Aston Martins, Boat Cruises, and Pandas- What Could Be Better?

This truly has been the greatest 2 weeks I have ever experienced in my lifetime. Let me paint a picture of just this past weekend:

Chillin in the Bay-
Deepwater Bay

Friday

Cruising down the oceanside highway, top down in an Aston Martin, discussing Chinese politics with the CEO of the company. He tells me of his aspirations for the company to become the first international finance company of its niche market. First stop, China- shouldn't be an issue since he has extreme connections. He educates me on how he has been able to maintain a 1/3 market share of a hugely infiltrated financial loan market. Later on, after a nice meal of fresh pigeon, gooey duck, clam liver, lobster and more, I bond with HK, Shanghai Global Fellows and my Boss over endless champagne and wine at a table at one of the hottest bars in HK. Yes, I am talking about real life.

Saturday

Though the night was long, we woke up the next morning to have yet another unreal, relaxing experience on a fiberglass junk boat we rented with 20 others- new friends and old, splashing in the waters and soaking up the sun in Deepwater Bay. Later, we all were able to get a good laugh at a HK version of "Beerfest." Needless to say, new experiences was something the weekend did not lack.

Sunday

Sunday morning, we all were able to have yet another new experience: Ocean Park- a theme park filled with 2 live pandas (personal favorite), red pandas (Firefoxes), an aquarium and a copy-cat Shamu show but instead of killer whales, there were pink dolphins! Though I am not the biggest theme-park fan, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the animals just be inherently cute. I WISH I COULD LIVE IN THE PANDA DEN. Literally the cutest animals on this planet. Anyways, other than my obsession with the animals, it was fun to be able to enjoy the rides with new friends and co-workers. 

Last week nearly flew by. I had so much work to do, but managed to complete one of my projects- 40 pages deep I was able to enter the weekend accomplished. 

I made many discoveries this week. I found a beautiful trail to run on right behind the apartments we have been living in (complete with tai chi gardens and breathtaking views of Quarry Bay). I have tried running along the Harbor with Jillian, and it reminds me of San Diego a bit, besides the choking humidity. I discovered one of my good friends from high school was in town for just one day before he would be off to teach English in China. We had a great lunch, catching up after not talking for about a year. 

We all discovered the Peak- containing the most beautiful views of Hong Kong ever imagined. After enjoying the view, we indulged in some Haagen Daas. As we sat outside and discussed the certain comforts we missed about home, such as Trader Joes, a guy sitting next to us with a few other people turned and asked me, "Hey, do you go to USC. Is your sister Katie?" Out of the 1,000 or more tourists on the highest part of the Island, we were sitting next to a classmate of my sister's. He only recognized me because I look awfully like my twin... crazy right?

Shrimp Siu Mai! Yum:)

Wednesday

Wednesday night we experienced the famous Horse Races at Happy Valley Racecourse. Though we came too late and only were able to see a few races, it was worth it to come and people watch. A very entertaining scene, that's for sure!

I've discovered some new favorite foods and restaurants! BBQ pork buns are to die for, and my two all time favorite restaurants are 2 dim sum places- Din Tai Fung (there's a branch in LA!!) and Crystal Jade. Tasted the most amazing dumplings, pork, chicken and black sesame buns from these two!

Wednesday

This past Wednesday we had all you can eat Korean BBQ with Margaux's co-worker Meiling- the amount of food we all ate was unthinkable and I still to this day (Friday) have a bit of a stomach ache... But you have to get the most for your money,  and we only had 1.5 hours to eat there. This challenge was one I have been thoroughly trained for by family dinners at home, sitting next to my garbage disposal father. Food races are truly my forte. 

Thursday

We had some great food with the USC Alumni office staff who we found out were the one's instrumental in setting up everything here for us in HK. I am so grateful for everything they have done, yet they continue to impress us- an amazing meal at a fancy chinese restaurant. I really want to repay them somehow for making this one of the greatest summers of my life, but nothing I could do would be enough I feel. I really treasure the opportunities and connections USC has been able to offer me thus far.

BBQ Pork Bun, Mango Mochi

Friday

 Thursday night was a bittersweet ending to the Wizadry world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter. After being extremely disappointed by the last movie, I was one-hundred percent satisfied by the final movie. The 3-D was the icing on the cake. Though no one dressed up for the premier here, our group still had the fanatical energy to keep us pumped throughout the movie!

