):

There are a few products that I see all the time in China. The Chinese apparently love hot dogs, because they are literally everywhere. Ikea's small food stand sold hotdogs, as well as tons of little shops. It was also seen chopped up on a kebab when at the sketchy stand I mentioned earlier where I got the fried balls of octopus. I also mentioned how it was in my Club Udon at the canteen. Certain products are also popular, including Stella Artois (below) and Ferrero Rocher.

The shops were crazy. I got slippers for $20 HKD, but wanted to scope things out before making too many purchases. We were told that we would see the same things over and over and to make sure to look at the prices of things at multiple shops. While things are cheaper than in the US, we should still be able to haggle the listed prices. I asked about the price of an umbrella. The lady told me $89HKD so I started walking away. She then said ok, $80. I continued walking and another woman screamed $60! I hope to get some postcards to send off soon, which I've seen sell for $2HKD.

 As we were leaving we saw a couple taking wedding photos! At my table at the Welcoming Dinner was a university employee who told me that brides where four dresses: a red one in the morning, a white one for the ceremony, and 2 others for the reception that the bride can be any color/pattern depending on the bride's preference. They can be any length, but I think floorlength is more common.

 The third stop was the Avenue of Stars. It's basically the Hong Kong version of the Walk of Fame. From the avenue, you could see the Chinese Bank. My camera is terrible, but the view was again, phenomenal:

Jackie Chan of course had his own star:

They were selling cuttlefish, which I thought was interesting. I think it's basically a fish stick chopped up so that you can pull it apart easily for a snack.

The week has clearly been very eventful. I have seen and experienced so many new things. Practically, I think I have figured out the adapter/converter issue I was previously having. Everything needs an adaptor, but apparently if the electronic device gives a voltage range, then you don't need a converter. Cheaper electronics like hair dryers require converters. I don't have a converter, but bought a hair dryer/straightener that has the HK plug. Luckily my computer, camera, and any charger I need only require the adaptor. 

Culturally, I have been shocked. It has been very difficult adjusting to everything over here. I think it is a combination of a lot of things. My last semester was extremely stressful and I am still trying to bounce back from a semester of hell. Jetlag is another factor. The 13 hour difference puts me at the complete opposite time of the day. This has not only made me obviously tired, but affects communication back home. When I come back to my dorm at 4pm, its 3am in Pittsburgh. Any normal person (other than perhaps Ryan Moore) is sleeping. I have found out that the best times to skype are when its the evening here (10pm) and morning over there (around 9am), or morning here (around 9am) so that it's evening back home (8pm). If I'm walking somewhere on campus, I also can't just call someone due to the cell-phone service. While I have begun to figure out the campus a little better, my dorm was another huge factor at first. I am the farthest away so I felt (and still sort of feel) very detached from the other Notre Dame students. As I mentioned before, it is difficult to communicate with local Chinese students (the few that are in the dorm), so it is very lonely. I also think I am very scared about the classes. CUHK is supposed to be very difficult and competitive and only the top 5% get A's. I am an anal retentive perfectionist so this has been hard to cope with. The other ND students get to take much easier classes as me as well. I think I am going to end up only taking 3 engineering classes rather than 4 to hopefully lighten the load and avoid a Friday class. I am trying to be optimistic about things, appreciate more, and complain less, but it is very difficult. I think frequently skyping with Mom, Dad, & Caroline has been helpful so far, in addition to getting to know the campus better. Hopefully things will continue to improve as I meet more people and explore more areas.

If you want to email me (staylo11@nd.edu) or skype me (saramtaylor) I would love to hear how things are back home.