Cantonese 101 (or rather...201)

So last week I decided that Cantonese 101 was too easy for me...and it was boring me. That, and the sinsaang (teacher) convinced me to go to intermediate bc they needed students.

So I was sitting in class and I asked Cream (she likes icecream, so she picked her English name to be Cream) how to say what I want when it comes to getting a haircut:

layered: seui keuih (colloquial term)/chahng chi (more formal term)
uneven bangs: seui yam
sideburns (for the guys): dik seui

AND, I learned some colloquial Canto:

yauh gon seui: play mahjong <-- the literal translation means "swim (yauh) dry (gon) water (seui)" -- bc when you play mahjong, to "shuffle" the tiles, you make a motion like you're swimming

sik gai daan: get a zero (on an assignment) <-- literal translation means "eat (sik) chicken (gai) egg (daan)" but it means to get a zero on a HW assignment...bc the shape of an egg looks like a zero :-p

fai lou: to fail <-- literal translation means "fat (fai) man (lou)" but it means to fail a class; get an F

jyu pah: ugly girl <- in referring to food in Cantonese, it means porkchop (jyu means pig) but if you're talking about a girl and you think she's ugly, you call her a porkchop :-p

ngauh pah: ugly guy <- same as jyu pah but it refers to an ugly guy (ngauh means cow/beef)



IDIOMS: Chinese people love idioms (or proverbs). Here are a couple:

sin fu hauh tihm - means first you experience something horrible when doing it but after doing it, you feel better. "fu" means bitter and "tihm" means sweet. and "hauh" means something like after
EX: you don't like to study (or the act of studying is so horrible/bitter) but after doing it, you feel better that you got work done (a "sweet" feeling)

The other way around works too:
sin tihm hauh fu - means that you get what you want, but after getting it, you don't feel so good about yourself

jo yih yahp yauh yih cheut - literal translation means "left (jo) ear (yih) enter (yahp) right (yauh) ear (yih) exit (cheut)"; it's like saying "in one ear, out the other" - like you never listen
***My dad says that one to me alot :-)


Romanization is hard. I haven't yet figured out how to put the accent marks using the computer....OH, and Cantonese used to have 9 tones, but there are only 6 taught now


I was researching stuff for my imaginary travel paper to India (for one of my classes). I got distracted by the news @ www.chinadaily.com.cn

http://english.cri.cn/2946/2008/01/24/189@317176.htm (hits close to "home")
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-01/24/content_6417023.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-01/24/content_6417048.htm (**btw, the Olympic mascots are adorable! I took a picture with one hehe)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/24/content_6418454.htm

Insomnia

It's 2:30am. I think I drank too much tea! I am feeling WAYYY better than I did last week. I think I'm officially over my cold :-) I have class at 10:30 am...I might skip it if I don't wake up in time! haha

Nothing new really happened since the last time I wrote. I guess that means I'm settling in? I did walk around Causeway Bay with one of my friends. Causeway Bay is on the HK side...near Central. It's a touristy area, so everything there is more expensive than usual. We did eat at this place well-known for their desserts. It's pretty cheap actually for the amount you get. I don't really know how to write in English what we ordered. But it was delicious :-)

oh and Causeway Bay has no meat market (at least that's what who we asked said)! How lame.

I stumbled upon the meat market and open market in Shatin (about time!). There's really nothing to do in Shatin (which is the area where I stay) except for the Newtown Plaza mall...and a temple. But the meat market was disgusting...as usual. If you ever find yourself in HK and you visit a meat market, be sure to roll up the pants leg or you'll be soaked in juices. yum.

Meat market = hanging dead animals. You can actually put the pieces together that are hanging and make a whole animal. They have everything - pig, cow, duck, goose...etc. Tasty, eh?