Friday, I was yet again sent to the Shau Kei Wan branch, which was fun for a change here. Elaine, Jeffrey, Charlie and I bonded over a typical pizza hut dish- lasagna mashed potatoes. The HK people really know what the best combos are. As a child I learned, even though ordering french fries and pasta together is not "normal", potatoes and pasta is quite the delicious combo. I'm glad at least some people in the world understand me.... Later that night we met up with the SC kids who had recognized me from my twin.

High Tea

Saturday
Saturday we had the chance to enjoy a proper British High Tea at the Sky Lounge in the Sheraton. The mini desserts and pastries were quite scrumptious and I thoroughly enjoyed the English Breakfast tea, of which I haven't had the whole time in HK and it gave me a little taste of home.  Later on we perfected our bargaining skills at the Temple Street night market for the last time in order to get loads of souvenirs for all those back home. To reward our hard work, we decided to go on an adventure to find this secret Indian restaurant called "The Dehli Club" and after trekking through the crowds of Indian men trying to usher us into their "delicious restaurant" we found ourselves reeking in Indian Spices after a wonderful, cheap Indian meal.

Sunday
Sunday Jillian and explored the trails of Quarry Bay and thoroughly enjoyed people watching the huge crowd this trail draws on Sunday mornings- literally everyone and their dog was either trekking up the steep hills and stairs or practicing their morning tai chi. We ended up running into a quaint dim sum place  - "Dimsum Master" right down the street from our apartments and decided to drag everyone along to try it! For only $10USD we had immense amounts of yummy dim sum! Later on, we explored the vast rows of freshwater pearls, samuri swords, jade and other jewelry in the famous Jade Market in Jordan. I can safely say I rounded up my souvenir shopping there with the best deals, if not only because, and I quote one of the vendors, "my best friend, you get good price because I like your barbie hair." Afterwards, we ventured on the ferry to Cheung Chau Island to have a peaceful seafood dinner by the water, on an island that has no cars and very little noise. It seemed like a very low key night compared to all the rest, but I know looking back I am just going to think- my life was ridiculous; the fact that it is so casual to hop on a ferry for half an hour for only like 3USD and have dinner on a tropical island in paradise like it is NBD is something I will definitely miss.

As the last week approaches, I am in extreme denial that I will leave this awesome city- a city where people are just so happy all the time and fun loving. The other day as I stood impatiently waiting for the rest of the group at the local bakery, a beaming young girl came up to me, with a group of other students and asked if I could give her a hug. I'm sorry, but if that happened in the US, it would just be downright weird or creepy. But as I have said, everything is in such a different context here. I am sincerely glad I have been able to get at least a slightly more broadened view of the world, whether it be with work or social norms, or even of the beauty of the lives of people in general, this program has given me the most incredible summer of my life. There are no goodbyes for me. I will be back. Not over yet...

From the Great Wall to WWII Aircraft Carriers

This week has blown by, and it seems that I barely have time anymore to even reflect on the past weeks as my time here becomes more numbered. With only 2.5 weeks left, I feel stressed to experience everything I have made a point of doing and seeing.

Since I left off last time, I have already traveled to Beijing, China, climbed the Great Wall, explored the Forbidden City/ Tiananmen Square, the Bird's Nest/Water Cube, and of course the Summer Palace. Of course, since we were traveling on an all around holiday weekend- Canadian Day, HK Independence from Britain Day, and of course USA INDEPENDENCE DAY- we naturally had to celebrate these occasions by going to a concert 2 hours outside of Beijing on an old World War II aircraft carrier. It was by far the most international experience I have ever had in my life- there was legitimately every single country represented there, flags in hand and all (though we could not find an American flag anywhere...).

I was able to share my viewpoint about certain current events as well as listen to a French viewpoint on the bus from a student my age,  here on an abroad program from France. This was a really cool experience for me as I am always curious how other countries view the same things America does and to my surprise, the student not only rejected my claim that many Americans have the feeling foreigners think we are ignorant, but went on to saying that the younger French generation gives a lot of credit to America right now and really supports our current government. Besides expanding my knowledge of worldviews, I was able to nap on the clouds, after hiking up a steep (REALLY STEEP) incline of stairs on the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.

