So, tell me about myself...

For those of you who check my postings regularly, I apologize for the lack of activity in the past couple weeks. As I mentioned in my last post, economics up until yesterday had been dominating my life and although the my feeling about it was far from ideal, I have a strange sense of relief of accomplishment combined with dread for when I get my "mark" (grade) back. Naturally, since actually having study while studying abroad has kept me on campus the past few weekends, I have had a great opportunity to delve deeper into the atmosphere of both Hong Kong and the university.

Last weekend I had my first experience with semi-authentic sushi (obviously we are not in Japan) which was absolutely delicious. The tricky thing about sushi is that if you are not careful (no matter where you go) you could end up spending a lot of money because the portions of the dishes are so small, multiple are needed to fill you up. For those familiar with Sushi Nara in Oxford, the sushi here is very similar only with a "roll" dish consisting of 2 extra large rolls instead of 6 smaller ones. I also had the chance to experience the best frozen yogurt EVER. It's called Crumbs and it is known for it's cinnamon graham sprinkle and fresh fruit yogurt combinations. If I could figure out a way to get it back to the states, I would most definitely make a fortune.

Being on campus more, I have been able to explore the culinary choices available. I mastered the puzzling ordering system in the Cantonese cafeteria and had a dinner date with my exchange buddy at the on-campus restaurant, China Garden. McDonald's no longer tempts me with the appeal of western normalcy and dare I say, I have even learned to accept that the meat served will more than likely have bones in it.
The best thing about being bound to Hong Kong for the time has been getting to know the locals and their habits. Here's just a few: A majority of the professors and their families live on campus because their housing is subsidized (housing costs are astronomical elsewhere so this is really smart). It's impossible to get a desk at the library after 3pm because everyone goes there after classes and between dinner. And if you can manage to get a place, you'll notice that the library is for serious studying. I'm not sure if it's like this all the time but I imagine the productivity of some of these students is amazing. Not to say that I am not productive when I go; but their focus and patience in learning is something I've never seen. Some will go to the gym for study breaks in normal day clothes and bring their notes to study while lifting or walking. But not all are that active: some students will actually wait in a line for the elevator to take it one or two floors up instead of taking the stairs.
In talking to students, I am also amazed at how much they know about us (both Americans and foreigners) and how little I know about them. They are familiar with our political leaders, traditional customs, working lifestyles and sports teams. There are Lakers jerseys,Yankee hats, and my roommate even has a knit sweater in the pattern of the American flag. How many things or artifacts do I own that reflect the culture of another country, or Hong Kong? I didn't know what the Hong Kong flag even looked like until I decided to come here. This for a large part extends far beyond the university atmosphere however. A majority of the movies advertised here are American or western films that are shown in English with Cantonese subtitles. All advertisements, signs and even warning voices on the MTR are in both English and Cantonese. Obviously I knew this would be the case considering Hong Kong's history as a British colony but they have been out of Hong Kong for decades and it still doesn't explain how knowledgeable people are about the United States. I never truly understood the implications of the influence of the United States on a global level but it is impossible not to notice the western tendencies.

Speaking of influence, there are certain aspects that are distinctly 'asian' as I like to say (yes, I know I am generalizing but not in derogatory way!). Girls here are extremely fashion forward and always have the cutest and trendiest things. They wear heels all the time, everywhere, even when walking up and down the broken sidewalks of Wan Chai. Fur is a very big trend right now with women sporting fur boots, hats and even tails! Males are much the same with trendy leather murses (man-purses) loud haircuts and sharp, tailored jackets. It's always fun to try and tell a local Hong Kong person from a mainland China resident by their haircut or dress.

I just sit in the back on the days when I'm surrounded by dolled up locals in tights and skirts while I barely managed to comb my hair and make it to class on time in the sweats I wore to bed last night. Tomorrow I'll look nice. Maybe.