emily's life in hong kong...

Last Post

2009-07-06T22:29:00.003-06:00

If there's anyone out there still reading my blog (and I don't really know who you all are), this will be my last post. I've been in the States for just over 2 weeks now. The same reverse-culture shock things still strike me: how big everything is (cars, houses, restaurants, portion sizes, etc), how big people look, how much choice there is in the grocery store (and how wide the aisles are and how big the carts are), how I can understand everyone's conversations around me (incredibly distracting and annoying), and how clear and fresh the air is. It's good to see family and friends and reconnect with people who know me well. It's good to be home in a place where I don't have to be making any more decisions. It's good to have summertime to be in the sun, sleep in, be in the mountains, and do all of the things I don't get a chance to do during the school year. People have been asking me how the adjustment is going, and I don't have a clear answer yet. Hong Kong was both a long and short 3 years of my life, and I don't regret any of it. But I think the permanence of being home in the States will strike me this autumn, when things fall into a routine and I'm no longer planning a long weekend to a neighboring country. I know this isn't the last of my travels, or even of living overseas, perhaps. I'll just have to wait and see how things go and how I feel. For now, I'm just taking it one step at a time. I have 3 weeks left before work starts (I'm teaching 3rd grade for Aurora Public Schools), and I'm taking a grad class in that time. So, when I can squeeze it in, I'll be soaking up the rest of summer.

Modern Toilet Restaurant

2009-06-22T15:41:00.002-06:00

For my last meal in Hong Kong, I ended up at the Modern Toilet Restaurant. I stayed with my friend Michelle for my last few days, and we walked around the Kowloon neighborhoods one afternoon. Close to dinnertime, we realized that we weren't too far from the Toilet Restaurant. I've been curious about it for a while, but nobody else seemed too interested in joining me until now. I'm pretty sure this place originated in Japan, and there's one in Seoul, too. These kind of themed restaurants are relatively popular in other parts of Asia. The decor, serving dishes, and flushing noises were all part of the theme. The food was just normal Hong Kong food...a mix of noodle dishes, hot pot, and "Western" food. Michelle at the entrance
our table...a glass top over a sink, and toilet chairs

lovely urinal decor and toilet tables, as well as a wall of flag toilet lids. very classy.

my noodles in a sink bowl and drink in a tall urinal glass

posing at some of the larger tables...bathtubs

Junk Boat

2009-06-22T15:38:00.002-06:00

For my friend Kathie's birthday, we threw a surprise "junk boat" party. Renting a "junk" for the day is a very popular thing to do in Hong Kong. You can rent a boat, get food and beverages catered if you want, and sail around the islands of Hong Kong, stopping to swim. It was beautiful day and a great way to spend one of my last weekends here.
views around Sai Kung

a smaller version of our boat

group shot

Church

2009-06-22T15:29:00.003-06:00

For the past few years, I've been going to church services at a Lutheran Seminary, Christ's Temple at Tao Fong Song. They have English speaking services on Sunday evenings, and I have really enjoyed the small community and peaceful, contemplative nature of the services. It was a blessing for me to be refreshed every week. The seminary is located on top of a mountain, so the location is quiet and peaceful, a pleasant change from the rest of Hong Kong. The congregation is small, made of a few seminary students (from all over Asia), a few other expats (mainly from Scandinavia), and a few fellow teacher friends. Once a month, there is a Taize service. The seminary and Christian center here are host to many retreats, seminars, and conferences. Finally, on my last Sunday there, I brought my camera and took a few photos. Pilgrim's Hall, where the congregation eats a vegetarian meal together after church every week.
The view from Tao Fong Song: Shatin and the 10,000 Buddhas temple.

The bell, which is rung at the beginning and end of every service.

Inside Christ's temple

Church and Pastor John

"True Blue" HKIS Ball

2009-05-17T06:19:00.003-06:00

My school, HKIS, has an annual fund-raising ball. Parents buy tickets for teachers, and I was invited this year. It was a jaw-dropping, over-the-top ,black tie event. Every man in the room was in a tux, and every woman was dressed in their best ballgown or dress. The decorations of the Hong Kong Convention Center were done in detail, keeping with the theme of "true blue". I walked in and was served a blue cocktail and mingled while people bid on silent auction items. After cocktail hour, we had an excellent dinner, listened to some music, watched a live auction (with vacations, jewelry, and LA Lakers tickets reaching outrageous prices), and then opened up the dance floor. I received a table prize of an expensive wallet and a spa gift certificate and we watched the silent auction prices rise on the screens around us. Each person was given a "smart card" so that they could bid at the table with a small electronic device and keypad to continually bid throughout the evening. I'm pretty sure it was the fanciest thing I've ever been to.

with my co-workers Mayen (from the Phillipines) and Betty (from Alaska)

impressed with our dinner and table decorations

International Day

2009-05-17T06:11:00.003-06:00

Every year, my school has International Day. Hong Kong International School is truly International, with students from all over the world....dozens of countries and languages are represented at the school. The students wear their traditional dress, bring food from their respective countries, attend a big assembly, and have a parade to show off their outfits. HKIS hired dancers to showcase different traditional dances and had a few different acts to celebrate countries from all over the world. It was a truly unique event that isn't likely to be repeated in my future job!

2nd grade boys from Hong Kong
Some of my students from the US, Malaysia, and Japan

More students from Taiwan, Korea, Sweden, and the US. It's hard to take a picture of 2nd graders without someone giving bunny ears in the background.

Brazilian dancers and students on stage

A 2nd grade class had a "living museum" with students from England, Australia, France, Ireland, Malaysia, the UK, Sweden, the US, Canada, India, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Thailand, and a few others.

Happy Valley Races

2009-05-17T06:02:00.002-06:00

Going to the horse races is a very Hong Kong thing to do. It's incredibly popular, and considering the Chinese view of luck, the weekly races bring in quite a bit of money for this city. In any guide book, going to Happy Valley to see the races is on the top of the lists. The equestrian events for the Olympics were held in HK as well this year (although at a different track). This week, we got together a few friends and went to the races. For most of us, it was our first time going. The setting is beautiful with the open field and air against the backdrop of the city. We didn't win big (because we didn't bet big), but it was a lot of fun. A few people commented that it felt like going to a baseball game in the States...the same feeling of an outdoor event, lots of people, beer, snacks, and spectators ranging from intensely engaged to purely social.

friends Rebekah, Michelle, and Salome

Taiwan: Day 1

2009-05-07T08:25:00.007-06:00

Last weekend, we had Friday off for (another) holiday, so I took a semi-last minute trip to Taiwan with a few friends. I realized that it was a place I really wanted to go before I left Hong Kong, and with it being only an hour and a half flight, I should go while I could. It was a really easy trip in a lot of ways, partly because my friend Michelle speaks Mandarin and my other friend did a lot of the detailed planning for us.

Overally, I loved Taiwan and wished I had more time there. It's a place I could easily have spent a week or more exploring. Many people from HK go to Taipei for the weekend and report that it's really similar to HK, but I found it really interesting. Sure, it's reminiscent of HK, and also of mainland China, but it certainly has it's own unique feel to it as well. There was some really interesting food choices, a couple of extensive night markets, and a lot of history. We didn't have time to do everything, but we crammed a lot in. The one thing I missed was the museum...where a lot of ancient Chinese art is housed, as a result of the cultural revolution. Instead, we saw a lot of the city and ran into a couple of unexpected events as well, such as a protest and a Buddhist parade. Taiwanese people reminded me very much of HK-ers...very proud to NOT be from mainland China, and proud of their own heritage. Taipei is a modern city, packed with history and culture. I loved it. Then again, where in SE Asia have I had a bad experience?!

Oddly enough, there were crane games everywhere. Michelle and Tad are modeling the most interesting one...fishing for bread. Weird.

We ran into this parade on our way the first night and asked our taxi driver to stop. We're still not sure exactly what it was for.

Tall, frightening, masked parade marchers.

Night market snacks..candied fruit (and cherry tomatoes). They looked better than they tasted.

Night market food stalls.

In the late afternoon, we took a mini-excursion to the Maokong area, where tea is grown and packaged. We stopped at a tea house for a snack, watched the sunset and looked over the valley and the city, hoping to get a glance of some fireflies.

I loved this sign on one vending machine. At the same vending machine, you could buy Asparagus Juice. We found it at breakfast the next morning as well. It wasn't so good.

Changing of the guards...a very formal process.

Beautiful National Theater

We weren't sure what this parade/protest was for, but there were crews of policemen ready with shields and sticks.

Steaming seafood.

Playing carnival games...an unexpected find.

Snack choices at 7-11 include Slurpees, hot dogs, tea eggs, and char sui bao (steamed pork bun). I suppose this is similar to some HK 7-11's, but I've never actually stopped to take a picture of it.

Taiwan: Day 2

2009-05-07T08:14:00.001-06:00

Today we took a day trip to Taroko National Park and Taroko Gorge (boasted as Taiwan's Number One Tourist Destination). We took a bullet train from Taipei early in the morning, and arrived in a small mountain town 2 hours later. We carb-loaded on a traditional Taiwanese breakfast of noodles with beef, waited for the rain to clear, and headed for the park. It was absolutely breathtaking. It reminded me a lot of some parts of Colorado, except it was much more green and lush. The gorge ran deep, with huge boulders in the river, waterfalls all around, the steep cliffs. We took an hour bus ride to the top, where there was a small village, home to a couple of youth hostels, retreat centers, and a couple of small restaurants. We did a couple of short hikes, ending at a water cave and near a couple of Buddhist temples. The day ended with another great meal. Michelle was able to read the Chinese characters of a local fast food restaurant, so we wandered in, were handed a small wooden box with some rice, and went through a small buffet table, loading our boxes with Taiwanese dishes. After a long day and a couple of Taiwan beers, we were all pretty sleepy on the late train ride back to Taipei.

Taiwan: Day 3

2009-05-07T08:00:00.003-06:00

Today was another marathon day. We woke up, ate breakfast in the hotel, and then headed out to Dan Sui, just one train stop away. This little suburb was full of interesting things...a boardwalk area with carnival games, lots of interesting street food, and a market. After that, we went to the hot springs, which Taiwan is well known for. We went to the local springs in a National Park, and had just enough time to get a feel for it. It reminded me a lot of the ones at home in Colorado, actually. After that, we raced to the Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. We had enough time to get some pictures and a clear view of the city before just barely making it to our flight (but without enough time for some Coldstone ice cream, a minor disappointment).

view of Taipei

from the other side....

Natural hot springs in the middle of the city... the whole neighborhood around here smells like sulfur, and it's easy to see the steam rising over the water, which has the effect of making an entire steamy valley.
hot springs

squid on a stick

lots of crane games

Dan Sui

super tall ice cream. i was very impressed by this

Easter break: Barcelona

2009-04-17T23:27:00.002-06:00

This year for my Easter break, I did some traveling outside of Asia. I've never been to Europe before, and so I went to Spain with my sister and our friend Sara. I finally have the time and money to go, so I should do it before I move back to the US! Flights from here to London are relatively inexpensive anyway.

We spent about a week in Barcelona, taking a couple of day trips around the area. People keep asking me what my favorite part was, and I guess the best thing was just walking around the city itself and exploring. Barcelona is very modern, trendy, hip, and full of art and culture. It's a beautiful place. We saw the Antoni Guadi works (La Segrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Batll0) and took a day trip to see the Salvador Dali museum. We went to the Picasso museum on our first day and noticed the feel of the unique art in Spain as we just walked around. The Salvador Dali museum was one of the most interesting places I've been...Dali himself converted an old theater into a museum, so every space was designed by him.

We also went to a Flamenco dancing show, wandered around the ports of the Meditteranean, and spent a lot of time exploring the city, the cafes, the tapas restaurants, and drinking sangria. On Good Friday, we went to a parade in the old, Catholic tradition. The pictures below will show why this was one of the highlights of the trip...so interesting! We ended up having front row seats to it as well.

It was interesting for me to consider Europe after living and traveling in Asia for a few years now. For one, I expected Spain to feel different somehow, but it felt more like the US than I thought it would. There were more tourists than other times I've traveled. I guess Barcelona is a developed, Western city, and even though I live in a developed, semi-Westernized city, it still had a really different feel to it. We had a great time together and I really enjoyed my trip, but I feel like I got my fill of Western Europe for a little while, at least. I'm not sure where I'll end up next, but I'd rather explore the farther corners of the Earth if I have the opportunity.

