Hong Kong – Page 2 – Journals from Abroad

November 30, 2022

A Trip to Tai O

(11/20/2022)

I went on a trip with some people from my dorm hall to Tai O, a fishing village, today. It was a two-hour trip out to the village, split between two bus rides, but it was definitely worth the trip.

A view from a bridge over the water, with a view of some restaurants, a few boats, and a hill straight ahead. — Tai O

After arriving, we had lunch. And if I had to say which meal has been the best meal I’ve had so far in Hong Kong, this would definitely be among the top ones to come to mind. There was a fried rice dish; a beef with rice noodles dish; calamari; a dish with pineapple and chicken; a beef and bell pepper dish; and then a noodle dish which I think may be chicken in a sauce on top.

This is a picture of the six dishes of the lunch I described above. — Our delicious lunch!

We didn’t really talk at all during the meal, we just alternated reaching across the table for food, but it was delicious. One interesting cultural difference that came up was where one was supposed to eat one’s food from. We had a bowl and plate, and it seems that in Hong Kong and China, one puts food in the bowl and eats from the bowl, while the plate is for bones. In contrast, in Malaysia, I believe, it appeared to be the reverse: one would spoon food onto one’s plate and eat off the plate.

After lunch, we walked back through a little market, where among other fish and seafood were pufferfish hanging from the ceilings of the shops. There were also what I think were small dried pufferfish, with googly eyes put on them and a hat as decorations to be bought. These were both things I definitely would not have found in the U.S.

This is one of the shops we passed, with a pufferfish hanging from the ceiling and a bunch of other foods in the background. — One of the shops

A bunch of the dried fish decorations with hats. — The dried fish decorations

Then we went on a little boat ride, which was called a dolphin boat ride, so you know what we were looking out for. It was quite a nice ride, first between seaside-houses, and then out into the open water, with the late afternoon sun, gazing at the green hills covered with trees to our left and right, out to seeing the bridge between Tai O and Macao.

At one point, we came across a shiny moving object. We all collectively held our breath, thinking it… a dolphin. At varying moments as we approached, I thought it was a dolphin, then a flip flop drifting about, or some sort of other circular object. It turned out to be a poor fish at the surface of the water, swimming around in circles, with something wrong with one of its fins, poor thing. The boat master circled around for upwards of ten minutes trying to come alongside the fish, and I, in my happy-ending hopes, hoped it would be to help the poor fish, perhaps release it if it was caught on something, or else try to right the fish. However, instead, he caught it with the net.

The view over the railing of the boat, of the water and the low afternoon sun. — Our boat trip

Next, we landed and took some pictures against the nearing sunset, and went on a hike. However, first, at the foot of the hill we were going to hike up, there was a stand with some local snacks. I ended up getting a frozen watermelon (my favorite fruit) slice. Some of the other people got frozen pineapple or one of the warm snacks. I found the watermelon quite good, although it was hard as a rock when I first got it. We ended the hike around dark, got dinner, and then headed back to HKBU.

A picture of the frozen watermelon on a stick. — Frozen watermelon slice

A praying mantis we saw on our walk, with its front legs rested on the ground. — A praying mantis we saw on our walk

A picture of the hiking path: the bushes reaching over the path fencing, the dusty pink sunset in the background. — The gorgeous sunset on our hike

Until next time,

Kelsi

November 29, 2022

Approaching Midterms

(10/17/2022)

It’s the seventh week of classes and midterms are coming up in the next couple weeks. I’ve seen so many things and experienced so much that it’s impossible to recount it all. But for this post, I’m going to try to focus on classes and studies.

Most classes here are three credits, so I’m taking five classes: two literature classes, a mindfulness class, intro to Cantonese, and a science fiction film classs. Rather than two or three classes a week, most courses have a single, three-hour session, a week (however, my mindfulness class is only two hours/2 credits, and my Cantonese class is split up into a one-hour and a two-hour section, but the rest are three hours). I have to admit that concentrating on classes for three hours is rather difficult, although sometimes professors will let us out early, and usually give a ten-minute break in the middle. Lunch/breakfast is very welcome after my 8:30/9:30ams.

Empty classroom on my first day of classes, before class starts. This is my Literature and Comparative Studies class. The class has around 30 students. — My Literature and Comparative Studies class on the first day of classes 🙂

Classes tend to have more lecture component than those that I’m used to in the U.S., although participation is still counted toward the grade in some of my classes.

