My new school is baptist, so I figured I had better get ready to teach my kids all about the word of my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Now this is just a general brainstorm, but let me know if you think that I'm on the right track:
The word of the Bible should be taken literally with no exceptions.
The only REAL Christianity is Catholicism.
No meat on the third Sabbath of every other February.
Every Baptist must be "baptized," in a ceremony called a "baptism." The ceremony occurs on or around a boy's 13th birthday (or a girl's 12th birthday) and celebrates the boy's passage into manhood. This is the first time that the boy or girl can read from the "Torah," which is a fancy word for the Christian Bible.
Sunday is Funday!
It's a sin to use condoms while having sex with students.
End with a Scientology joke to lighten things up after that last one.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Why Hong Kong Is Awesome Part 2
I've said this several times already, but there's air conditioning everywhere. Every room in our apartment has a window unit. Every store, restaurant, and bar has it. Giant entrance ways that have doors that are kept open are air conditioned. What's the big deal you ask? In case you haven't heard this, Todd Barry explains:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Movin' On Up
Exciting times are here in Hong Kong. A few updates:
1) Rob, Paul, and I moved into our new apartment yesterday. It's a three bedroom place in Jordan and it's pretty awesome. Unfortunately, the neighbor's internet that I'm stealing right now is a little slow, so some of the blog posts that I have in the works (such as the apartment tour) have to be put on hold until we get our own internet. So stay tuned.
2) Shmatteris done went and switched my school! Apparently, I reminded my boss a lot of a CNET who was in a different school last year, so they pulled the old switcharoo. There are good things about the switch (I don't have to teach the middle schoolers any more and I have more freedom to do what I want) and bad things about the switch (it's further away, I work longer hours, and it's a Baptist school). I met Mr. Ho, my teacher in charge at the new school, and he seemed pretty nice. More updates when I start on Tuesday.
I guess I only had two major updates.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Lantau Beach, Big Buddha
On Saturday, Future Roommate Rob and I went to the beach on Lantau Island.* Although Lantau is MTR accessible, Rob and I elected to take the 40 minute ferry ride. To our suprise and my overwhelming delight, it was air conditioned. Plus, the view was nice I guess.
To view a larger version of my face, just click on this (or any) of the images.
Inside the ferry.
The Ferry dropped us off in Mui Wo, seen below.
From Mui Wo, we hopped on an air conditioned bus that took us deeper into the island towards one of the beaches. When we got off the bus, I noted that this was the first time I'd been in a place that was quiet in about two weeks. It was nice.
Right off the bus
Walk to the beach
Beach during magic hour.
Wild cows by the beach
Just a hop, skip, and jump from the USA.
Rob with a wild cow in Ngong Ping
On the road to enlightenment
Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha
Mission Accomplished!
We had accidentally timed our trip so we would be able to see sunset from up at the monastery. Since it was closed, we improvised, climbing up a small hill. Although we missed the sunset by about 5 minutes, the view was still worth the climb.
Buddha in the background
Oh, hey Ngong Ping
From there, we took a bus to the MTR and headed back to Anne Black. Yaaayyy, we did it!
*Hong Kong geography may be confusing for those not living here, so I suggest taking a look at a map. Basically, Hong Kong comprises of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and Lantau Island. Kowloon and most of the New Territories are connected to Mainland China. Hong Kong Island is south of Kowloon, and Lantau is southwest of Kowloon. There are also several smaller islands, accessible via ferry.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
To view a larger version of my face, just click on this (or any) of the images.
Inside the ferry.The Ferry dropped us off in Mui Wo, seen below.
From Mui Wo, we hopped on an air conditioned bus that took us deeper into the island towards one of the beaches. When we got off the bus, I noted that this was the first time I'd been in a place that was quiet in about two weeks. It was nice.
Right off the bus
Walk to the beach
The beach was pretty beautiful.
Beach during magic hour.
Wild cows by the beach
After having some pretty awesome fish and chips (the fish was definitely fresh) at the seaside restaurant, Rob and I hopped on another bus. This one went to Ngong Ping, a town that the guidebook aptly describes as, "Disneyesque." (I described it as "faux Chinese.") Still, it's a pretty popular tourist destination, being home to the famous Big Buddha and all. Said Buddha is the world's largest sitting outdoor Buddha. I swear I'm not making that up.
