Dear Hong Kong,
Mongkok is hot, Mongkok is crowded, and I might just have to push stupid people into the road if they keep getting in my way!!!!!!! Yes my friends, I have contracted a serious case of walking rage. Similar to the road strain of the same social virus, walking rage involves swearing at the backs of peoples heads, using your purse like a battering ram, and lots of passive-aggressive sighing. Symptoms are only exacerbated by long working hours, consuming enormous cups of coffee, and long commutes. So yes my darlings, if I see you on the street, I still adore you, but please walk at my pace or get the heck out of the way! I will still teach you English, but first I need to get to my office and you are not helping by getting in the way.
Hugs and Kisses,
Me
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Monday, August 01, 2011
New Job, New Apartment, New Dog
Today feels like a good day, and its nice to have good days in my life again. Working at the primary school was one of the most difficult things that I've ever had to do, and I kind of fell into a black hole that managed to swallow up a good chunk of my life. I feel like a country emerging from a period of isloationism, like the USA during the early 20th century. The bright point of my life during that black hole was my dearest Maddie-dog. I got her last August from a local shelter, Hong Kong Dog Rescue, which is an amazing organization. If you are looking to adopt in HK, please check them out. So Maddie is almost 2 years old now, and is such a sweetheart-very gentle, very calm, and affectionate. She sleeps right up next to me every night and is very polite about waking me up in the morning, not like Tucker, who attacks your face like its a squirrel. My loyal roomie and I have also moved out of the village of Kam Tin to a bigger apartment down the train line, back in Siu Hong. The complex is really nice and lots of people have dogs that are good company for Maddie.
Also have started another new job at a private tutoring center. I have a variey of students, both in age and ability, which makes life very interesting. Everyday is a little bit different, and I enjoy that, instead of the same old routine of get up, go to work, cry in the bathroom because of stress, come home, make a frozen dinner, go to sleep. (I told you that I fell into a black hole, remember?) Summer is still really hot, the trains are crowded, but I fell very content with my current life. And double-plus bonus- I will be starting a masters degree in athropology program in Septemeber at Chinese University. SO VERY EXCITED!!!!
Also have started another new job at a private tutoring center. I have a variey of students, both in age and ability, which makes life very interesting. Everyday is a little bit different, and I enjoy that, instead of the same old routine of get up, go to work, cry in the bathroom because of stress, come home, make a frozen dinner, go to sleep. (I told you that I fell into a black hole, remember?) Summer is still really hot, the trains are crowded, but I fell very content with my current life. And double-plus bonus- I will be starting a masters degree in athropology program in Septemeber at Chinese University. SO VERY EXCITED!!!!
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Another dollar, another day
Year three of teaching in Hong Kong has officially started, and its off with a bang! This is the start of the second week of the semester, and its going really well. The weather has cooled down a bit, the students are excited to be back, and I get to help out with some pretty fun courses- Literature and Adaptation, and Asian Voices in English. I gave my first mini-lecture of the semester on Jane Eyre yesterday, which I enjoyed, but I'm not sure if I convinced any of them to read it, though they should! Its such a great book and I think that they would really like it, given the chance. I love that book.......
So what else is new? I've started up my yoga classes again, and let me tell you, Ashtanga is tough! If you want to challenge yourself at any time, try going to one of these classes. My yoga teacher thought it would be a really great idea to pull me into a backbend on Monday, and my whole body has been sore ever since. I'm a firm believer in the benefits of yoga, so this is going to pay off in the end. I've still got my part time job keeping me occupied, and lots of knitting to do. Life is floating along at a pretty great pace for now. There is talk of me coming back to Baltimore in December for a visit, but right now that is all talk. I'll keep you posted if anything else develops.
So what else is new? I've started up my yoga classes again, and let me tell you, Ashtanga is tough! If you want to challenge yourself at any time, try going to one of these classes. My yoga teacher thought it would be a really great idea to pull me into a backbend on Monday, and my whole body has been sore ever since. I'm a firm believer in the benefits of yoga, so this is going to pay off in the end. I've still got my part time job keeping me occupied, and lots of knitting to do. Life is floating along at a pretty great pace for now. There is talk of me coming back to Baltimore in December for a visit, but right now that is all talk. I'll keep you posted if anything else develops.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
My favorite things, red edition
Hand-dyed Yarn
Shoes
Nail Polish
Cookies
Jewelry
Cranberry Juice
Makeup
Scarves
A few of my favorite things that all come in red
Shoes
Nail Polish
Cookies
Jewelry
Cranberry Juice
Makeup
Scarves
A few of my favorite things that all come in red
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Stormy Days!
This is what the sky outside my living room window looks like right now. Add in great rolling peals of thunder and flashes of lightening, and you have one of those days where you don't really go outside, unless you want to get soaked through and through, and/or struck by lightening Oh, another fun fact- this picture was taken at 11ish today, so this might be an all-day storm front. do have plenty of hot coco, so the angry grey Hong Kong skies will be admired from the inside today.