Barcelona pics

2009-04-17T05:57:00.007-06:00

Laura, me, and Sara at Parc Guell

'The Cathedral". I'm sure there are hundreds similar all across Western Europe, but this was the most famous one to sight-see in Barcelona, and the one where Columbus brought back some slaves from the West Indies to have baptized.

There were street musicians everywhere. These guys looked the most professional.

Dragon statue at Parc Guell. Apparently this is really famous, because the image of this is sold on every keychain and t-shirt and poster across the entire city.

Parc Guell, the work of Antoni Guadi

Old City streets

in front of Parc Guell...wearing my jacket this week in Spain was the most that I've had to do all year long!

fruit and vegetable markets always make for great pictures

Laura "drinks" chocolate at the chocolate museum. It was not nearly like hot chocolate...more like a melted hershey's bar.

Laura and I by the Meditteranean Sea

The details of La Segrada Familia

Inside La Segrada Familia

And in front of the passion facade at La Segrada Familia

Strange float at the Good Friday parade

Good Friday parade

And more Good Friday parade...we had an excellent view

Flamenco Dancing show

El Mos. We ate our first (and I had my last) of Spanish tapas here.

Spanish tapas meal...sangria, stuffed olives, board of cured meat and "volcano" of grilled vegetables. The bread on the side is spread with raw garlic and tomatoes.

In front of the Salvador Dali museum.

Ceiling of the Salvador Dali museum.

A sculpture/statue at the Dali museum...every corner was interesting.

Casa Batllo: designed by Antoni Guadi

Barcelona Port

My Neighborhood: Wan Chai

2009-03-01T07:14:00.004-07:00

I thought I would do a follow-up photo blog to accompany my last post. Today, I ran a 5K along the harbor and had dim sum afterwards. On the way home, I took a few pictures of my 5 minute walk from the MTR station to my house. I pass by these streets nearly every day. These sights have become so familiar to me that I realized I should stop and take some pictures before I later forget these parts of my daily life.

There seems to be a little hair salon every other block. This one has been the most successful attempt for me.

The tram that runs through the main streets of HK Island...it costs 25 cents, no matter how far you ride it. It's a bit slow, but I love taking the tram if I'm just going a short distance.

Vegetables for sale in the wet market

The Wan Chai MTR (train) exit nearest to me.

Queen's Road East, the main street adjacent to my house.

The other side of Queen's Road East (yes, many street names have an obvious British influence).

Produce for sale

The organic produce market near my house.

My street, "Kennedy Street".

Fresh fish for sale

My dry-cleaners and laundry, a block away from my house.

A new cafe that oppened up very near to my home, run by Italians.

By apartment building, "Brilliant Court".

I love this old building in the middle of all of the newness.

The Wan Chai market is near my house as well..there's lots of different stuff and junk for sale...from clothes to dried fruit to plastic products to home decorations to jewelry to knock-off designer purses, etc.

Just February

2009-02-28T07:14:00.002-07:00

I haven't updated my blog in a while, and I guess that's because it doesn't seem like there's anything newsworthy to write about. It's been a whole few weeks since I've traveled out of the country, after all! In the past couple of weeks life has just been, well, normal. At work, we brought in a consultant from Singapore for the week, so I had a lot of extra work meetings and events. I've met up with friends for Indian food. I've gone to see a couple of movies. I've had people over for dinner. I've sat at Starbucks to work on my paper for my grad school class. I've gone running and hiking. I've watched the Oscars. You get the picture.

Tonight I met up with my friend Jenn for a beer at one of my favorite bars ("Castro's", a Cuban themed pub). We were talking about all of the little idosyncracies in HK that we take for granted now, and she encouraged me to write them down. I guess there still are things that separate HK from life in the States. For example, today when I got my haircut, I also got a shoulder and neck massage with it...standard procedure here. (All for $12, I might add). I went to the horse-races on Wednesday night in Happy Valley, a huge part of Hong Kong culture. When I go to work, I take the schoolbus there and pass by the South China Sea every morning. Instead of getting in my car to drive to Indian food, I took the train, and then a taxi home. A grande latte at Starbucks is much smaller than the one in the US. When I bought produce for the week, I went to the "wet market" rather than the grocery store (although it's available there, too, I suppose...just cheaper at the outdoor market). In the movie theaters here, you have to choose your seat ahead of time when you buy tickets, and you get caramel popcorn rather than butter. I guess it's just the little things that still make life interesting here.

Laos

2009-02-08T05:35:00.002-07:00

This year for my week off at Chinese New Year, I went to Laos, which was somewhere I had never really imagined going before. I didn't know much about the country before I went but had heard great things from other friends who had been there, and it seemed to be a good year to go before things start to become overwhelmed with tourism. Laos is developed enough now in the tourism industry (as of 1995) to have some comforts, like clean hotels and restaurants but is still finding it's own two feet. I felt much more privileged and wealthy and separated as a tourist in Laos, as there were very few Laotian people dining with us or doing the same things. Many times when I travel there are national travelers as well, but that was not the case in this very poor country.

The first thing that struck me about Laos was how it didn't really seem to have it's own character or identity. It has been colonized by the French, influenced by Thailand and Vietnam, and is full of so many ethnic minority groups (the Hmong and Khmer people especially), that it is still a country trying to find it's identity. There was some French influence as seen in the architecture, language on public signs, and fresh baked baguettes (as is in Vietnam), and all of the wats and temples reminded me of Thailand. The countryside looked a little like Cambodia and also parts of China where I've been, with sharp limestone cliffs jutting out over a winding river. The food was equally blended, which was a great surprise... my ideal menu was found in Laos...curries, Thai food and Vietnamese food (with fresh pastries and baguettes for breakfast).

Laos is a quiet country as it holds the sparsest population in Asia. The capital city, Vientiane, only has 300,000 people and we could cross the busiest of streets without problem. Laos is also one of the poorest countries in the world; very little infrastructure has been developed and it hosts very few, if any, factories as it's a landlocked country. It's also one of the most heavily bombed countries in history. I had read that the US dropped more tonnage of bombs on the Eastern provinces of Laos than were dropped on the entirety of Europe during World War 2. It was also heavily affected by the Vietnam war. The people were gentle and quiet and calm, and the pace of life in Laos moves slowly. The people that I did talk to where very aware of their country's poverty and are fighting to encourage more tourism and trade, to become more public in the eye of the global world. The government of Laos is still communist. Unlike Vietnam and China, however, the communist influence was hardly noticed or felt; I saw very few police force or billboards reminding people to be patriotic.

We had a week in Laos and took quite a few modes of transportation to get there. We flew from Hong Kong to Bangkok and the next morning flew from Bangkok to Udan Thani, in Northern Thailand. From there, we got on a bus to cross the border and stayed a night in Vientiane. There, we met up with my friend Michelle's former colleagues, who are both working for NGO's in Vientiane. They took us around the city and brought us to a local, traditional, Lao restaurant. It was interesting to hear them talk about how things have changed in the five years since they've been there. Women are no longer wearing traditional dress, but shorts and t-shirts, and they said there are far more cars and motorbikes on the road now (although the roads were still very quiet, in my opinion).

The next day we flew to Luang Prabang, in Northern Laos. It was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful contrast to Hong Kong in terms of weather, pace of life, scenery, and overall relaxation! It was warm and sunny during the day, but arid, and it was cool and clear at night, so we could watch the sunset and look at the stars every night, which is hard to come by in HK. In Luang Prabang, we went kayaking, went to a waterfall, saw some wats (temples) and just generally spent time relaxing and wandering around the town. Several rivers converge near the town, including the Mekong. We could have all spent more time in this sleepy backpacker's town. After a few days we hired a driver and drove down to Vang Vieng. The town of VV isn't much to boast about, but the scenery was breathtaking...limestone cliffs and winding rivers. Apparently, Lonely Planet has put VV on the map as a party town, which was evident...not our style of partying, but interesting to note, nonetheless. You could ask for a "happy menu" at many of the restaurants, and we could hear the thump of the outdoor music outside of our hotel, all hours of the night. After a couple of nights there, we took bus back to Vientiane and then a bus to Nong Khai, in Thailand where we caught an overnight train back to Bangkok.

This was one of my best trips yet. I always think that half a trip is the place you visit itself and half of a trip are the people you're with, the conversations you have, the people you meet, and the things you can't plan for. The latter was what made Laos an especially good trip. We ate to our heart's content and stumbled upon some amazing restaurants and places, drank cheap and good Beer Lao, played a lot of games and cards, and really got to know one another well. I think my side was sore from laughing every night. We just simply had such a good time together and never bickered or disagreed. (Well, aside from the last day in Bangkok after our already 36 hours of traveling!) I never expected to go to Laos in my life, and now it's a place I would like to return to, anytime.

Laos Pictures

2009-02-07T21:51:00.010-07:00

Here is our group, from right to left: Mike, Michelle, Tad, Rebekah, and myself. I am friends with all of these people through my old job, at ICS...we're all teachers.
Whiskey for sale at the "whiskey village".

A tuk-tuk driver takes a nap in Bangkok before he starts his day.

The Tad Sae waterfalls....we did some hiking and swimming around here. Beautiful!

We had a lot of meals like this, where we sat (or lay) on pillows around a low table. We took our time eating dinner, talking, and playing games and cards...it was such a relaxing trip in this way.

These boys were playing in the river and saw the buffaloes coming, so they jumped on top of them to ride them in. Also, notice the albino one?

Entrance to the Pha That Luang in Vientiane, which is considered the most important national monument in Laos. Here is where the kings of Laos have lived.

Putaxai. This structure was built with US-purchased cement, which was originally given to Laos to build a road and a new airport. I guess the cement was a guilt offering.

Hundreds of little Buddha images inside the Pak Ou caves. We took a trip to these caves in the middle of our kayaking trip.

We woke before sunrise one day to see the monks collecting alms. They line the street and get their food for the day, usually rice and fruit. There were children standing alongside the monks as well carrying plastic bags, hoping to get a donation from the monks for their daily sustenance.

A monk studies at a wat in Luang Prabang.

Here we are, tubing (floating) down the river in Vang Vieng.

Here's a bar/restaurant along the river in Vang Vieng. Every so often, there were places along the side of the river for people to stop, get something to eat or drink, and either dive or jump into the river with a pulley or rope swing. Then, after you've had your fill, you get back on your tube and go to the next place (most likely blaring Bob Marley or pop music).

We ate dinner at this beautiful, new restaurant's deck hanging over the river. It was so comfortable and the night was beautiful and clear. One of the highlights of the trip was being surprised by a fireworks show. Mike caught a picture of us watching the fireworks here. It was a perfect viewing, and we couldn't have planned it. After we let our food digest, we played beach volleyball at the restaurant with the wait staff. We were some of the first customers at this restaurant run by a Canadian guy who stumbled his way into Northern Laos a few years back.

sunset in Vang Vieng

When we arrived in Vang Vieng, we decided to rent bikes to figure out our way around the town.

the morning mist on the drive from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng.

We took this little boat to get to the waterfalls.

night market in Luang Prabang

Lao BBQ...my favorite meal of the trip.

While kayaking, we spotted an elephant off in the distance. We got a bit closer than this, but not too close...he sure wasn't tamed for tourism!

Kayaking along the Mekong River.

Tuk-Tuks were the most common mode of transportation for us, besides walking around the very small towns.

Bangkok train station

Banana roti for a snack...fried batter with bananas and sugar inside. Delicious.

We bought books at an NGO that publishes books in English and Lao, to give to children who were begging or selling things. We passed them out along the way, and they were a big success.

bamboo bridge in Luang Prabang

drying ricecakes

fruit seller

The entire town of Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage sight.

Year of the Ox

2009-01-23T02:25:00.004-07:00

It's Chinese New Year time again, which means many things here. The most important thing for me is that I get another week off and am heading to Laos via Bangkok. Today, at school, all of the kids dressed up in their Chinese clothing and we had an assembly. All of the students take Mandarin classes here, starting in Kindergarten. The Mandarin department put on a great show with dancing, singing traditional songs, inviting an award winning performing school group from China, and lai-see (red envelope) gift packets for all of the kids.

