Seven more weeks of school left. (And a half, if you want to get technical.) I can’t believe so much time has passed by already. It’s almost surreal when I think about the past weeks, trying to remember what I did here and there, when I did this or that. Did I tell you about all the men that run around shirtless? What about the constant use of umbrellas even when the sun is shining? Have I told you about the various breeds of dogs I’ve come across? Or the nationalities of various people? Australian. Italian. German. Korean. Chinese. English. American. Mexican. Russian. Polish. French. Spanish. Belgian. And a host of others.
I’ve discovered new ways of doing art and new ways of seeing things. The people native here have such an expressive language, one which holds more to ideas of things than simple to-the-point vocabulary. Much of what is in Chinese, though said in a few words, takes me many more words to express. A single idea can be expressed in a character or two. It’s simply amazing to me. In Chinese ink painting, we’re learning how the uses of brush and ink were considered expressive of not only an individual’s talents, but their inner feelings about the world, their views, their desires, their thoughts. They were more expressions than representations.
I have been able to pull knowledge from all of my classes and use it in others, using information from two or three classes to discover what is meant by an idea in a fourth. I’ve never had this feeling of connection between classes before, and it’s really enjoyable. Rarely did this ever happen at home, many of my classes going in completely different directions. Somehow these seem interconnected despite their differences in study.
I’m getting along much better with my classmates, and I’ve met a few new people I think I can call my friends. I still miss home and the people there, but I do enjoy meeting people who, though some come from the same country, seem quite different from me. I’m also learning things from them and others, which is exciting.
That’s all for now. I’m kind of tired, so I think I’ll go rest a bit. I’ll try to post more on a weekly basis. XD
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Long Time No Long Post
Yeah, so it’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated my blog. My apologies, guys. Time to inform y’all of all the fun things that have, or haven’t, happened since my last post. I don’t think I remember everything that y’all might consider the most interesting aspects of my life here, but I will do my best.
Well, I drank the 24-pack of Dr Pepper in the span of two weeks. That’s about two a day. Not really all that much when you think about how at Centenary, we have access to soda every meal in the cafeteria, and pretty much at any point during the day in almost any location on campus. I’m pretty sure I drank a lot more soda there than anywhere else, even at home, and that’s saying something. So, now, I’m without Dr Pepper again, and of course, I’m craving it like crazy. Call it an addiction, if you will.
I’ve somewhat started to curb the craving, though it’s still there the majority of the time. Every now and then I’ll grab a Coke from the Circle K at Fu Tai. Now, remember, I don’t like Coke. I really don’t. But I can bear it, at least if it’s in a glass bottle. The cool thing about the Circle K is that if you bring back the empty bottle from your last purchase, they give you $1HKD back to you, or, in other words, one dollar off your next purchase. Pretty simple if you just exchange the Coke bottle for another Coke, with a little less money.
In other food-related news, I have discovered French toast that smells exactly like funnel cake. Tasted pretty good, although of course, they had no powdered sugar. Sad face. But, like any determined, desperate college student, I went in search of this powdered sugar, and after meeting up with someone who had actually graduated from Centenary last spring, I ended up finding it. Almost the very next day, I dragged my friend to the restaurant with the French toast, and we tried it together. It was amazing, and is probably now my favorite dessert here.
As the cafeteria food is concerned, I personally think it’s mostly terrible, worse than Centenary’s food, in fact, and the other person from Centenary agrees with me. Now, I know all of you are thinking I’m only saying that because I don’t very much like Chinese food, but seriously, even their own students prefer going out to eating in the canteen (what they call the cafeteria, for those of you who are unaware). I tried their rice and chicken. The rice was bland, and I don’t like soy sauce, and they had no butter, or so they said. From what I hear from students, it’s all lies. . . . The chicken was okay, but I wasn’t really fond of picking pieces of bone out of my teeth afterward.
The only time I go to the canteen now, if I go, is in the morning for breakfast. I get toast, eggs, a hash brown, and two fried fish. The eggs taste better than those at Centenary, but they’re still too undercooked. (In the words of someone I know, the eggs at Centenary are “like sponges”.) The hash browns are usually undercooked. I prefer them to be slightly crispy. The fish are also a bit undercooked. At least, they’re gooey. But there’s ketchup, so no worries! Speaking of ketchup, I’ve discovered that restaurant ketchup over here tastes horrendous!
I FINALLY have some actual work to do, work which I actually would prefer NOT to do. They usually only require a single reading per class each week, and so, being used to the busy nature of Centenary, I’ve come to feel a bit lazy with too much time on my hands, and then I don’t want to even look at the work. It makes me appreciate Centenary’s business, to tell you the truth, after experiencing how lazy I can get when I have nothing at all to do. Granted, this “nothing to do” also stems from the fact that many people I know here are usually busy, and therefore the majority of the time, I’m stuck alone in my room.