I've decided I'm staying in Hong Kong for Chinese New Years. Everyone I know is traveling - to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. BUT, I'd rather not go during Chinese New Years because it's so busy...and expensive. Besides, I want to actually stay in China to experience Chinese New Years (too bad firecrackers are illegal in HK now!). Apparently, the tradition is to walk down "Flower Street" in Mong Kok on Chinese New Years. I'm really really excited to see the Lion Dance :-p

Oh, and it's Year of the Rat. And they made the rodent look so adorable, it rivals Ratatouille

It's almost 3am. Goodnight!

blahkkkkkk....

I woke up today with a slight sore throat - yuck. Starting from 7:00am (i know!) till now, I've been drinking tons of tea. I actually fell asleep in my Biology class (go figure.) for a good hour and fifteen minutes. The rest of the hour and fifteen, I just doodled.

I can't seem to get my classes in order. I guess a part of it is because I'm so indecisive since all the classes are interesting to me, and another is because I have to keep making sure the classes that I do take will transfer over to VCU. urg.

For my SEA history class, I have to watch a movie and critique it. Not just any movie, but one with some sort of relevance to SEA. I was thinking The Killing Fields (about the Khmer Rouge) but...I already saw that. I think I might rent Anna and the King just because it has Yun-Fat Chow in it :-)

I guess I should get at least some work done. In the past 4 hours since my last class (it ended at noon), I've been very unproductive. I had a whole To-Do list and I only did...2 things.

back to my childhood!!!

Today was Disney day :-) I went to Disneyland in Hong Kong with a few friends of mine. Ann knew a friend who worked at Disneyland as a dancer and got us free tickets! It was a fun day - and might I add, Disneyland is quite small (the smallest in the world) in Hong Kong. And the rides were okay...more like kiddie rides but there were no lines and we had all day to ride them. LoL

The shows are much better. We saw the Lion King show (of course) and some other ones. They are only 15 mins long so they were quick. I think it's good to at least go to Disneyland in Hong Kong at least once...just to experience the magic (however small it is) :-)

It took me back to my childhood and really made me want to watch all the Disney movie classics!! Too bad I haven't seen a TV on campus yet...no joke, I have not watched TV at all since I've been in Hong Kong.

Here are some highlights:


Buzz Lightyear was drunk...or at least he sure acted like it! He elbowed Ann in the arm when he was changing his pose...
Donald Duck! I always wonder how much these Disney characters get paid...
Sleeping Beauty's castle right before the fireworks. The fireworks show was just like any other fireworks show you would see on Fourth of July...except themed with Disney songs

This was on the train to Disneyland. The seats were like cushions and the walls were lined with Mickey Mouse shaped-heads. And the handle bars to hold when standing were Mickey shaped as well. What a cute train.
The mouse of the hour! He must be worth millions :-p

Goofy was the funniest (I wonder why?) And he was tall...
The stage for the Chinese New Years show. It starts Jan 22 till Feb 24...Ann's friend will be in it!





Here are the walls on the train (subway) that I was talking about earlier. And they have little statues, like the one of Tinkerbell, along the walls as well.









One of the banners on the stage for the Chinese New Years Performance. Since next year will be the Year of the Rat, they have made thi their logo. I think it's rather creative, don't you? (bc they made the chinese character look like Mickey)


PS: I learned how they pronounce all the DISNEY characters in Cantonese! And....Mickey Mouse sounds pretty amusing in Cantonese vs. in English :-p

Week 2...of classes

Yesterday I finally decided to go to the library and get some work done. It's hard to tell whether or not I actually have work because there are no assigned readings in most of my classes. But I figured I should at least see the library :-)

There are a few libraries on campus. The one on my campus (New Asia library) is quite small and the selection is only catered towards Philosophy and Putonghua books. The University Library on the Central campus is bigger and has everything from Hong Kong studies to Overseas Chinese literature. I ended up checking out 7 books (which is the most that I've checked out in college...ever):

China and the ASEAN States
Ethnic Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia
South-East Asia from Colonialism to Independence
China: Global Studies
Changing Identities of the Southeast Asian Chinese since World War II
Chinese of Southeast Asia: The Ethnic Dimension
Southeast Asian Chinese and China: The Politico-Economic Dimension

OF course, they're all catered towards my Southeast Asian history class and my Asian Comparative Politics class. I actually bought my Genetics textbook today and it was only USD 35! How cheap. AND it was new.

