Chinese Adventures

The excitment of having an unidentified ailment

sarahmg — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:27:00 GMT

An interesting development since moving into university accommodation was the arrival of a strange spattering of bites that appeared across my calfs. Initially i assumed that i had had a particularly unlucky night in which i had unwillingly fed a family of mosquitos, however upon waking the next day i was concerned to find that more bites had appeared across my ankles and feet and they were very red and very angry looking. On the third day it was getting ridiculous and looked so unusual that i started to get a bit freaked out as my thoughts were now consumed with fears of Asian parasites and unknown infectious diseases (not that melodramatic upon inspection of my legs) and so after much discussion with other members of the group, i decided to take myself down to the local hospital.

As i approached the desk i noted i was one of the few people NOT wearing a face mask, but that aside somehow managed to register myself (for some reason it seems like the GP surgery is part of the main hospital - is that unusual or is it just me being stupid?) and was sent to hang out with a bunch of miserable-looking people that were waiting to be seen. I was called within 10 minutes by a nurse who set about weighing me, taking my blood pressure.

She asked me what the problem was and i told her i had a strange rash. She asked if i had a sore throat or fever. I said no, my problem was isolated to the rash, so she asks me if i have a cough, ear ache, vomiting etc. I tell her no, it's still only the rash, at which point i think she decided i wasn't suffering from Avian flu, and was thus cleared to go and sit in the company of the REALLY sick-looking people. Which was comforting. Getting pretty stressed out now i sit down in the only available seat between a woman who was coughing all over me and a guy laid out on a gurney (not moving but presumably alive). Grimmacing at the only sign that is in English, which reads 'IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM A COUGH, YOU MUST WEAR A FACEMASK' i decided that this was a good time to start reading my new book: 'Zen Therepy'.

Fortunately i was seen extremely quickly and so got to leave my healthy companions behind me, however i was not so impressed with the two second diagnosis of 'an allergic reaction caused by an unusual insect bite', but decided to leave and pick up my medication, which i also resented spending my travelling money on. However i decided to try and chill out and let the medication (which there was a lot of) do its magic.

Three days later i had finished the medication. Four days later i wasn't feeling any more optimistic. So i headed back to the hospital with my patient card and was seen again by another doctor, who made me feel a lot better about the whole situation. He said i was having an extremely allergic reaction to SOMETHING, and i figure it must be the bedsheets or the powder they were washed in because this all started the morning after my first night at the uni. He gave me another truck load of medication, involving steroid creme and antibiotics among other things. Again displeased at spending money on stupid illnesses, i at least felt better having a second opinion, sympathetic ear and understanding attitude, as the doctor agreed it did look like something far more worrying than it actually was. So for the next 5 days i'm taking this medication but now am very happy to have peace of mind, so i'm putting this one under 'interesting experiences' and looking at the amusing side of things. The whole hospital experience was pretty entertaining, and i think after not cracking under the pressure of the waiting room, i'm feeling the effects of 'zen therepy'.

The highs and lows of eating out in a group

sarahmg — Sun, 9 Jul 2006 21:14:00 GMT

On Monday i moved in to BU (Baptist University) for the beginning of our orientation week. Most people were arriving that day which seemed to cause much confusion, as when i went to put my stuff away in my room i found that four different people had their belongings in our two person room. It turned out that two girls were just storing their hand luggage there for the time being because their bags had been left behind somewhere around Germany on the trip to Hong Kong, and the person with the keys to their rooms was out on an airport trip to pick up some teachers coming from China, so they were having a bit of a nightmare day. We're staying in student acomodation and so each room has two beds, two wardrobes, two desks etc. The rooms are also in pairs - connected by a bathroom with separate cubicles for the shower and toilet, so i guess you would need to get on with the other people that you share your space with or else it would not be a happy arrangement. Luckily for me this wasn't the case, as my roommate Ali, and the other two girls in the next room, Karen and Catherine, are absolutely lovely. We spent the first day rushing through those awful initial conversations where you end up listing the same mundane details to thirty different people, such as your name, college, course, age, where you live, gap year or not etc, so that by the time dinner came around we were all very relaxed, quite excited and enjoying each other's company. We were taken out for a 'hot pot' which is where two large pots of boiling water are placed on heaters in the centre of the table and you pick different meats from a menu, which are brought raw and which you cook yourself. As the meats are cut so thin, they cook ridiculously quickly (as in, they take about a minute to cook), but we still ended up staying there for hours. It was quite a cool experience and a really nice, informal meal where we all got to laugh at our attempts to cook with chopsticks.