However, course grades at HKBU (Hong Kong Baptist University) tend to be based on much fewer, but more heavily-weighted, assignments – for one of my classes, for example, the grade is determined by a midterm paper, final paper, a presentation and presentation report and participation.

Study space in the library next to the window. — A nice place to study in the library

Okay! So, the presentation! It appears that presentations are a key part of the grades for classes here at HKBU, and my three main academic courses all have an important presentation. For one of my literature classes, I gave a presentation a few weeks back. It was the first presentation of the semester (there is a presentation for every class session for half of the semester), which perhaps wasn’t a wise choice, given I didn’t know anything about how it was expected to be structured. And it was not a one-minute presentation—not two or five or ten. But a fifteen-minute presentation, for each of me and my two partners… so, I’ve now given a fifteen-minute presentation!

The other two presentations are five-minutes long, so around a normal length for presentations back home. I’ve now given two presentations, but I haven’t received any grades yet, so I have to admit I’m a little uncertain about how things – presentations and otherwise – will be graded here, as there were no concrete guidelines about the presentations.

A picture of my mindfulness class, which is an open room, with a projecter screen at the front and a few foldable chairs arranged around the room. — My mindfulness class

My classes at HKBU are much smaller than I expected, somewhere between twenty and forty students, so larger than most Linfield classes, but nowhere near the size of classes at state schools — I think HKBU has around 10,000 total students.

An image of the beautiful sunset visible from the bridge between the academic buildings and overlooking the road. — One of the beautiful sunsets I’ve seen from the bridge between the academic buildings

Talk to you again soon!

Kelsi

September 23, 2022

A fishing village, dim sum, and a beach

(8/28/2022)

I woke up this morning to 18 new bug bites, and my two from the previous days were quite inflamed and red. Nevertheless, I ended up joining the people on my dorm floor on a trip to a fishing village and the beach. I am honestly astonished by how many events I have been going to recently. It would not have been at all out of character for me to have taken the day to rest after everything that I’ve been up to for the last few days—the karaoke/hot pot dinner event of two days ago, and the hike I went on yesterday.

At the karaoke/hot pot place from a couple nights ago. The hot pot was split into a spicy broth on the left and a non-spicy ginseng broth on the right — The hot pot dinner from a couple nights ago. The left side of the pot is a spicy broth, and the right side is a non-spicy ginseng broth

But, to explore as much as I can of Hong Kong before classes start, I’ve kept joining activities. And although I’ve been exhausted all the time–my legs feel ready to fall off from the steep uphill and downhill path from the hike yesterday, especially when we take a similarly steep path to the beach, it’s been worth it.

I’ve introduced myself countless times over the past week, my name, where I’m from, and my major (creative writing)—always a conversation starter that leads into a discussion of books, my planned path after college, etc.—but the conversations have all been really nice.

So, taking it from the top, the group met up at 1pm and walked to the closest MTR station. We scanned our Octopus cards (which are used primarily for paying for public transportation and at some stores, in addition to paying for the air conditioning and for laundry in the dorms) and found our first train. We stayed on for a few stops then switched trains, got off (scanned the Octopus card again, which calculates the charge based on where you first scanned it—I don’t have much experience with public transportation so I don’t know the system for paying for the metro in other places, but I assumed it would be more like buying a ticket for a particular stop; the Octopus method seemed a lot simpler). We got on a bus, and then we had arrived at the fishing village, where we had dim sum for lunch.

The fishing village, with a view over the water and all the boats. We ate lunch at a dim sum restaurant very close to where I took this picture. — A view over the water at the fishing village

I’ve had dim sum before getting to Hong Kong, but this experience was distinct. To begin, when we got to the table, there were a couple tea pots filled with near-boiling water and an empty glass bowl. One member of our party, who is from Hong Kong, poured the hot water in the bowl, and began dipping the tips of everyone’s chopsticks, and then the cups, bowls, and spoons in the water to sanitize them, saying it was a tradition to ensure everything is fully cleaned.

A view of the table, with the glass bowl of hot water used for cleaning utensils and dishes in the background — After sanitizing the utensils and dishes

The flavors in the food were quite different to what I was used to when I’ve had dim sum at home. Also, rather than ordering dishes separately, we got several dishes for everyone to share and then divided the bill equally between all of us. I can use chopsticks fairly well, but I’m still trying to learn how utensils are used in Hong Kong—often, by using a fork or chopsticks with one hand to eat, and then holding a spoon with the other hand beneath the food, I assume in case anything falls.