Currently I am working in a group, preparing for a presentation that is to be done within the next two weeks. At first I was completely and utterly confused about what I should research specifically. I tried to ask questions, tried to understand, but every time I thought I got it, I was told it wasn’t right! One of the girls in our group is pretty hard for me to get along with at this point, as I feel she’s essentially taking over the entire thing. While I respect her being able to do that, I feel she doesn’t really help everyone to understand what they need to do. When you lead a project, you need to make sure everyone understands the role they’re supposed to play, and in this case, that everyone’s on the same page.
However, that negative part of our classmate relationship seems to be getting better, as we’ve pretty much argued (not angrily, mind you) and discussed what we thought about the project, the direction each part should take, and the like. We started to understand each other better, I think. I’m not saying we’re the best of buds yet, and I’m not sure we ever will be, but I won’t close my mind to the idea. The worst of enemies could become the best of friends in the end.
Overall, I really, really miss home. I miss my friends and Adam back at Centenary, my parents and the rest of my family, and Louisiana in general. I’m terribly homesick right now. However, counting down the weeks has helped. A semester abroad really isn’t all that long in the scheme of things, and when you divide the school semester into weeks, time seems to go by quicker than you thought possible. Already I think we have about ten weeks left of the school semester. The past few weeks have flown by, and I feel as though I’ve been here much longer than I have.
Okay, so that was a long post. Stay tuned for more. I have lots more to say, but this post just seemed, as previously state, long.
Well, I drank the 24-pack of Dr Pepper in the span of two weeks. That’s about two a day. Not really all that much when you think about how at Centenary, we have access to soda every meal in the cafeteria, and pretty much at any point during the day in almost any location on campus. I’m pretty sure I drank a lot more soda there than anywhere else, even at home, and that’s saying something. So, now, I’m without Dr Pepper again, and of course, I’m craving it like crazy. Call it an addiction, if you will.
I’ve somewhat started to curb the craving, though it’s still there the majority of the time. Every now and then I’ll grab a Coke from the Circle K at Fu Tai. Now, remember, I don’t like Coke. I really don’t. But I can bear it, at least if it’s in a glass bottle. The cool thing about the Circle K is that if you bring back the empty bottle from your last purchase, they give you $1HKD back to you, or, in other words, one dollar off your next purchase. Pretty simple if you just exchange the Coke bottle for another Coke, with a little less money.
In other food-related news, I have discovered French toast that smells exactly like funnel cake. Tasted pretty good, although of course, they had no powdered sugar. Sad face. But, like any determined, desperate college student, I went in search of this powdered sugar, and after meeting up with someone who had actually graduated from Centenary last spring, I ended up finding it. Almost the very next day, I dragged my friend to the restaurant with the French toast, and we tried it together. It was amazing, and is probably now my favorite dessert here.
As the cafeteria food is concerned, I personally think it’s mostly terrible, worse than Centenary’s food, in fact, and the other person from Centenary agrees with me. Now, I know all of you are thinking I’m only saying that because I don’t very much like Chinese food, but seriously, even their own students prefer going out to eating in the canteen (what they call the cafeteria, for those of you who are unaware). I tried their rice and chicken. The rice was bland, and I don’t like soy sauce, and they had no butter, or so they said. From what I hear from students, it’s all lies. . . . The chicken was okay, but I wasn’t really fond of picking pieces of bone out of my teeth afterward.
The only time I go to the canteen now, if I go, is in the morning for breakfast. I get toast, eggs, a hash brown, and two fried fish. The eggs taste better than those at Centenary, but they’re still too undercooked. (In the words of someone I know, the eggs at Centenary are “like sponges”.) The hash browns are usually undercooked. I prefer them to be slightly crispy. The fish are also a bit undercooked. At least, they’re gooey. But there’s ketchup, so no worries! Speaking of ketchup, I’ve discovered that restaurant ketchup over here tastes horrendous!
I FINALLY have some actual work to do, work which I actually would prefer NOT to do. They usually only require a single reading per class each week, and so, being used to the busy nature of Centenary, I’ve come to feel a bit lazy with too much time on my hands, and then I don’t want to even look at the work. It makes me appreciate Centenary’s business, to tell you the truth, after experiencing how lazy I can get when I have nothing at all to do. Granted, this “nothing to do” also stems from the fact that many people I know here are usually busy, and therefore the majority of the time, I’m stuck alone in my room.