The next trip did not run so smoothly. We've all been split into groups which will move around different schools together, and as a group-bonding activity our group, which at that time consisted of Karen, Nigel, David, Pippa, Shivani and myself, decided to go to a karaoke dinner to break the ice. We thought it would be hysterical, as did two of the other groups, who decided to tag along. As there were now 18 of us going, Karen (my group's director) spent the entire day trying to find a place so that we could book tables, which she finally managed to do. However, upon our arrival, some people decided that they didn't want to pay for the karaoke dinner because they didn't want to sing, or didn't want to eat, or didn't want to sing OR eat, which i expect would have been useful information to have before we arrived at the place. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, except that some people didn't want the group to split up either. After much frustrating polite indifference from a minority, and indeciciveness from the majority, we decided to forget karaoke and try and find a restaurant that might take 18 people at a moment's notice at 9.30 at night. It wasn't the most fun i've ever had. However, harmony began to be restored in increments as first we ended up finding a cheesy knock off of Bill Wyman's 'Sticky Fingers' which managed to accomodate us all, second we ordered food, and third a terrible Chinese band (with a singer reminiscent of the one from that band in California Dreams) came on doing awful covers of U2, Spin Doctors, Ocean Colour Scene and Natalie Imbruglia, which was about as good as karaoke, and very entertaining for us all. Thus the night was salvaged, and in fact, turned out to be a pretty good one. I think the lesson learned here is not to try and organise a group of 20 or so young adults, who are likely to not want to do the exact same thing as each other. Our group is still going to do karaoke, but as there are only 7 of us, it isn't likely to be a problem and if there is...well, there's always Sticky Fingers.

The second attempt at a group night for my team was to go and have dinner at the top of Victoria Peak with the discretionary money that Karen had been given for us for the week. As we were leaving, four of the other girls who hadn't realised it was a group activity asked if they could come along, so Karen changed the booking at the restaurant and we all headed out together. At the top of the Peak we found our restaurant, 'Peak Outlook', which was this absolutely gorgeous place draped in delicate fairy lights, overlooking one side of the mountain. We had a table in the garden, so got to sit outside in the warm night surrounded by gentle lighting and greenery. It was absolutely picturesque. It was also wonderful because it meant that we got to know the four girls (Sarah, Lara, Hayley and Cal) much better, and they are all really, really nice people. We has a really leisurely meal, and talked about different places we had been and projects we had been part of and the excitement of the coming weeks. Afterwards we went to see the view, which although i had already seen, was equally breath-taking the second time around. It is wonderful to be in Hong Kong, and it is so good to meet so many great people that i had yet to come across in Oxford.

Angles and Demons: shcools, kids and attitude

sarahmg — Sun, 9 Jul 2006 20:30:00 GMT

The most part of our days this week were taken up by visiting the schools which we were going to be teaching in. We're teaching in 5 schools over 5 weeks, spending one week in each, and so we needed to meet with the Principal of each school, check out the facilities available to us and discuss general rules relating to clothing and subject matter of lessons.

The schools are spread out over Hong Kong, so we started with the one closest to us. This school was wonderful. As we waited in the lobby, a girl of about 8 walked over and shyly said: 'hello, it's nice to meet you'. She was the cutest thing i had ever seen and was very good at English - especailly at her age. It was interesting to see the standard of English before we arrived, even though i'm sure it varies quite a bit, as we really have no idea of the standard before we walk into the classroom. The head teacher showed us around and gave us menus for lunch so that they could order food for us, and we were really impressed at the materials and technology that they have available to them. We walked in on a dance practice, where 5 girls were rehersing a traditional chinese dance for some foreign students that were coming to visit the school. It was so cool, and they were so good at it, and i expect they will be amazing when they do it in full costume. We also dropped by a music and dance class where some kids were playing music while others took it in pairs to do a Lion dance. It was brilliant. One kid holds the head of the lion and the other bends over so that they are horizontal from the waist upwards, and they act as the body. They use the music to tell the story of the waking lion and the kid at the front uses springs to open and close the lion's eyes and mouth to the beats and moves the head around. It was soooo professional - like the kind of performance you expect to see in the streets during chinese new year celebrations, and these kids were about six years old! We left the school with the impression that this is going to be a dream of a place to work.