We were expecting it to be pretty crowded, but when we arrived at around 6:30, Ngong Ping looked like a ghost town. Even 7-11 was closed. This is because access to the Buddha and Po Lin Monastery closes at 5:30. This also meant that we were unable to do the Walking With the Buddha exhibit, the Monkey's Tale Theater, visit Chopstick Palace, or stop in Railroad Construction City. Only one of the above is my own racist invention. Anyway, we still got a pretty good look at everything.
Village of Ngong Ping
We were expecting it to be pretty crowded, but when we arrived at around 6:30, Ngong Ping looked like a ghost town. Even 7-11 was closed. This is because access to the Buddha and Po Lin Monastery closes at 5:30. This also meant that we were unable to do the Walking With the Buddha exhibit, the Monkey's Tale Theater, visit Chopstick Palace, or stop in Railroad Construction City. Only one of the above is my own racist invention. Anyway, we still got a pretty good look at everything.
Village of Ngong Ping
Just a hop, skip, and jump from the USA.
Rob with a wild cow in Ngong Ping
On the road to enlightenment
Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha Buddha
Mission Accomplished!We had accidentally timed our trip so we would be able to see sunset from up at the monastery. Since it was closed, we improvised, climbing up a small hill. Although we missed the sunset by about 5 minutes, the view was still worth the climb.
Buddha in the background
Oh, hey Ngong Ping
From there, we took a bus to the MTR and headed back to Anne Black. Yaaayyy, we did it!
*Hong Kong geography may be confusing for those not living here, so I suggest taking a look at a map. Basically, Hong Kong comprises of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories, and Lantau Island. Kowloon and most of the New Territories are connected to Mainland China. Hong Kong Island is south of Kowloon, and Lantau is southwest of Kowloon. There are also several smaller islands, accessible via ferry.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hong Kong Work Time
Well, the party's over folks. Job training and flat* hunting have made my second week in Hong Kong very stressful and tiring. Let me be more specific.
On Monday, my fellow Shmatteris teachers and I began our formal job training. I, along with thirteen other CNETs, was placed in a secondary school. I'll be teaching S1-S6, which basically means 6th through 12th grade. So far, training has actually been a lot of fun. We arrive at a local secondary school at 9 AM every day. In the morning, our wonderful project manager Hannah teaches us about the "Shmatteris Approach" to education. Apparantley, said approach is one of fun and wonderment. We brainstorm ideas, learn some methodology, and demo activities for the afternoon. After a lunch break, a small group of local students arrive and we lead various games and exercises. Today, for instance, we turned the classroom into an "English Cafe," serving drinks and playing games with the kids.
It's the other part of the week that blows. We usually get out of school around 3:30, at which time Paul and I head to Mong Kok or Prince Edward or wherever, walk in to a random real estate office, and ask a suprisingly important question, "Do you speak English?" Usually, the answer is, "A little," which really means "no." At the beginning of the week, we had a couple of realators who didn't speak English show us flats. The main problem wa not being able to communicate to the agent what we liked and didn't't like about prospective apartments. For instance, we suspected a communication breakdown after an agent showed us a flat that was about the size of a small closet, filled with bugs, and had only one bedroom. Not being able to get an agent to understand that we have a strong preference for a place without an infestation was quite* frustrating.**
So that lasts until about nine o'clock at night. By that time, we've been on our feet since half twelve.* Justin, I know you work in an emergency room and are on your feet for twelve hours all the time, but you can stuff it. It's tiring. When we get back to the hotel after dinner, it's usually around 9:45. Time to check some email, and maybe write a blog post! Luckily, the internet shuts off at ten. So there goes that plan. At least the search is narrowing down. We looked at a promising three-bedroom place last night, and hope to settle the details with the landlord tonight. Once this week is over and the apartment situation is figured out, I can focus on realizing that I'm going to be a teacher and I have no idea what I'm doing.