Here are three of my second grade American students in their outfits.

students performing onstage

traditional lion dancing

Here are three of my second grade students from New Zealand, Sweden, and the US.

Today in Hong Kong

2009-01-13T06:22:00.004-07:00

This is an email I got at work this morning:

Dear All,
The API continues to be over 100. Children on the API list should stay indoors. Persons with existing heart or respiratory illnesses are advised to reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities. Please remind all students to drink water, they sometimes forget when it is cold outside but we need to keep them all well hydrated. Thank you for your attention.

I tend to forget things like this now, that used to really strike me when I first arrived. API is the pollution index, and when it's over 100 (as it has often been lately), some students can't go outside for recess. We have an "API list" of students with asthma or whose parents request that they stay indoors. As beautiful as Hong Kong is, the pollution from China is part of daily conversation, like talking about the weather. I think this email also shows the concern and properness that Hong Kong people show when dealing with children. Of course it's good for kids to drink water, but in the US, I never received email reminders about things like this!

Here is an excerpt from the Hong Kong Observatory website, where I check the weather:

As Hong Kong is being continuously affected by a cold winter monsoon, people are advised to put on warm clothes and to avoid adverse health effects due to the cold weather. You must also ensure adequate indoor ventilation. If you must go out, please avoid prolonged exposure to wintry winds. If you know of elderly persons or persons with chronicmedical conditions staying alone, please call or visit them occasionally to check if they need any assistance. Make sure heaters are safe before use, and place them away from any combustibles. Do not light fires indoors as a means to keep warm. Whatever the temperature, please ensure that there is plenty of fresh air in your room when you are using an old-type gas water heater.

I just find this kind of weather warning with its description, language, and concern for things like this very typically Hong Kong. It usually just makes me roll my eyes now.

AsiaLearn

2009-01-09T04:31:00.004-07:00

This year, I've also had a part time job as the Resident Director for AsiaLearn. I was connected to this organization through a friend, when they decided to open up a program in Hong Kong this year. AsiaLearn arranges study-abroad programs for college students, and they just started working with Hong Kong University. Last semester, 6 students piloted this program and this week, 14 more came from Universities all across the U.S. It's a simple job really; I'm sort of "on call" in case the students have any questions or run into any trouble, and I also give them a brief orientation when they arrive and meet with them three times throughout the semester. Last semester, I really enjoyed hearing about Hong Kong and expat life through new eyes and from college students with a fresh perspective. I guess it hasn't really been all that many years since I was that age myself, but it's been interesting for me to reflect back on myself as a college student and realize how different I was during that time. I am a bit jealous of their opportunity to travel and live abroad so early on into adulthood. I have always wanted to live in a different country and have this experience, and I am now grateful that I chose a vocation where there are plenty of opportunities, and where I can grow professionally as well. My job with AsiaLearn has made me all the more grateful for the place I ended up and the experiences I've had so far.

Here is a link to the Asialearn website if you're interested: http://www.asialearn.org/about/the_asialearn_team/in-country_support_team/

christmas in hong kong

2009-01-05T05:57:00.003-07:00

I have never celebrated Christmas so much as I have this past year. I didn't have time to post any pictures or blog before I left for the States, but better late than never (too busy celebrating the holidays, I guess). Working at an elementary school (and at a Lower Primary school in particular) is a good way to celebrate the holidays...staff and department parties, kids' programs, construction paper decorations, teacher presents (my best teacher gift year ever!), and carol sing-a-longs. That's just at school. I had a few Christmas parties with friends, went to a tram party, sang and celebrated Advent at church, and tried to get a bit of shopping done. Trying to maneuver around Hong Kong is exhausting and tiring enough on the weekends, let alone during Christmastime. I definitely welcomed the open spaces of America for a couple of weeks!

The Christmas tree at New Town Plaza...always overdone, Hong Kong style.
I won the "best Christmas sweater" award at my friend's party (um, not mine, just borrowed from my middle-aged teacher colleagues...no offense to you if you fit that demographic).

Some of my colleagues at our Christmas party for the Student Services department.

I went to see The Nutcracker with friends Christine and Mike. This is my third year in a row seeing it...it's become a tradition for me and Christine to go the last week before break.

One of the Christmas festivities in the mall...not sure what is happening, but any sort of costume or special display always draws a big crowd here. I'm also not sure how this is related to Christmas at all, but it didn't seem to matter to anyone.

decorating cookies at a friend's Christmas party

again, after the Nutcracker, in front of the harbor

I was serenaded by one of the 2nd grade classes...pretty cute, huh?

hike over Lantau Peak

2008-11-17T05:24:00.004-07:00

This Saturday I went hiking over Lantau Peak with a group of friends. It's the second highest peak in Hong Kong and probably the steepest incline. I'm still sore, 2 days later, but the scenery was beautiful. We started by taking a cable car, hiked, and ended at the beach by the Stoep, a South African restaurant. The cable car that leads up to the Big Buddha and some of the Lantau mountains.
On our way up at the beginning.

The man-made village and tourist area, after the cable car and before the Big Buddha and hike.

The village and monastery down below, near where we started.

We ended here...in a long line, walking along the water.

On the descent. You can see the beach in the distance where we ended up.

And on the way up...

Stopping for a rest. You can just barely see the Big Buddha, where we started.

Voicethread presentation: Oktoberfest

2008-11-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

I'm on youtube...

2008-11-10T02:54:00.002-07:00

My friend Jesse came to visit a few weeks ago, and because he's a videographer, he made a travel video of his time here. He put it on Youtube. I'm not sure how to link it, but if you go to Youtube and search, "Jesse Johnson Hong Kong", that should be the only thing that shows up.

This link may work, I'm not sure... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux9L6AjJwRM

Check it out!

Halloween

2008-11-04T06:29:00.003-07:00

I was "Emily Elizabeth", Cliford's friend, for Bookoween. Here I am as a "mystery reader" for a second grade class.

Along with a few friends, I dressed up as a McDonald's employee for Halloween.

Staff picture at my new school. We had "Bookoween" where students and teachers dressed up as their favorite book characters for the day. Some of the highlights: Where's Waldos, Jack and the Beanstalk, Mrs. Wishy Washy, Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom, Viola Swamp, The Tortoise and the Hare, the 7 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and the Cat in the Hat...

hiking photos

2008-10-23T04:18:00.002-06:00

This past weekend, I went hiking with some friends on a trail that I've wanted to do for a while...Dragon's Back. On either side of us were the surroundings of HK island's south side views...it was beautiful. It's finally cooling down enough here so that hiking is enjoyable. We ended our hike with pizza at Big Wave Bay and then hung out at the beach for the afternoon. I love how easily accessible it is to get away from the busyness and city part of Hong Kong, even if just for a day.

view of Big Wave Bay

view of Shek O

hiking up...phew

the Dragon's Back...can you see it?

October break: into China

2008-10-11T05:07:00.002-06:00

This week, I had a few days off of work for October break and a couple of Chinese holidays. So, yes, I took advantage of the time to travel. My friend Rachel was visiting from Denver, so I showed her around Hong Kong for a few days and then we went up to Guilin and Youngshou with three other friends. People here have told me over and over again, "if you're going to go anywhere while you live in Hong Kong, make sure it's Guilin.". I can now see why. It was absolutely beautiful with landscapes of countryside farms, winding rivers, and limestone mountains and cliffs shooting up out of the ground as far as the eye could see. Youngshou, a small town, is a bit of a backpackers destination, so we packed our days with activities and outdoorsy things, a nice change from Hong Kong. The weather was perfect...never too hot or cold, and I was unreasonably excited that it cooled off at night. It reminded me a bit of home and hanging out in the small Rocky Mountain towns of Colorado. I think it was a change I needed.

We started off by arriving in Guilin on Friday night, and then rented a boat to take us to Youngshou on Saturday. As are many things in China, it was a bit of a hassle to arrange this, especially as we weren't sure whether we were getting ripped off or not. But it all worked out and we were just slightly windblown after a 3 hour ride on the speedboat. When we got to Youngshou, we met up with our friend Michelle, who speaks fluent Mandarin. This turned out to be a much easier, more stress-free way to get around. I think it's the first time I've traveled with someone who's spoken the language. Michelle introduced us to some amazing Chinese food (my favorite being the dessert of fried bananas and apples in carmelized sugar, served blazing hot and then dipped in cool water right before you put it in your mouth.) On Sunday, we had hired a bike tour guide to take us through the countryside and villages around Youngshou. We biked all through the area, stopping for a few hours in the afternoon to take a tour of a cave with waterfalls, pools, and a "mud pool".

On Monday we bulked up on a big Western breakfast, preparing for a day of kayaking. I think this was the highlight of the trip for all of us. Canny, our bike tour guide, had arranged our tour, which turned out to just be a man who picked us up, lent us our kayaks, and told us to dock right before the bridge. So we looked at his rough sketch of a map and took off on our own, paddling down the river slowly and at our own pace. We stopped halfway at a waterside "restaurant", which was basically a covered dock with chickens running around. They served us some fresh cooked food and drinks from a cooler as fishermen came up to sell that day's catch. After a morning of kayaking, we rented tandem bikes and went out to "Moon Hill" to hike and climb to the top, which gave us a beautiful view of the valley. I didn't feel too guilty having three different Chinese desserts that night.

Our remaining time was spent shopping (of course), eating, hanging out in the backpackers haunts of Youngshou, reading on the balcony, and getting massages around town. Some friends here visit Youngshou yearly, which I could easily do as well... am now hoping to go back in the springtime!

pickled vegetables for sale on a bike
streets of Youngshou
"west street", the main street in town
The cave tour guide promptly instructed all of us to pose in front of this formation that looked like a christmas tree. He was sure that westerners would want a shot like this.
We swam around in the mud caves, and jumped into the pools to clean off.
Riding the boat from Guilin to Youngshou
hanging out in the kayak
entrance into the cave...had to take this rickety old canoe to get in there

view of youngshou

2008-10-11T05:01:00.002-06:00

fishermen on bamboo rafts
view from the top of moon hill

mountains like these 360 degrees around
mountains on the li river

Rachel, my friend from Denver, visited Hong Kong and came along with us

Renting a bike for a dollar a day was definitely worth it.

images of china

2008-10-11T04:56:00.002-06:00

make sure to put your "organism" in the correct rubbish bin
sign outside our first hotel in guilin
pagoda outside of guilin
eliptical machine in the park
i love this shot. this man is advertising for the cormorant night fishing, where fishermen use these birds to catch fish.

registering voters

2008-09-14T18:46:00.003-06:00

In the past couple of weeks, there has been a push to register American voters here in Hong Kong. I have been attending Democrat's Abroad since I moved here (thanks to the gentle push of some good friends), and so last week, I volunteered at one of the registration events. The event was set up so that anyone could vote, regardless of political party, but we did have signs indicating that we were with the Democrats and were supporting Obama. It was interesting to see people's reactions; in particular, the reactions of non-Americans. I had several European people stop and tell me their blunt political view, that is, that they were in full support of Obama and talked about what a disappointing (paraphrased words) president that Bush has been. I also saw many Chinese people pause, read our signs, and give us a thumbs up or a smile when they saw that we were in support of Obama.

In some of my travels, I've encountered people (shopowners, waitresses, other tourists) who, when they discover I'm an American, are keen to talk about politics. This past spring, their perspective was that the presidential race was only between Clinton and Obama...a Republican candidate was never mentioned. The world is watching what's happening, and I'm amazed at how well informed some people are. Going back to the States in the summer, I feel much more the political pressure on both sides, but being here, internationally, there's a much different feeling. I can't wait to see what will happen in November.

junk boat trip

2008-09-14T09:45:00.003-06:00

Going on a "junk boat" trip is a Hong Kong thing that I've been wanting to do for a while now. Today, I finally went with about 20 friends. Most junk boats are associated with a restaurant here who provide food and drinks, but we went for the cheaper option and just rented a boat all day. It was 33 degrees (Calcius) today, so it was definitely warm enough to hang out on the boat all day, cruise around Hong Kong, and jump in the water for a while. It's Mid-Autumn festival tomorrow, so it was a great way to spend a long weekend.

We spent a lot of time in the water hanging out like this,

trying not to get stung by the (harmless) jellyfish.