Currently I am working in a group, preparing for a presentation that is to be done within the next two weeks. At first I was completely and utterly confused about what I should research specifically. I tried to ask questions, tried to understand, but every time I thought I got it, I was told it wasn’t right! One of the girls in our group is pretty hard for me to get along with at this point, as I feel she’s essentially taking over the entire thing. While I respect her being able to do that, I feel she doesn’t really help everyone to understand what they need to do. When you lead a project, you need to make sure everyone understands the role they’re supposed to play, and in this case, that everyone’s on the same page.
However, that negative part of our classmate relationship seems to be getting better, as we’ve pretty much argued (not angrily, mind you) and discussed what we thought about the project, the direction each part should take, and the like. We started to understand each other better, I think. I’m not saying we’re the best of buds yet, and I’m not sure we ever will be, but I won’t close my mind to the idea. The worst of enemies could become the best of friends in the end.
Overall, I really, really miss home. I miss my friends and Adam back at Centenary, my parents and the rest of my family, and Louisiana in general. I’m terribly homesick right now. However, counting down the weeks has helped. A semester abroad really isn’t all that long in the scheme of things, and when you divide the school semester into weeks, time seems to go by quicker than you thought possible. Already I think we have about ten weeks left of the school semester. The past few weeks have flown by, and I feel as though I’ve been here much longer than I have.
Okay, so that was a long post. Stay tuned for more. I have lots more to say, but this post just seemed, as previously state, long.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Another Post
Okay. I saw an animal’s heart for sale when I went on the cultural tour. And bits of raw fish. And a pig hanging down while they cut the meat off of it. I felt disgusted, and the smell was horrendous. Why had I happened to see this? We were on a cultural tour of a poorer part of Hong Kong. (Granted, they do the meat thing practically everywhere.) They actually consider it to be the poorest district, and there are SO many people. I learned a lot, but at the end of the day, I was bored, tired, and hungry.
Speaking of being hungry, dinner was a no go. Ride and chicken. Seemingly an innocent dinner, right? The chicken looked like undercooked organs, and the rice was undercooked and tasted slightly burnt. Needless to say, I did not eat it. I didn’t eat the oyster cake either, or the calamari, or the cooked vegetables. I was content with going back to my room to search through my food for dinner instead. Whatever food there happened to be anyway. I have a limited supply of noodles and cereal, so you can imagine how well that’s going so far. (Fine for me!)
There are a few interesting things I previously forgot to mention. One of them is that, when traveling, you hardly ever see people without a phone or other digital device in hand, and most with earphones plugged in. But at the same time, it doesn’t seem to be an obsession, like it would probably be back in the States. It just seems to be only a way of passing time. It’s a bit strange, though, to me, to see so many people seemingly disengaged from their surroundings. Oh, and the iPhone seems quite popular here.
As for classes, things are going pretty well. They’re keeping me busy, though I must admit, two of my teachers are a bit monotone, and by that, I mean boring. I don’t mean to be rude or mean when saying it, but I just cannot hardly pay any attention to them when they speak, unless they speak directly to me with questions. The material is otherwise interesting, but that doesn’t help when you’re in the middle of the classroom and are threatened by sleep.
On to something you all might find quite entertaining. . . . Yesterday I went to go pick up some Dr Pepper that a store ordered for me. (They only had singles, so they had to order packs.) I carried a 24-pack of Dr Pepper for about an hour straight, from the store to the train (in which I stood for about half an hour, balancing without holding on to anything and unable to sit because of so many people) to the school and my hostel. I now have bruises on my hips where the cardboard crate sat, and my arms and shoulders are extremely sore. But at least now I have Dr Pepper!
Speaking of being hungry, dinner was a no go. Ride and chicken. Seemingly an innocent dinner, right? The chicken looked like undercooked organs, and the rice was undercooked and tasted slightly burnt. Needless to say, I did not eat it. I didn’t eat the oyster cake either, or the calamari, or the cooked vegetables. I was content with going back to my room to search through my food for dinner instead. Whatever food there happened to be anyway. I have a limited supply of noodles and cereal, so you can imagine how well that’s going so far. (Fine for me!)
There are a few interesting things I previously forgot to mention. One of them is that, when traveling, you hardly ever see people without a phone or other digital device in hand, and most with earphones plugged in. But at the same time, it doesn’t seem to be an obsession, like it would probably be back in the States. It just seems to be only a way of passing time. It’s a bit strange, though, to me, to see so many people seemingly disengaged from their surroundings. Oh, and the iPhone seems quite popular here.
As for classes, things are going pretty well. They’re keeping me busy, though I must admit, two of my teachers are a bit monotone, and by that, I mean boring. I don’t mean to be rude or mean when saying it, but I just cannot hardly pay any attention to them when they speak, unless they speak directly to me with questions. The material is otherwise interesting, but that doesn’t help when you’re in the middle of the classroom and are threatened by sleep.