*Silly-British-English-That-I-Use-Now to Real-English Conversion Table:
"Flat" = Apartment
"Quite = Very
"Half twelve" = half past twelve = 12:30
**A way to avoid the whole walking into random offices thing would be to go on Craigslist, but I can't do that for reasons I'll explain shortly.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
On Monday, my fellow Shmatteris teachers and I began our formal job training. I, along with thirteen other CNETs, was placed in a secondary school. I'll be teaching S1-S6, which basically means 6th through 12th grade. So far, training has actually been a lot of fun. We arrive at a local secondary school at 9 AM every day. In the morning, our wonderful project manager Hannah teaches us about the "Shmatteris Approach" to education. Apparantley, said approach is one of fun and wonderment. We brainstorm ideas, learn some methodology, and demo activities for the afternoon. After a lunch break, a small group of local students arrive and we lead various games and exercises. Today, for instance, we turned the classroom into an "English Cafe," serving drinks and playing games with the kids.
It's the other part of the week that blows. We usually get out of school around 3:30, at which time Paul and I head to Mong Kok or Prince Edward or wherever, walk in to a random real estate office, and ask a suprisingly important question, "Do you speak English?" Usually, the answer is, "A little," which really means "no." At the beginning of the week, we had a couple of realators who didn't speak English show us flats. The main problem wa not being able to communicate to the agent what we liked and didn't't like about prospective apartments. For instance, we suspected a communication breakdown after an agent showed us a flat that was about the size of a small closet, filled with bugs, and had only one bedroom. Not being able to get an agent to understand that we have a strong preference for a place without an infestation was quite* frustrating.**
So that lasts until about nine o'clock at night. By that time, we've been on our feet since half twelve.* Justin, I know you work in an emergency room and are on your feet for twelve hours all the time, but you can stuff it. It's tiring. When we get back to the hotel after dinner, it's usually around 9:45. Time to check some email, and maybe write a blog post! Luckily, the internet shuts off at ten. So there goes that plan. At least the search is narrowing down. We looked at a promising three-bedroom place last night, and hope to settle the details with the landlord tonight. Once this week is over and the apartment situation is figured out, I can focus on realizing that I'm going to be a teacher and I have no idea what I'm doing.
*Silly-British-English-That-I-Use-Now to Real-English Conversion Table:
"Flat" = Apartment
"Quite = Very
"Half twelve" = half past twelve = 12:30
**A way to avoid the whole walking into random offices thing would be to go on Craigslist, but I can't do that for reasons I'll explain shortly.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Titles For This Blog Thrown Out Due To Lack Of Availability, Racism, or Both
1. GoGoHongKong
2. GoGoChina
3. The Great White Threat
4. Go Ninja Go Ninja Go
5. Yellow Fever
6. Ninja Rap
7, Hong Kong Phooey
8. Vanilla Ice
2. GoGoChina
3. The Great White Threat
4. Go Ninja Go Ninja Go
5. Yellow Fever
6. Ninja Rap
7, Hong Kong Phooey
8. Vanilla Ice
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sightseeing
On Sunday, I decided to do me some 'sploring. Let's relive the journey together!
First, I hopped on the number 7 bus, getting off down by the harbor:
There were some cool buildings and a nice fountain:
After that, I hopped on the ferry. There was a nice view, I guess:
Next, I hopped on the MTR to head to Jardine's Crescent, an outdoor shopping market known for cheap bargains. My headphones were broken, so I bought new ones. It was incredibly crowded. I didn't take any pictures :(
From there, I paid a visit to Victoria Park, Hong Kong Island's largest public park. I DID take pictures!
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In the park, there was a pond for people to drive their model boats. Apparently, that's a popular hobby in Hong Kong. Anyway, I took a sweet video. Check it out:
Finally, I paid a visit to the Laughing Corner:
Woah! Look at the time! We need to get back to the Anne Black Guest House so I can do my prep for teacher training!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
First, I hopped on the number 7 bus, getting off down by the harbor:
There were some cool buildings and a nice fountain:
After that, I hopped on the ferry. There was a nice view, I guess:
Next, I hopped on the MTR to head to Jardine's Crescent, an outdoor shopping market known for cheap bargains. My headphones were broken, so I bought new ones. It was incredibly crowded. I didn't take any pictures :(
From there, I paid a visit to Victoria Park, Hong Kong Island's largest public park. I DID take pictures!
id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370533993745839314" border="0" />
In the park, there was a pond for people to drive their model boats. Apparently, that's a popular hobby in Hong Kong. Anyway, I took a sweet video. Check it out:
Finally, I paid a visit to the Laughing Corner:
Woah! Look at the time! We need to get back to the Anne Black Guest House so I can do my prep for teacher training!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A Few Thoughts On The Chinese Police (Camp, Part II)
The Chinese (or at least their government) take crime very, very, VERY seriously. Allow me to explain.