One of my best friends here, Christine.

View from the boat....

Talking and hanging out on the top deck at dusk, with the harbor in the background. The downside of the day was the high pollution index...ever since the Olympics ended, the factories in China have been in high gear, sending down lots of pullution our way.

the new digs

2008-09-14T09:26:00.003-06:00

I finally got around to taking some pictures of my new place. I went up to China this weekend to pick up the curtains I had gotten made (from "my" tailor, Heidi), so it's starting to come together now. I just now need to figure out how to put up pictures on the wall...drilling through concrete is a little tricky, especially without owning a drill. my "kitchen" area
I can fit a small wardrobe, dresser, and desk in my spare room

view from the front door. it's small, but it works for me

Wan Chai

2008-08-22T08:10:00.002-06:00

The past couple of weeks have been full of many changes, and one of my favorite changes has been my location within Hong Kong. I'm now living much more centrally located in the Wan Chai neighborhood, in the heart of Hong Kong, which I've found to be incredibly convenient. It's about a 15 minute direct bus ride to get to work, which I can pick up right outside my street, and it's a 5 minute walk to the MTR (train) station, which was one of my biggest criteria in finding a new apartment.

Wan Chai is an interesting neighborhood with a bit of a reputation. It was originally considered the red-light district, and some remnants of that remain today, making rent a bit cheaper over here, even though it's still incredibly safe, especially for a large city. Mostly, it's just businesses and governement offices now, with some restaurants, bars, and stores thrown in the mix. However, I live on the opposite end of the district, close to the outdoor market, where I can buy my fresh produce (I avoid buying my meat here, as the thought of eating meat that's been hanging outdoors all day in the heat turns my stomach.) There's also a general outdoor market that sells fresh flowers, clothing, electronics, and odds and ends, sometimes more odd than anything. Apparently, I am living right around the corner from one of the best dumpling restaurants in Hong Kong, so when the typhoon passes, that's top on my list of places to visit.

Because of the typhoon today, I didn't have a chance to go out and take pictures of my new neighborhood, as I had intended. So, below, here are some curtousy of Google Images, and probably better than I could have done myself anyway.

the tram runs through the middle of Wan Chai, and all along the north side of the island, and one of the cheapest modes of transportation (about 25cents per ride) around here
the wet market, the cheapest and freshest way to buy your produce
a view of Wan Chai from the water. you can take a ferry from the Wan Chai harbor over to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong
the Wan Chai market, which sells just about everything you would never need

Hong Kong and the Olympics

2008-08-22T02:00:00.003-06:00

Some pictures of "The Friendlies", the official mascot of the 2008 games, and some Olympic related sights around the city:

I'm home from work because of another Typhoon, canceling school once again. I've been quite busy moving into my apartment, starting a new job, getting set up again, etc.

I haven't had much of a chance to watch the Olympics this year, even though that's all I seem to hear about. Hong Kong has embraced the spirit of the games (several months before now, actually), and people are showing great pride in having China host the games. All of the equestrian events are being held in Hong Kong, as horseracing is a huge sport here. So, I've seen some Olympic athletes and media people wandering around. Tourism is at an all time high as well, especially before the games started. The other major influence has been on the climate and air quality. Many factories in China have shut down in these couple of weeks, and the air has never been cleaner here. I've been able to see much farther and breathe in much cleaner air than usual! I'm curious to see the reaction once the factories are up and running again.

typhooned

2008-08-06T06:58:00.002-06:00

I had the day off today, thanks to a typhoon. When it gets up to a level 8, and the Hong Kong observatory "hoists the typhoon 8 signal" (as it is written everywhere), the city pretty much shuts down. I think in my two years here, this is the second or third typhoon I've experienced. I got a call this morning telling me that the day's activities were canceled. However, an hour later, my window was a little loose and flew open, allowing piles of water to come in. I had to call downstairs for the security guard to come up because I wasn't strong enough to close the window myself with all of the wind blowing up here on the 19th floor!

Hong Kong, chapter 2

2008-07-31T21:57:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm back. This summer went by more quickly than I would have liked and I had a great time at home, but I am ready to move on with things and see how this year goes. I landed in Hong Kong on Tuesday night, and spent the next couple of days apartment hunting. On the first day, I checked out a bunch of places that I had found online before coming here, and only had moderate luck. Yesterday I went around with a real estate agent that the school had contracted for me, and I think I found a place! It's in the Wan Chai district, close to Causeway Bay. The location is good and the public transportation from there is quite convenient, which was important to me. Hopfully I'll get it all taken care of and wrapped up today.

For now, I'm staying in Aberdeen, at a serviced apartment, which is an apartment building with some of the services of a hotel. It's quite nice, and I have a beautiful view overlooking the water. Next week I kick off with orientation, so things will get busy again. I'm looking forward to having my friends return here in the next week or so and getting settled in.

Aberdeen harbor
view from the hotel
streets of Aberdeen, a typical Hong Kong neighborhood
Here are 2 welcome boxes that I found in my room when I got here, curteousy of the HKIS. I thought it was a pretty thoughtful touch.

last night in hong kong (for now)

2008-06-18T08:54:00.002-06:00

The past couple of weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for me. I've finished teaching at ICS, said goodbye to the kids and my colleagues, packed up my office, have had several farewell dinners and send-offs with dear friends, packed and cleaned up my place, and have moved out of my current flat. I am definitely ready to be home for the summer and take it a little bit easier.

I feel as if one chapter in my life is coming to a close, and although I'll be here next year, things will be quite different, as I'll be in a new job and a new part of the city. Some of my best friends have left Hong Kong now and life is transitioning for me, yet again.

I have had my fair share of Hong Kong-esque experiences lately, where things are a contradiction of ease and convenience mixed with irrational policies and black-and-white thinking. For example, this morning, I had to take my school things (books, files, etc) to my new school to store there for the summer. I had too much to take on the train, and my friend suggested that I hire a "man with a van". So, he made a call and 20 minutes later, someone shows up, throws my boxes in the back of his van, and takes me clear across town in rush hour traffic for 8$. Contradict that with my situation this afternoon, where I went to return my security ID card at my apartment complex to get my refund. Shouldn't this be something that I can do in a few minutes? No, they say it takes a whole month for this to process and I absolutely cannot get my 20$ refund. I tell them that I am leaving Hong Kong tomorrow and I will not be here in a month. They do not believe me and tell me again that it cannot possibly take less time than one month to process. That is the policy, after all. We finally get a manager, and after 30 minutes of debating, I walk away with my money.

The other annoyance in my life is the rain. It has been raining every day, almost all day, for the past 4 weeks. I have been keeping track, and there has literally been 2 days in this past month with no rain. There are puddles everywhere, the ground is soaked, and my umbrella has been worked to its end. I am ready for the dry, summer heat of Colorado.

winding down

2008-06-01T07:32:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I'll be staying in Hong Kong next year. I took a new job at a different school, Hong Kong International School, still teaching Special Ed. I'm heading home for the summer in less than 3 weeks, and have just a week and a half left of the school year. Unlike other years, I'm not completely antsy for the school year to be over, but I certainly am ready to come home this summer. I miss family and friends and am looking forward to just being in America again. Although I've been here for a while now and typically know what I'm doing with the day to day things, there are certain comforts and an ease to being in your own country. For example, this Saturday I went to the bank to cash a check and to change my address. Well, there were two problems with this: the bank doesn't cash checks on Saturday at their counters (?) and they wouldn't cash my check because it was issued by Citibank, not Hang Seng, which is where I have my account. So, instead of depositing the check at the counter, I had to wait in another long line (after waiting for 30 minutes already) at the check deposit box, which is right inside of the bank itself. Then I had to get in a separate line for the ATM where I could withdraw cash and pay my utility bills. Why couldn't all of these things be done in one single step? Because that's just how it works here. These small, stupid things aren't usually a bit deal, but it can definitely be frustrating, especially when things don't appear to make logical sense. Hong Kong thinking is very black and white, and I am ready for a break from that. I'm also ready to drive (yes, I know gas is expensive), eat good Mexican food (ranging from Taco Bell to Chipotle to real Mexican), and shop at Target. I'm ready to drink Blue Moons instead of Carlsburg, get away from the humidity, and see the stars again. I'm ready to get in a line without someone so close behind me that I can feel their breath on my neck.

I do love Hong Kong and I'm so glad to be staying next year. There certainly are many advantages to being over here as well. But for now, get me back to Colorado!

Tokyo trip

2008-05-10T05:06:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, I had the chance to take off for a long weekend by using my personal days at work and head to Tokyo. My parents and sister met me there before they came to visit Hong Kong. We were able to stay with my Uncle Bill and he gave us the royal treatment of touring us around the city, feeding us to our heart's content, and taking us to Kamakura, outside of Tokyo. It was cherry blossom season, so the scenery was absolutely beautiful. It was such a great feeling to be with family again and to see the city where my mom grew up. I loved Tokyo and I'm looking forward to going back there soon.

Japanese garden

This is a prayer tree at the Meiji shrine.

We were able to witness many wedding parties on this Sunday afternoon.

Walking through Kamakura with Uncle Bill, Masami, my mom and Laura

Everywhere was simply beautiful.

At a cemetary near Uncle Bill's house.

Family picture by the Big Buddha.

Family visit

2008-05-10T02:48:00.004-06:00

After we met in Japan, my family was here to visit me in Hong Kong. We've been talking about this trip for about 2 years now, and it just such a great experience for all of us to be over here together. Mom, dad, and Laura were here for almost 2 weeks, and I think I completely exhausted them with sight-seeing and touring. We fit in a lot (much of it involving food): dim sum, Indian food, visits to the HK harbor, the "Peak", shopping in the markets at Stanley and Mong Kok, foot reflexology, a visit to the fish market and pier, a Macau day trip, seeing museums, and some of my daily life here (work, home, church, friends, etc). Since we've all settled into life again, it's been so great to be able to talk and refer to certain places here and have them finally understand what I'm talking about! we went to Sai Kung and had a great fresh Chinese seafood dinner. Laura got a little addicted to the Mango juiceboxes at 7-11, so here we are posing by the pier.
Sai Kung pier
Well, this picture was actually taken in Japan, because I couldn't find a Hong Kong picture of the 4 of us where we all had our eyes open at the same time!

We went to see the Cantonese opera one night. Quite the experience...
I wanted my friends to meet my family, so we all went out for Italian food one night after work.

Hong Kong's harbor on a rare clear day

Olympic Torch Relay on Buddha's Birthday

2008-05-03T08:57:00.004-06:00

Here are some spectators and their umbellas... an image that will forever be associated with Chinese people for me.
Here comes the torch...
Tour groups from mainland China. It's quite easy for me to now tell mainland Chinese people apart from Hong Kong Chinese people.

the "coca-cola" parade before the actual torch
Excited fans...many people wore red and gold to show their patriotism.
The torch!
Police presence was quite heavy. Although nothing happened, there were many threats of protests and uprisings.

Here are some schoolchildren who decorated t-shirts and had a special day out for the torch relay. I happened to be walking past just as they were posing for their group picture.

This past Friday, we had another day off for a Chinese holiday- Buddha's birthday. It happened to coincide with the Olympic torch relay going through Hong Kong. In fact, all of the Olympic equestrian events will held in Hong Kong, rather than Beijing, so this event was especially significant for many people. We live quite close to the racecourse, so we were able to walk from our apartment complex to see part of the torch relay along the road. Most people were quite excited and there was a general feeling of goodwill in the air.

recent pictures and events

2008-05-03T08:50:00.004-06:00

Some work colleagues and friends out for a happy hour at the "speak easy", one of the only pubs close to our house!
We decided to go out in this "typhoon 3" one day...the streets were completely flooded.
We've been karaoking quite a bit lately...here's our remote from "J-Sound", which is a Japanese karaoke place. Somehow we managed to figure out the remote even though there was no English to be found!

This weekend we went to a barbeque on a friend's rooftop. Here's my good friend Kelly and I.
Some common signs on the MTR (the public train system). I thought this one was especially funny because it was all of them together on one poster.
Most Mondays, I go to a trivia night at a British pub, where we play a few rounds of trivia against other teams. We usually do pretty well, except for the sports questions, which are all aimed at people who watch soccer, cricket, and rugby (most popular sports around here).