MY history class today was completely lecture-driven. She talked for 1.5 hours...straight. It was interesting learning about colonial SEA and how it became independent. I actually like this class because 1. I'm learning about something I don't know and 2. it's practically independent study. All I have to do is find a topic to write a 12 page paper on - kind of like Eng 200 without all that mess of easy quizzes and research proposals.

My first real Cantonese class was today - 3 hours of straight Canto. I haven't FORMALLY learned Cantonese before (What I know is from speaking with family), so it's quite interesting to know WHY the things I say in Cantonese are the things I say. Does that make sense? I hope so.

Even though it's completely conversational, our teacher (sihnsaang) writes some of the Canto words with the Chinese characters, so I copy them down. I'm trying to teach myself how to write Chinese. This Canto class teaches some of the stuff I know, but I've really forgotten some of my vocabulary so it keeps me entertained. Plus, I've never learned the rudimentary system of writing Cantonese before or the 9 tones in Cantonese, so it's new stuff to me. I should've been enrolled in Chinese school! haha... or not. I hear horror stories from my new friends from California who have actually been to Chinese school (apparently, it's not fun).

The sihnsaang is really funny. Of course, she taught us the foul language first (ie: pimp, prostitute, among others...) and then the basic stuff like My name is _____. Stuff I already know, but it's still fun to watch others learn. She told me that she will teach colloquial Canto to those who already know the basics, so I'm excited about that.

I got bored last night while I was reading for my comparative politics class...so I found this to entertain myself:

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=A7eVJN8S1AU

South Park in Canto. teehee


I've decided that I want to see more of Hong Kong than just the bars, strip clubs, malls, and markets. That is what pretty much defines HK, but I want to see the sights too. I've compiled a list of sights to see while in HK for the next 5 months; I might add later:

Kowloon walled city
Tung Ping Chau
Tapman (another island)
nearby islands like Lamma Island and Ping Chau and Cheung Chau
Lantau island (it's just an airport I think...but whatever)
Shenzhen (at the edge of HK, off Lo Wu)
Hung Hom to Apleichau
...let's see where that takes me :-)

And some places outside of HK:
Guangzhou
Zhuhai (newly developed town in Southern China)
Taipei, Taiwan
Beijing (I've heard it's changed a lot since I've been in 2000)

There is a Teaching in China and a Teaching Hong Kong program that the OAL/IASP office is holding for exchange students. Basically you go to rural parts of either HK or Guangzhou to teach English or Mandarin to little kiddies. It will give me a chance to interact with real HK/Mainland kids; sounds like fun, eh?

OF course, somewhere in between will be studying and writing papers. I'm hoping to get my final paper ideas done by the end of this week in both my SEA history and comparative politics classes. I want to finish my papers early.

Just so you know, I DO study. Don't get the wrong idea that it's just fun and games!!! haha
No one wants to hear about my studying! That's so boring to read about :-p

Wow

So much has happened since the last time I blogged. My SIM card ran out of money so if you were trying to call me...sorry! I just filled it up now so call away!

Thursday (10/1) was a momentous occasion - I bonded with my roomie! She showed me how to use the laundry facilities at my hostel. It's quite neat actually. There's a microchip on my CUHK student ID card and I can use a machine to input however much money I need to use the laundry machines (I put in HKD 100). Each washing machine and dryer has their specific computer system and you just insert the card that corresponds to the correct machine, press the button to start the machine, and then remove your card. NO MORE QUARTERS! I think VCU should have a system like this - it's very efficient, in my opinion.