During our two days of fun and wonderment at the magical Chinese summer camp, a girl from my program had her bag stolen. It contained her money, credit cards, underpants, etc. Shmatteris called the police. Police said, "We'll see what we can do." In the US, the previous sentence would probably be spoken to the victim in a tone that implies, "What the *** do you want me to do about it?" and that would be the end of things. Not in China.
Hong Kong police sent nothing short of a task force. I counted not one, but TWO detectives and THREE additional support officers. They reviewed security footage, conducted interviews, and even closed the "crime scene" for several hours (read: the girls couldn't go to their rooms). Then, they called the girls back to the scene of the crime for an additional search. Since she was staying with eleven other Shmatteris CNETs, this included going through everyone's personal belongings. After they finished, the police made the poor girl go through her roommate's stuff one by one to make sure that they didn't miss anything. Guess what? They didn't find the bag! Can you believe it?! The police, not nearly finished, summoned us to the ping pong area--remember, this is a summer camp--and made us line up by room.
The Lead Inspector informed us that he wanted to look through our rooms just in case someone took the purse by mistake. The way he said "mistake" made me believe that he really meant "on purpose." He asked if we had any objections. I had a few, but decided not to raise them. The Police Task Force took each room, one at a time, and repeated the process described above.*
Just a quick reminder: her purse was stolen. There wasn't a murder.
I'm not completely sure what to make of this. On the one hand, why is it a bad thing to take crime seriously? If I had been inclined to commit a crime before, my experience with the police at the camp would definitely have squelched it. After all, if they take a missing purse so seriously, imagine how they'd react to a larger crime. On the other hand, the whole affair was fairly ridiculous. It certainly seems like everyone was put through an awful lot of trouble and inconvenience for what amounts to a very small and ultimately meaningless act. Furthermore, the police response was immediate, fierce, and pretty frightening.
At the very least, my time at the camp probably presented a very strong indicator of how things work in China. I haven't quite wrapped my head around it all yet, but maybe in a few weeks or months it'll make more sense to me. Pictures are coming (internet has been too slow to upload more than one at a time), as well as school placement info.
*My room was not searched, probably due to an oversight. I was in quarantine and staying with just my mentor Adam, so we were not part of the large group room checks. This was a huge oversight on their part, considering I have one more purse now than I did two days ago...**
**In case China is reading this blog, I was joking just now.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
During our two days of fun and wonderment at the magical Chinese summer camp, a girl from my program had her bag stolen. It contained her money, credit cards, underpants, etc. Shmatteris called the police. Police said, "We'll see what we can do." In the US, the previous sentence would probably be spoken to the victim in a tone that implies, "What the *** do you want me to do about it?" and that would be the end of things. Not in China.
Hong Kong police sent nothing short of a task force. I counted not one, but TWO detectives and THREE additional support officers. They reviewed security footage, conducted interviews, and even closed the "crime scene" for several hours (read: the girls couldn't go to their rooms). Then, they called the girls back to the scene of the crime for an additional search. Since she was staying with eleven other Shmatteris CNETs, this included going through everyone's personal belongings. After they finished, the police made the poor girl go through her roommate's stuff one by one to make sure that they didn't miss anything. Guess what? They didn't find the bag! Can you believe it?! The police, not nearly finished, summoned us to the ping pong area--remember, this is a summer camp--and made us line up by room.
The Lead Inspector informed us that he wanted to look through our rooms just in case someone took the purse by mistake. The way he said "mistake" made me believe that he really meant "on purpose." He asked if we had any objections. I had a few, but decided not to raise them. The Police Task Force took each room, one at a time, and repeated the process described above.*
Just a quick reminder: her purse was stolen. There wasn't a murder.
I'm not completely sure what to make of this. On the one hand, why is it a bad thing to take crime seriously? If I had been inclined to commit a crime before, my experience with the police at the camp would definitely have squelched it. After all, if they take a missing purse so seriously, imagine how they'd react to a larger crime. On the other hand, the whole affair was fairly ridiculous. It certainly seems like everyone was put through an awful lot of trouble and inconvenience for what amounts to a very small and ultimately meaningless act. Furthermore, the police response was immediate, fierce, and pretty frightening.