Hanoi

2008-04-04T02:26:00.004-06:00

This Easter break, I went to Vietnam for 9 days with some friends, starting in Hanoi for 4 days. I loved Hanoi, with the busyness of the streets, the food, the kindness of the people, the French style architecture, and the history. We learned a lot about the history of Vietnam in it's French colonial days and with "The American War". It was fascinating.
motorbikes were everywhere in Hanoi: it was quite the task just to cross the street
women like these were everywhere, wearing conical hats and carrying baskets of fruits, goods, and products on their shoulders
One night we ate at a Tex Mex restuarant where we were promptly escorted to "the American" table.
Here's a part of the market, selling eels and snakes.
Hanoi's steets
Most of the buildings were quite tall and very skinny with French style architecture, quite different than most Asian cities that I've seen.
Hanoi's Old Quarter
We visited the Hao Lo Prison, where American soldiers and pilots were kept captive. The images were quite haunting. This is also the prison where John McCain was held (his flight suit is on display) and were the Amazing Race contestants went one year.

blacksmiths

Enjoying fresh springrolls at a streetside vendor

Hue

2008-04-04T02:19:00.003-06:00

In between our train rides, we spent a day in Hue, which was the original capital of Vietnam. Here, we ended up hiring motorbike drivers to take us on a tour of the area, where we saw the citadel, the Imperial Enclosure, two tombs of former leaders (quite extensive), and a very remote monastery. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Some apprentice monks learn chanting
monks play volleyball at this remote, countryside monastery
here we are at the Citadel walls, the original capital
Here's the restaurant where we had lunch. On the menu? Various Vietnamese dishes and motorbike rides. We decided to rent them from this place.
motorbike riding through the country. It was absolutely beautiful

train ride

2008-04-04T02:10:00.002-06:00

We took 2 train rides in Vietnam to get from North to South. First, we took an overnight train from Hanoi to Hue, and then a 20 train from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City. We got sleeper cars, and found it to be really relaxing and enjoyable. We spent our time watching the beautiful scenery, reading, listening to music, and talking. I had always wanted the opportunity to travel this way, and I loved it. I would definitely do it again.
beverage cart
boarding the train in Hanoi

countryside views

Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon

2008-04-04T01:59:00.006-06:00

Our last major stop was Ho Chi Minh City, where we were for 2 full days. This busy city of 6 million people was very directly affected by the war, and we saw a lot here. One of the hardest things we did was see the War Remnants Museum, with sobering images of the war and it's destruction. We walked around the city, ate a lot more great Vietnamese food, and visited some museums and sights.
Here's the Reunification Palace, a famous building that's been restored since the troops stormed it and knocked down the gates.
Here's the basement rooms of the Reunification Palace. They kept a lot of the equipment in tact, and this was a center for war strategy, planning, and communication.
durian for sale. this smelly fruit is sold widely in HCMC, but is banned at many public places all over Asia for it's terrible stench! In HCMC, it was banned in our hotel.

We stopped at Fanny's for some delicious ice cream during our hot and humid walk around the city. Vietnam surprised us by having delicious ice cream so widely available!
Here's the Rex Hotel, where many American officers and journalists stayed during the war.
streetside tailor
In all of Vietnam, the buildings had these stamps on the sides of the walls. We never quite figured out what they were for.

trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels

2008-04-04T01:51:00.003-06:00

In our second day in Ho Chi Minh City, we took a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels. The Viet Cong hid here during the war, and it was mostly dug by farmers and common, everday people, using just an ax and basket. They extend for over 150km. They used these tunnels to hide from the US during the war, and we learned a lot about the Vietnamese perspective of "The American War". Since then, they've made the tunnels bigger for Western tourists, but being underground and crawling through the tunnels was enough to induce a small panic attack!
Sara and I are standing in a bomb crater, to show some perspective of the size.
On the way to the tunnels, we stopped at this lacquerware production center. Most of the artisans are victims of Agent Orange and how have physical disabilities that make it difficult for them to hold normal jobs. They have centers like these to produce handicrafts, and encourage Western tourists to stop and purchase things here. The art and work was beautiful.
Here's the actual size of the tunnels...I didn't go down any farther than this.

Halong Bay

2008-04-04T01:43:00.003-06:00

We took a day trip to Halong Bay on the Western coast, a beautiful bay of limestone cliffs and caves. We took a van from Hanoi, got on a boat for the day, had a great lunch of fresh seafood, explored the caves, and came back late at night.

a floating school

Water Puppets

2008-04-04T01:38:00.003-06:00

A traditional art form in Vietnam is Water Puppetry, so we went to see a show in Hanoi, near where water puppets originated. This tradition stems from performers in rice fields, performing for their small village. The show we saw depicted typical scenes of folklore and history of Vietnamese culture.

the show, with live musicians to the side
the performers at the end of the show
puppets for sale in a nearby store

Karaoke: Hong Kong style

2008-03-20T06:32:00.002-06:00

This past week, we had a lighter week because we had to "work" without any students. So, one night we went to Green Box karaoke. You can rent a room for a few hours with some friends, sit around and have a tea set (ramen noodles or pork dumplings), and sing into some microphones in a small room. The set up is quite different than any karaoke that I had seen, but it's quite popular here, and an experience definitely worth repeating. Here's the Green Box hallway, full of karaoke rooms.

My friend and colleague Michelle puts on the microphone masks. Hong Kong is always concerned with sanitation.
Our meal and room.
Christine and I sing along.

Headlines: Hong Kong cancels school

2008-03-13T20:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I got to work, only to hear the announcement that no students were showing up that day...or for the next two weeks. Apparently, there's been a flu virus floating around HK, and the government is nervous because the hospitals are filling up and three children have died, so they canceled ALL primary and elementary schools for the next two weeks. I think this is a strong reaction, but quite understandable after SARS a few years ago. After much confusion, we realized that teachers still need to show up, but no students will be here until April. So, until Easter break, we're just waiting this out, getting lots of work done, and taking lots of long coffee breaks. Today we have a staff dodge ball "workshop". It's sort of a crazy atmosphere around here, but it's kind of what every teacher dreams of...a chance to get things done! Here's a link to the article on cnn.com if you're interested in reading more: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/13/hk.flu/index.html

my Saturdays of rowing

2008-02-22T04:31:00.002-07:00

This fall (and into the winter) I took rowing classes with some of my friends and colleagues. In order to be able to take the boats out by ourselves, we had to take a beginner's course. So, for many Saturdays, we spent out afternoons on the river in Hong Kong, rowing and learning how to stay afloat. We never managed to tip over, but we saw others who did! It was more difficult than I expected it to be, but we had a good time trying something new and exploring another part of Hong Kong together. our team: Jenn, Sara, Kathie, myself, and Anna.

These boats were pretty hard to lift and dock. Luckily, as "gwilos" we had quite a few helpers.
strapped in and ready to row

Cambodia and Bangkok trip introduction

2008-02-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

For the week of Chinese New Year, I took off for Cambodia with a few friends, mainly to see Angkor Wat (look it up on Wikipedia if you don't know what it is). I absolutely fell in love with Cambodia...it was definitely one of my favorite trips and is hard to fully put into words. I had a difficult time narrowing down the pictures to post, so you just get a bunch of them here (4 blog entries worth!) I wish we had more time there...I couldn't get enough of it. Cambodia is a developing country, but there were more tourists there than I expected (and more American tourists than I typically see...usually the white faces are European or Australian). Yes, we were faced with a lot of poverty, but it's a country full of hope with a bright future, if the government can remain stable. More on this trip than others, I felt like I had more of a genuine and authentic experience of a country. The weather, the scenery, and the food were all fantastic. Oh, and on a side note: Cambodians use American money (everywhere, not just the tourist places) and the ONLY Western business I saw was the Dairy Queen at the airport.

Angkor Wat and the Temples of Angkor

2008-02-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious building, built by the Khmer empire around 1100. It was amazing, impressive, mouth-dropping, etc, etc. Truly, it was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. Around Angkor Wat, there are dozens of temples and buildings, which are now in a state of semi-ruin. As Cambodia is fairly new to tourism, these temples are seen "as is"...not many signs or restoration. As we went from place to place, we continued to encounter new temples and buildings built over several acres of land, centuries old. Hopefully, these pictures give some perspective, although it's always hard to put into words or pictures something as massive as this.

At one time, Cambodia was an incredibly powerful nation in SE Asia, ruling over parts of Vietnam and Thailand. Throughout it's history, there has been so much war and bloodshed, with the more recent Khmer Rouge insurgent group killing 3 million Cambodians from 1975-1979. In fact, just this week, the UN is finally holding a trial for some of the last remaining Khmer Rouge leaders. This country is now in a state of hope, as it opens itself up to the rest of the world and is working on slowly rebuilding it's infrastructure. The temples and buildings are a testament to the empire that it once was. Here I am, outside of Angkor Wat, ready to tour.

stopping by the South Gate of Angkor Thom
This incredibly detailed engraving was on every pillar in Angkor Wat...it's Hindu, which is a variation on the Buddhist temples I've seen in Asia.
an arial view of Angkor Wat
We took this hot air balloon ride (on a fixed line) overlooking Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas...we debated on the 15$ pricetag, until we compared that to how much something like this would cost in the States!
leaving Angkor Thom (a group of palaces, temples, pools, and various religious buildings)

inside Angkor Wat

biking up to Angkor Thom
backside of Angkor Wat
posing on the elephant trunk...me, Christine, and Sara

Bayon temple...notice the faces on the tops of the towers

Sara took this artistic shot of me overlooking the gardens at Angkor Wat
At Ta Prohm: at this place, the jungle seemed to be overtaking the temple. It's also where a scene from Tomb Raider was filmed, making it semi-famous (although I'm glad to not have seen that movie.)
series of stone guards outside of Angkor Thom

This young Cambodian girl walked up behind us at Angkor Wat, gently grabbed my hand, and then motioned for us to take a picture with her. I'm fairly certain that she's not used to seeing white people, let alone blond haired people. (I get my picture taken by other tourists and local people in most places I visit, and Cambodia was no exception).
overtaking tree at Ta Prohm

the eerie faces of Bayon temple...looking out in every direction

In and around Siem Reap

2008-02-10T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here we are, fresh and ready to tour. From left to right: Caroline, Christine, Sara, and me
We rented this tuk-tuk driver for 2 days (about 10$US per day). A tuk-tuk is like a rickshaw, pulled by a motorbike.
There were plenty of monkeys on the sides of the road. These guys were climbing all over this tour bus, playing with their reflections in the mirror.
monks walking along the side of the road, a fairly common sight
orphanage on the side of the road, selling art. there was a small classroom near the front, as well
stopping for the traffic of elephants
Sara and I getting ready to bike for the day.

We rented bikes for $1/day to bike to Angkor Wat from Siem Reap and around the area to Angkor Thom. It was beautiful weather and a great way to more fully experience Cambodia. This was one of the highlights of the trip, in my opinion. We ended up biking for about 30-some kilometers.

Here's a home we passed as we biked along the road. These guys are "cheers-ing" me with their drinks. Cambodian people were incredibly friendly and helpful during our whole trip.
Cambodian village, and side street, as seen from our bikes.
many houses on stilts.

We went during the dry season, but the rainy summer months require preparation and flood parts of the land.

a boy flying a kite in the morning

In general, the pace of life is much, much slower and relaxed than I'm used to...seeing children playing and people resting in hammocks helped me slow down a bit and enjoy this trip even more.

Here's our last Cambodian meal at the "Dead Fish" hostel and restaurant. It was a very trendy place with floor/pillow seating on different levels of an old barn. The entertainment for the night was a singer/songwriter from Australia followed by a traditional dance. I was struck by how trendy some of the spots around Siem Reap were...tourism is fairly new here, and it was interesting to see it begin to flourish.

beautiful children
behind a row of restaurants (outside of Angkor Wat)
This woman was selling food from her bike near Angkor Wat.

It's really quite incredible to see how people use their bikes here...they can be and are used to transport almost anything!