A picture of some of the dishes we had at the dim sum restaurant, including siu mai and pork buns — Some of the dim sum dishes we had for lunch

Custard bun, a bun filled with sweetened egg yolk — A custard bun

After lunch, we boarded another bus. I ended up sitting next to a guy from mainland China, and after exchanging information on where we’re from and a little bit of small talk, we began sharing songs. I’m not really one to start conversation, and he gave me the impression of not being super talkative either, but it was a nice way to exchange things about ourselves and the cultures we come from.

On the second bus toward our final destination (the beach), I hadn’t reached my seat before the bus started moving, and I didn’t walk toward my seat as much as I was propelled toward it.

I hadn’t thought to bring my swimsuit, so I sat on the beach with another student studying abroad, and we chatted about ourselves and our experiences of arriving in Hong Kong, but after that mostly just sat in silence with our thoughts, watching the view of the mountains and the water and the rest of our group playing in the water.

A little after sunset, we walked up to the bus stop. We had to wait 15 minutes since we had missed the last one, and when a bus arrived, I was very doubtful that we would all fit. And indeed, sardines could hardly be more packed more than we were. I could only hope that no one would fall over. People were packed up to the front door and if someone fell sideways at the front, they would’ve landed on the driver. There were too many feet for me to stand in a very stable way. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily claustrophobic, but I don’t really like people to be super close to me, and someone’s backpack was pressed against me for the whole ride, but I preferred many times to be in that packed bus than outside at mercy of the biting bugs. I was amazed that at the progressive stops people kept boarding.

At one particularly sharp stop, someone did fall on me, but I managed not to fall over completely. I had thought we were packed tightly enough that we couldn’t fall, but it was more like dominoes. Luckily only a few of us were affected. Then we were at the metro, and it was just a short bus ride home. The charge was around 6 HKD for that final bus ride to get back, but students get a discount if they say suk se (“dorms” in Cantonese) to the driver. I gave myself the rest of the night off and ate a cup of noodles for dinner – my dorm floor has a machine for hot water and cold water, which can I just say is amazing.

I’ll write again soon!

Kelsi

September 22, 2022

Hiking Dragon’s Back Trail

Today’s adventure was a hike along Dragon’s Back Trail. We were supposed to meet at the metro station at 2pm, but me and one other student missed the bus to the station because it was too full, so we walked the 13 minutes to the metro station. I’ve gotten used to walking a lot since I got here, and walking in hot weather, though my body is still getting used to it: my ankles are stiff and a little bit painful but not unbearably so.

Most places I would need to go are about a 15-20 minute walk away from campus, including the closest Community Testing Center (to get the required PCR tests after arriving), and a mall to buy supplies or get food (I didn’t realize until I was allowed to eat out in a restaurant again after 7 days of quarantine/medical surveillance that the canteens on campus allowed takeout). I was glad I was going on the trip in a group, as I most likely would’ve gotten lost if navigating by myself the bus rides and train stops to our final destination.

The beautiful view of the water and islands from the trail — The view from the trail

The hike was supposed to be 2 hours long, but it ended up being closer to 4 hours. I have never in my life sweat as much as on that hike, and I don’t know if even waterproof sunscreen would have been enough. Luckily most of the trail was shaded by trees and bushes.

A view of the trail ahead of us about one-third of the way through the hike — The trail ahead of us

At the end of the hike, my part of the group fell behind and were momentarily concerned we had taken the wrong path, and, to complete the picture, it was getting dark and we were too far behind to hear anyone in our larger group. Luckily, cell phones prevailed and we were able to contact the rest of the group. We sped up and were able to join the others. On the last stretch of our walk, we passed by the largest spider I have ever seen (excluding tarantulas). It was probably a good two or three inches in diameter, sitting in its web just off the path.

After the hike, we all went out to dinner. Over dinner, as I’m a creative writing major, the conversation came to books, my favorite book, favorite author, etc. One person at the table asked about the first book that started my love for reading and writing. Up to this point in my life, I guess I had never realized the extent to which globalization causes the exchange of popular culture between countries. Someone suggested Geronimo Stilton (until writing this, I had not realized that this book series originated from Italy), and when I brought up A Series of Unfortunate Events, everyone exploded with excitement. I hadn’t expected that, or really for anyone to have recognized the series, much less to apparently have grown up with the same series that I had grown up with in the U.S. But I guess that, given how books, movies, songs, and other media originating outside the U.S. have become famous within the U.S., it’s not surprising that U.S. media would also be well-known outside the U.S.

Classes start in a few days but I’m looking forward to exploring more sights before starting!

