It's been a week since my arrival to Hong Kong but it really feels like months have flown by.
Classes have started but as my student visa is not ready yet, I haven't been able to register in my Faculty and officially sign up for any of my preferred classes. There are some interesting courses here and I'm hoping that there will still be spots open when my visa issues work out. So far, my favorite class is Mandarin, ironically. The professor explains everything so clearly and has this type of wise energy oozing off of her. She told us about how she while she was browsing through this completely empty mall in Thailand, a student she had five years earlier turned the corner and called out her name. And so, she always behaves herself - no matter where she is in the world. Meng Laoshi is a famous lady.
Hall life here is extremely interesting. I just went to a meeting where they passed out the 'New Admission Scheme: Assessment criteria.' The Floor Tutor, Representative, and Hall chairpersons give each resident a score based on their active [or non-active] participation in Hall activities. As soon as I saw the title of the packet, I started freaking out [no lie]. While it's cool that they're really into Hall spirit, I feel as if this violates something. And that's probably a reflection of my American upbringing. Is it really necessary to merit the relationships we have with our hall-mates? I love that they foster these relationships and have all these available activities, but it's just a little strange for me to be graded on how I go about my life.
Being here has also made me rethink my post graduation plans. While the man from the US Consulate talked to us about how much they care about us and our passports, he was also trying to sell us a bit about becoming a Foreign Service Officer. I think he sold part of it to me. I've always been really interested in development and hearing his story about microeconomics in the Middle East kind of struck me. Granted, I love learning about anthropological theory and all that jazz, but I don't think that it's enough to just sit and observe cultures that struggle with getting the basic necessities of life or suffer from a violation of "basic human rights." Cultural relativism, much? Morally, it doesn't make sense to be living in such metropolitan areas while others struggle on a daily basis. Ah, the circumstances of birth... The other part of me though, still wants to just go to law or business school, get out and make 'mad bank.' Thank you for the phrase, Mister Pre-Med.
So back to Hong Kong...it's still really cold here. When I was imaging a subtropical island, this was definitely not the picture I had in my head. There are also so many Chinese people here. I know it's an oxymoron but I was imaging a lot more ex-pats than they actually have.
I don't remember much of last night, but my friends filled me in with some pictures. They are quite embarassing, let's just say. And then when I was talking to someone today, he said one of the funniest things was that I kept saying that I worked super hard last semester so that I could just party when I get here. True story. Except that I didn't work super hard but pulled away with more than what I wanted. Too bad it's pass/fail here. Actually, maybe that will be a good thing. Ugh, here I am across the world, still thinking about grades...
Anyways, email in the works - soon, soon, soon! I'm planning on going for a run early tomorrow morning if I can manage to find the gym.