On to something you all might find quite entertaining. . . . Yesterday I went to go pick up some Dr Pepper that a store ordered for me. (They only had singles, so they had to order packs.) I carried a 24-pack of Dr Pepper for about an hour straight, from the store to the train (in which I stood for about half an hour, balancing without holding on to anything and unable to sit because of so many people) to the school and my hostel. I now have bruises on my hips where the cardboard crate sat, and my arms and shoulders are extremely sore. But at least now I have Dr Pepper!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Was Coming to Post
Okidokie. Time for another post. Why? I’m bored. I can’t remember half the names (plus some) of those I’ve met so far, and they all seem to be busy working or sleeping. I’ve been to the mall two or three times by myself in the past few days. Although, I do feel proud of myself for buying some shirts on my own (you know, without having others help me pick it out). It’s easy for me to pick out t-shirts alone, but since I don’t wear “nice” clothes very often, I usually need help deciding. But, this time I didn’t. I even went back to the store a second time to get other shirts.
However, the second time I went I spent about two hours trying to find the dadgum place. It was hectic, and there were tons of people crammed into tiny hallways. I think I have part of the second floor memorized now, though, at least enough for me to get to the places I want to go, which I would very much call a success for me. The shirts I bought are perhaps a bit questionable by home standards, but I may think that simply because I’m not used to them. I don’t remember if I said so before, but their styles are very different from what I’m used to in the U.S.
One shirt in particular in solid in the front but fishnet in the back, so of course you see skin. I asked the lady if people here normally wore an undershirt under this type of shirt, and she said no, though she did show me an undershirt I could wear with it if uncomfortable (which I bought for another shirt that was sheer). I feel like by the time I come back home, I’m going to be wearing a completely different wardrobe. Next on the list is actually a t-shirt or two, but those are hard to find, at least the ones I’m used to, yet again. Theirs are much longer and nicer, though somehow I keep seeing people walking around with “normal” t-shirts. . . .
Oh, and yesterday I explored a small market on the street that was on the way to the mall. (Caused me to pretty much use all my bus card credit because of me getting on the bus and off of it multiple times.) It was all very interesting, and there were a few things I wouldn’t mind going back to see, but there wasn’t something there that really caught my eye. Except where there was meet hanging on hooks. . . . I tried not to look as I passed. At least these were cooked, unlike most I’ve seen in the markets. They like everything fresh over here.
I’ll finish this later today after I’ve done whatever I’m gonna do.
Okay, so I’m finishing this later later. The above was written about two days ago. Yeah, I got distracted.
Anyway, I’ve got more to say now, or at least I thought I did, before it all went out the window. I ate at the canteen. Ate some chicken and rice, which was actually pretty good, although seeing the bones and all the places where I think there were veins and organs did throw me a little off my appetite. The rice was bland as well. I wanted to put some butter on it, but they have no butter, sadly, and I can’t stomach the soy sauce.
On a big positive side, I now know where my favorite places are in that big mall, and how to get to them. Luckily, they’re all on the same floor, and most on the same hall. How convenient. (Yes, one of the stores happens to be Pizza Hut. It’s my point of reference.)
I started classes. I have two on Monday, one on Tuesday, two on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and one on Friday. So far everything looks like it’ll be interesting. At least, the assignments and material will be. I think the professors need to step it up a little in terms of enthusiasm, though.
However, the second time I went I spent about two hours trying to find the dadgum place. It was hectic, and there were tons of people crammed into tiny hallways. I think I have part of the second floor memorized now, though, at least enough for me to get to the places I want to go, which I would very much call a success for me. The shirts I bought are perhaps a bit questionable by home standards, but I may think that simply because I’m not used to them. I don’t remember if I said so before, but their styles are very different from what I’m used to in the U.S.
One shirt in particular in solid in the front but fishnet in the back, so of course you see skin. I asked the lady if people here normally wore an undershirt under this type of shirt, and she said no, though she did show me an undershirt I could wear with it if uncomfortable (which I bought for another shirt that was sheer). I feel like by the time I come back home, I’m going to be wearing a completely different wardrobe. Next on the list is actually a t-shirt or two, but those are hard to find, at least the ones I’m used to, yet again. Theirs are much longer and nicer, though somehow I keep seeing people walking around with “normal” t-shirts. . . .
Oh, and yesterday I explored a small market on the street that was on the way to the mall. (Caused me to pretty much use all my bus card credit because of me getting on the bus and off of it multiple times.) It was all very interesting, and there were a few things I wouldn’t mind going back to see, but there wasn’t something there that really caught my eye. Except where there was meet hanging on hooks. . . . I tried not to look as I passed. At least these were cooked, unlike most I’ve seen in the markets. They like everything fresh over here.