That’s all for now!

Kelsi

September 7, 2022

Awakening to Hong Kong

I woke up the morning of the 16^th of August knowing the day had finally arrived when I would depart for Hong Kong, all nerves. All the preparations made: airplane flights, quarantine hotel arrangements, visa, PCR test result back negative…

My first flight was out of Portland on Air Canada, to Vancouver. I sat one row back from the front of the plane, with no one sitting next to me, enjoying the view out the window and picking up on a few words in French every so often as the flight attendants made announcements in English and French, and amazed by the numerous small islands that passed beneath us.

My second flight required me to check all my documents again at the gate—a three-day quarantine hotel reservation, visa, negative PCR test result (the sample taken within 48 hours of the time my flight flying into Hong Kong departed), vaccination record. And then to boarding. When I got on the plane, a calming music was playing over the speakers, which made the moment feel all the more bittersweet. In a rush, I was seized by a quote from Sam in The Fellowship of the Ring, Sam stopping behind Frodo in the wheat field at the beginning of their journey, telling him that if he took one more step, he would be farther from home than he had ever been before. Once my plane arrived at its destination, that would be the case for me. The wheat waved before my eyes as I stepped forward to the next cabin.

11 hours later, I arrived in Korea, and around 5 hours after that, at midnight, I arrived in Hong Kong. The airport was emptier than I had ever seen one, and the path they had constructed for us to get our required PCR and RAT (rapid antigen test) reminded me of the line to get on a ride at an amusement park, but after everyone has left for the day. We presented our QR codes (we had to fill out a Health Declaration form before arrival, with information on vaccination status, quarantine hotel booking, plans after arriving in Hong Kong, etc., and the QR codes held the information from the Declaration) and got a test kit and a lanyard with a code on it, got the tests, left them in a bin (they used the numbers/code on the side to connect each of us with our test results), got on a tram to somewhere else in the airport, through more checkpoints for documents, to the baggage claim, and then into a line for a bus to send us to our designated quarantine hotels.

My first view of Hong Kong, on the way to the quarantine hotel, seeing the lights of the city at night — My first view of Hong Kong, on the way to the quarantine hotel

I was dropped off at my hotel around 2 am, after nearly 24 full hours of travel. I checked in at the desk, signed agreements, received a stack of papers, then got handed a bag of my dinner, got put in an elevator, and sent to my floor with my luggage.

Over the following days, I had to take a RAT every day, submit a picture and the result to an online program and leave the test outside my room, and take my temperature once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and record if I was feeling any Covid symptoms.

The view from my quarantine hotel room on a sunny day, overlooking the streets, a construction site, and some buildings in the distance — The view from my quarantine hotel room

And then, on the 20^th of August, I checked out and boarded an Uber for campus. I had to check in with a provisionary ID card and have my temperature checked (temperatures are checked at every entrance to campus, as well as to the residence halls and cafeterias). This was my first real exposure to the heat (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and humid), as the hotel had been at an unchangeable 68 degrees AC temperature, and I was hauling around two suitcases and a backpack. I got my student ID card, room key, key to the unit box, some disposable masks, and a package of 7 RAT tests (I was required to take a RAT test for every day until the 10^th day after arrival).

The way dorms are set up at HKBU is entirely different than at Linfield: there are two towers, each 20 floors tall, and my dorm is on the 17^th floor. The dorm itself looks like a typical dorm room, albeit arranged somewhat differently than the other dorm rooms I’ve lived in before. There’s a closet with some drawers and a rod for hanging clothes, drawers under the bed, a desk with two book shelves above it, and several drawers underneath it, as well as a fridge and freezer.

Rather than a whole floor sharing a bathroom, in the arrangement here, two dorm rooms (both doubles) share a bathroom—two sinks, one toilet, and one shower. There’s also a rod for hanging clothes to dry spanning the ceiling of the dorm room, and a station for hot and chilled water in the lounge on my floor, which is extremely convenient.

Students pay for AC and laundry with what’s called an Octopus card, which holds money. There’s a machine connected to the AC unit, and a separate one for the washers and dryers, by which to pay with the Octopus.

On this first day, I started by walking the 15 minutes to Lok Fu, a mall nearby, with someone else on my floor, sweat pouring down my face (not an exaggeration) because of the humidity. And for an awakening to the different weather patterns in Hong Kong, just before reaching the mall, it went from clear skies to pouring, though the rain was welcome in the heat.

Class doesn’t start until the 5^th of September, so I have the next 16 days to explore Hong Kong and get used to living on campus, but those are stories for another day.