Floating Village

2008-02-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

On our last morning in Siem Reap, we hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us away from town, out into the country, and to tour the Floating Villages of Chong Kneas. The Cambodian government has a fixed price on this tour, and we were led to a boat with a driver and English speaking guide. This fishing village is a mix of Vietnamese and Cambodian people, and is a mobile village of about 3,000 people. During the low season, they live on Tonle Sap lake, but during the rainy season, they move their village up to the mountain. Everything is done on this village...living, fishing, going to school, going to church, and going to stores or restaurants. From what I can gather, this is a middle class Cambodian community, as the fishermen have a steady income. Most homes were quite clean and many had ammenities like TV's and antennas.

Here's the floating school. The adjacent building was a floating building with just a basketball court and soccer "field".
This woman has a floating store...selling groceries and necessities out of her boat.

Here are some schoolchildren paddling themselves home after a morning of school.

floating church: there was one Muslim church and one Christian church, and all of the boats dock along the side every Sunday

last leg: Bangkok

2008-02-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

For the last leg of our trip, we had a 24 hour layover in Bangkok. I had been there last year for Easter break, so we had our plans already made. We shopped at the night market (massive stalls of trendy shops, souveniers, and everything inbetween), got a massage (5$ for 45 minutes!) and had some delicious Thai food. The next morning, Sara and I took off via the Skytrain for a tour of the Jim Thompson house. He was a promoter of the Thai arts and really launched the Thai silk trade industry with the rest of the world. Thai art
Here is his house, or rather, 6 houses of different Thai architecture. This one is make of teakwood and the floor was built without nails, only wooden pegs.
flowers and garden
A typical Bangkok street vendor/restaurant. You really can't look in any direction in Bangkok without seeing something like this.
A typical Bangkok neighborhood...a combination of temples (to the right), high rises, old shacks, and new buildings. The only thing missing is the horrendous traffic!

Year of the Rat Celebrations

2008-02-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

first graders posing for the camera: Kenya, Gavin, Evelyn, and Vivian

It's the lunar Chinese New Year time again, and the crowds and decorations are everywhere. I have this coming week off from work, and I'll be heading to Cambodia and Bangkok for my travels. On Friday, the day before the break, our school had it's annual Chinese New Year celebrations. The students wear their traditional Chinese dress (or Korean or Japanese if that's where they're from...which composes some of our student population). The kids put on a special chapel with songs and dance. Every student takes Mandarin lessons about 3 times a week, and by the time they graduate from high school, most students (if they're from Hong Kong, at least) will be fluent in Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong), Mandarin (spoken in the rest of China), and English. Many students also take an additional foreign language after school or on the weekends. Some of my 2nd grade students are learning Spanish and French right now.
Here are some 1st graders making dumplings. There's a lot of parent involvement at our school, and this particular class had a CNY party all day with traditional games, foods, and songs.
...and frying the dumplings. these particular dessert dumpling had either sesame seeds (traditional) or M&M's in them (not so traditional)
I went shopping for some decorations. The store was PACKED to the brim. People don't like to waste space here, and shopping proves that...there are no empty spaces on the walls and barely enough room to maneuver around once you can get inside.

Here's the decorations at the mall I pass by everyday.
In Hong Kong, everything seems to be attached to a mall.
Here's me and Sean, a Korean student. He was very proud to be showing off his traditional outfit and posing for pictures.

Here are some 3rd graders performing for chapel...our entire school was decorated from wall to wall, it seemed.
On my way to buy the decorations...not exactly a picture of any celebrations, but this is a tiny glimpse into how crowded and busy it is everywhere, all the time.
It's been especially cold and rainy this week, too. I am just the right height to get belted in the forehead by umbrellas all the time.

Krispy Kreme donuts (after a dinner at California Pizza Kitchen).

The traditional greeting/blessing is "Kung Hei Fat Choi", which means something like, "blessings, wealth, and good luck to you this year". It's sort of hard to see the sign here, but it says, "Kreme Hei Fat Choi". Oh dear.

Chinese wedding

2008-01-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to my first wedding in Hong Kong. My colleague, Maggie, got married to her college sweetheart. Because Maggie is a Christian and is quite Westernized (she met her husband at the University of Toronto), the ceremony wasn't too different than most weddings that I've been to. It was a beautiful day, and the wedding was held at a YMCA camp chapel. It was my first bilingual wedding (Cantonese and English), and at the end of the ceremony, there was a photo session with the congregation.

However, the wedding banquet was quite traditionally Chinese. Above is a picture of Maggie in one out of five dresses that she wore that day. It seemed to me that her main role was to keep changing dresses and then posing with people in a queue. After some time of mingling, the 12 course dinner started. The meal didn't start until after 9, and didn't finish until 11:30pm. The courses were traditional Chinese food, and each course held special symbolism, mostly for luck and good fortune, such as Shark Fin Soup. The banquet was quite formal, but in between courses, friends toasted and roasted Maggie and John and with games and a slideshow.

Here's a shot of the banquet hall, held in a restaurant in a fairly posh hotel. Maggie was engaged for about 2 years, mostly because she was holding out for a spot at this restaurant.

Relatives played Mahjong before the meal. I also missed the tea ceremony, where Maggie and John served tea to relatives and in exchange, recieved Lai See packets

(red and gold envelopes containing money).
Our first course was roast pig, which was brought out in a parade by every server. This was my favorite part of the evening. The pig's eye sockets held blinking lights, fastened by toothpicks. I was one of the only Westerners at the banquet, so people kept checking my reaction to things like this. I couldn't help but laughing at thie one!
Here's our server dishing out our first course. Everything was served for us in small portions, but 12 courses filled me up quickly, especially because most of it was meat dishes.
Here's the sign in sheet/book for the banquet.
Beautiful table settings. I'm glad I grew up knowing how to use chopsticks because people kept fussing over me to make sure I knew how to use them and that I could eat. It wasn't a problem.

Here are some co-workers at the wedding ceremony: Gostick, Anna, Christine, Kelly, Yan, myself, and Michelle
Here's a shot of the guests waiting for the ceremony to begin. In true Hong Kong fashion, it started about 20 minutes late.

Banana Race

2008-01-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend I did a race called "Beat the Banana", which was, just as it sounds: a race to run after and beat a life-sized Banana. My friend Jason (on the right here) won the race last year, thus earing the title as the Banana man. Here we are pre-race and pre-Banana costume.
A magician shows us card tricks before the race.
Before the race, there was group exercises and warm-ups in true bizarre Hong Kong fashion. It's a little hard to see the Banana on-stage leading the crowd. Here's the group from my school...Jason, me, Kelly, some students, Jenn, Kathie, Lori, and Tom

My friend Jenn after completing the race along the harbor waterfront...we had to run through many tour groups and onlookers and through the "Avenue of the Stars".

Christmas Decorations

2007-12-15T02:38:00.000-07:00

I wasn't the only one taking pictures. I never feel silly with my camera here, as people will take pictures of anything and everything. Here are some school girls in the uniforms posing with the Christmas decorations.

Hong Kong is definitely decked out for Christmas...here are the santa employees at a 7-11.
Giant snowflakes hang down the center of this mall. No snow to be found in Hong Kong, but snow-themed decorations are everywhere.
Here's the Christmas tree in my apartment lobby, right next to the intant hand sanitizer, of course.
Ah, yes, the tacky purple tree decorations in the Shatin mall near my home.
This year it's a purple, music themed tree with a giant drum for the base.

Thanksgiving trip 2007

2007-11-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

This past Thanksgiving weekend, I scrounged around for a good deal and ended up in Kota Kinabalu. I went with my friends Sara and Caroline, and we were definitely ready for a break from the skyscrapers of Hong Kong and the busyness at work. It was a beach destination on the island of Borneo, on the part that is Malaysia. "KK" seemed like it would be a tourist destination, but it was mostly a starting point for backpackers and divers. Overall, the scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect. It was a completely relaxing vacation. We took a ferry to an island everyday to lounge on a beach and read, ate some delcious Malaysian food, did some shopping, saw a cultural show, and did a lot of sleeping.

Malaysia reminded me a bit of Thailand with the beaches and the relaxing atmosphere, but it was much less touristy. We had quite a few onlookers (somtimes from Korean tourists) and quite a few pictures taken of us. However, I appreciated the more natural surroundings of KK rather than the packaged tours and Western restaurants.

Borneo Pictures

2007-11-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

views from the beach

There were Christmas decorations all around...felt like quite the contradiction with the beach views and sunny weather.
posing by the Christmas wreath
the pier on the island where the boats came in
this guy wanted to sell us a shark skin
lots of kids followed us around. these boys really wanted their picture taken.

street food and vendors. there was so much life and color
drum performers at the cultural show
boarding the boats to get to the island
the frozen seafood store in the airport...?
the handicraft market
food vendor at the markets

these coconut salesmen took a picture of us, so i took one of them. coconuts were for sale everywhere, and every salesman was eager for us to try them
dancers at the cultural show we viewed while eating dinner

Caroline, me, and Sara after our first day at the beach
We saw a lot of these giant lizards. They were comparable to a mid-sized dog. And they loved to eat the trash. Gross.
We mostly just sat around on a beach like this
My roommate, Caroline, and I at dinner and a cultural show.

Saturday hike

2007-11-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, I went on a hike with some friends from work. Hong Kong is very mountainous, and when we finally got to the top, there was a beautiful view of the oceans, mountains, and city. We could even see Shenzhen, the city on the border of China.

We hiked down to this area, Tai Mei Tuk, which feels very vacation-y. There are a lot of outdoor restaurants, BBQ pits, a harbor, and bike rentals.

on the hike

2007-11-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

walk to work

2007-11-09T04:59:00.000-07:00

We moved into a brand new building this week at work. This project has been a long time coming, and it has been a very busy and exciting past few days with the move. I can now walk to work (in about 15 minutes), so today I stopped to take some pictures.
Here's a shot on my way home...I live in this building, "The Castello"
The 7-11 in my building
A view from outside of my lobby door...mountains and high rises

more pictures of my walk to work

2007-11-09T04:57:00.000-07:00

The village house across the street
I run along this path often, and walk across the bridge on the way to work
Often there are men fishing in that river.
I live in this suburb of "Siu Lek Yuen"
Although it's fall here, flowers like these are blooming all over the place.

Fall is definitely the nicest time of the year here.

walk home

2007-11-09T04:55:00.001-07:00

some pictures from this fall

2007-11-02T21:17:00.000-06:00

Some of my 2nd grade students...hamming it up for the camera.

I couldn't get them to pose nicely.
This is my favorite restaurant in Hong Kong. We eat a lot of Indian food here...almost once a week. There are many Indian people living here, so the food is authentic, cheap, and plentiful.
A concert we went to last month...HK Live puts on shows once a month with artists who are trying to make it big and get recognized.
Lan Kwai Fung Carnival: packed and crowded streets, even more than usual.
Dinner and drinks with some friends from work (We went out for Mexican food this night. I'm not exactly deprived of choices and familiarity in Hong Kong).

Halloween in Hong Kong

2007-11-02T21:15:00.000-06:00

I don't remember Halloween being such a widely celebrated holiday last year, but this year, the restaurants, stores, and malls were covered with orange and black decorations. We had the day off on the 1st, so my friends and I decided to dress up and go out for the night to see how Hong Kong celebrated Halloween. I don't think kids go trick or treating (except in the few ex-pat neighborhoods), but many people dress up and walk around. It was quite interesting...

Halloween pictures

2007-11-02T21:08:00.000-06:00

Here's Sara and I getting ready. We were the California Raisins.
Friends and myself as the Raisinettes.
We got to Queen's Road and realized how crowded it was...the police were directing pedestrian traffic, and the streets were FILLED with people parading around in their costumes.

Singapore Trip

2007-10-06T22:19:00.000-06:00

Last week, we had a long weekend because of National Day, so I decided to take a trip to Singapore with some friends. In general, I really enjoyed being there...it felt much different than most other places in Asia I've visited. This city of 4.5 million people is much more spread out (ie...not constantly bumping into people like I am here) and the architecture of the buildings was more reminiscent of European design than the typical Asian concrete skyscrapers. Everyone speaks fluent English (as it's the nation's language), and the everywhere is incredibly clean and green. Flowers, bushes, trees, and shrubery lined every street and every nook and cranny. Singapore is known for it's strict rules, such as severe fines for littering and jaywalking and high capital punishment statistics. Whatever your politicals beliefs are on such matters, it did make for a very safe and clean city. Even gum is outlawed.