I’ll finish this later today after I’ve done whatever I’m gonna do.
Okay, so I’m finishing this later later. The above was written about two days ago. Yeah, I got distracted.
Anyway, I’ve got more to say now, or at least I thought I did, before it all went out the window. I ate at the canteen. Ate some chicken and rice, which was actually pretty good, although seeing the bones and all the places where I think there were veins and organs did throw me a little off my appetite. The rice was bland as well. I wanted to put some butter on it, but they have no butter, sadly, and I can’t stomach the soy sauce.
On a big positive side, I now know where my favorite places are in that big mall, and how to get to them. Luckily, they’re all on the same floor, and most on the same hall. How convenient. (Yes, one of the stores happens to be Pizza Hut. It’s my point of reference.)
I started classes. I have two on Monday, one on Tuesday, two on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and one on Friday. So far everything looks like it’ll be interesting. At least, the assignments and material will be. I think the professors need to step it up a little in terms of enthusiasm, though.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Old People. They're Social, Too.
I realized today as I was walking around that I forgot to mention something in my other posts that I had thought to be a rather important thing. Guess food was the biggest thing in my head at the time. What I wanted to mention was my amazement at the amount of older couples I saw actually holding hands and putting their arms around each other. There are so many older people hanging around outside during the day, no matter how hot, playing with their grandkids, soaking up the sun, or just chatting with friends on a bench during lunch just like we do at Centenary. They’re so socially active, and even the ones in wheelchairs are getting out and doing things!
People here respect their elders. They don’t seem to just toss ‘em into an old people home. Not just that, but they seem healthy and happy. They take care of themselves as well. It makes me wonder if that could ever be possible in the U.S. I suppose that if it’s ever going to happen, it’s gonna have to start with us, with our generation. Who says we have to wait for other people to get the ball rolling? Why can’t we enjoy our lives no matter the hardships? Why can’t we enjoy being old together and be just as social as we were when we were teenagers? The only thing preventing us from doing so is our own self-pity and the stigmatism of the older generation.
One of the things that seems to make this possible is the fact that most people are forced to be next to each other. Many people don’t have cars and only ride the buses or walk. There are also many small parks and bench areas with shade and cover near local shopping areas. They’re clean and well-kept, and everyone can enjoy sitting with their friends and talking about old time or the prospects of a brighter future for themselves as well as for others. Seeing the couples holding hands, and the older women chatting, laughing, and just plain smiling . . . it made me happy. I wish I could see more of that at home. But we are separated. Everyone’s kept to their own space.
Speaking of space, it’s almost as if people here don’t have it. It’s not unusual to bump into someone. It’s not strange to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in lines or sit next to someone you don’t know at all on the bus. They’ll be right up behind you talkin’ up a storm with their buddies back there, and you wonder if they’re touching you and you just don’t feel it, because their voices are so close. I got used to it pretty quickly, but I think that’s just because I’m generally not a “Oh my gosh get away from me” type of person. I wonder just how old some of these people are. It would be awesome to find out. To find out how they view things, what their ideas are. If I could speak Cantonese, I probably would have already tried asking them something.
People here respect their elders. They don’t seem to just toss ‘em into an old people home. Not just that, but they seem healthy and happy. They take care of themselves as well. It makes me wonder if that could ever be possible in the U.S. I suppose that if it’s ever going to happen, it’s gonna have to start with us, with our generation. Who says we have to wait for other people to get the ball rolling? Why can’t we enjoy our lives no matter the hardships? Why can’t we enjoy being old together and be just as social as we were when we were teenagers? The only thing preventing us from doing so is our own self-pity and the stigmatism of the older generation.
One of the things that seems to make this possible is the fact that most people are forced to be next to each other. Many people don’t have cars and only ride the buses or walk. There are also many small parks and bench areas with shade and cover near local shopping areas. They’re clean and well-kept, and everyone can enjoy sitting with their friends and talking about old time or the prospects of a brighter future for themselves as well as for others. Seeing the couples holding hands, and the older women chatting, laughing, and just plain smiling . . . it made me happy. I wish I could see more of that at home. But we are separated. Everyone’s kept to their own space.