Until next time!

Kelsi

February 15, 2021April 7, 2021

Follow your nose, not your map

Much to my surprise, it appears I have not gained weight since my last post. This completely disapproves the old wives’ tale of “you are what you eat”. At this point I should be a bowl of rice or noodles if that were true. I cannot stress enough that the almost absurd quantity of restaurants is my paradise. With such low cost to eat, I find myself saying “eh, I bet you I could squeeze in another bowl of noodles or two”. As that phrase was coming out of my mouth a few days ago walking down a popular food street, I stopped dead in my tracks. I noticed a tall cage that was meant for the one animal that can send me from 0 to 100 at the snap of a fingers. My fear of this animal makes me feel a little more like Indiana Jones. That’s right. Snakes.

Apparently, the restaurant doesn’t mess around with their “Snake Soup”. From a FAR distance away, it looked roughly 6 feet in length and as thick as an average person’s wrist. I’m not sure who was more startled, me from seeing the snake, or my friends from hearing the shriek come out of me. Usually I slowly pass restaurants so I can attempt to imagine what kind of amazing things are happening in the kitchen. Not this time. I got in the starting line position like I was ready for a track race, did the arm stretch like Michael Phelps, and SPRINTED by the snake’s cage faster than you can say “CRIKEY”.

I can’t even begin to describe the amount of noodles I had to ingest in order to recover from that traumatic experience ;). Maybe I just used it as an excuse to get food at midnight after already eating two dinners.

I use an example like that to show such differences in the norms at home vs. across the big pond. Hong Kong is arguably as advanced if not more than America. Thus, there are times where it feels as though I am right at home. However, there are extreme exceptions to this that fall on both ends of the economic spectrum. A difference of two blocks can mean walking in what feels like a third world country, to passing Gucci, Rolex, and Versace retailers. Despite such social class differences, it’s so refreshing to see all the smiles on the faces of those that seem less fortunate. How interesting is that? Going back to the old wives’ tale theme, “money can’t buy you happiness” is on full display in Hong Kong. It’s so common to see someone in a three-piece suit walking up to their $150,000 car with a smug or angry look on their face. Turning your head, you can see someone grinning ear-to-ear showing what little teeth they still have left. That smile shines brighter than the flashing lights of the city. Really puts things into perspective.

Until next time,

Jake

February 15, 2021April 7, 2021

An Introduction to

Sitting in a very American coffee shop while I write this entry makes me reminisce of my long hours spent in Starbucks attempting to study, but mostly socializing.

I had been planning this study abroad since the fall of 2015. Thus, it felt as though it could not have been further away. I always talked about it as if it may never come. Even in the short days prior to my departure, I still felt numb to the reality that I was soon going to leave the best earth (Oregon), wind (Oregon air), and water (wanted to pay homage to a favorite band of mine even though I substituted “water” for “fire”).

Flying across the world by yourself can be a relatively daunting undertaking. If it weren’t for modern technology and a little experience traveling, who knows which country I would be writing this entry from.

A little flight delay during my connection in Vancouver due to a medical emergency set me back a few hours. That can stress one out… Especially when they are stuck on a plane without cell service, meaning they are unable to reach out to those picking them up in 14 hours. Once seated, I watched as what seemed like 99% of the passengers were locating their respective seat numbers and attempting to settle in for the long haul. I became extremely optimistic as the rest of my row remained vacant. One of the final passengers to board the plane was carrying the one thing you do not want to see when your row is one of the only open ones left on the aircraft. A baby. I said a little prayer hoping that they would kindly pass me. I think you know where this is going… Yes. They motioned that the two seats next to me where indeed theirs. I then spent the next 14 hours watching various movies offered on the plane/getting woken up every time I would get close to sleeping (without fail). If there is one thing that can really make someone’s mood take a nose dive, it is sleep deprivation. This made the already long flight seem a little longer. Nothing a little Justin Timberlake can’t fix, right?

Arriving a little late to the airport meant we were unable to stop at Ikea for basic necessities like sheets, pillows, and towels, which I of course, brought none of. I was too concerned with bringing shoes. I was kicking myself, almost literally as I spent a chilled night flutter kicking attempting to keep warm. I kept hearing my family’s voices saying, “Are you sure you don’t need those?”. If you’ve never heard the phrase “mother knows best” … you may want to familiarize yourself with it.