HK is really efficient city actually. The mass transit system (and the subway system) is 100 times more effective (and cleaner) than that of New York. This is my best friend in HK - It's called an Octopus card. It has a microchip inside that stores money (similar to a debit card, but with no magnet on the back). You just swipe on the pad and it deducts money from the card and that's how you pay the fare to use the subway. I use it everywhere besides the MTR and KCR (Kowloon-Canton Railway); I use it at 7-11 and even the vending machines on campus. Nifty, huh?



I meant for the weekend to be a relaxing one spent at CU...but apparently that was not the case. Ann called me and asked if I wanted to go to Macau with some HK residents that have studied abroad ....sure. They do a lot of stuff with International students, so I guess that's why they're friendly towards Western people (teehee).

The ride to Macau USUALLY takes 1 hour...45 mins even. but of course, we decided to go to Macau on the foggiest day ever. It took us a total of 5 hours in traveling time from when we left CU to when we arrived at the ferry terminal in Macau. We arrived at night so of course, it was the sketchiest of the sketch walking the streets. Here are some highlights in no particular order:

Inside the Venetian. It's supposedly the biggest casino in the world. We each put in 100 and came out with 600 :-) Slots are not my thing...

HUGE Gold Lion in front of the MGM Grand. I think we should have stayed here for the night!

Inside the Venetian. Very pretty.

This is me in front of the Ruins of St. Paul. Very beautiful architecture!

This is actually INSIDE a bathroom stall. Usually...a sink is outside the stall, but I found it rather odd. and it was cramped....

Overview of Macau atop the Ruins of St. Paul

Street markets are the best in Asia. And Portuguese egg tarts are definitely better tasting than Hong Kong egg tarts!

The casinos are what Macau is known for.

I have a lot more to write...but no patience to write it. I am actually quite tired. Our ferry to Kowloon from Macau arrived at 7 pm and we had to take the KCR back to campus. Must-see places to visit in Macau/Taipai that we've been to include:

Senado Square (which is where our "hotel" was conveniently located near)
Ruins of St. Paul
Taipai village
"Food street" - aka Ruo de Cuhna
Macau Stadium
The Venetian
Various street markets


Oh, and Portuguese egg tarts are to die for

PS: the very first picture is in Taipai. Now I can say I rode a dragon :-)

too much soymilk

"Humans have 46 chromosomes. True or False?"

The question above is just an example of some of the questions the professor asked in my genetics class. Apparently, no one knew the answer (I'm hoping they did know, just didn't want to speak up in class). I was so bored in genetics today that I actually started writing my term paper for my history and comparative politics class. I'm hoping that this is just a review...because if this is how the class will be, I will definitely be bored to death the entire semester. But who am I to complain about less work? Too bad attendance counts 20% of my grade (no joke, 20% - and all you have to do is sign a piece of paper).

I just downed a whole carton of Vitasoy. MMMMM.....soymilk + vitamin D2 and calcium :-)
Juice boxes are also a big thing around here - and there's every flavor imaginable, like Mango, apple, chrysanthemum, lichee, and even lemon-pear Nestle. The pear one tastes interesting....
If you have coins, you can take juice boxes out of the vending machine and there are hardly any sodas around.

I'm finding that I'm actually learning Chinese characters by recognition. I actually just realized that my name that I've been taught in Chinese is just my first name. How do you write "Wong?" Is it the one meaning yellow? I seriously don't know - I would appreciate it if someone (ehhem - dad) would email me about that....

The difference between nice and friendly

As I was climbing the millions of steps it takes for me to get the closest shuttle stop, I was thinking about how rude local students can be.

In my history class, students will talk to each other while the professor is lecturing. And I don't mean just a few of the students; mostly every clique that is there will have their own conversation. It strikes me odd that a culture so bent on being polite to elders would have no tact in regards to respecting their professor.