Speaking of space, it’s almost as if people here don’t have it. It’s not unusual to bump into someone. It’s not strange to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in lines or sit next to someone you don’t know at all on the bus. They’ll be right up behind you talkin’ up a storm with their buddies back there, and you wonder if they’re touching you and you just don’t feel it, because their voices are so close. I got used to it pretty quickly, but I think that’s just because I’m generally not a “Oh my gosh get away from me” type of person. I wonder just how old some of these people are. It would be awesome to find out. To find out how they view things, what their ideas are. If I could speak Cantonese, I probably would have already tried asking them something.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Trial and ERROR
Orientation. It’s something every new student has to go through. Problem. I’m a third-year student and have already gone through an exchange student orientation (not to mention that Centenary gave us a week-long new student orientation). Rules are similar. Encouragement to balance school and play? Received that already. Graduation requirements? I won’t graduate from Lingnan. I understand the need for exchange students to hear some of the talks and activities, but many are just repeats of what I’ve already experienced. Makes orientation kind of boring. It also makes me wish classes would begin.
The other day I tried more food. Only one really tasted good enough to eat. It was steamed egg yolk and flour. Essentially, egg yolk between layers of fluffy breading. Didn’t taste bad at all. Too bad I don’t remember what it’s called. I also realized this morning that I forgot to ask about dark meat chicken. I was reminded of this because they had some for me to try this morning, and it was the best food I’ve eaten here that hasn’t come from an American restaurant. Granted, it wasn’t smothered in sauce so I don’t know it it’s any different from the stuff back home. It tasted different, slightly, but I don’t really know how to ask about it. Yet another food I must inquire about.
Lunch wasn’t bad either. There was fish surrounded by batter, some noodles, vegetables (which I didn’t eat because they were cooked), and some beef. The fish kind of smelled like okra, and it tasted pretty good. Don’t get me wrong. I like the smell of okra, but I don’t like eating it. A German exchange student and I were trying for a while to figure out what the meat was before someone told us. It didn’t taste like fish at all. The noodles were edible, but the beef was rather mediocre. The dessert was probably the tastiest. It was some sort of chocolate mousse. Very fluffy.
I am still amazed that I can get a burger, fries, and an ice cream cone for just about $2.50. The meals even are only about $3 or $4, if not cheaper. Many things here happen to be cheaper, but there are still some things that are about normal (for us I mean). The price of clothes, for instance, seems to depend on brand and location. The larger the mall the higher the prices, but they also have a lot of sales, if you identify the sale signs when they don’t blatantly say SALE.
Oh, and by the way, for those of you I haven’t told yet, I must inform you of my experience with the hostel washing machines. First off, you have to pay to do your laundry. That made what happened next worse than it normally would have been. Mostly. I pay at a little box thingy with my Octopus card (yes, you read that right) and put my clothes in the washer. I come back at the right time, but when I open the washer and reach in to grab my clothes, the bottom half is drenched, but the top half is dry. I thought I had put too many clothes in it, so I moved some into the next washer.
This is where more mistakes were made. The washer I had been using really did not work right, and I was the one to figure it out. Lucky me. It just filled the thing with water and that’s it! But, hold on! That’s not the worst part! Next, before I realized the latter, the door to the other washer jammed and wouldn’t close all the way or open for me to get anything out. Immediately the washer starts and water pours out the washer. I have to lean up against this thing’s door for about ten minutes trying to prevent all the water from coming out, before another student comes down and then goes upstairs to get help. Needless to say, I got my clothes washed after yet ANOTHER cycle of washing. At least the dryer didn’t break on me. (By the way, this caused me to miss the last part of orientation. Oopsie.)
Today I bought some fruit to try. Three bananas and an orange. (The oranges don’t look all that appetizing, but I figured I’d try it anyway.) They shall be my breakfast, and I hope it is a good breakfast. I had completely forgotten about fruit a while back, but if everything checks out okay, then at least I have something healthy to eat over here! But, I also got some sweets. Some pocky-like stuff I thought I’d try out. A lollipop. And something that looks like Oreo sticks. . . . I think the people at McDonald’s are going to remember my order without me having to speak, after a while anyway. I get the same thing every time, and only one or two people actually speak a little English. You have to be VERY direct, and oftentimes they’ll just ask you to point at what you want. Not easy when you want a PLAIN cheeseburger.
The other day I tried more food. Only one really tasted good enough to eat. It was steamed egg yolk and flour. Essentially, egg yolk between layers of fluffy breading. Didn’t taste bad at all. Too bad I don’t remember what it’s called. I also realized this morning that I forgot to ask about dark meat chicken. I was reminded of this because they had some for me to try this morning, and it was the best food I’ve eaten here that hasn’t come from an American restaurant. Granted, it wasn’t smothered in sauce so I don’t know it it’s any different from the stuff back home. It tasted different, slightly, but I don’t really know how to ask about it. Yet another food I must inquire about.