The following days were spent at various orientations and tours of the city. I am quite confident that I heard upwards of 30 people tell me “don’t be stupid” in 30 different ways. That just about sums up the orientation J. The tour is when things started to get interesting. Driving around Hong Kong in 3 buses is not the most stylish means of transportation. Especially because of the cars that are frequently driven in this country. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elon Musk made his entire fortune off Hong Kong residents. There are more Teslas than Toyotas.

We visited a temple, a market (that had amazing noodles), and Victoria Peak. As cool as these places were, they were relatively anticlimactic in comparison to the journey down from Victoria Peak.

Driving in Hong Kong looks a lot like the old arcade game Galaga. Cars slicing and dicing, somehow not hitting one another. It’s chaos. As we were driving down the hill from the peak, we rear ended another bus. It was a relatively decent impact, causing a few bumps and bruises. If I could look at one face for the rest of my life, it would be my tour guide’s face just after we crashed. I have never seen someone’s eyes get so big before. Anyone who knows me, understands I struggle with laughing at the least appropriate times. This was no exception. I almost fell out of my chair, and that wasn’t even because of the crash. My feeling soon changed as we waited for close to 2 hours for another bus to pick us up. I was banking on the bus coming much quicker. My arsenal of jokes ran dry after about 20 minutes… I had to bring out the dad jokes as a last resort (e.g. “what do you call a guy with a rubber toe? Roberto).

At that point, it could only go up from there right? It most definitely has! I have made friends from all over the world. My Scottish accent now sounds like I came straight out of Edinburgh. We have traveled far and wide in search of the best noodles Hong Kong has to offer, and boy have we found them.

I now have a week of classes under my belt, though it seems like much longer. The lectures are 3 hours long here. Getting hungry an hour in can come close to killing someone. Imagining the next food adventure is the only thing that pulls me through. Look forward to updates in the coming week! Got some big adventures coming up this weekend!

Cheers,

Jake

February 15, 2021April 7, 2021

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

How fortunate I am to be living in an environment that is blessed with such amazing activities. I left America knowing that I would be traveling to a place that is relatively as advanced, if not more in many places. Often, I get bored with normal Westernized culture, which is why I enjoy Asia so much. Being reserved and timid in this city would be doing yourself a disservice. Countless times I find myself saying “ah why not?”. I have no idea when the next time will come where I have the ability to explore Southeast Asia! This does come with a price however, and it caught up to me this week.

I have become relatively accustomed to functioning though extremely exhaustion. A few days ago, I felt my energy reserves plummeting below expected levels. Now, I have never been physically hit by a car before. If I had to be hit by one, I would want it to be a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom. A classy car that packs a punch and won’t get a scratch on it from hitting a 150-pound buck (me). I’m getting side tracked. Apologies. I felt like I got hit by a car from this sickness. I usually run at a high temperature regardless of any illness (I’ll get to the word illness in a moment), but I felt as though I could fry an egg sunny side up if I cracked it on my cheek.

When I informed my friend group that I was not feeling very well they asked if I was ill. I’m going to break this word down a little bit here. To Americans, you know how I pronounce this word. My Scottish friends pronounce “ill” like “el”. Thus, with my mind already in a haze, I had to ask them to repeat the sentences roughly 5 times for me to finally understand what they meant. I haven’t studied Spanish in a few years, but when they were asking “are you el(ill)?” I almost responded with “Yes I am a he” (“El” meaning “he”). Needless to say, I needed to rest up a lot that evening to recover.

New topic: Jake being dad at home and abroad.

Those who know my reputation at Linfield, know that everything about me screams dad. There is photographic evidence of me in Starbucks with glasses on, a Patagonia quarter-zip, and the newspaper in hand. Sounds like a normal weekday minus the sunglasses I borrowed from my friend. Besides my choices in fashion, my dad reputation comes from my lack of knowledge of young person lingo. The majority of the time I have to raise my hand and ask “excusez-moi?” as if saying it in French makes me more hip… You get the picture. This takes me to the following story.

The same evening that my fever hit, my friends went out to celebrate one of their birthdays. Not only did I have a class at 08:30 the next morning, but my sickness also kept me from going out with them. After hearing the events that occurred while they were out, I wish my illness did not keep me in that evening. I’ll leave you with one line. Scottish people enjoy their drink. As this does not necessarily appeal to me, you might ask, “why does he wish that he went out with them?”. I probably would have asked the same question. Here’s the thing, let’s just say that at least one head was split open last evening that required stitches. That’s where Jake’s dad reputation was called upon. Literally. I received upwards of 10-15 calls in the “wee hours of the morning” as my friends from Scotland would say. With a decent amount of Nyquil in my system, the face I made bringing my head up to my pillow was the equivalent to most teenager’s faces when they found out that Kylie Jenner had a baby. Pure shock mixed with a little drool? Sounds about right ;).