Aside from the stormy weather, the start of the year seems to be picking up with a bang. All 5 of the new tutors are here, and settling in quite nicely. So far, they all seem to be really sweet and fun people, so this year should go pretty smoothly. After all the administrative drama last year, this seems like a go-with-the-flow kind of group, which will make everyone's life easier. I believe that I will be helping out with the Asian Voices in English class, and one other literature class, which means I will get mostly second and third year students. This year looks like its shaping up pretty nicely, and once the heat dies down a little bit, things will be at right about perfect!
So I suppose you all are dying to hear about Europe? In short, it was fantastic! I got to experience my students growing into adulthood and watching their individual personalities flourish! I also go to pack in quite a lot of traveling time, and I feel like I got a lot done for my first trip to Europe. I also can't wait to go back sometime! After all the grand adventures, my best friend from the states, Vira, came for a nice long 3-week visit to HK, where I got to show off my city, and show off my friend. I think that the highlight of that visit was the dolphin-watching trip, because I finally got to see the elusive Chinese dolphin, and they are so pink!!! That is the shortest version of my summer, but that's how it goes sometimes. Now on to prep work, finishing a baby blanket, and rocking out!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I'm still alive
Yes folks, I'm still alive, and going to post something more substantial soon. Lots and lots of stories and trips to catch up on, but first I need to get organzied so I can give you all the juicy details! It will be soon, I promise, and if not so, feel free to yell at me via email/comments.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Back from Yunnan!
Yunnan province, in the south-west of China, is one of my new favorite places to visit. My friend Megan and I just spent a fantastic nine days there, and I have pictures and stories to share. Before I get into all of that, I need to also give a big CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Aaron, who just graduated from Navy boot camp. He's done so well, and everyone is extremely proud of him, including myself! I know that this is only a sign that he is going to go on to better and brighter things, and I am way impressed with him. Our grandpa was in the Navy, and my older brother is a Marine, so we've got quite a tradition going on in our family, and I'm proud of all of them.
So, nine days in Yunnan has been one of my favorite trips so far- big blue skies, nights full of stars, minority groups, dancing, and great food. I spent a few days prior to the trip in Beijing, where Megan lives, to get settled and also see some of the sights that I missed during my last visit. I got to walk around several parks, including Jingshan park, where you can look down on the whole of the Forbidden City. One of my favorite moments was the day I spent at the Olympic facilities, where you can now go into the National Stadium, also known as the Birds nest, and walk around on the playing field and sit in the stands. It was an overwhelming moment walking into that stadium and seeing how truly massive the space is, but I think that's the goal of the architect. Everywhere you walked on the Green, you head the "Beijing Welcomes You" song, or the "One World, One Dream" song over and over again until they were both burned into your brain. The first song seems to contain every Chinese star possible, and I've found a subtitled version for the rest of you to enjoy!
I also paid a visit to the Temple of Heaven and surrounding park, which you might recognize as one of the symbols of Beijing. The temple itself is typical imperial architecture, but the park surrounding it is magical, with endless acres of cypress trees and carefully plotted flower gardens. The roses were just starting to bloom, and for being in the center of the city, the park was magically quiet. Lots of azaleas around as well, and people taking leisurely strolls. Nearer the temple, there is a place called the Long Walkway, which is part of the temple complex. There, locals gather to play cards, sing karaoke, gossip, dance, and watch foreigners like me gawk at the sights. I hope that I entertained some people while I was there. I also managed to make it to the Lama Temple, which was a little bit of a let-down, but still on the list of things to do.
In addition to seeing the sights in Beijing, it was great to spend time with Megan, who I haven't seen since last November. She and I always have a great time together, and we became known as "the girls who laugh" at a point during our trip. She is a part-time food critic, and took me out for some spectacular meals in Beijing, including a style of BBQ meat from Western China, donkey meat sandwiches, local cuisine, Peking duck, and Sichuan noodles. I can't illustrate enough how much I love the food in Beijing, and yes folks, donkey is delicious as well. I also got to see Danielle briefly, since her folks where in town, which was wonderful too. They were going off to Sichuan province to hug the pandas.