Lunch wasn’t bad either. There was fish surrounded by batter, some noodles, vegetables (which I didn’t eat because they were cooked), and some beef. The fish kind of smelled like okra, and it tasted pretty good. Don’t get me wrong. I like the smell of okra, but I don’t like eating it. A German exchange student and I were trying for a while to figure out what the meat was before someone told us. It didn’t taste like fish at all. The noodles were edible, but the beef was rather mediocre. The dessert was probably the tastiest. It was some sort of chocolate mousse. Very fluffy.
I am still amazed that I can get a burger, fries, and an ice cream cone for just about $2.50. The meals even are only about $3 or $4, if not cheaper. Many things here happen to be cheaper, but there are still some things that are about normal (for us I mean). The price of clothes, for instance, seems to depend on brand and location. The larger the mall the higher the prices, but they also have a lot of sales, if you identify the sale signs when they don’t blatantly say SALE.
Oh, and by the way, for those of you I haven’t told yet, I must inform you of my experience with the hostel washing machines. First off, you have to pay to do your laundry. That made what happened next worse than it normally would have been. Mostly. I pay at a little box thingy with my Octopus card (yes, you read that right) and put my clothes in the washer. I come back at the right time, but when I open the washer and reach in to grab my clothes, the bottom half is drenched, but the top half is dry. I thought I had put too many clothes in it, so I moved some into the next washer.
This is where more mistakes were made. The washer I had been using really did not work right, and I was the one to figure it out. Lucky me. It just filled the thing with water and that’s it! But, hold on! That’s not the worst part! Next, before I realized the latter, the door to the other washer jammed and wouldn’t close all the way or open for me to get anything out. Immediately the washer starts and water pours out the washer. I have to lean up against this thing’s door for about ten minutes trying to prevent all the water from coming out, before another student comes down and then goes upstairs to get help. Needless to say, I got my clothes washed after yet ANOTHER cycle of washing. At least the dryer didn’t break on me. (By the way, this caused me to miss the last part of orientation. Oopsie.)
Today I bought some fruit to try. Three bananas and an orange. (The oranges don’t look all that appetizing, but I figured I’d try it anyway.) They shall be my breakfast, and I hope it is a good breakfast. I had completely forgotten about fruit a while back, but if everything checks out okay, then at least I have something healthy to eat over here! But, I also got some sweets. Some pocky-like stuff I thought I’d try out. A lollipop. And something that looks like Oreo sticks. . . . I think the people at McDonald’s are going to remember my order without me having to speak, after a while anyway. I get the same thing every time, and only one or two people actually speak a little English. You have to be VERY direct, and oftentimes they’ll just ask you to point at what you want. Not easy when you want a PLAIN cheeseburger.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Food No Food
It’s Monday morning, and it’s sunny with sparse clouds. Oh, and it’s probably pretty hot, too. The humidity and heat are lower than at home, and so at first my lips chapped a bit. Not fun at all. And I realized that it wouldn’t be good to drink Dr Pepper here. Most of the water I drink goes to sweat from walking around campus and the town. I need the hydration! Sadly, they have no cold water in the hostel. Also, many people seem stunned that Burger King sells bottles of water instead of putting it in a cup. (By the way, McDonald’s DOESN’T sell you bottles of water. Instead they put some warm water in a little cup for you, with no ice.) I even went to a restaurant yesterday evening, and they gave me a cup of water that was about steaming.
Speaking of the restaurant, I tried chicken and rice (with some sort of sauce). It didn’t taste bad, but for some reason I just couldn’t stomach it. I could hardly swallow. I can tell I’m going to have to learn how to eat some of these things here, quickly, I mean. I got some clothes washing detergent, some M&M’s, and some Dove chocolate as well. They didn’t have any Hershey’s chocolate except every kind that I disliked. No Hershey’s milk chocolate! So sad. So very sad. The Dove chocolate tastes really good, though! Kind of creamy.
In case you did not see my post on Facebook, I would like to say that I have found pizza, and it is acceptable. Doesn’t mean I’ll eat it all the time, mind you. It’s not good enough to eat one after another, but it does taste good compared to other things. May I remind you that though this is pizza, it is made it Hong Kong and therefore will have a different taste, just like everything else, including McDonald’s and Burger King. You can’t get upset with me because I’m trying new things! I just don’t like the majority of them. I watched some other students cook their own food at the restaurant and then eat out of the little pot thingermajig. That was interesting, but I wasn’t gonna eat it!
And now to tell you about the rest of my day, which was actually filled with quite a many things. We had orientation for exchange students, in which we met others like ourselves, from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Mexico, the UK, Korea, Taiwan, the US, and of course, from mainland China. We also had a scavenger hunt of sorts around campus and off. Then we went to the mall and completed some tasks there related to the scavenger hunt. It was supposed to help us learn the places. I still don’t really know how to get everywhere yet.