At the very least, my time at the camp probably presented a very strong indicator of how things work in China. I haven't quite wrapped my head around it all yet, but maybe in a few weeks or months it'll make more sense to me. Pictures are coming (internet has been too slow to upload more than one at a time), as well as school placement info.
*My room was not searched, probably due to an oversight. I was in quarantine and staying with just my mentor Adam, so we were not part of the large group room checks. This was a huge oversight on their part, considering I have one more purse now than I did two days ago...**
**In case China is reading this blog, I was joking just now.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Friday, August 14, 2009
My School
Hey guys, they gave me a school! I'll be teaching at Queen's College Old Boys' Association Secondary School. In Yankee English, that means I'll be teaching at a co-ed high school. It's located in Tsing-Yi, a small island in between Kowloon and Lantau. It's classified as part of the New Territories. Unlike most of the New Territories, however, it's accessible by MTR (subway). I'm pretty happy with this placement. I requested to work in a high school and the QCOBASC seems fairly accessible. I made a little map to make things easier for you guys (click on the map to find out what those fancy markers mean):
View Larger Map
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
View Larger Map
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Hong Kong at Night
A couple of days a go, we went to the harbor for the evening light show. It holds the Guinness world record for longest running nightly light show or something. Anyway, it was pretty cool and the view was amazing. These pictures are from the southern point of Kowloon looking onto Hong Kong Island:
Under The Weather
Well, getting sick in China sucks.
As part of our training, Shmatteris (I found out that my contract forbids me from using my company's real name in any "outside media outlets) took us on a retreat to a summer camp in the New Territories up north.* We were promised two days of team building, activities, outdoor adventures, etc. I was really looking forward to it, but shortly after we arrived, I began to feel under the weather (BLOG POST TITLE ALERT!!!!).
I started sneezing constantly, developed a sore throat, and felt just crappy in general. These are three of the main early indicators that one could be coming down with Swine Flu. Shmatteris told us to let them know if we were feeling ill so they could isolate us and prevent Swine Flu from spreading. Due to an intense fear of being placed in Chinese quarantine, however, I didn't want to say anything. But as I continued to sneeze and failed to get better, I noticed my fellow trainees noticing me, so to speak. I realized that if I didn't say something, someone on leadership probably would. So, like a good little CNET, I told my bosses that I was feeling sick.
My mom is probably reading this and saying out loud to no one in particular, "I TOLD HIM OVER AND OVER THAT HE SHOULD GET THE FLU STUFF BEFORE HE LEFT AND HE DIDN'T LISTEN." Well mom, here's the the thing: I didn't have Swine Flu.**
I could go on a rant about how as of yet, there's really no difference between Swine Flu and other strains of flu other than its rapid spread. And while I'd be right, I think the bigger problem is that people in China seem to forget that it's possible to get sick and not have Swine Flu. One could argue that preventing this disease from spreading is a good thing, but I think that maybe China's gone a little overboard.
By quarantining people with even slight indicators of carrying N1H1, China has created fear where none is necessary. You get sick, it lasts a couple of days, then you get better. It's kind of like getting the flu. But people are terrified of getting quarantined, so they become terrified of getting ill. What's worse, this fear of quarantine prevents people from taking preventative actions such as seeing the doctor.*** Why? Even though I probably only needed a little amoxicillin, my director told me that if she took me to the doctor, I'd most likely be taken into quarantine. Great.
So what happened? Shmatteris moved me from the bunk I was staying in with nine other guys into a smaller, moldier, isolated room. I had to wear my mask at all times (This really sucks. I kept breathing in the same hot, smelly, diseased air over and over again.) I wasn't allowed to touch the big plates of food; it had to be served to me. I needed to have my temperature checked three times a day. I didn't go to the doctor and eventually got better, but I spent the two days fairly isolated from the group during the time we're all supposed to be getting to know one another. Also, the food sucked and I got bit by about thirty different bugs.
Me, in my mask back when I still thought it was funny (not at camp)
In conclusion, camp was sooooo much fun! I had the best time ever you guyz!!!!
