Yesterday we sadly left Beijing, exhausted and contemplative after our four-day tour. The morning was spent shopping for souvenirs and soon we were dragging our luggage and armloads of memorabilia through the airport. I was able to get some work done on the plane so it went by quickly. One of the greatest frustrations of this voyage is balancing time between ports and homework. Because of all our changed plans and long diversions all of us are finding it impossible to fulfill our coursework and to get the most out of the countries we are visiting. I’m hoping that once I get through a paper and two tests in the next two days everything will settle down and I’ll be able to party in Vietnam (And party I mean surfing).

Our stay in Hong Kong feels very brief so there is a little bit of a frenzy to get out there and see it all. I’m trying to pace myself and recognize the limitations of my stay. One downside to SAS is that you don’t do the countries justice. China deserves a one-month tour at least; I’m squeezing all its culture into a week. But my resolve is only hardening and I think I’ll do a long-term stay in Shanghai someday. Everyone who went there loved it and I think it would be a good base for exploring the rest of the country. I’d really like to come back and see rural China.
The first night long check-in lines prevented us from going out. Instead we had a very joyful reunion as all our friends filed in. We acted like we hadn’t seen each other for a month rather than 4 days. I was really impressed with everyone’s positive attitudes; some of my friends only had 36 hours in Shanghai due to the changed plans. It was interesting to compare notes and realize how diverse China is. Beijing was empty due to the New Year but Shanghai was packed and apparently there were fireworks and celebrations in the streets. We were all exhausted but we still lingered in the lobby until midnight. I have not gotten very much sleep at all in Hong Kong, I’m hoping Vietnam will be less intense.
The next morning I got up and had only about three hours to explore the city before my scheduled SAS trip left. As predicted, these trips have quickly fallen out of favor. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of mine, but the strict schedule is very difficult to plan around. I might try and sell some of my other ones and I’m definitely not signing up for anything after India. It’s such a thrill to hit a country with no plan (-:
A bunch of us went exploring and ended up sort of meandering around the harbor. Hong Kong is an amazing city; it reminds me of the futuristic setting of Minority Report. Grant put perfectly when he said, “Hong Kong is a vertical city. They don’t have enough room so they just go up.” Sidewalks are in the air connecting buildings so you don’t have to cross streets. Skyscrapers and towering apartment buildings are everywhere. Sometimes there are three tiers of intersecting highways. Instead of going around the city expressways just go up and over.
Hong Kong has a tremendous amount of pride and despite politics they don’t identify with mainland China. The optimism in the city is incredible due to their economic growth. China has had an incredible turn around since Mao died and many are saying that they will dominate the 21st century. If so, then Hong Kong will play a large part. It is European enough to court the West while its geography gives it influence in the Pacific.
Everything here is also more environmentally friendly. It can be a bit annoying; you can’t turn your hotel lights on without your key. This makes it impossible to leave the lights on. Towels are only changed if you leave them on the floor and many roofs are designed to catch the rain water.
After our brief visit at the harbor it was time to head back so I could catch my SAS trip. The trip was an excellent insight into Hong Kong culture. About 50 of us got on a bus headed for the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The ironic thing was that my friend Guy went along. Guy is from China and received a scholarship to go on SAS with us. I had befriended him early in the voyage but only talked to him on occasion. The bus ride gave me a great opportunity to ask questions. We quickly got on my favorite aspect of Chinese culture, the language.
Cantonese, rather than Mandarin, is the language of Hong Kong. Guy explained to me that they both use the same characters and if you can read one you can read the other. However, the pronunciation is completely different. He wrote my name for me in Chinese and I learned that it means victorious and clever. Not bad. Dave’s name means Great Protector and he was absolutely thrilled to learn that.
Writing the characters is like breaking a code. I can now read the words “exit,” “bathroom,” “big,” “person,” and “entrance.” Guy taught me the right order to write them in and also how to say a few phrases. My pronunciation of the tonal phrases is horrible, but I’m persistent. I stopped saying “thank you” and started saying “mmm goi” to anyone I met. They normally just smile politely although one guy told me I “speak good Chinese” while bending over double with laughter.
The best part about the university visit was that after a month of 700 humanities students I got to interact with engineers. I met Melissa, Oscar, and Kevin who were studying actuarial science, computer engineering, and computer science respectively. When Melissa told me her major I nearly leaped out of my chair. We spent lunch discussing the Actuarial tests and her career prospects. The best part when she told me that I needed to hold my chopsticks higher. In an effort to explain where I should grab them she said, “it is a 3 to 7 ratio.” Yes! That’s what I’m talking about.
Oscar is minoring in French so we quickly bonded and discussed our dual loves. This trip is causing some major problems in my five-year plan. I’m interested in everything. Next semester I need to pack on 18 credits of mathematical courses but I’m so tempted to just clear my schedule and start Mandarin. Hopefully my practical side will kick back in when I’m on U.S. soil.
For lunch we had dim sum with the university students. You sit down at a big circular table and there is a sort-of lazy susan in the middle that helps with passing everything around. They start you out slowly with some spring rolls and tea. But then it’s a rapid fire succession of pork, chicken, rice, and vegetables all dripping in tangy sauces. A mental battle begins between the knowledge that your stuffed and the desire to try one more bite of the chicken. You’ll be proud to know that I ate the whole thing with chopsticks. When no silverware is provided you learn very quickly.
That night, after the university visit and dinner, we all headed out to try and find Victoria’s Peak. I had heard that it is best seen at night from Oscar. The metro and tram there were a little long and when we emerged at the top we were greeted by an ironic sight. Fog. It was so thick you could only see one block away instead of the city panorama we were expecting. There was some disappointment in the group, but I wandered off with Rachel and Grant my fellow optimists. They can find a silver lining in any situation.
Rachel found a quiet path and motioned for us to follow her. What followed was one of the most magical moments of the trip. The fog muffled all sound except the soft dripping of rainwater in the bamboo around us. The air was blue and I felt as if I had stepped into a fairy tale land. All three of us fell silent except for the occasional whisper. The few lights on the path glowed in the mist, the bamboo swallowing up their weak beams of light.
There, on the other side of the world, I felt the presence of God. I had been stressed about by our classes and I was also feeling tinges of homesickness. But as the mist swirled around me and palm trees stretched across the path overhead I felt a supernatural peace. It was another reminder that there is one being who knows exactly where I am. Rachel and Grant started softly thanking God for the beauty around us. With great reluctance we left to rejoin our group.
The next day arrived with the unpleasant commencement of classes after a week off. Assignments and tests had become a distant memory. I awoke early and finished my paper on Marxist Socialism, the first paper I have written in English in my whole college career. It was pretty bad and I’m hoping he grades graciously.
As soon as class ended I had lunch and met up with Grant and Lizzie (a friend from Pitt). We headed off to Aberdeen, a floating fishing village. It was charming, a Chinese Venice. We saw people living on their boats and even got to film a lady chopping up live eels. The eel chopping was actually a rather nauseating picture because she had poor aim.
The best part of the day was less planned. On our way back we saw a sign for a youth center. The gate was locked and Grant decided to buzz them and ask for a tour. I thought he was crazy, but it worked. After a somewhat honey-coated speech about us researching community outreach centers the gate swung open. For the next hour we were able to tour the Ware House, an enrichment program for Hong Kong youth. They had a band studio, skate park, and gardens. Our guide, Kevin, explained that he taught hip hop at the center.