Megan and I flew from Beijing into Kunming, a trip of about 3 hours, and managed to find our
way around the city quite easily. I would be lost without her, because she is really great with directions, planning, and reading/speaking Mandarin. She is really a great travel buddy! We spent our first day at Greenlake Park in Kunming, which is the most thoroughly used park that I have seen. Tons of different groups were dancing, singing, and having a great time. Normally I just observe, but the people here were very interested in getting us to join in, which they succeeded in quite a few times. In one group I was "adopted" by an elderly man who took a lot of pains to teach me the dance. We were just going around in a circle doing a simple step, and he counted out everything for me, convince that I spoke fluent Mandarin. He is the one to the left of me in this photo, in the yellow shirt. They are big on dancing in a circle in Greenlake park, and through out a lot of Yunnan. Halfway through this dance, I did manage to run into a tree, which amused the general population. Once the dance was finished, we thanked the kindly grandpa and continued on our merry way. Later on in the park, both of us were recruited to join in on another group's dance party, and stayed there for about 20 minutes. The ladies that pulled us in took extra time to teach us the dance step by step, and went over it until we had it down for sure. We repeated it a few times, and when I glanced up after one of the repetitions, I noticed that we had gathered quite a sizable crowd, and they all were greatly amused and intrigued. Apparently foreigners don't come to the park often, and when they do, they absolutely never dance with the locals. This seemed to be a huge event in the park, and everyone needed to come and see, take pictures, and possibly even video-tape it. Megan and I make a great TV show for Kunming! We had dinner in some local hole-in-the-wall, which was delicious, and tried local beer, also delicious. All in all, a promising start to a great vacation! Up next the Stone Forest in Shilin and on to Shangri-La!
So, nine days in Yunnan has been one of my favorite trips so far- big blue skies, nights full of stars, minority groups, dancing, and great food. I spent a few days prior to the trip in Beijing, where Megan lives, to get settled and also see some of the sights that I missed during my last visit. I got to walk around several parks, including Jingshan park, where you can look down on the whole of the Forbidden City. One of my favorite moments was the day I spent at the Olympic facilities, where you can now go into the National Stadium, also known as the Birds nest, and walk around on the playing field and sit in the stands. It was an overwhelming moment walking into that stadium and seeing how truly massive the space is, but I think that's the goal of the architect. Everywhere you walked on the Green, you head the "Beijing Welcomes You" song, or the "One World, One Dream" song over and over again until they were both burned into your brain. The first song seems to contain every Chinese star possible, and I've found a subtitled version for the rest of you to enjoy!
I also paid a visit to the Temple of Heaven and surrounding park, which you might recognize as one of the symbols of Beijing. The temple itself is typical imperial architecture, but the park surrounding it is magical, with endless acres of cypress trees and carefully plotted flower gardens. The roses were just starting to bloom, and for being in the center of the city, the park was magically quiet. Lots of azaleas around as well, and people taking leisurely strolls. Nearer the temple, there is a place called the Long Walkway, which is part of the temple complex. There, locals gather to play cards, sing karaoke, gossip, dance, and watch foreigners like me gawk at the sights. I hope that I entertained some people while I was there. I also managed to make it to the Lama Temple, which was a little bit of a let-down, but still on the list of things to do.
In addition to seeing the sights in Beijing, it was great to spend time with Megan, who I haven't seen since last November. She and I always have a great time together, and we became known as "the girls who laugh" at a point during our trip. She is a part-time food critic, and took me out for some spectacular meals in Beijing, including a style of BBQ meat from Western China, donkey meat sandwiches, local cuisine, Peking duck, and Sichuan noodles. I can't illustrate enough how much I love the food in Beijing, and yes folks, donkey is delicious as well. I also got to see Danielle briefly, since her folks where in town, which was wonderful too. They were going off to Sichuan province to hug the pandas.
Megan and I flew from Beijing into Kunming, a trip of about 3 hours, and managed to find our
way around the city quite easily. I would be lost without her, because she is really great with directions, planning, and reading/speaking Mandarin. She is really a great travel buddy! We spent our first day at Greenlake Park in Kunming, which is the most thoroughly used park that I have seen. Tons of different groups were dancing, singing, and having a great time. Normally I just observe, but the people here were very interested in getting us to join in, which they succeeded in quite a few times. In one group I was "adopted" by an elderly man who took a lot of pains to teach me the dance. We were just going around in a circle doing a simple step, and he counted out everything for me, convince that I spoke fluent Mandarin. He is the one to the left of me in this photo, in the yellow shirt. They are big on dancing in a circle in Greenlake park, and through out a lot of Yunnan. Halfway through this dance, I did manage to run into a tree, which amused the general population. Once the dance was finished, we thanked the kindly grandpa and continued on our merry way. Later on in the park, both of us were recruited to join in on another group's dance party, and stayed there for about 20 minutes. The ladies that pulled us in took extra time to teach us the dance step by step, and went over it until we had it down for sure. We repeated it a few times, and when I glanced up after one of the repetitions, I noticed that we had gathered quite a sizable crowd, and they all were greatly amused and intrigued. Apparently foreigners don't come to the park often, and when they do, they absolutely never dance with the locals. This seemed to be a huge event in the park, and everyone needed to come and see, take pictures, and possibly even video-tape it. Megan and I make a great TV show for Kunming! We had dinner in some local hole-in-the-wall, which was delicious, and tried local beer, also delicious. All in all, a promising start to a great vacation! Up next the Stone Forest in Shilin and on to Shangri-La!
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