*The New Territories are considered part of Hong Kong, but they're mostly connected to mainland China.
**My illness had something to do with any combination of jetlag, the poor air quality, the entire camp being built on a mountain of mold,**** and coming down with a minor bug.
***Granted, I'm can only really speak for myself, but I like to think of myself as your typical Joe Chinaman. I thus believe my feelings to be fairly universal.
****Seriously, look at the mold in the bathroom. They don't have drains in the floor! Water just stays there. Throw in the humidity, and you have a perfect breeding ground for mold, insects and disease. This is bad news for someone with allergies.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
As part of our training, Shmatteris (I found out that my contract forbids me from using my company's real name in any "outside media outlets) took us on a retreat to a summer camp in the New Territories up north.* We were promised two days of team building, activities, outdoor adventures, etc. I was really looking forward to it, but shortly after we arrived, I began to feel under the weather (BLOG POST TITLE ALERT!!!!).
I started sneezing constantly, developed a sore throat, and felt just crappy in general. These are three of the main early indicators that one could be coming down with Swine Flu. Shmatteris told us to let them know if we were feeling ill so they could isolate us and prevent Swine Flu from spreading. Due to an intense fear of being placed in Chinese quarantine, however, I didn't want to say anything. But as I continued to sneeze and failed to get better, I noticed my fellow trainees noticing me, so to speak. I realized that if I didn't say something, someone on leadership probably would. So, like a good little CNET, I told my bosses that I was feeling sick.
My mom is probably reading this and saying out loud to no one in particular, "I TOLD HIM OVER AND OVER THAT HE SHOULD GET THE FLU STUFF BEFORE HE LEFT AND HE DIDN'T LISTEN." Well mom, here's the the thing: I didn't have Swine Flu.**
I could go on a rant about how as of yet, there's really no difference between Swine Flu and other strains of flu other than its rapid spread. And while I'd be right, I think the bigger problem is that people in China seem to forget that it's possible to get sick and not have Swine Flu. One could argue that preventing this disease from spreading is a good thing, but I think that maybe China's gone a little overboard.
By quarantining people with even slight indicators of carrying N1H1, China has created fear where none is necessary. You get sick, it lasts a couple of days, then you get better. It's kind of like getting the flu. But people are terrified of getting quarantined, so they become terrified of getting ill. What's worse, this fear of quarantine prevents people from taking preventative actions such as seeing the doctor.*** Why? Even though I probably only needed a little amoxicillin, my director told me that if she took me to the doctor, I'd most likely be taken into quarantine. Great.
So what happened? Shmatteris moved me from the bunk I was staying in with nine other guys into a smaller, moldier, isolated room. I had to wear my mask at all times (This really sucks. I kept breathing in the same hot, smelly, diseased air over and over again.) I wasn't allowed to touch the big plates of food; it had to be served to me. I needed to have my temperature checked three times a day. I didn't go to the doctor and eventually got better, but I spent the two days fairly isolated from the group during the time we're all supposed to be getting to know one another. Also, the food sucked and I got bit by about thirty different bugs.
Me, in my mask back when I still thought it was funny (not at camp)In conclusion, camp was sooooo much fun! I had the best time ever you guyz!!!!
*The New Territories are considered part of Hong Kong, but they're mostly connected to mainland China.
**My illness had something to do with any combination of jetlag, the poor air quality, the entire camp being built on a mountain of mold,**** and coming down with a minor bug.
***Granted, I'm can only really speak for myself, but I like to think of myself as your typical Joe Chinaman. I thus believe my feelings to be fairly universal.
****Seriously, look at the mold in the bathroom. They don't have drains in the floor! Water just stays there. Throw in the humidity, and you have a perfect breeding ground for mold, insects and disease. This is bad news for someone with allergies.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Camp Retreat
Quick update: Pictures are coming, as are more thoughts on orientation. Hopefully I'll get Twitter up on the blog soon as well.
As part of training, Chatteris is taking us to a camp in the New Territories. I'll be gone for about two days, with no internet or cell phone.
So byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
As part of training, Chatteris is taking us to a camp in the New Territories. I'll be gone for about two days, with no internet or cell phone.
So byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Day 2- Meeting the CNETs, Riding the MTR, etc.