The next school was also a primary school, but immediately it was obvious that it wasn't going to be like the last one. As we walked in i made alarmed faces at the others at the quotes plastered across the walls and classroom doors which read things like 'no pressure, no diamond' and 'move or be moved'. I instantly got the impression that this would be a highly stressful and pressurised environment to learn in. Again however, the facilities were excellent (the art room has four pottery wheels, and the school boasts 3 computer rooms) and there was actually some very impressive displays of artwork. I almost expect to have no difficulty with discipline here because i can't imagine the school tolerates non-conformers. Much in the same way that i had a warm feeling about the first school, i felt uneasy about the atmosphere of this one. i think we all are intending to bring a little life to this place, and hopefully we can do some lasting damage.

The third school we visited is the only secondary school that we will be teaching in. I'm really excited because in the other schools i'm teaching 6 year olds, and in this one i am teaching 14 year olds which will be a nice contrast. It also means that i get to do different lessons (we're generally repeating the same ones in each school), and the head teacher was very excited about the topic i am going to do: songs, lyrics and meaning. I spoke to the Deputy Head at length about my entz (entertainment activity) which is choir, and he was keen to be involved too as he's a bit of a musician himself. We can tell that this will be another great school. The staff were very welcoming and it seems that they have a very good relationship with the kids and insist on high activity and no homework during the course of our camp. They seem to promote interest in English by making learning as fun as possible and as a result were greatly oversubscribed for the course, despite this being a school predominantly consisting of very poor children from the surrounding estate. I left feeling very excited about this school.

School four also looked like a good school. There is a good standard of english spoken, which might have something to do with the very attractive and warm Canadian teacher who it seems both staff and pupils are besotted with jusding from the outrageous flirting of the teachers and the things the children had written about him. Staying true to our experiences so far, the school possessed every technical toy you could ever want. The Principal was more cagey than others had been as this was the first time that the had participated in the program and as it is expensive they of course want it to produce good results. on a side note, i didn't know that OCEP charged schools for these camps. Some in China are completely free, which is why i think they charge in the more affluent areas, like Hong Kong. The fees are still greatly subsidised, but it adds a greater importance to the camps and makes you really hope that everyone puts their all into it and that the kids get a lot from it.

The last school...well, what can you say? Grange Hill springs to mind, but then again that might be too soft a comparison. We made our way to the reception area, where we were met by a distinctly unimpressed-looking Head Teacher, who although COULD speak in English, refused to and spoke in Cantonese to Karen the whole time, only answering our questions in brief, impatient sentences. Charmed by the warmth of our hostess i squinted at team photos as we passed through the halls, and was none to thrilled to note that one consistent theme was that many of the faces had been scratched out by other kids. The best part is - this was a primary school. As the kids past in the corridor (it was hometime) she mentioned that they had a discipline problem. asked if she would like us to send especially disruptive children to her office, she simply answered 'no'. A group of passing kids shouted what sounded like 'hello' and we smiled and waved back, thinking that perhaps it wasn't all as bad as it seemed. However, when we got back on the bus, Nigel (our manager) turned and told us that this school would be 'hell' - the word that SOUNDED like hello, turned out to be a racist term for white people, which literally translates to 'ghost' in English, they had also used the rascist term for black people (translating to 'bad') at Shivi, until they were closer and realised she was Indian, at which point they substituted one rascist term for another and began shouting a derogatory term for South Asians, meaning 'inferior'. I suppose it will be an interesting experience, and as we get to leave after a week, i doubt that we will lose the will to live. You never know, maybe it will be a case of them being stuck in a rut where they act like punks and so are treated like punks. We're definately going to have to struggle to not get involved in that cycle. Optimism guys. It's all about optimism.

Gallery: A little taste of Hong Kong

sarahmg — Sun, 2 Jul 2006 17:16:00 GMT

something i'll be building on, don't worry!

My week in action...

sarahmg — Sun, 2 Jul 2006 13:27:00 GMT

Knowing that when you live in a city, your rarely get round to doing all the amazing things it has to offer, i had planned my trip so that i would arrive a week early and get all my tourist things well under way - it has to be said, i've been doing pretty well.