Without recognizing the number, I didn’t answer. Not that me answering would have benefited the situation at all. I am quite confident that my sentence structure would not have been up to my normal standards. Thankfully, the people that I have surrounded myself with are some of the best in the world. The other American in our group stepped up to the plate and took the responsibility of our injured friend. Couldn’t be prouder of this person! Very refreshing to see such professionalism from those around me.

As week 4 comes to a close, travel opportunities have arisen. My friends and I have booked trips to South Korea and Vietnam during the coming months. Very excited to experience the food cultures of these amazing countries!

Cheers for now,

Jake

February 15, 2021April 7, 2021

Monkeys, Buddhas, and Ferries Oh My!

Hong Kong’s environmental diversity continues to amaze me on a daily basis. A person who enjoys being spontaneous belongs here. My most recent adventure took my group and I to the 10,000 Buddhas. Now, one may ask, “Are there really 10,000 Buddhas?”. If I’m being completely honesty with you, I got bored counting by the time I got to the low teens… According to an article about the history of this historical landmark, roughly 12,000 gold colored (not actual gold… I was disappointed as well) Buddhas are dispersed up a winding path that stretches up a large hill that I would argue is the equivalent to a small mountain.

Climbing to the top however, was the smallest feat achieved that day. Let me give you a little idea of why that may be. Located in the New Territories of Hong Kong, this paved trail up a mountain is a lot more difficult to find that you would expect. I kept asking myself “Okay… How arduous must it be to locate that many Buddhas…?” Much more than expected let me tell you.

Probably the most surprising characteristic of this attraction is what is at the base of it… I would have never guessed that our friends from Sweden would choose to house one of their most popular home good stores smack dab right next door. Yes. That’s right. There is an Ikea no more than 30 paces from the base of the 10,000 Buddhas trek. Conveniently placed I guess because what you see on this journey may make you want to cuddle a pillow, which you can conveniently purchase for around $100 HKD (around $12.50 USD).

I know what you’re thinking. What could possibly be so frightening about a little golden statue of a Buddha. It wasn’t the statues at all. It was what was climbing, swinging, and defecating all over them. Monkeys. Most of the macaque (species found in Hong Kong) were very cute and playful as we were ascending. However, during our descent, the macaques were a little less hospitable. I don’t want to sound dramatic by comparing our experience to the movie Kong, so I’ll use Rise of the Planet of the Apes as my example. The statues were lined up on either side of the paved pathway, which was surrounded by jungle terrain. Tree limbs surrounding us were shaking and we could see many masses shooting around in the brush. Without warning, close to 30 monkeys, from infants to adults swung their way onto the Buddhas that were in front of my group.

We were boxed in on all sides by these monkeys. At that moment you go back to your grade school teachings. The “there is strength in numbers” saying apparently is taught by another species with apposable thumbs. With a 10:1 ratio of macaques to people in my group, we found our feet cemented to the cement. Need I mention that it was a warm day. Thus, my consumption of water was decently high. There were also no lavatories along the trail. After a few minutes of letting the monkeys run amok, I told my friends that we needed to muster up some courage quickly or there was going to be an added water feature in their general vicinity. The hint was taken.

Maneuvering passed these monkeys was not an easy task because of how familiar they are with people. In my head, I was humming the Mission Impossible theme song and imagining what I would do if I was Tom Cruise. News flash. I am most definitely not Tom Cruise. Every muscle in my body was stiff as a board as I tiptoed by a full sized adult macaque. I was no more than two feet away. It felt just like high school when I came come past curfew: trying not to make a sound, avoiding possible eye contact, then once you passed the figure that you are trying to avoid you break into a full sprint. After making it down the mountain, my friends and I felt as though we barely escaped death. We survived of course, and rejuvenated with none other than a bowl of noodles. Pure comfort. In person, I am able to give a much better description and show videos of how crazy this experience actually was. See me in person for a more detailed telling of this story.

I’ll close my entry with a pro tip. When your friend group is trying to get from point A to point B via ferry, do not leave the dock because you are trying to catch a Pokemon playing Pokemon Go. First of all, I was under the impression we left that in 2016. Second, if you hear the siren that is signaling the ferry closing its gates, it may be wise to let the Pokemon go… However, it did make for a funny story and video as we sailed passed our friend waiting for the next boat. Never a dull moment over here!