I got to meet most of the other CNETs today. There are close to sixty of us. Twenty are from the US, two from Canada, and I think all the rest are from the UK. I met people from Philly, Boston, New York, Seattle, Detroit, places in England, Vancouver, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, and more! But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something much, much more important.
Air conditioning.
That's right. It gets its own paragraph. Everywhere in Hong Kong is air conditioned. This is great, considering it's always around 88 degrees with humidity over 85%. My hotel room is air conditioned. I've been told my apartment will be air conditioned. Subway stops are air conditioned. I'm not ready to give all of the credit to communism, but I think it definitely plays a large part.
The other big thing today was opening our bank accounts and getting our Hong Kong ID cards. The latter was a complete nightmare. We waited in various lines for a total of roughly two hours to fill out about 6 minutes worth of paper work. To make matters worse, the Chinese Government now has a photo of me and my fingerprints. In case they're reading this blog, my name is Justin Steinberg.
Our PM staff left us on our own to find our way back from the Immigration Office. About six of us were together, and even though we didn't have to make any turns after getting off the MTR, we had no idea which way to go. Eventually, I got us headed in the right direction. For anyone who has ever travelled with me, this is not a good thing. I should not be the one figuring out the right way to go. I told everyone to mark their calendars, because this will not happen again.
One final note: As I begin to get busier, these daily recaps will start to go away. I plan on shifting more towards commentary as my trip continues. Questions? Comments? Let me know!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Air conditioning.
That's right. It gets its own paragraph. Everywhere in Hong Kong is air conditioned. This is great, considering it's always around 88 degrees with humidity over 85%. My hotel room is air conditioned. I've been told my apartment will be air conditioned. Subway stops are air conditioned. I'm not ready to give all of the credit to communism, but I think it definitely plays a large part.
The other big thing today was opening our bank accounts and getting our Hong Kong ID cards. The latter was a complete nightmare. We waited in various lines for a total of roughly two hours to fill out about 6 minutes worth of paper work. To make matters worse, the Chinese Government now has a photo of me and my fingerprints. In case they're reading this blog, my name is Justin Steinberg.
Our PM staff left us on our own to find our way back from the Immigration Office. About six of us were together, and even though we didn't have to make any turns after getting off the MTR, we had no idea which way to go. Eventually, I got us headed in the right direction. For anyone who has ever travelled with me, this is not a good thing. I should not be the one figuring out the right way to go. I told everyone to mark their calendars, because this will not happen again.
One final note: As I begin to get busier, these daily recaps will start to go away. I plan on shifting more towards commentary as my trip continues. Questions? Comments? Let me know!
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Things I expect to be cheaper in Hong Kong than in the US
1) Clothing
2) Electronics
3) Food
4) #2 Pencils
5) Mechanical Pencils
6) Other types of Pencils
2) Electronics
3) Food
4) #2 Pencils
5) Mechanical Pencils
6) Other types of Pencils
Arrival
Sorry, had to get that one out of the way.
Anyhoo, I'm going to be living/working in Hong Kong for the next 10 months so I figured I might as well do another one of these travel blogs. Justin's not here this time because he's an IDIOT, so I'll be flying solo on this blog. That said, I will still be taking potshots at Justin as often as possible. If his grandparents are reading this, I hope they get upset. I'll be teaching English, but I won't find out where or who until Friday, so more info as I get it.
Getting to Hong Kong is really easy! All you do is drive to the Newark airport, get on a plane, and 16 hours later you're practically there! I flew Continental and they had a great selection of movies (over 200!), plus the seat next to me was empty, so no complaints there. I will say this about a 16 hour flight: It's opressively long. For example, I watched Pirates of the Carribean, an episode of The Simpsons, read for a while, then decided I should get some rest. My parents gave me some sleeping stuff, so I took a pill and fell asleep within the first 10 minutes of Singing in the Rain. When I woke up, I was completely refreshed. I looked at the map to see how long until we landed. We were still 8 hours away.
When we touched the ground, I went through customs (pretty painless), and a couple people from Chatteris were waiting to pick me up. It turns out that there are two other CNETs (Chatteris Native English-Speaking Tutors) from Philly, one of whom (John) was on my flight. The Chatteris folk then assisted us in getting our Octopus Cards. "Wow, an Octopus Card sounds like the greatest thing ever created," you're surely thinking. Well, they're not number one--air conditioning, or as the Brits say, "air con" is--but they're definitely in the top ten. An Octopus Card is basically metro cards on steroids. Not only are they accepted on the MTR (subway) and bus systems, but one can also use them at almost every store. I've already bought not one, but two bottles of water using my Octopus Card.