Kowloon park was my first stop, which is literally minutes from where i am staying. It's a beautiful green oasis in the centre of chaos and has a wonderful mix of exotic wildlife and sculptures and peaceful gardens. I went to the Exhibition house to see the exhibit of childrens' architecture which was intended to get people thinging about modernisation. every model had a phrase written in both Cantonese and English, such as: 'modern is not the replacement of tradition, but the re-vision of existence'. Afterwards i called my friend and housemate from university, Jana, who currently lives in Hong Kong. Her father is the German Consul General in Hong Kong (which i learned is the equivalent ofbeing an ambassador in a non-capital city), and i was to stay with her over the weekend at their home. We arranged to meet later in the day and so i spent my morning and early afternoon exploring the harbour. I walked along the promenade and took in the beautiful view of the island skyline across the water from me. I walked along the Avenue of Stars (the the cheesy crooning of the likes of Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey), which is the equivalent of Hollywood's 'Walk of Fame', which pays tribute to Chinese artists involved in film, and managed to spot Jet Li's star. I caught the MTR over to the island-side to meet Jana, and we headed up to her dad's office to say hello and drop off some things she had brought for him. Fom his office there is an amazing view of the mainland and also of the city below. After discussing our plans we left and caught the tram to one of the markets nearby. I was greatly distressed at the 'fresh' market, where the fish are still frantically flopping about in baskets, and the shrimp are jumping out of theirs and into the street! We then went to see the Central Mid-Level Escalators, which is advertised as 'the longest escalator in the wrld'. however, truth be known - it IS slightly disappointing as it is not one continuous escalator, rather a series of them. At this point Jana returned home, but determined to make the most of my day, i decided to take the Peak tram up to the top of Victoria Peak, which overlooks the city, noting in a strangely excited way that Typhoon 1 warning had been posted. Racing the sunset, i made it just in time to watch it go down, and then spent a couple of hours just soaking up the amazing sight that is the Hong Kong skyline at night. Heading back that night i walked through the business centre, surrounded by these colossal buildings and bright lights, and took the Star Ferry back to Tsim Sha Tsui, before colapsing in bed!

The following day rain was lashing down all morning, but the weather was warm, and the winds were low, so refusing to waste a day i headed out. I traveled over to the island and found my way to Jana's house, in Sham Shui Wan, which means Deep Water Bay. The house they live in is given to them for the duration of the period that her father is positioned here, and is a beautiful, beautiful house, with a stunning view of the bay. It seems that Hong Kong is a city with amazing view from most angles. Their housekeeper Nini, is lovely a Filipina woman, who chatted to me about the area and different families she worked with over the years. Jana, her mother and i had a delicious lunch together and then after consuting Nini, it was decided that it was fine to venture out, as it ws only rain and not wind that was threatening. And rain it did. It was fantastic. Jana and i were drenched withing moments of leaving the house, but happily strolled along in the warmth of the Hong Kong June weather. we walked down the mountain to the bay, and along to the next, which is deceptively called Repulse Bay. i say deceptively, because it is in fact quite beautiful, and literally means 'shallow water bay'. we sat on the steps of the pagoda, and Jana told me that it was once a pirates bay, which is easy to see as it is sheltered by a spattering of small islands. She pointed out where her house is, and the mansion below, where Li Ka Shing, the richest man in Asia, and 10th richest in the world lives. He owns the whole of the area, and so is responsible for any development. She also showed me a hotel behind where we were sitting, which sports a strangely-shaped open space in the centre. She explained that Kowloon means 'eight dragons' and when building the hotel, the space was left to allow access between the mountain and sea for these mythical creatures. We began to dry off as we walked back, and i was shattered by the time i made it to my bed. i fell asleep for the night almost instantly, and upon waking felt as though i had slept for years. thoroughly rested i showered and got changed and glanced at my watch which showed it was just after 12, and was ready to go, when i was suddenly confused by the darkness that met me as i stepped out into the walkway. after puzzling for a moment, i realised that it was THAT 12 o'clock, and that i had only slept for a few hours. it seemed the time difference had yet to settle.

