Beijing

After taking about 240 pictures while in Beijing, I picked my favorite 60 for facebook, and then further reduced them to 30 for blogger. So it’s safe to say this is just a recap of the highlights, and if you’re interested I have a bunch more pics that can be viewed at a later date! After a week off school for the Easter holidays, I am in Hong Kong for 4 more weeks and then it’s back to the USA.

So lets see where to begin…I went to Beijing with 5 other students from my home university. Dr. Bennion, a Bowling Green professor (who has been the overseer of our program) met us there and planned two days of tours for the group and a meeting with the American Embassy. Three of us opted to take an approximately 3 hour flight, and the other three chose to take the train for about 25 hours. My group included Melissa, Liana, and myself. To insert an interesting point, the stewardesses came around and collected all foreign newspapers before we landed, because they are not permitted in China. We got in pretty late and needed to change a small amount of Hong Kong money into RMB for the taxi ride to our hotel downtown.

I hope the next two paragraphs are not a bore, but I have to tell the money story, as it was my first experience in China. Here goes…None of us had notified our banks about our travels, opting rather to take sufficient HK$ and just exchange at the hotel for an almost non-existent fee. Well, all the currency exchange places were closed (after midnight) and we were about to just go ahead and get money out of an ATM and then call our banks when we spotted a currency exchange machine—woohoo, right? Well…turns out, after we stepped up to the machine and touched “English”, a guy in a blue suit stepped up and said he would help us, as he worked for Travelex (the company of the machine). At this point we didn’t really need the help, but he seemed determined. I was fishing my wallet out of my bag and he was clicking some things on the screen when he announced that it was temporarily broken. What, it was fine a minute ago??

The man said he would take us to a Travelex booth and exchange the money himself, and we decided to followed him back past customs (showing our visas and passports again) in desperation. Along the way he said there would be a commission fee. Being skeptical, I ensued a series of questions about why the machine quit working? Why we had to pay commission when the machine we wanted to use was out of service? Finally, after he said the machine charges commission too, I had to give up and just be thankful we weren’t going to be stranded at the airport for the night. Poor guy, I was definitely giving him a hard time and a suspicious look.

When we finally made it out of the airport we got a taxi and were on our merry way to the hotel. I have to say I felt extremely comforted driving on the right side of the road! It was an enjoyable 30 minute ride and traffic was really light so late at night. Ok, now for some pictures!



Noodles in the park..delicious.


Intricate designs on the ceiling..at all the temples and parks!








Outside the forbidden city--that mote is 3,800 meter long!





Scorpions and seahorses on a stick…the scorpions were still squirming. The guy would cook them up fresh for those interested. No thanks!








Outside the entrance to the Forbidden City. Most people use the other entrance, and it was nice going against the tourist crowd…smart tour guide.


Intricate carvings in stone between two sets of steps


The Forbidden City



The other entrance (our exit) with Mao Zedong picture…facing Tiananmen square.


Tiananmen Square


Temple of Heaven


Andrew and some ladies that wanted their picture with him. This happened sooo many times! People who probably hadn’t seen many westerners wanted pictures with us. Some even took our pics while we were weren’t looking. It was crazy.


Olympic Park from the window


We took a tour of a Cloisonne Pot factory, which I really enjoyed. Cloisonné, an ancient metalworking technique, is a multi-step enamel process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items. (from Wikipedia, of course :)


All of us and The Great Wall of China!! We were pretty excited.








Our tour guide Jamie





That was 454 steps, in case you were wondering :D


Our fancy restaurant dinner on Thursday. Peking Duck with Liana’s roommate, Sophie, and her mother. They live in Beijing and very generously took us all out to eat and taught us about all the dishes on the table. Sophie’s dad couldn’t make it due to work, but it was great meeting her mom (who doesn’t speak English) and a few of her friends.








The Summer Place. It is a huge garden/lake place where the emperor would retreat in the summer. Absolutely gorgeous.





Blurry, but for all my Troy readers—HOBART!! This company started in my hometown.

Well that’s it for the pictures. I can’t do the trip justice with a blog entry of course, but it at least shows a bit of the experience. We had great, clear weather for sightseeing, which Jamie said is not usually the case. One place I didn’t get a picture of was the silk factory we toured. It was interesting seeing how silk is made, starting with the silk worm, and moving through a series of phases. Did you know that the little strand of silk on one cocoon can stretch longer than a mile!

