I will not attempt to mention EVERYTHING I have done since my last blog, but there are most definitely a few highlights. First of all, midterms are OVER! I was about to celebrate but soon realized, only a month until finals. . . . .I can't believe how the time flies. My midterms went very well though so I"m happy about that.
Last week I attended an "English Table" where many of the local students come to practice their English with native English speakers. The English table is held once a week. The conversation is always fun and the food is delicious! This week the Consulate General of the United States in Hong Kong and Macau (Mr. Cunningham) gave a short speech on "Sino-U.S. Relations." For some reason when important people are at the dinner the food is so much better!
Today (Saturday) my friend Crystal and I wandered around Hong Kong. It was so fun to have an outing with her, as neither one of us speak Cantonese or Mandarin very well so we are forced to learn quickly and use the few words we do know. Usually, I end up in a group of friends with at least one person who speaks a dialect of Chinese, but it's no fun to rely on others!
So, this morning we started out by taking train to Tsuen Wan in the New Territories. Of course we had to be well-nourished for the hiking we planned later in the day so we stopped at . . . a couple bakeries along the way. . . . . . mmmmmmm
Here is the Light Bus we took up to where our hiking trail started. . . .of course we asked for directions to the beginning of the trail from the info desk. He answered in Mandarin, and I understood! Okay, it took like 3 times but it was so much fun. I think I'm getting the hang of it. . . . . .
On the way we talked to some school children (through their English-speaking teacher) and they told us about the crazy monkeys that were on the trail where we were headed. They said not to eat anything in front of them, not to have anything green, and if they came up to us to walk away slowly. Here is the sign telling us to. . . well you can read it!
The trail took about an hour and a half. . . . Hong Kong is getting a little hot and humid, as we quickly discovered while clamoring up the mountainside.
At one point, we had to ask for directions, and a nice Chinese couple told us where to go, then offered us a ride! Well, we think they did. Ha ha. . . it's probably not a good idea to go with strangers, but what fun we had checking out the Monkeys during our scenic van ride. They were actually snarling at us at times, and weren't afraid of humans at all.
We were dropped off at the main road, and Crystal and I took a bus back to campus.. . . . It was so fun to try to use our newly acquired beginner language skills!
I realized I never put a picture of the Campus here on my blog, so here is a picture. . .
Tonight I need to get LOTS of stuff done. . . I should probably buy a plane ticket home too, that might be a good idea. I can't believe I still don't have one. Maybe I'll just say here :) On second thought, I can't wait to get back to SPC and share even more of my adventure stories!