Local students can be nice, but they aren't necessarily the friendliest people. If you say hi, they might say hi back to you; but that is as far as their nice-ness will go. I feel that if I sat next to a local HK student in my class, she will ignore me for the entire semester.

It seems that students here don't take their studies very seriously, which is the complete opposite to how I thought studying at a non-American university would be. I can't help but compare to American students because that is what I know and grew up with...I know I should stop comparing and take it all in stride, but sometimes it annoys me how contradictory Chinese society can be.

1st day of class.

So, classes started today. Surprisingly, I was not as excited about today as I thought I would be. The curriculum is quite different from VCU - but not drastically different. I've only been to two classes. My history class about Southeast Asia seems to be less demanding than I had originally anticipated. My professor is from Japan and she's actually quite adorable. We have 3 types of evaluations that will determine our grade for the semester: class attendance (20%), term paper (40%), and tutorials (40%). Tutorials are equivalent to recitation, but for this particular class, we only have to go to four tutorials and each tutorial is a presentation topic about Southeast Asia. The term paper is supposedly 10-12 pages but you can use any format you want, provided it's consistent and it can be about any topic connecting Southeast Asia with the Western world. The class seems reasonable enough.

My other class was a 4000 level class. I didn't realize that until I actually got to my class how difficult it is. It's actually a graduate class. It's about Chinese Intellectual History; 2 term papers - 80% total. The other 20% comes from mini-papers, I think. I zoned in and out of class because I had all the intention to drop it. I definitely do not want to take this class since it doesn't equivocate to any classes back at VCU.

Surprisingly, there are no quizzes or final exams - just papers. Everything requires thinking, which I am pleased about. Some of the courses at VCU practically spoon-feed the information to students. There is no book required for my history class and everything is expected of the student to independently research. I like that better because I can do things on my own time and the professors give students much more independence than at VCU.

It's quite hard to think about writing papers and studying, especially since I'm in Hong Kong - a place where there's so much to do. I really want to get to know the ins and outs of Hong Kong: the who, the what, where the locals go. I still feel like a tourist here...not a student who will be here for the next five months. Perhaps it's because I've been spending the past week as a vacationer, seeing all the sights that HK is famous for. HK has been eating at my wallet the past few days - I need to stop the spending. I hope I can do that by avoiding expensive places like Lan Kwai Fong and avoiding taking taxis to places.

HK is not as cheap as I thought it would be!!!

Etiquette lessons, anyone?

Roast Goose- more meat than roast duck...but the textures the same. yummi

FISH - can't remember what kind...but it was freshly killed

My mom's highschool friend and me...with shrimp. you peel it and dip it in soy sauce...but smaller shrimp is actually better if you eat it steamed.

This is for those who wish to impress the Chinese with your cultural knowledge of Chinese etiquette at the dinner table:

If there's one thing that sticks out between Americans and the Chinese (besides obvious physical differences), is etiquette at the dinner table. As I was explaining to my small-town American friend, the Chinese have small idiosyncrasies that mean quite alot in the eyes of a Chinese person. When you go out with elders, these are especially important!

1. When you get food at the dinner table, you always serve others before you serve yourself. This is the key rule in being polite. You don't want to seem like a greedy, gluttonous person...do you???
2. When anyone serves you tea (usually the youngest person at the table, or in modern China, the person closest to the tea!), you can either say thank you but the usual custom is to tap the table. This signifies that you are appreciative of the service without you having to interrupt your conversation to say thank-you.
3. you always clean your plate. There will be no food-wasting in China. This is actually a problem I have because I have such a small stomach, and I get full very easily...I think I'm actually going to gain weight this semester for eating so damn much (just because it's rude not to finish the food on your plate, especially if someone is taking YOU out and not vice versa).
4. If you are offered food, you can politely decline....which will do absolutely nothing - because the person offering will give you the food anyway. No matter how much you insist that you don't want to eat and that you're satiated, you will always be given the food anyway. it's just a fact.

Makes you wonder how Asians stay so skinny, doesn't it?