I went with a relatively large group...there were six of us. Singapore is made up of many ethnic neighborhoods, and my friend Christine and I found a hotel in Little India. We enjoyed many Indian dishes (a favorite in Hong Kong, too) and hawker stand food options. On the first day, we met up with the entire group and took a boat ride along the Singapore River. After, we ate at a Brewery along with many other expats watching a rugby game (a familiar sight in Hong Kong, too). After, we did some shopping (Gap! Borders! Dairy Queen! exciting things, yes) and went to the Arab Quarter, where we found ouselves at the Ramadan Festival (great street food, dancing, people watching). Later, we met up with the big group again for Happy Hour at the Raffles Hotel, where the Singapore Sling was invented. Touristy picture accomplished. In the evening, we had a meal in Little India at the Apolo Banana Leaf. Literally, a banana leaf was used as our plate. Later, we went out on the town and stopped by an outdoor fair showcasing European designers.

On the second day of our trip we headed to Sentosa Island via a cable car, which turned out to be a tourist trap, but at least we got to walk along a beach and eat ice cream. In the late afternoon/evening we relaxed at Chijmes, a convent turned restaurant venue. We ended the day with the Night Safari, which was actually very impressive. My favorite moment was when we were in the caged area, and a flying squirrel zipped over our heads. Yes, there was screaming and squealing.

Many people compare Singapore and Hong Kong, and rightfully so...both are very modern, international cities. We talked with a few people teaching at the Singapore American School (4,000 students total!) and learned a bit more about life there. It would definitely be an easy, comfortable place to live.

Singapore pictures

2007-10-06T22:14:00.000-06:00

View of Boat Quay along the Singapore River
Clarke Quay along the Singapore River
Ramadan Festival on Arab Street
Hindu temple in Little India
Dancers at the Malaysian Heritage Center.

more pictures

2007-10-06T22:04:00.000-06:00

Night Safari: we weren't allowed to take any pictures of the animals, so here we are on the bus.

Our travel group: Maggie, Lori, Kathie, Tom, Christine, and me

The hawker stand where we ate our lunches...Singapore is known for their obsession with delicious food. We ate well.

The merlion on the river...a symbol of Singapore. It's known as the lion city.

Chijmes at night...this is an old nunnery (convent) that has been converted into 16 different outdoor restaurants. Jazz is also popular there, so we sat and listened to the Sunday night jazz concert.

website

2007-09-11T18:38:00.000-06:00

Our school just launched a new website:

www.ics.edu.hk

This is where I work, if you're interested.

The Gold Coast

2007-09-08T05:55:00.000-06:00

The rainy season in Hong Kong is pretty much over, and today we took advantage of the rare sun and blue sky and headed to the beach. We went to the Gold Coast, which is in an area of Hong Kong that I had never been before. Despite the surrounding skyscrapers and the boats in the harbor, it was quite clean and serene. It reminded me that there are so many areas here to explore, and that Hong Kong is more than just the concrete jungle that some people claim it is.
Many people in Hong Kong attempt to be as white as possible...many lotions feature lightening creams. There are few people (other than all of the Westerners along the beach) who shed off the sun umbrellas to get a tan.

This is one of many life guard stands. The water has shark nets with a designated swimming area, but I felt extra secure knowing that there was a lifeguard stand every 100 feet or so.

back in hong kong, and welcomed by a typhoon

2007-08-10T02:56:00.001-06:00

I've been back in Hong Kong for just over a week now, after spending 6 weeks at home in Colorado. I had a great summer at home with family and friends, and definitely needed a dose of familiarity and comfort, but I was surprised how ready I was to return to Hong Kong. It was a good feeling to land on the ground here and be home.

Right now I'm home from work early because a Typhoon 8 signal was hoisted, which just means a whole lot of rain and wind. When it gets to this level, the public transportation options are much more limited and most stores and restaurants close. If school was in session, it would close... Hong Kong's equivalent of a snowstorm.

The first couple of days I was back here, I noticed all of the little things that I noticed when I first moved here, like how many restaurant choices there are (this is notably one of the BEST cities in the world for food). The humidity hit me, and I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent public transportation system, and I noticed how many people were attached to their phones (there are more cell phones here than there are people in HK). But now things feel back to normal, and I'm back into my routines. I'm definitely glad to be here. I think it will be a very difficult decision when I have to think about re-signing for another year. That decision comes in January, and seems to be the golden question here.

Work did start this week with trainings, meetings, and preparation time. On Monday we have Registration Day, and classes start on Tuesday. I feel much more confident and prepared this year, which has been a very good feeling. I'm actually really excited for the schoolyear to start. I've run into a few students while out in the community and am looking forward to having the same students as last year.

I decided to include a few pictures of my daily life and routines.

This is the busy shopping center I walk through every day to get to the train station (the KCR). Here is the entrance to the trains.
Here is the train stop at FoTan, the area where my school is located. Most of the train stations are underground or inside a closed area, but this one happens to be outside.

pictures of home

2007-08-10T02:44:00.000-06:00

This is taken from outside of The Castello...my apartment complex. There are 8 towers with 36 floors each...so about 5,000 people live here.

This is what I see when I walk out the front door of my building. This courtyard in the middle holds many "reflecting pools", benches, and trees. It's quite a peaceful retreat when compared with the rest of Hong Kong. In the back of the picture you can see our clubhouse. It holds two pools (indoor and outdoor), a full gymnasium, a workout gym, several BBQ pits for rent, tennis courts, a study room, many game rooms (pool, raquetball, etc), a dance room, and a bunch of other stuff. There are a lot of classes for kids and activities happening...I guess when there's a few thousand people living in this complex alone, it's treated almost as a small town within itself.

This is just one picture of a typical Hong Kong street....always highrise buildings all around and masses of people. You can't see the noodle shops, mobile phone stores, street vendors, and all of the other small business that line the streets.

Another picture from outside of my apartment complex.

I go up and down escalators like these everyday, all the time. I have never seen any other city with so many escalators. To the left of this particular one is a Haagen-Daaz, which was buzzing with people. To the right is a Godiva Chocolate store, and right on the bottom is a Starbucks. I'm not exactly suffering over here.

Chengdu, China

2007-06-19T08:01:00.000-06:00

On our way to Tibet, we had to make a 24-hour layover in Chengdu, in Western China. This city of 4 million people (a modest sized city in China) is home to the National Panda Reserve.

I was impressed with this city, and found it much more accessible, clean, and welcoming than Beijing, surprisingly Me and a giant sleeping panda.
A taoist musician plays in the park.
Wenshu temple
Kelly, me, and Sara, with three pandas
Bikes whiz by in Chengdu...there are separate bike lanes, which are almost as hazardous and dangerous as the crazy cab drivers.

Tibet!

2007-06-19T07:49:00.000-06:00

Tibet was the main destination for this trip. We spent 4 nights in Lhasa, which was the only part of Tibet for which we could get a permit. We also found out that we had to get a personal tour guide, who turned out to be Tenzin, a Tibetan nomad. He was a great guide, who taught us much more than we could have learned on our own and who we had a lot of fun with.

Tibet was an amazing experience. We saw many Buddhist temples and monasteries, and experienced some great culture and food. I was struck how much traditional Tibetan life coexisted with modernity. The Himalayas and surroundings were beautiful, as well as the detail and color of every building. Tibet was definitely one of the best places I've ever been.

pictures from lhasa

2007-06-19T07:44:00.000-06:00

Sara, me, Aaron, and Tenzin, our tour guide.
Prayer flags and scarves strewn over a mountain, which we saw several times.
Prayer wheels, always turned clockwise.
We made a lsat-minute stop at a local school in Lhasa...about 50 6 year olds in a small room, learning Tibetan, Mandarin, and English.
A yak butter stall in a street market.

pictures from lhasa, part 2

2007-06-19T07:35:00.000-06:00

Monks debating at Sera monastery...a very noisy, animated event. They debate every day. Notice the young monk on the right taking pictures with his cell phone.
We saw Natalie Portman walking down the streets of Lhasa...it's hard to tell, but you can see hte back of her walking away. We were pretty impressed.
Sara and I took a rickshaw back to the hotel one evening, and our driver prompted us to stop and take a nighttime photo in front of the Potala.
A sample of some offerings given to the Buddha: these scarves, yak butter candles, money, and bowls of water. These kinds of offerings were everywhere in every monastery we visited.
Pilgrims prostrating and bowing in front of the Jokhang monastery. They bow down 100,000 times, over the course of several days.

pictures from lhasa, part 3

2007-06-19T07:27:00.000-06:00

Pilgrims walk around the Barkhor, a circuit walk.
Outside of the Jokhang monastery.

(Where a Tibetan King lived in the 600's, when he unified Tibet).
Sampling some yak jerky. Yak products were everywhere.
Me, Aaron, and Sara outside of the Potala. The Potala was the home of the 5th-14th Dalai Lamas, and where many of the Lama's tombs are hosted.
Detail from the Jokhang monastery. So much color in Tibet!

Xi'an...our last leg

2007-06-18T22:42:00.000-06:00

The last part of our trip was a 2 night stay in Xi'an, which is in the middle of China and used to be the capital city. The main attraction here is the Terra Cotta Warriors, a famous archeological discovery. The first Emperor Qin, who unified China, ordered soldiers to create a lifesized Terra Cotta Army to protect him in the afterlife. All those who worked on this army were buried with it so that nobody could find it and it could remain a secret. We got a book signed by the farmer who was digging a well and discovered this in 1974. There are three pits of warriors, but archeologists are still working on the excavation.

This is a close-up shot of the warrios. each face is made different from the next, and Emperor Qin was careful to make sure that different ethnic Chinese groups were represented.

Part of Pit 1, and a good picture of how some of the pieces are found.

We also saw the Bell Tower and Drum tower in Xi'an.

Here's me, Sara, and Aaron in front of the Bell Tower.

On the last day, Sara and I took a bike ride around the City Wall of Xi'an. The wall is still one of the original Chinese walls that were built around many cities.

A Year's End...

2007-06-05T05:36:00.001-06:00

Today marked my first official day of summer vacation. Although I'm nowhere near ready to process, digest, and write about this past year, I do know that it's been an amazing one. If you would ask me about Hong Kong, my first reaction would be, "I LOVE IT HERE!" And then I might get really homesick. And then I might be euphoric. And then get a twinge of homesickness again. And then extremely excited... possibly all in the same day.

Before I head home to Denver for the summer, I have one more adventure. In a couple of days, I'll be taking off with friends Sara, Kelly, and Aaron. We are first going to Chengdu, China for a 24 layover. (Where we plan to visit the panda reserve). Our primary destination is Lhasa, Tibet, at all of 12,000 ft. above sea level. This has been a bit hectic to plan, and we just learned yesterday that we are required to either be part of a tour, or to have a personal tour guide while we're there. Our last couple of days will be spent in Xian, China, to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers and visit the original capital of China. I haven't even had the time to think about what the next week will hold for us...pictures to come.

School and end of the year things

2007-05-26T22:45:00.000-06:00

We only have a week left of school before summer vacation. I'm having a hard time believing that my first year is almost over here and that I'll soon be headed back to the States for the summer. First, I'll be here a few days and then taking a week-long trip to Chengdu, Lhasa (Tibet), and Xi'an, China.

Spring fever is definitely in the air at school, with end-of-the-year events and general lazyness. This past Friday we had Book Character Day. I dressed up as Emily Elizabeth from the Clifford books, and found that a couple of the kindergarteners were Clifford themselves.

There were lots of King David's from the Bible...almost as popular as the Spiderman costumes.

And, there were lots of princesses, too...

I had to post a few school pictures before the end of the year. These kids are just too cute.

visitors

2007-05-11T22:28:00.000-06:00

I got to do a few things I hadn't done before...like visiting the 10,000 Buddhas monastery near my home. There are literally 10,000 Buddha images...all different from one another.

We also went to the HK Heritage Museum on one of the drizzly days (we're in the rainy season now). This is a replica of a Chinese opera house.

One local artist's portrayal of The Last Supper...also in the museum.

Suz and I out on the town on her first night here. It was interesting to hear her comparisons of HK and Shanghai. Although both are large, modern, developed cities, she said Hong Kong was much more Westernized and was surprised by how many people spoke English. It's easy for me to lose sight of that here and take some of the comforts of Western life for granted.