It was strange not having a working cell phone and Internet connection. For some reason calls to the US didn’t go through, even on Melissa’s calling card. I definitely realized how much I like being able to contact those I care for, and it was a long time without talking to my mom. :) We managed to get to an internet café to check our emails and let our parents know we had arrived safely, so we all felt a little better after that. It only cost 3 RMB for an hour! That’s about 44 pennies US$. For a little info, the Chinese Yuan is also known as Yuans, and RMB. It was weird getting “change” in bill form. For instance, if you pay with a ten you might get 2 fives back. The fives are smaller in size, and represent half a yuan, but it definitely had me confused at first, especially because coins are used too.

It was neat being able to recognize that the language is different in the Mainland than in HK. Granted, I still have no idea what is being said, but I could recognize that it sounded a bit different. HK has 2 official languages, English being one of them, so it's pretty easy to get around. However, in China, that is not the case. All of us felt a little more challenged than usual in the communication department. While traveling back to HK, we were excited to return to a place where we feel comfortable..or at least familiar.

Hmm, what else to share... I can’t think clearly because I stayed up way too late trying to finish this post. I may write a follow up blog if enough things come to mind that could be added, but I guess I’ll go ahead and call it a night. Thanks for reading!

Coming Right Up

It will be weird missing Easter at home. It is a special time, and I'm used to spending most of it with my church. But rather than just sitting around campus (we don’t have classes all week), I’ll be flying up to Beijing on the 13th and returning to HK on the 18th! I picked up my mainland China visa at the Chinese consulate in Wan Chai a few days ago, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. I’ll save the blogging for afterward!

I’ve reached a point where the end is in sight, but it’s still far away..43 more days. In an effort to put some of the thoughts drifting through my brain down on paper, I have started several lists. Keep in mind that some things are really random, and that the items are not in any particular order.


What am I looking forward to at home?
*Being with my family/friends
*Charlie- I always miss my favorite k-9 when away.
*Seeing grass instead of concrete
*Driving places
*Being inside a house, an actual solid house with a front door. I haven’t been in one since the morning I left Troy! (Only the really rich live in houses here, due to the high population.)
*Homemade Lasagna/homemade banana bread/random fruit smoothie concoctions in the blender…fooood in general.
*Being finished with dorm life forever (although this entire year has been free from kids being immature—still happy it’s over)

What will I not miss when I leave?
*Rice-at least for a while
*The construction outside my window
*Crossing the streets!
*Noise, noise, noise.

What will I miss?
*My new friends and acquaintances
*Hearing my roommate talk in her sleep, in Cantonese! haha..It always amazes me that people are dreaming and thinking in different languages.
*Hopping on the MTR and going places
*Pacific Coffee Company (I don’t know for sure, but this company may have more market share in HK than Starbucks)
*Church and fellowship with the Ralee family and others
*My potted plant (I don’t think customs would appreciate me bringing soil back)

Visitors in Hong Kong

This past week has been quite different from the usual; Jordan and Luke were in HK!

On Sunday evening, Liana went with me to the airport to meet J&L. They got octopus cards for riding the MTR, and then we headed to their hostel in Tsim Shau Tsui so they could get checked in. They stayed in the Chung King Mansions on Nathan road, near quite a hustle and bustle of activity and a few minutes walk from Victoria harbor. Liana and I went inside with them, and lets just say we both vowed to never set foot in that place again! I’m glad Luke and Jordan felt safe, and I’m glad they made it through the week without getting anything stolen. I’m sure they will include some more detail about their hostel experience in their blogs, so I’ll just mention that there were hawkers on the lower level harassing people to buy tailored suits or handbags, and crazy packed elevators that only hit the even floors or the odd floors. eek. My roommate, Yuen, lent them an extra phone for the week (since the bandwidth is different here) and they just had to pick up a local sim card at 7-eleven, so that worked out great.



On Monday, I decided to skip my international business class and go to Lantau Island with J&L. I hadn’t missed a single class, and it is a lecture class that sticks closely to a power point, so I wasn’t too concerned. The big Buddha was hiding in the mist, but he said hello for a few minutes here and there. While on Lantau we hiked the wisdom path, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve done so far in HK. The wooden poles are laid out in the shape of an infinity symbol, and it seemed mysterious with the fog. We also stopped by the Po Lin monastery (pictured above), and then took a bus down the mountain to the fishing village of Tai O. There were stilt houses, old bridges, and some great views from the pier!