By the way, the last picture is of my mom's friend and me with a Chinese dessert. can you guess what it is?

*ans: it's coconut milk mixed with the fat from the back of a frog :-)
it's quite sweet and tasty!

Tourist Attractions 101

Since I am living here for the next few months, I figured I should get the sight-seeing/touristy stuff out of the way:

Hong Kong is famous for their markets where you can buy trinkets, souvenirs, clothes...practically anything. Stanley Market is a common tourist attraction, located in Repulse Bay. It's a resort-type area where only the richest of the richest Chinese people live because 1. they can afford their own house (an apartment is still expensive!) and 2. they can afford the gas it takes to drive down to the city. Stanley Market is worth a look - but don't buy anything because it's quite expensive (they jack up the prices because some tourists don't know better) and you can buy the same stuff elsewhere for cheaper (like in Lady Street or Temple Street).

This was taken on the rocks near Repulse Bay/Stanley Market

This is a Daoist Temple near Shatin. We ate a vegetarian meal there...it was quite nice but not very filling for me. It was actually my first Chinese vegetarian meal! You will find many many many many temples (Daoist or Buddhist) in China and Hong Kong. There's even one on my campus!

If you ever go to Hong Kong, go to the Avenue of Stars at the coast of Kowloon. It's similar to the Hollywood Stars that you see in California. Famous/successful Chinese people can have their very own star on this walkway.

If you don't know who Andy Lau Tak-Wah is, he's a famous Cantopop singer, actor, and producer.

I think Jet Li is self-explantory!

This was taken at The Peak (on Hong Kong Island). It's the highest point in Hong Kong where you can overlook the city. At night, there is a light show where you can watch each building light up with their own lights (kind of like a crazy, techno rave show :-p) It's best if you watch it from the Kowloon side. And only worth seeing once, in my opinion.

In Wan Chai (on HK Island, close to Victoria Harbour) and... my first time playing Dice!! It's a Chinese drinking/gambling game. If you've ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean 2, where Orlando Bloom is on Davy Jones' ship, playing/gambling for his father's sentence...that game he's playing with the dice and the cup is called Dice. Very fun...but hard to explain. Oh, by the way, the legal drinking age in Hong Kong is 18 :-)

The part of Wan Chai that we were in is where the bars/escort services are located. Westerners get treated very well, but especially the males (I wonder why?). If you are white and walking down Lockhart Road in Wan Chai, you will get females from strip clubs try to get you to come inside their club.

5 months in the city that never sleeps

The past few days have been quite hectic. From running around the Shatin mall trying to find a travel adapter that will fit my Dell battery plug...to getting lost on campus a million times...

You never see the same thing twice on this campus. Even if you walk the same road, something new always happens to pop up. CU is smoke-free campus and it's the greenest one in Hong Kong (HK). There are lots of gardens and statues on this campus - and I doubt I've seen all of them.

So I went out to eat with some friends a few days ago; traditional Chinese dinner where you get food in the center of table with a giant wheel in the center where the food is placed. Everything is shared amongst the people around the table. We ordered some "chau faan" (fried rice) and the picture above is what we got. The plate on the left are noodles and the plate on the right is the supposed fried rice. That is by far the whitest fried rice I have seen...ever.

Hong Kong is an amazing city. It's actually a conglomeration of islands and territories. HK is divided into 3 areas: New Territories (where I am), Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island. HK Island is where you will find the "Hong-Kong"-ness often associated with China - ie: street vendors, open markets, etc. Kowloon is like the sketchy part of town that everyone tells you to avoid (mainly because there are alot of prostitutes and perverts there). But it's worth a visit if you are white (they treat Westerners very nicely here because Westerners=money). The New Territories (NT) is where CU is located, specifically in Shatin (pronounced Shaa-teen). There's not much to do in Shatin but visit the huge mall that's one subway stop from campus. It's a group of malls together (and there's a Snoopy's world!) and has at least 8 levels. It's a fairly expensive mall, but you can find a lot of Japanese clothing brands.