After Octopus rocked my world, we hopped on a double decker bus and headed to Kowloon, the island north of Hong Kong Island where I'll be staying for the duration of training. FYI: So far my impression that Hong Kong is that it's sort of like New York, only every burrough is Manhattan. Kowloon, therefore, is like Manhattan. After checking into our rooms, John and I went to a local pub where we had a couple of beers (Blue Ladies) and played some darts with a couple other CNETs who wandered in.
One thing I failed to mention- everyone wears surgical masks to prevent the spread of Swine Flu. Almost all of the airport workers had them on, as did the Chatteris representatives. Upon our arrival at the Anne Black Guest House, we were asked to put on masks ourselves as a precautionary measure. It was definitely a little strange meeting people while wearing a surgical mask that may or may not actually do anything. We've been told that as long as we're asymptomatic, we can keep the masks off for the rest of training.
By the time we got back from the pub, it was about 12:30 AM Monday night. I took off at 4:00 PM on Sunday afternoon. I went into my room, met my roommate Joe, talked to him for a bit, then passed the **** out. More to come later this week, including CNET profiles, impressions of Hong Kong, and pictures.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Anyhoo, I'm going to be living/working in Hong Kong for the next 10 months so I figured I might as well do another one of these travel blogs. Justin's not here this time because he's an IDIOT, so I'll be flying solo on this blog. That said, I will still be taking potshots at Justin as often as possible. If his grandparents are reading this, I hope they get upset. I'll be teaching English, but I won't find out where or who until Friday, so more info as I get it.
Getting to Hong Kong is really easy! All you do is drive to the Newark airport, get on a plane, and 16 hours later you're practically there! I flew Continental and they had a great selection of movies (over 200!), plus the seat next to me was empty, so no complaints there. I will say this about a 16 hour flight: It's opressively long. For example, I watched Pirates of the Carribean, an episode of The Simpsons, read for a while, then decided I should get some rest. My parents gave me some sleeping stuff, so I took a pill and fell asleep within the first 10 minutes of Singing in the Rain. When I woke up, I was completely refreshed. I looked at the map to see how long until we landed. We were still 8 hours away.
When we touched the ground, I went through customs (pretty painless), and a couple people from Chatteris were waiting to pick me up. It turns out that there are two other CNETs (Chatteris Native English-Speaking Tutors) from Philly, one of whom (John) was on my flight. The Chatteris folk then assisted us in getting our Octopus Cards. "Wow, an Octopus Card sounds like the greatest thing ever created," you're surely thinking. Well, they're not number one--air conditioning, or as the Brits say, "air con" is--but they're definitely in the top ten. An Octopus Card is basically metro cards on steroids. Not only are they accepted on the MTR (subway) and bus systems, but one can also use them at almost every store. I've already bought not one, but two bottles of water using my Octopus Card.
After Octopus rocked my world, we hopped on a double decker bus and headed to Kowloon, the island north of Hong Kong Island where I'll be staying for the duration of training. FYI: So far my impression that Hong Kong is that it's sort of like New York, only every burrough is Manhattan. Kowloon, therefore, is like Manhattan. After checking into our rooms, John and I went to a local pub where we had a couple of beers (Blue Ladies) and played some darts with a couple other CNETs who wandered in.
One thing I failed to mention- everyone wears surgical masks to prevent the spread of Swine Flu. Almost all of the airport workers had them on, as did the Chatteris representatives. Upon our arrival at the Anne Black Guest House, we were asked to put on masks ourselves as a precautionary measure. It was definitely a little strange meeting people while wearing a surgical mask that may or may not actually do anything. We've been told that as long as we're asymptomatic, we can keep the masks off for the rest of training.
By the time we got back from the pub, it was about 12:30 AM Monday night. I took off at 4:00 PM on Sunday afternoon. I went into my room, met my roommate Joe, talked to him for a bit, then passed the **** out. More to come later this week, including CNET profiles, impressions of Hong Kong, and pictures.
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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