Pictures + Some Cultural Differences

PICTURES
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Macau

Cheung Chau Island

(Brigette and I with a HK classmate and her local HK friends)

(Giant Fish Ball)

(Famous Fish Ball Noodles)

Kowloon Park

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
.. just some things I've noticed.. and in no particular order

1. it's fairly clean compared to most other cities I've been to. there seems to be a lot of public service workers who clean the streets throughout the day.
2. not a lot of vegetarian options. (my roommate is a vegetarian.. and she's been finding it quite difficult to find good/healthy food options)
3. Common signs around the city "no spitting" "no hawking" "keep quite"
4. Couples around here like to wear matching shoes or jackets.. etc.
5. In the polytechnic classes majority of the students (if not all of them) are unresponsive when teachers ask the class a question.
6. Many of the students at PolyU talk during class. (I've seen several times a girl talking on her cell phone during class)
7. In my classes, all but 1 of the teachers does nothing active about the chattering and unresponsiveness of the students.
8. It's usually only the exchange students who seem to be more responsive and take the class more seriously.
9. No lying down in a park.
10. actually.. you can't lie down anywhere. but you can sleep if you are sitting. (for instance.. some friends and I were at the star walk and we were lying down on some benches when some one of authority came over and said "no sleeping." We sat back up .. looked around.. and on 3 or 4 other benches there were people sitting, slouched over and sleeping. I've seen people on park benches passed out in a sitting position as well. So sitting and sleeping is OK.. but lying down is NOT OK. Also, another exchange student was at a park lying in the grass when a park ranger told her lying down wasn't allowed in the park. Kind of ridiculous.. no?
10. for the most part people in Hong Kong are friendly and helpful
11. So far HK seems pretty safe. Except this one time I went into the Chungking mansions at Tsim Sha Tsui... and all the exits in the back were to sketchy little alleyways.
12. there are a lot of foreigners here
13. Not everyone here speaks English. however, chances are if you start talking in English about someone in front you..thinking they don't understand.. they probably do.
14. I'm learning about non-verbal communication, attitude, and how to write a resume in my "image styling and Fashion dressing" course. (ok that wasn't a culture difference.. it's just a complaint about one of my classes).
15. Getting a Chinese Visa is more expensive if and only if you are a US citizen. ($130 USD for single, double, or multiple entry) Also, the people who work at the visa office aren't very nice. However, if you are asian.. you are more likely to get a multiple entry visa. I went today and none of my caucasian friends got the multiple entry they applied for. (I got it.. but I decided I didn't want to pay $130 for a visa to china.. so I took my application back)
16. In the Ladies Market at Mong Kok.. once youve seen the shoes being sold under one shoe tent.. you've seen pretty much all the shoes they will have in the other shoe tents. (this goes for almost all the product categories (accesories, hoisery, bags, apparel, etc)
17. At the market.. the price they tell you is at least double. To bargain.. just walk away or.. if they ask you how much you want it for (which they almost always do) you tell them half the original price.. and see how low they'll drop it for u. Make sure you want it.. or else they'll pester you for not buying it and and yell at you for wasting their time (this happened to me.. it's not good being indecisive at the street markets).
18. public restrooms can be pretty gross.
19. Always carry around a packet of tissues with you. (some bathrooms don't have toilet paper. Some restaurants don't have napkins. Sometimes you have to clean the utensils they give you.. it's expected.)

There is more.. but I've got to go meet a friend for a "chocolate making workshop" on the 9th floor Hall. :)

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UPDATE
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Some pictures from the Chocolate Making Workshop
1. Smooth Chocolate
-start with dark chocolate and milk chocolate chunks.
-melt them in a pot
-add cream, milk, and butter
-refrigerate for an hour
-eat (tastes better than it looks !)

2. Chocolate Mousse + Custard

-cocoa powder
-milk and cream
-mix till thick and creamy
-add to Custard (mixed powder + cream)


Oh and I also got a much needed hair cut the other day.
$168 HKD + the words "simple" and "just a trim" got me this:


I was really scared of getting one of those asian mullet hair cuts (i've had it done to me before!) or the "mushroom cut." You could say.. I'm pretty happy with the results! .. pretty much exactly what I asked for. :)