The following days were equally wonderful. I visited the Chi Lin Nunnery, which was built over the course of 10 years, alegedly without a single nail. It's what you imagine Chinese temples to look like, with the winged roof-tops, and beautiful gardens. I also went to see the Wong Tai Sin temple Complex which has a beautiful Good Wish Garden, and is where worshippers gather to shake divination sticks, which are used to make predictions about your future (they are all in a container and you shake them until one falls out, note it's number and look for your prediction), and light incense. I bought some of the incense sticks, which you light, and then visit all the places which they can be planted making a wish for yourself and your family each time. After my peaceful morning, i went to the library (don't worry, no work invlved), as i figured i might be able to use the internet there for free. i was right. however i only had time to read emails, without replying, as i had to run off and meet some of the other OCEP volunteers. That night a small group of us went to dinner in a restaraunt with a view of the island, after watching the light show on the harbour. diner was wonderful, and it was lovely to get to meet some of the people i will be spending the next month with. We went for ice cream afterwards, and it seemed that everything was fine, until after i left them to return home, at which point James became very ill. The next day he was still very sick and so had to go to the hospital, where they tld him that some bacteria had obviously aggrevated his stomach and he had a bad infection, which they gave him anti biotics for. thankfuly he is ok, and apparently is prone to these kinds of stomach infections, but it makes you remember to be cautious. unaware of this until a day later, i spent the day with Jana and her family as it was her birthday. Jana, her mother, Nini and i went to Stanley for lunch, which we had in a great little spanash tapas place on the seafront. i documented the day with photos and we spent the evening walking around Wan Chai, and then going to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where we watched a Cantonese Opera. It was quite sensational, as it is so different from opera and theatre that we think of. The movements, acting style, voice and singing are all so different from western productions. Objetively, i think the singing is more interesting and skillfull than pleasing, as it sounds like twittering birds, and is initially quite unsettling, but it was a fantastic show called 'A Rose in a Tempest' and the colours were amazing.

Yesterday i spent the day moving my stuff from my hostel to the University (which is turns out is the BAPTIST university - what is it with me being posted with religious plcements everywhere i go?) which was entertaining in the severe humidity. I met more of the people who i willbe living with, including my room-mate alison. We watched the England-Portugal match together (what a way to kill the evening THAT was) and then i headed back to Jana's house, where i am staying until Monday. From here on it, it will be mostly work, so fear not, as these posts should become shorter!

Arriving in Hong Kong!!!

sarahmg — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 10:05:00 GMT

well, about 12 hours after getting on my plane in London, i touched down in Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island. I hadn't slept much on the plane due to a combination of being sat between a kid that was airsick, a woman who wouldn't stop talking to me until she passed out from her combination of large amounts of wine and brandy and, on the upside, a great selection of movies. Despite this, i wasn't suffering from jet lag too badly and was just excited to have arrived in Hong Kong! I waited in the airport for a friend from college called James, who was arriving on the flight after mine and was working with me this summer. He spent 9 months of his gap year in Hong Kong and knows it like the back of his hand, so as we were both arriving a week before the program kicked off he accompanied me to my hostel. I was staying in Kowloon, on the mainland side of Hong Kong (as opposed to Hong Kong Island), in an area called Tsim Sha Tsui, and on Nathan Road, which is the central street, and is about as insane as Hong Kong gets. it's absolutely amazing. The neck-breakingly tall buildings and skyscrapers and low-hanging neon lights and advertisements are sensational and the energy of the city is contagious. I think the only city i can liken it to is New York, although perhaps slightly more on the touristy side and with slightly less attitude, but all the same, it is fantastic. Despite the dazzling lights which scream affluence, an upwards glance beyond the lights gives some insight as to the difficulties with housing this city's 7 million people, and this is not so pretty. I headed to the Mirador Mansions where i was to stay for the next 5 days. It's a huge building with cheap, touristy shops on the ground floor and lots of south-asian men trying to sell watches, handbags and suits, but the upper levels are mostly accomodation for local people, interspersed with hostels on different floors. My room was tiny, but had absolutely everything i needed (bed, airconditiong) and some that i didn't (tv), and was en suite, which meant that there was a toliet and a shower directly above it. so theoretically i could shower while on the toilet. but why would you do that. hehe.

I dumped my stuff and James and i headed out to get involved. First stop was food, and it was delicious. Next stop the MTR (mass transit railway) which is the underground train system. We bought Octopus cards which are AMAZING. they are like the ENglish Oyster card, allowing you touse the underground, but also lets you use ALL other transport in Hong Kong (even the ferries) and also buy your groceries and even MacDonalds if you so desire. Ready to go, we next journeyed to Mong Kok, which is a very exciting, urban, young area up until a certain point in the night, when apparently it becomes the crawling ground for mafia and gangs and the like (or so i'm told). Here we bought sim cards for our phones so that we can keep in contact, and after a brief stroll around, we went our eparate ways - James went to his friend's apartment where he is staying until Monday and i headed to my bed! I can already tell that i am going to love this summer.