"You know, it's going to be so different... I'm going from being Asian in Indiana to Asian here. It's all going to feel backwards."
And then she laughed. "I guess you really don't have to worry about that."
Geez, I known this girl for all of less than a day and I already get a Wonderbread joke. Nice.
What could I do but agree.
--------
Surprisingly, I was able to nab about 7 hours of sleep on my first night. It was a bit funny getting in here, because I arrived in this room, a triple, and my two roommates, who apparently already lived here last semester, hadn't cleaned their areas or anything. It was definitely a college room. But, seeing as I had to stay up a bit longer, I used that as an excuse to stay awake, blogged before I forgot everything, and went to bed.
However, some amenities here are refreshing. The showers are warm, the toilets work, the water seems clean, and everyone seems to be friendly enough. Cordial, at the least. My mattress is paper thin (more comparable to a doubled over beach towel) but it's not horrid. In essence, the standard of living is not a far cry from home. That's somewhat welcoming.
In other news, two hawks are chasing each other outside of my window this morning and it's awesome. Never seen dueling hawks. Anyway.
The next morning felt very surreal. It still hasn't sunk in. Hong Kong. Thousands of miles from home. Thirteen hours of difference. Heck, I can't even watch Hulu because of international copyright laws... Yet it still hasn't truly resounded. I feel as if I'm sleepwalking somewhat... The world is there. It's tangible. It resonates in my senses with new flavors and sights and smells... But something's just... off. I'm in Hong Kong. This feels like the biggest joke ever. Here's a hazy morning view out of my window:
Everything that I once knew was based off of repetition of norms that I had in the past, whether observed or implicitly found, suddenly really have little bearing. I have to start from square one, and that, frankly, is difficult.
Take this past morning. A primal urge hit me... Hunger. Seeing as my diet from the night before and earlier in the morning consisted of cookies, something with sustenance would do me well. I found my way outside, though this ridiculous map of campus, which was quite the misnomer. Maps showcase the world being flat. CUHK is anything but. It's essentially thrown on top of a mountain. Picturesque? Oh, so very. Easy to navigate? Not in the least.
Across the street lied one of the school's many "canteens", and I hoped that a breakfast would be there of some kind. Granted, this campus is still a proverbial ghost town, as none of the year-attending students usually come back until the weekend before, so the amount of students here were trace. I stumbled my way downstairs after hearing some clattering plates. And there was the canteen. It was essentially a cafeteria, albeit with one crucial difference... Everything was in Cantonese. Outside of some vague words on the menu in half-English, all phrases uttered, all wall decorations, all student notes, all sounds from the financial news on the TV were all in Cantonese.
Holy wow, I don't know Cantonese.
So I stood there.
I looked for any kind of norm, anything. But due to so few people being here, it was tough to pick up on anything. Everyone who had ordered was still sitting, and nobody new came in to have me pick up on even how to procure something as simple as food here. So eventually, I just broke down and asked a nearby person what to do. He instructed me to give my order to the waitress, then proceed over to get my food from the cooks.
Okay, maybe it doesn't seem that difficult, but when you walk into a building with barely an understanding of how to pronounce it, it's hard to take any custom for granted.
I ended up ordering something along the lines of "chicken with noodles and egg". Typically not my breakfast of choice, but I had to start somewhere; namely, with flavors I know I can handle. I received a massive bowl of some broth with cooked chicken and a fried egg, which I casually pushed off the bowl upon arrival at my table, served with an herbal tea. And you know what? It was pretty good. The broth especially - it resembled won ton soup in a way. The chicken wasn't exactly the prime cut of meats, but it was cooked through. There was also some cabbage, and the broth at the bottom contained a good cooked square of noodles.
Yes, I essentially had upscale Ramen for breakfast. And better yet, it was at a price that was comparable to American Ramen (that sounds odd). I paid HK$6 for it, which is close to 75 cents. Not bad. I can get used to that part.
Oh, and a funny green initiative on campus:
Stereotypes are kind of funny sometimes.
-----
I spent the next amount of time just sort of touring through my portion of campus, New Asia College, and the main part of campus with some academic buildings, and snapping a few shots here and there. Here's the collection:
One staircase on the main floor leading to the second. Very hotel lobby-esque. I dig it.
Just a gorgeous sitting area here by the entrance. It's quite luxurious, the first floor. The water fountain doesn't work, however.
From there, I meandered around my dorm, and noticed the following structure at the corner of my view from the window. It's called the "Pavilion of Harmony", and I have to admit, I'm extremely impressed by it. Take a look.
It's a small pool of water, cast in an amoeba form, that it set right on a cliff overlooking the harbor. From most perspectives, it seems as if the horizon's color scheme crashes right into the pool, seamlessly blending the sights before me and the sights I can't quite reach, only interluded by the occasional ripple of the flowing water to mark where foreground ends and background emerges.
It's really quite peaceful standing around this area. All I could think about was the sights before me... Everything else - the stress, the unknown, the unmarked destination that I had to be in within a half hour somewhere down the mountain - left, albeit briefly. The recharge was just the kind of encouragement that I needed. A few more views:
I was enamored.
Looking from the side, without the cliff, so I could actually view it individually.
But that time had to go. I had to register with the IASP (International Asian Studies Programme -- oh, British English. Making everything look fancier than it was) at some designated yet esoteric building located somewhere down there. So I trudged on, keeping the camera handy. Seeing as I was at the top, and my map was essentially useless, I chose the road that went down.
As I went down, I noticed this huge structure jutting out from seemingly nowhere. It's New Asia College's water tower, which apparently keeps all of the water within in good condition, and apparently, plentiful.
One of the many rock formations that accompanied this walk downward. This is the end of the cliff... It stretched for well over 100 yards. Or meters. Or whatever the appropriate measure is supposed to be here. I still don't quite get Celsius either.
------------
Soon enough, I made my way down to the main drag of campus, the "mall" of Central College. All of the academic buildings were pleasantly centralized in this stretch (to some extent).
I was looking for one building in particular, which diverted my attention somewhat from making it to registration. It was the heralded lab building here, which stands out from the rest of campus like a sore, beautiful thumb.
Really, I'm impressed by the architecture here. A university since the 1960s, this place has had a great blend of older, more concrete-based buildings and the glossy, modern buildings characteristic of the flaunty Hong Kong architectural tradition. Visually, it's a treat.
More pictures to come, as well as recounting actual events that occurred yesterday, and maybe some of today if I get the chance.
Wishing everyone in the States well.
Love the blog while I am sitting here at home, twiddling my thumbs. Looks like a fantastic experience, I am super jealous and can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDelete