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!