Tuesday rolled around and I went to class, and then Liana and I met up with J&L to head to Sha Tin and see the temple of 10,000 Buddha’s. Overall, that place was weird. Too many statues and too many Buddha’s--strange indeed. Next we went to Diamond Hill to see the Nan Lian garden and Chi Lin nunnery. I mentioned in a previous post that I missed the nunnery last time. Well, funny story, I got a little closer this time by reaching the area out front with lily pads, but the nunnery closed at 4:00 and it was 4:30. Maybe next time—third time’s a charm?












Liana and I parted ways with J&L and headed back to campus for a group project meeting, and then scheduling classes for next fall in BG. The minute my time slot opened up I added 3 with no problem. I had to email the head of the accounting department back home and request that he have his secretary add me to my fourth class, since I’m in the last pre-requisite right now and it isn’t registered in the system at the moment. To send some good PR out about Bowling Green, he responded to my request and had me enrolled in the class within 45 minutes of my email. Sigh of relief! I’m really looking forward to the layout of classes next fall. I start every morning at 9:30 and then I’m finished with class at either 11:30 or 12:45. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Ok, next day…Wednesday. After my class I met J&L at their MTR stop and we took a bus to Aberdeen and then a ferry to the Jumbo Floating restaurant for dim sum. This is a must for visitors, and we had a fun time trying to figure out what food corresponded to what we actually ordered. With the way “dim sum” works, basically 3-5 small portions come for each item that is ordered, and then everyone at the table shares the food…very traditional style of eating in the eastern parts of the world. After Jumbo, we went to Central and ended up getting visitor’s passes and going up to the 55th floor of the International Financial Center 2! It was pretty funny getting into the elevator we were directed towards, because the only buttons to pick from were G and 55. Apparently that is the only option for people not in business attire =). The view was towering over most of the other buildings around, and there was a little library and lots of info about the money and banking system in HK…pretty interesting stuff.




I'm the last door on the left..


Wednesday was an eventful day. After the IFC2, we headed to my campus and Luke and Jordan checked their emails in the coffee shop, and then we left for Kwun Tong and dinner with the Ralee’s. I’m glad they got to meet my HK “family”, as I have come to think of Bro. Rodney, Sis. Grace, and the kids. We got extreeeeemly authentic food, as Sis. Grace actually went out in front of the restaurant and pointed to the live seafood in buckets, which eventually ended up on our table.

What day comes next? Thursday? J&L spent most of their morning traveling around and visiting places like Stanley market and the Jade market, and I stayed around campus and did some essential schoolwork and went to class. Liana and I met up with them and we saw the Light show from the harbor, and then my friends Brendan and Kelly met us and we walked to Ebeneezers—my favorite Indian restaurant here…(well the only one I’ve been to).

Neither Liana or I have class on Fridays, so we all met up fairly early and went to Lamma Island for a good hike. We took the ferry for about 30 minutes and then started hiking with a loop from Sok Kwu Wan. When we got back to where we started we took the path towards the other side of the island--Yung Shue Wan. It was sprinkling for the first half of the hike, which was kinda nice, but then the rain picked up! I’ve never had a problem hiking in my Chaco sandals, but I now know that hiking for a long period of time when they are completely soaked can lead to a blister on the top of my foot...that’s gonna last for at least a week.






toxic tide from algae or dinoflagellates. I Learned about this in Marine Bio, don't eat the shellfish!



We finally made it to the place where a ferry runs back to HK, and we were completely drenched! Liana was the only one with an umbrella; the rest of us just had “water resistant” rain jackets. We were famished so we decided to stop at McDonalds after the ferry ride (they had already experienced enough traditional food at this point). When Jordan was waiting in line a worker came right up behind him and put a “wet floor” sign up by the small pool of water that he was creating. Oooops…hahahahaha, what are ya gonna do.

We all met back up later that night for a trip up the Victoria peak tram to see the city at night, but all we saw was mist…again, what are ya gonna do. I have to admit, I was a little jealous saying goodbye and knowing they would be in the US a day later. I enjoyed having company, and I know they got a cultural experience in the city where the east meets the west!


