Holidays in Hong Kong

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!

The holidays here haven't been too different from what they are back home, the only major difference is that I got to celebrate mine 12 hours earlier than most of you! Haha! The first Christmas away from home was a little difficult, and much money was spent on phone calls back home. It was hard not spending it with my family, but I had a surrogate family of other expatriate friends to spend it with. My friend Greg threw a little get-together at his apartment in Wong Tai Sin where we spent the evening talking, singing, and nibbling on whatever Western Christmas delights we could get our hands on. I was very impressed that Greg managed to bake cookies in his tiny toaster oven! In a tribute to almost every childhood Christmas experience, I listened to Nat King Cole's renditions of Christmas carols for a week. I even managed to find 4-foot tall trees in Central, but these trees were priced at about 5 times the US price, and it would have taken me an hour to get it back to my apartment. Not worth it, but maybe for next year.

New Years Eve was spent in Mongkok with my former roommate Terence and a group of local friends. Again, we spent the night eating, playing games, and attempting to teach me some more Cantonese, which didn't work out, to the amusement of everyone. For this holiday, as it seems for every holiday here, there were fireworks in Victoria Harbour. This year was different because instead of being shot off from a barge, the IFC Tower became one giant firecracker! (Look for videos one YouTube, its quite spectacular) My favorite part of the evening had to be when they showed the Dick Clark-esque countdown with Chinese celebrities, and the post-fireworks song was not Auld Lange Syne, as we all expect, but instead, "Happy Together" Apparently Hong Kong can see itself loving nobody but me for all it's life ;)

These past few days, all that I've managed to do is sleep in and just generally "veg out". Boy does it feel good! I've 2 more weeks until the semester starts, so I plan on catching up on a lot of sleep and relaxation. I'm also going to do some travelling and hopefully get into some adventures so I have something to write about. My knitting has been getting interested, but I know that few of you, aside from my mother, want to read about that on the internet ;) So far the most exciting thing her is getting locked out of my room, yet again, and getting that point across to security. There is also a cat on campus that likes to follow me around because I pet/feed him, but I can't bring him inside. I would love to, because you can tell that he used to be someone's pet, but the hostel association frowns on pets, which I think is lame. Maybe I could get a fish or something...

So anyway, I wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy New Year!!! 2008 is going to be a wonderful year, I can feel it!

October!

Wow! These past 2 months have gone by so fast for me. I thought that I had updated more recently, until I got a few "hints" that people are desiring more info from me. (I get it Jen, OK?!) It's been crazy here, and I've got a lot to share with you lovely people.

First of all, my older sister Emily got married in October, so I flew back for the event. I'm so happy to have a new sibling in my family! Now two of my older siblings are married, so I guess it'll be my turn soon...;) I loved being home and seeing all of my family that came from far and wide, some of which I haven't seen in years! My grandparents Darkow and my Uncle Bill were staying at my mom's place, so out little house was fairly packed with people and puppies! It was also wonderful to snuggle up with my dogs once again- sometimes I go through puppy-withdrawl here, but I'm working on convincing the hostel association to let me have a dog, wish me luck! From my Dad's side, there was my Auntie Ninou, my grandma Memee, my cousin Chris, and my Titi Jo. We all managed to sit down for dinner the night before the wedding and I got a few great candid pictures. (I can be quite sneaky with a camera when I have to be) While I sitting there at dinner, I realized how much I love all of my family, and how nice it is for us to all get together after so much time and distance. These people are really wonderful! In this picture, there is my older brother Greg, the Marine, his wife Heather, and my auntie Ninou. I still remember going to her house as a kid and I thought that she was the coolest person ever because she had a SuperNintendo and a dog! That was pretty exciting for a 6 year old. Emily, Greg, and I spent a lot of time at her place before we moved to Baltimore. This dinner was a lot of fun because we all just got to sit and giggle for awhile. I really treasure moments like these. The next day was the big event itself...

Emily's wedding was quite lovely- I've never seen my sister happier or looking more beautiful. She had her wedding, and the reception, at the Cloisters, the same place where Will Smith got married. It's a restored cloister that was shipped over from France and rebuilt in Baltimore. It's really quite darling, though I thought that the two statues of armor were a little much, but that doesn't matter. My cousin Hannah was a bridesmaid, I was the maid-of-honor, while Chris's two god-daughters were junior bridesmaids, Shelby and Madison. Those girls are incredibly sweet and well-behaved, and they looked so darling. Emily wore a stunning off-white princess gown, with the rest of us in midnight navy. My mother and grandmother made the veil, which has become a bit of a tradition in our family. Well, I guess that you can see the rest of the details from the pictures. My brother Greg wore his dress uniform to walk my sister down the aisle, and he looked mighty impressive. I've posted all of my wedding photos online for you, but I've put one of my favorites here. This was actually taken by my cousin Chris, and I love it because we all look so happy together, even if we all look a little goofy. The ceremony was small and intimate; I think about 100 guests. The reception was slightly larger, but just as intimate. The caterer, whoever it was, was delicious. I didn't manage to get some wedding cake, but it looked tasty! Emmy and Chris had their first dance to "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaacs , and I cried like a baby when I gave my toast. My cousin David got the garter, while the best man Stan caught the bouquet for one of the junior bridesmaids, who wanted nothing more than to catch it. I thought that was a really sweet gesture on his part. This is pretty much the quickest explanation of wedding ever, but what is important is not the details of it, but how happy my sister and her new husband are. Even though the trip was long, I'm glad I flew the 18 hours for it. One of my favorite nights ever!

The next day, less than 24 hours after the wedding, I had fly back to Hong Kong. Some of us have jobs, you know......That was not a fun trip, I was tired, emotional, and hungry. Not to mention that American flight attendents are quite nasty! The next couple of days were pretty rough, jet-lag wise. I didn't really get over it in my short time home, and I felt like my soul was in Chicago, and my aura was somewhere over the Pacific. It took about a week of waking up at 5am and going to bed at 8pm to get over it. Yet again, it was totally worth it. October was also about getting to really know my students and feeling comfortable with them. They are really a great group of kids, even if some of the girls talk a bit too much in class. I helped them prepare for a inter-class debate, which we one. I was so proud of them and I felt like such a mother-hen. From grading their journals and watching them in class, I can see them grow academically and as people. They don't seem to be as shy around me as before, which makes working with them much easier. October was also the month that I threw an "American" party for my hostel. That mostly consisted of playing charades and making some good homecooking for a huge group of students. They went through the food in about 10 minutes flat! It was a great compliment, and thanks to my mom for supplying the recipies. October went by fairly fast, and it seems like November is going to be the same way!

One Month In

One month gone......it seems like its gone by so fast for me. It has been such a whirlwind of catching up with friends, eating good food, learning my new place, and re-aquainting myself with Hong Kong. I'm sorry that I haven't been better at keeping in touch and everything update, but I really have been that busy, but I'm sitting down and doing things properly now. So what has one month brought me?

• The joys of having my own apartment




• A new appriciation for how hard teachers work




• Suprising emergence of cooking skills




• The desire to remain here for a significant amount of time

Having my own apartment has been the nicest thing about coming back here. I've had my own room at points, but never my own entire home! It might be tiny, but I love it. The apartment the university gave is on the 9th floor of one of the student hostels, with an amazing view of parts of Tuen Mun, Fu Tai, and the mountains. The day I moved in was hazy with pollution, heat, and an insane level of humidity, so much that it looks cloudy, but no folks, that's a sky of hot ickiness. Thank god for working AC. A living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom make up the apartment. It sounds lovely, but you have to keep in mind some space has to be sacrificed in room size, when you have 7milion people living on 25% of the land in Hong Kong. For example, my kitchen is so small that I have to close the door in order to open most of the cabinets and the fridge. My bottom counters are only about 3 feet tall, so that means I either squat to cook, or sit on my very short stool. The living room is spacious, filled with free furniture, and I'm not one to turn down free furnishings. (My couch holds the honor of being the most comfortable couch out of all the tutors) From the living room, there is a short hallway for the bathroom and bedroom. On a good day, with a little bit of optimism, the bathtub is about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. The interesting thing about the tub is that when you step into it, its actually a few inches higher than the rest of the bathroom floor- I think that it has something to do with drainage. I also get my own personal hot water heater, which for some reason was put inside the shower. This translates into showering sideways most of the time. There was also a two-week long epic battle between myself and the hot water heater; it didn't want to give me hot water for longer than 3 minutes, but I was bound and determined to figure it out, and I feel that I have. Some time it blasts me with a sudden jet of ice-cold water, but most of the kinks have been figured out. Next to the bathroom, there is my bedroom, about 10 feet by 10 feet, so maybe a little bit bigger than the dorm rooms at St. Mary's. What is really nice about the bedroom is that there is a queen-size bed in it, while the rest of the tutors have twin beds. (Suckers! ahahaha) For as tiny as it is, my apartment feels rather spacious. And I have lovely wood floors. The laundry room is conviently right across the hall, as is Paula, one of the other English tutors. It turns out that I'm not the tutor for this hall, Hall B, but the tutor for Hall C, but when they were contructing the building, the contractors neglected to build a tutor apartment. It makes is a little more difficult to meet my students and plan hostel activities, but I think that matters will be much easier after this week, and the Becca-Bash my hostel is throwing me.