But, I’m getting too far ahead of myself. I’m sure y’all would just love to know what Chinese food I have tried on this day. Firstly, there were these beef barbecue bun things. The outer bun thing tasted interesting, not bad, but not exactly delicious. Altogether, I could only take a few bites of it. It amused me, though, that if you didn’t bite into it, it looked exactly like that stuff in King Fu Panda, you know, that white roll thing he and Master Shifu (Sp??) are tossing around in the first film.
The next thing was actually a dumpling, or at least, that’s what I remember them telling me. It had crab meat in it. And it was not yummy. Then there was the spring roll. I actually ate the whole thing. It was edible. Not really something I would want to go buy though. There was also tofu, which was squishy and so was not going anywhere near my mouth, and then soup, which was also okay, like the spring rolls. It was . . . really soupy? Now, the other thing I tried was something I will never try again. Ever. Chicken with that sweet and sour sauce. Not to be offensive, but it tastes like barf, and it almost made me do so. I had to force myself to chew and swallow, and I had the throw-up feeling for the next hour.
After my little trials of food, when we went to the mall, I couldn’t go into any Chinese restaurant without wanting to throw up, because every time I smelled it I got the taste of the other food in my mouth. Luckily, however, I did get to go to Pizza Hut. (Yes, I was also surprised that it was here.) Apparently, they do not normally do cheese pizzas, so I had to special order one, along with a glass of water WITH ICE. It tasted different, but it was still the best food I’ve had here. Is that sad? Probably. I think there are just some foods that people will never like. . . .
Speaking of the restaurant, I tried chicken and rice (with some sort of sauce). It didn’t taste bad, but for some reason I just couldn’t stomach it. I could hardly swallow. I can tell I’m going to have to learn how to eat some of these things here, quickly, I mean. I got some clothes washing detergent, some M&M’s, and some Dove chocolate as well. They didn’t have any Hershey’s chocolate except every kind that I disliked. No Hershey’s milk chocolate! So sad. So very sad. The Dove chocolate tastes really good, though! Kind of creamy.
In case you did not see my post on Facebook, I would like to say that I have found pizza, and it is acceptable. Doesn’t mean I’ll eat it all the time, mind you. It’s not good enough to eat one after another, but it does taste good compared to other things. May I remind you that though this is pizza, it is made it Hong Kong and therefore will have a different taste, just like everything else, including McDonald’s and Burger King. You can’t get upset with me because I’m trying new things! I just don’t like the majority of them. I watched some other students cook their own food at the restaurant and then eat out of the little pot thingermajig. That was interesting, but I wasn’t gonna eat it!
And now to tell you about the rest of my day, which was actually filled with quite a many things. We had orientation for exchange students, in which we met others like ourselves, from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Mexico, the UK, Korea, Taiwan, the US, and of course, from mainland China. We also had a scavenger hunt of sorts around campus and off. Then we went to the mall and completed some tasks there related to the scavenger hunt. It was supposed to help us learn the places. I still don’t really know how to get everywhere yet.
But, I’m getting too far ahead of myself. I’m sure y’all would just love to know what Chinese food I have tried on this day. Firstly, there were these beef barbecue bun things. The outer bun thing tasted interesting, not bad, but not exactly delicious. Altogether, I could only take a few bites of it. It amused me, though, that if you didn’t bite into it, it looked exactly like that stuff in King Fu Panda, you know, that white roll thing he and Master Shifu (Sp??) are tossing around in the first film.
The next thing was actually a dumpling, or at least, that’s what I remember them telling me. It had crab meat in it. And it was not yummy. Then there was the spring roll. I actually ate the whole thing. It was edible. Not really something I would want to go buy though. There was also tofu, which was squishy and so was not going anywhere near my mouth, and then soup, which was also okay, like the spring rolls. It was . . . really soupy? Now, the other thing I tried was something I will never try again. Ever. Chicken with that sweet and sour sauce. Not to be offensive, but it tastes like barf, and it almost made me do so. I had to force myself to chew and swallow, and I had the throw-up feeling for the next hour.
After my little trials of food, when we went to the mall, I couldn’t go into any Chinese restaurant without wanting to throw up, because every time I smelled it I got the taste of the other food in my mouth. Luckily, however, I did get to go to Pizza Hut. (Yes, I was also surprised that it was here.) Apparently, they do not normally do cheese pizzas, so I had to special order one, along with a glass of water WITH ICE. It tasted different, but it was still the best food I’ve had here. Is that sad? Probably. I think there are just some foods that people will never like. . . .
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