Bank of China on the left


Peak Tower

Westerners and Diamond Hill

Say hello to my friends! Jerusha is seven and her brother, Joshua, is six. They speak English with each other and their dad, and Cantonese with their mom. (She speaks wonderful English, too) We can’t forget Mandarin though, Sis. Grace’s cousin is teaching the both of them this third language! To clarify--Mandarin is the official language in the PRC (People’s Republic of China), and Cantonese is the Chinese dialect used in Hong Kong. I’m impressed by all the bi-lingual/ tri-lingual children and adults.

The Ralee family (I go to their house for church) asked how I felt about being so different in appearance from most of the other approximately 7 million people in the city. It is interesting, and the curious looks definitely come my way, especially when I am farther from a tourist attraction or the college campus. How do I feel about it? Hmm..nothing really defined. The only time I even think about it is if I'm alone, which is basically only on Sundays. I catch mostly older people eyeing me inquisitively, and they have every right to think, “Huh, wonder what she’s doing here.”

To throw in a bonus fact, since this post is leaning towards the details--Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an overall density of some 6,303 people per square kilometer. (Taken from the US Department of State) Wow.

Ok, back to the original topic. The family has been to the US, Ohio actually, and Jerusha has good memories and a pen pal. During our conversation over lunch she sighed contently and said, “I love westerners.” Her dad was cracking up, we all were, it was just so funny the way she said it.


minibus stop after church

I stopped at the Nin Lian garden in Diamond Hill on the way back today..and apparently managed to completely miss the attached Buddhist nunnery. The pamphlet I picked up was in Cantonese, and by the time I actually looked at it I was around a couple bends and twists in the path. I knew there was a nunnery from a sign near the MTR, but I didn’t know the bridge at the top of the "picture" led straight to it until after returning to campus. Go figure. So that ones back on the list.




very man-made but still serene

Ebeneezer's Kebob

For starters, Indian food is delicious. Amar India and Jeet are my favorite restaurants. For those not from around the Dayton area/not familiar, both of these restaurants are owned by the same family and are equally delicious. So, that being said, I was happy to read reviews of Indian restaurants in HK, and try something new. Ebeneezer's Kebob may be the best food I’ve had since arriving in Hong Kong…except it was a little spicy!

Liana and I got off the MTR at Central, took exit D2, and turned left. It only took a few minutes to find the open front, hole in the wall, Indian restaurant! I ordered my favorite, chicken tikki masala, and Liana ordered a “wrap” something or other. She is extremely intelligent, and she fit the word “mild” into her order. I, on the other hand, was expecting the spiciness to be bearable. Now I can’t remember whether I order a level two or three spiciness back home, on a scale of five. Hmm, probably a two..

It was really casual dining, where they call numbers and you return to the counter for the tray, and sit on a stool at one of the high tables. I think most people choose the take-out option. For a split second I thought, “wow—this tastes exactly the way I expected it to.” And then it hit me, I am burning…Aaaahhh! After putting out the initial fire, I cautiously tried again..

Here’s the part were things got out of hand. I was wiping a tear from my eye, when Miss Liana said “Oh No.” She sticks her shoe out from underneath the table and says, “Look.” Her lovely white tennis shoe had a new decoration, an orange spot. These shoes have a history, and in the middle of the new spot, there is already a smaller brown mark from another mishap this semester involving chocolate ice cream. At this point I was crying, trying to swallow rice, and laughing hysterically. She needed a tide-to-go pen.

Since we were already at Central on Hong Kong Island, we decided to kill some time at the IFC Mall, and stay for the eight o’clock Symphony of Lights show from another perspective. The skyline is more impressive when looking towards HK Island, but it was neat to see what the Kowloon side looks like across Victoria Harbor.

Here are some pics from the day:












This is called a junk

Thai fruit carving

Every Tuesday night there is a Thai fruit carving class right in my dorm. Basically, it is equivalent to a "residence life program," as we call them in Bowling Green. I didn’t make it last week for the tomatoes, or the week before when the apples transformed into swans. When I saw a picture of the swans, I decided to show up for class!

Here is what we did--carnations out of carrots. It seemed that the people with the thinnest slices of carrot had the best results. Mine sort of fell apart after I took a picture, but it was a hoot!