As lovely as the apartment is, what I love most about it is that it is my first home, all to myself. I don't have to share with siblings, or roommates, (though I love all of those mentioned), which feels incredibly liberating. I can walk in my front door and know that I'll have my own space that is just mine. This might sound a little selfish of me, but I've been sharing almost everything since I was small, and I know I'm not the best roommate- just ask Greg about sharing a room back in Towson, or any of my college roommates about my cleaning habits- (or lack thereof......) Maybe this is just the way that everyone might feel this way about having their first place, or its just me- I don't know, but it's all mine and I love it!

The excitment of having my own apartment faded as the first day of classes. As it got closer, so did my feelings of panic and fear that I would be a terrible tutor. The constant thought that went through my head that week was "What am I doing here? I have no teaching experience. Just because I'm a native speaker doesn't give me expertise!" The first time I met the professor I was working with was one of the most tense lunchs ever.......at least for me.........he seemed fairly relaxed. Now that we are three weeks into the term, I'm still having my doubts, but I feel a bit more secure in my position. Watching the professors lecture in class, and outside of class, I realize why they say teaching is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. In truth, sitting through my first department meeting is what really made me appriciate all the work St. Mary's professors put in. I just have question- Are they all that boring?! I was close to taking my pen and jamming it into my hand in order to make the meeting even slightly more interesting. Thank goddness we only had to go to the first one. But seriously folks, teachers work haaaaaaaaaaaard! I had no idea how time-consuming it was- one of the several reasons I've been terrible at keeping everything updated. I kneel before you-I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

The other area of my that I've been pleasently suprised in is how well I've been able to cook an take care of myself (Thanks Mom) I love being able to cook everything for myself and planning all my meals. The most fun part about this is going to the wet market daily to buy ingredients and talk to the vegetable ladies. The wet market is a place about a 10 minute walk from the university that is reminescent of a farmers market in the States, but everything is much more fresh. So fresh, you could take home a live chicken, kill it, pluck it, and eat it if you wanted to. I don't know about you, but I don't like my meat that fresh. The ladies that work there have gotten to know my face fairly well, and we have a good time teaching each other to count in our respective languages. I can count to 3 in Cantonese now. I love be able to be creative with my food! Just tonight, I made myself some chicken stir-fried with green beans in a black garlic sauce- very tasty! Some American dishes are going over very well here too, especially mashed potatoes and chili. Its seems to be a hit whenever I make it. I've already made it for my old roommates birthday, and I've been requested to cook for another hostel party later this week.

The other thing that I find myself thinking on quite often is how comfortable I could be in spending a couple more years of my life here. My students are just wonderful, and it helps to know that English teachers here live fairly comfortably. Its not something that is definite in my mind, but I wouldn't be too upset if that's how things worked out. I love being independent and Hong Kong has the perfect environment for me to be fairly independent. Now don't get me wrong, I love living at home, but its high time that I go out into the world, on my own, as scary as that can be. When I come home, that might be a little bit more difficult than I want it to be, one of the many reasons why Hong Kong is more appealing to me. Well, it remains to be seen yet- it really depends on how the rest of this year and this job go. I'm loving Hong Kong at the moment, and I don't think that's ever going to change!

I miss all of you dearly, and I'm encouraging everyone to come and visit, if you can! Please keep me updated with news from home.

New Territories Living

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Becca! I'm back in Hong Kong and loving the life here. It's taking me forever and day to get over my jetlag, but I couldn't be happier to be back. My first week and a half here have been pretty tame, filled with re-adjustments and acclimating to the oppressive humidity of a tropical summer. (Who doesn't love going outside and instantaneously feel like their face is melting off?) What I've enjoyed most of all is catching up with my old local friends, some which never thought that we would see each other again.

My first night here I was taken out to the trendy area affectionaly know as TST, because foreigners like myself seem physically incapable of pronoucing it There I was pleasently suprised by Greg, a former exchange student, who is also here teaching English at a primary school. He had just arrived a few days before myself, and neither one of us had any idea that the other was here. We might do some traveling together, perhaps to Korea to visit our mutal friend, Sunny.

Classes/teaching starts within the next couple of days- hopefully by then I'll be over my jet-lag and in a more rested state of mind. I have to admit that I am slightly terrified of changing from student to teacher in a couple of months, with no teaching experience myself. I'm working with a nice British professor and his English 108 classes. I also have library hours where I lead discussion groups and have drop-in time to help students with their English skills. Right now, I'm fairly exhuasted, so I'm going to get some shut-eye. I miss all of you!

HK, Round 2!

Hello Everyone!

This is just a brief note to let everyone know that I landed in Hong Kong safe and sound. I've been using these couple of free days to try to get my sleep schedule adjusted, but so far I'm failing. As soon as I become more coherent, I'll have a nice long post with pictures of my lovely apartment and all my new contact information. I'm not homesick yet, but I wish that all of you wonderful people could come and visit, because I think that everyone would love Hong Kong. More to come latter!

Love,
Becca