Until next time!

Cheers,

Jake

February 15, 2021April 7, 2021

Seoul Searching

Outside the gate to Gyeongbokgung (The Korean Palace)

I’ve caught the bug… the travel bug that is…

With one of the most convenient places for travel in Asia, Hong Kong has given me many opportunities to explore the surrounding countries and islands at very reasonable prices. Two weeks ago, I was able to go on a little weekend holiday with friends to Seoul, South Korea. This was one of the most memorable experiences I have had to date. Chatting with my friends who went with me on this trip, I found a cultural and environmental difference that didn’t surprise me, but I had just never really put that much thought into. Many of my European friends began traveling internationally with friends from the age of 15. In America, that is extremely uncommon. Of course, geographically it is much less significant for a European to cross an international boarder than it is for many in North America. Knowing my level of maturity (or lack there of) at 15, there is no way I would have let 15-year-old Jake travel with his friends without adult supervision! That’s a whole additional blog post by itself…

Trip Details:

This trip was the first time that I had booked a flight by myself, a tour, researched accommodations, etc. This may sound odd, but when you have a dad like mine, who is easily one of the most well-experienced travelers I have ever met with planning trips, I don’t need to help out much in trip logistics with my family. Several of my friends were the ones that officially locked in reservations for us, but we all contributed in the finding process. However, my buddy Eddie absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Airbnb he found for us. This place had EVERYTHING. It was tucked into a little street just off a main road right next to one of the liveliest districts in Seoul called Itaewon. The location was so convenient and absolutely gorgeous! This place even had a rooftop that we could sit down at and sip on traditional Korean beverages. We escaped the heat of Hong Kong, to dive into freezing temperatures in Seoul. Thus, we did not spend lots of time on the roof J. That is also because we were exploring the entire time!

As much as a fun oriented trip this was, it was also very valuable to my development of seeing and understanding the world. We were able to go on a day trip to the DMZ (demilitarized zone between North and South Korea). I can’t even begin to describe how I felt about this experience. The amount of history, of both tragedy and fortune, could be spotted at every destination we stopped at. It was an endless roller-coaster of emotion for everyone on the trip.

At one of the observatories we stopped at, we could see “villages” in North Korea. I use quotations because these “villages” are the places that news anchors are taken to with the intention of giving a false view of what truly occurs in the country. They are essentially “fake villages” as many South Koreans call them. Our tour guide said that normally propaganda is blared on both sides of the boarder which is audible from where we were standing. Most of the time, it includes banter regarding the corruption of North Korea and how life is so much easier in the South. Other times, we were told, the South Koreans blare American popular music just to piss off the North Koreans. Of course, I had to ask what kind of music was played. I was told Michael Jackson is commonly played. No wonder so many North Koreans want to say, “beat it” to Mr. Kim. Ha. Ha. Get it?

Unfortunately, nothing was being played that day so we were unable to have that experience. What we did hear was a sound that was almost deafening. Absolutely nothing. Looking over at what was probably the closest I may ever come to North Korea, there was a silence that is indescribable. It could have been the scene out of a horror movie. Not even a bird was flying or chirping. It was a lot to take in after having so much fun at the prior stop’s gift shop.

Later that day, after exploring most of the city on foot, the group was ready for dinner. Boy had I been waiting for this! As most people who know me might expect, I thoroughly researched many options for dinner that evening, prior to our departure that morning. I had a list of 5 things that I absolutely had to eat while I was in Seoul. They are as follows: Korean BBQ, Bulgogi, fried chicken (famous in Korea), Japchae (sweet potato glass noodles), and rice cakes. Yes. I tried Every. Single. One. In my research that day, I came across a place we had to try. A next level BBQ restaurant. I sold the heck out it to my friends, even though the place really speaks for itself. My friends let me have a ball and order for the table, which is probably one of the best compliments anyone can give to me. It shows that they trust me to make a decision that they are literally willing to bet money on, that I will deliver something amazing. The food was FANTASTIC! For most, it was their first experience with this kind of restaurant so it was fun to see everyone’s smiles as the meat was cooked in front of them.

Of course, much more happened on this trip than was included in this post, but I cannot express enough how great the people I have the luxury of calling “my friends” are. I never would have thought that in such a short time, people could grow so close. I look forward to our upcoming adventures in the weeks to come. First, we have to get through midterms this week. That’s right. I am still in school, though I probably could have fooled most of you…

Until next time!

Cheers,

Jake