HK in general is very heavily influenced by Western and Japanese culture. There are a million Sanrio stores - and anything Japanese you can find in China (how weird?). You can literally live 4 months here and not have a traditional/authentic Chinese meal just because there are so many 7-11's and Western restaurants (even Mexican!). And yes, there is a McDonald's (dur).

Finally arriving in Shatin, Hong Kong!

Overview of Tokyo, Japan (my crossover before HK)

I finally made it to the Hong Kong International Airport at 10:00pm – an hour and some later, I stayed at a relative’s apartment. They have a modest apartment – typical of Hong Kong. Alice’s two kids are adorable, especially the little girl. They have been so nice and hospitable to me for the past day and a half. She even took me to CU (the University)...Sometimes I don’t think she realizes how independent I can be, but I know she just wants to make sure I get there safely.

So I woke up early to take a taxi-van to CUHK, got lost for a good hour and half around the Central Campus alone, and then I finally made it to the International Students office. The local students are similar to the type of students you would find in America, except they speak Cantonese instead of English. The college itself is huge – it’s made up of 4 colleges; walking to class is out of the question. It’s almost daunting in how huge this place is; I like to compare it to Virginia Tech X 3.

My hostel (that’s what they call dormitory in Hong Kong) is a new building. It’s quite nice – I have a view of the skyline of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour. My room is not as small as I thought it would be, and I don’t know who my roommate is either. She writes everything in Chinese so I have no idea what it says – I just hope she’s nice and will be willing to put up with my n

ot-so-great Cantonese! Judging from her clothes, she’s really tiny (much like the rest of the population in China).

My view from my dorm room window!

I went to the on-campus convenience store (one of them) and bought some water and milk. The milk tastes weird…I’m not sure if I just bought a bad batch or if it’s really what the milk is supposed to taste like here. I just closed my eyes and picked since I don’t know how to read Chinese characters:

I need to set up my room and at least make it home. I forgot all my pictures of family and friends (L), so I guess I’ll just have to make due without them. I don’t really know what to do right now because I don’t know anyone here and I don’t even know where to go. First nights are always lonely!

Somewhere over the Pacific

After weeks of packing, unpacking, and packing again – only to find that my luggage was 10lbs overweight – and then repacking again, I finally made it to Norfolk International Airport at 6:30am. I woke up at 5am with little to no sleep, took a shower, deliberated on what to pack for carry-on, and then finally said bye to my family. My mother and father waited with me in the airport for about an hour – of which they proceeded to scare me sh*tless right before I was supposed to board for Detroit. According to my parents, Hong Kong is a dangerous city in which people will inject you with AIDS (!) for no reason. Oh, and let’s not forget about the drugs that will be slipped into your bag if you’re not careful. And drugs overseas = life in prison. What nice food for thought before sending me to such a place! I know their intent though – just be alert and don’t think all Chinese people are nice.

Right now I’m actually sitting in the middle seat (I wish I had window!) of my plane on the way to Tokyo, Japan. 16 hours of fun. There are so many Asians on this plane – most of which have proceeded to talk to me in Mandarin, of which I don’t understand. I usually just smile and nod. They’re showing the Simpsons Movie – which I can’t understand because it’s in Japanese. It’s quite amusing to hear Homer Simpson speak Japanese in a somewhat high-pitched voice that could easily be mistaken for a female. Dinner on the plane was great actually – beef w/ rice (since we’re going to Japan!), bread, salad, and fruit. It was served in a makeshift bento box (so adorable). I wish I had taken a picture of it but laziness won – that, and it was my first meal in 9 hours so I was famished.

Only 8 more hours of flying!!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! (I think I slept through the countdown – the flight attendants aren’t wearing their festive hats anymore). And I never got the complementary champagne I was hoping for…well…not really :-)