I have been very fortunate this year to have a few visitors pass through Hong Kong. Last week, my friend (and former ODB co-worker) Suzanne came to visit. We went to the International job fair last year in Iowa together, and she took a job in Shanghai the same time I took this job here. Because of a holiday (Labor Day, I think), she had a week off, and I had a long weekend, so she flew down for the week. It was refreshing to see a familiar face and to talk about our International teaching experiences together. We spent our time exploring Hong Kong and the surrounding islands, reminiscing and laughing about last year, and just hanging out.

more pictures from Thailand

2007-04-15T02:38:00.000-06:00

view from our hotel in Ko Phi Phi
swimming in the crystal clear water
typical thai dinner
snorkeling...notice all of the bobbing heads in the background doing the same thing. it looks pretty rediculous

wat arun in bangkok. this temple is made up of all broken pieces of porcelain

thailand pictures

2007-04-15T02:34:00.000-06:00

phi phi diving and snorkeling site
a very tame elephant
maya bay...where they filmed "The Beach"
boat ride by the islands
sampling Bangkok street food

Bangkok

2007-04-15T02:16:00.000-06:00

one of the temples in bangkok
Dusit Park...where the royal family lives
an elephant in the streets of bangkok...as mentioned earlier
detail on one of the temples, wat pho
standing next to the reclining buddha...this guy was HUGE

I returned from my Thailand trip this past week, and although my sunburn is gone, my head is still in a bit of a fog from this trip. We had an amazing time. I didn't realize how touristy Thailand was, which meant that there was a lot of English and it was really quite easy to get around. The Thai people are incredibly kind and very proud of their country (including their king...his picture is everywhere). Everything was also very inexpensive, so we ate delicious Thai meals and got to experience a lot while we were there.

We started off in Bangkok, touring the city, which mostly meant seeing the temples and doing some shopping. We had a whirlwind day, weaving our way through street vendors selling fresh fruit, glancing up at the scorching sun, and taking in all of the sights and smells and sounds. Bangkok's traffic was the most frustrating part, and another low point of the trip was seeing a rat. The temples were so ornately decorated, and even though we made it to only a fraction of them, we were awed by the detail and care that are put into maintaining them.

The third night there, we took an overnight bus ride to Krabi, down in Southern Thailand. This bus ride was filled with European Lonely Planet backpacker types, and we spent the night in a fog, as we were woken up several times, asked to switch buses, stop in the middle of the night for an hour food break, and were made to listen to early 90's rock music all night long. Definitely a unique experience.

From Krabi, we took a ferry to Ko Phi Phi, a small island with no cars and relatively little development.It was also one of the places most affected by the tsunami, and damage could still be seen in the midst of rebuilding. This was the highlight of the trip for all of us, and we spent three nights and days on the beach, snorkeling, boating, kayaking to the limestone cliffs, diving (well, not me), dancing, watching a fire dancing show, playing cards, listening to music, drinking fresh fruit juice, and eating more delicious Thai food.

From there, we took a ferry to Phuket, another major tourist destination. We spent a few days on the beach, shopping, and relaxing. I tried parasailing for the first time...would definitely do it again. This is also where we took our standard elephant ride...this was one of the goals of the trip. Quite different than my last ride of 8 years old at the Denver Zoo.

We made it back to Bangkok for one more night on Easter Sunday. Thailand is definitely a place I would like to visit again...it's pretty easy to get used to the island/beach lifestyle.

woah...bangkok!

2007-04-01T02:33:00.000-06:00

I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in Bangkok, waiting for our overnight bus to take us to Phuket and Ko Phi Phi down South. Woah...what a great month.

2 unexpected highlights so far:
1. Seeing 2 elephants in the first 2 hours of being here, right outside of a Subway and Dairy Queen, just strolling down the street.
2. Going to the Night Bizarre and talking music with a CD vendor...excellent selection and choice. I bought a few for 2$ each.

Beijing!!

2007-03-29T20:42:00.000-06:00

We took in a Chinese acrobat show...quite impressive. We were promptly escorted to the very front row, where all of the other Western tourists were seated. Each act lasted 5-10 minutes and varied from balancers to acrobats to people spinning fans on their toes to people balancing on their TEETH!

My friends Ginni and Sara just left this morning...they were here to visit me for almost two weeks. It was fabulous to see them, to show them around Hong Kong, and to spend time with people who know me so well. I took them around to all of my favorite restaurants and places here, and let them explore on their own the days I had to work.

I used my work personal days, so we took a 4 day trip to Beijing last weekend, and here are some pictures from that. It was fabulous to visit Beijing, but it made me glad to live in Hong Kong...it is much more comfortable here. Other highlights of our trip include: people asking to take our picture, pointing at our height, having the concierge ask if we were all twins, arguing with the taxi driver about the rate, going to the Pearl and Silk markets to bargain, going to the Temple of Heaven and watching all of the traditional games and park activities there, and eating Dairy Queen! That is one thing I cannot find here. We also met up with Suzanne, a friend from my old school, who is now teaching in Shanghai. She happened to be touring Beijing the same weekend with a friend of hers who was visiting.

Tiennemen Square

On our first night, we decided to dig right in and try Peking Duck. It was surprisingly good...chopped up in front of us and then served with plum sauce, cucumber, and onion, all rolled into a thin pancake. This was our most pleasant Beijing dining experience. We seemed to have trouble finding places to eat...not too many English or picture menus, and our guidebook led us astray on a few occasions. We wound up eating mostly in local restaurants and trying our luck. Every morning for breakfast, though, we were treated to a delicious buffet in the hotel, as seems to be the Asian custom for these package deals.

In the Forbidden City...a HUGE, sprawling complex. Quite impressive. We rented English audio guides along the way and I was reminded of how old and ancient this place is. I don't think I ever read much about it in my history books, so I found the whole place really interesting.

Entrance to the Forbidden City...Mao's picture is everywhere. Beijingers seem to be quite fond of him, as his portrait is found all over the place.

The Great Wall of China

2007-03-29T19:23:00.000-06:00

Yes...I finally did it! I climbed the Great Wall. We hired a driver, Yao, to lead us the 2 hour journey from Beijing to the start of the Wall at the Simatai entrance. We wound through fishing villages, hills, factories, and road-side stands. Here are Ginni and Sara at the starting point.
Ginni and I on the way up.
On the Great Wall
Ginni, me, Sara
Part of the reason we went to this particular section of the Great Wall was to do this flying squirrel zip line...over a river and a valley. I felt a little like an "Amazing Race" contestant.

this will be a long one, folks...

2007-02-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, we had a week off for Chinese New Year, so after much pleading and frustration at the Consulate office, I got my visa and headed off to Bangladesh to visit my good friend Cicely. She's working with the Mennonite Central Committee for a year, living in a convent and teaching English. Check out: http://www.cicbangladesh.blogspot.com/ if you want to read more.

In short, it was a fabulous, indescribable, once in a lifetime experience and one of the best weeks of my life. I was exposed to so many new things, was reminded of some of life's big questions that we should be asking ourselves as responsible Christians (and human beings in general), and was completely refreshed. Cicely definitely deserves much of the credit, as it was so great to spend time with a good friend again and experience this part of her life.

I arrived late on Sunday night and we spent the night in Dhaka, the capital city. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world, which was easy to notice as soon as we rolled out from under our mosquito netting and tried to hail a rickshaw. Our first priority on Monday was getting me some appropriate clothing (see pictures), and although I stood out with my blond hair, wearing a neck/chest coverering, an orna, would save me from more stares and comments. We went to New Market, found some bargains (everything was INCREDIBLY inexpensive) and packed up our stuff for the bus station. Upon arriving at the station, we were greeted by several people shouting at us to get on their bus, and sheep and goats roaming about. I would soon learn that I needed to quickly get over my fear of animals, as cows, dogs, and goats float all over the streets (and stores?!) of Bangladesh. After a few hours, we arrived in Cicely's home of Mymensingh and ate dinner with the Sisters at the convent where she lives.

Tuesday kept us close to home with teaching English classes, going to a tea shop, attending a Taize service, avoiding soldiers and eating with the sisters again. I quickly was reminded of how white my skin was as people continued to stare, gape, point, and follow us. Cic says that many people (especially in the smaller towns) have never seen a foreigner before. Wow. On Wednesday, we took a boat ride on the river, went to a couple of local tea shops for lunch (spending about $1.50 total), went to a L'Arche community (more tea) and took a long walk along the river at night, when the chances of being bothered were lessened. I got a clear picture of Bangladeshi hospitality as I was served several cups of tea and was told several times to sit and rest. The pace of life moves much more slowly and nobody was in a rush to finish or get anywhere on time, quite different from Hong Kong

On Thursday we taught more classes, and ate lunch with the Sisters again before hectically catching a rickshaw and boarding a bus. This was all a very confusing process, as most things seemed to be to me. I did appreciate hearing the nuns giggle about the time when one of them fell into a river in Bangladesh and her nun-skirt-thing poofed up around her as she was flailing in the water. We arrived in Saraganj later that day (a smaller village) to visit another friend of Cicely's and to get a better picture of the village/rural life.

On Friday we woke up early to visit a friend's village because they were making special sweet milk cakes that morning and had invited visitors. I had to avert my eyes as a chicken was being plucked a few feet away from me, and we were taken on a tour of the farms, noticing the clever irrigation systems. In the afternoon, we took a long boat ride across the river to the Chor, where we visited another village and received many followers and onlookers. Bangladesh will flood soon, and the people living in the Chor will likely have to move several times over the course of the year. That evening, we went to a salon for some henna work, and spent the night baking an apple pie and relaxing.

Early on Saturday, we made another scene as we boarded a bus back to Dhaka. We happened to meet a Muslim shiek who spoke good English, as he had lived in the states for many years. Again, I had to giggle as the man next to me motioned to request to listen to my ipod, after curiously watching Cic and I listen to it for an hour or so. It seemed like a complete clash of cultures as this very traditional Bangla man experienced his first headphones and a Dixie Chicks song came on. After eating a late lunch at a friend's house, we met Cic's friend Joyce, who helped us translate and navigate some of the more "touristy" areas of Dhaka, including some historic ruins, a Hindu temple, and "Old Dhaka". Again, many people asked if they could take our picture and started following us.

It's hard to give this entire experience justice in a blog entry, but hopefully the pictures give it a little more flavor. Life resumes in Hong Kong now for a few weeks, until my next trip (with old roommates Ginni and Sara) to Beijing!

narrative to come...more pictures

2007-02-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

taken while riding on a rickshaw: typical street in mymensing. since the military has taken over, all stores and homes are being demolished that were built on government land (such as the ones on the 2nd floor).

bicycles...used for EVERYTHING here
rebelling by being women and being out late at night...but drinking sprite. no beer available in this muslim country. we're still covered up, though

last day in dhaka...beautiful, warm weather

Bangladesh pictures #3

2007-02-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

kids who followed us on their way home from school
our restaurant for lunch, across the river
mendi at the salon
rickshaws...all over the place
cows, goats, animals in every street, around every corner

Bangladesh pictures #2

2007-02-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Dhaka: an incredibly busy city. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world.
Cic and me by the some Dhaka ruins...we had to wear these scarves ("ornas") around us the whole time in this Muslim country . Layers, long clothing (salwar kameez) and bright colors are the style..many women wear head coverings, but I guess we're a little more immodest than that.
Dhaka market
first of many, many cups of tea in a "dirty tea stall" (as named by Cic and friends)
these cute kids from a villagekept following us. it was quite likely that we were the first foreigners they had ever seen, as was the case for many people

Bangla pictures #1

2007-02-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Onlookers everywhere we went...this is in Cicely's friend Daren's village of Buhoti
typical roadside store

boat ride across the Bamaputra river
at Cicely's mission...living with the nuns
on the boat to the Chor

Chinese New Year: night out to the markets

2007-02-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Selling things at the market

Last night I went out with some friends to see the Chinese New Year market. We met at an Italian restaurant first...not exactly traditional.

A glimpse of the crowds, buying a bunch of cheap crap...lots of blowup toys.

Food stands at the festival...a little bit of everything.

MASSIVE CROWDS. It was hard to move once we got in the midst of it...we shuffled along without much room to breathe.