New City, New Adventures

March 5, 2010

The first new week in Hong Kong came and went as a whirlwind. The hectic pace of orientation (included an interesting “stay out of jail” speech from a US consulate rep), class registration (so complex b/c it is not all computer integrated), an authentic Cantonese welcome dinner including shark fin soup which isn’t that bad, and day trip city tours to The Peak and Avenue of Stars not only made me fall in love with the city so soon, but also to forget completely about any jetlag!

With so much excited energy I took to the streets of MongKok with some new exchange student companions to check out the infamous “shoe” district and “ladies” shopping district, which are blocks and blocks of street properties devoted either solely to selling shoes or ladies clothes and accessories. Each store has an almost exact replica store if not next to it then every other one so it compares to haggling made easy. So after prying the girls in the group away from shopping and eating some food we decided to go relax by the waterfront to check out the nightly performance of the “Symphony of Lights”, a music synced light and laser show with Central Hong Kong buildings. This was the start of our night that did not end until early the next day with many new stories to tell later by word of mouth only, sorry. Such was the summation of my first week and earliest beginning of my newest most exciting adventure yet! I had found a new home in Hong Kong and for the next half year!!!