Casual Donkey Ride on
Great Wall

The Great Wall was by far the most rewarding experience for me as it should be anytime one conquers one of the world's seven wonders. After hiking all the stairs, I then realized that we had not even reached the unrestored section of the wall, which was nothing like I had imagined- all overgrown and easy to fall off of; you could barely even tell that it had once been a wall. While waiting for the girls to take a multitude of photos of each one of them jumping in the air on the great wall, which was not particularly what I felt like doing after climbing all the stairs, I chatted with one of the water/ souvenirs vendors stationed at one of the most remote posts in the Mutianyu section. To my surprise, she spoke very good English, and continued to explain that she scales the mountain in the morning around 4am, with at least 50 lbs of goods on her back, to reach the great wall section where she has seen the most success for the sale of her items. The trip in total takes her 6 hours roundtrip. The persistence of this woman, despite the extreme uncertainty of any revenue on a specific day astounded me. Never again will I complain about walking 15 minutes to class at USC...

Emperor's Throne

So Appetizing

After a great day at the Wall, we all were famished, and indulged that evening in some great quality Peking Duck! I can safely say that Beijing beats out Hong Kong when it comes to the culinary arts. I finally found my Kung Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork I had been craving since I have been residing in Hong Kong. Peking Duck reminded me a bit of a mushu pork pancake style, but instead of minced meat and other veggies, the duck was whole pieces, and you neatly divided the delectable plum sauce, cucumber and mushroom onto the thin pancake for a wonderful combination of flavors!
We explored the bar scene later on in a district called Stanlington, but headed off to bed early to explore the other wonders of Beijing.

Tian'anmen Gate

Tiananmen Square was quite a bit larger than I had imagined, and in all honesty, was probably the first visible signs I have seen that even suggested a communist presence in China. With the huge portrait of Mao Zedong in the center of the Tian'anmen gate, and the commemorative "90th Anniversary" on a huge hammer and sickle monument in the middle of the square, the communism here only appeared symbolic to me as an outsider, though I know otherwise. The next day we relaxed at the beautiful Summer Palace and saw the site of the 2008 Olympics, home of the Watercube and the Birds Nest, into which to my dismay we could not enter.

Happy 90th!

 All of the major tourist destinations we visited seemed almost deceivingly extravagant placed against a backdrop of a much more apparent wealth gap. Whereas in Hong Kong, the divide between rich and poor was almost non-existent from appearance, and everything is ten times smaller than America, Beijing appeared to offer everything ten times larger than America, and it was not uncommon to see the homeless wandering around almost everywhere.

Forbidden City

Yep, about the time we almost got
runover

Egg Pancake Beijing!

Though the places we visited in Beijing were out of this world, and beyond words in my vocabulary to even begin to describe, I was very happy to return back to my now home in Hong Kong. Beijing was more of a vacation spot if you are interested in seeing the tourist attractions, but it is a very difficult place to live in. From the intense yellow smog, from which one cannot avoid getting a sore throat, to the confusing subway system and lack of streetlights and English, I think I would have had a much more difficult time trying to acclimate myself to Beijing life. Not to mention the dangerous aspect of Beijing- the cars literally do not register there is a person in front of them, and taking a rickshaw back from the Forbidden City was one of the most terrifying experiences of my whole life. Hong Kong, on the other hand, is the most livable city I have to this date lived in. It is not a tourist destination in the sense that there are so many places and monuments to see, but more of a destination because there are so many exciting things to do that would fit in someone's normal life. I believe that people come here to live life to the fullest, and to the utmost excitement. I can definitely see myself coming back here in the future. It is odd for me to say this, but I realize that I living here is much easier for me than living in Los Angeles.

The Peak

Not to mention the fact that it seems like everywhere I turn I meet someone with a connection to me or USC. We ran into at least 10 USC students at the concert in Beijing, and While at the Peak the other night in Hong Kong, enjoying the most incredible views of the Hong Kong skyline, we ended up sitting next to a group of USC boys we had never met before. We only knew they were from USC when one recognized me since he had been in a class with my twin sister. Such a small world in such a vast country. It continues to amaze me.
It is always a bit strange but really unique to see people you know from home in a foreign country, especially friends from High School. Yesterday I was able to see my friend Tim for the first time in about a year. He was only in Hong Kong for 2 days, before he would be leaving for China to teach English in a rural village. It was great to finally catch up, and to show off my chopstick skills to someone who is native taiwanese!

Fresh Mango Mochi

4th of July Chili Cheese Fries

Because wur Amurican

Fresh Mango Pancake with Cream

Last night we experienced our first and the last horse races of the season at Happy Valley Racecourse in Causeway Bay. We paid admission to the beer garden (where everyone goes who doesn't want to pay for a seat), and not only watched some great horse racing, but found ourselves doing some thoroughly entertaining people watching as well.

Horse Races

My favorite new discovery has been the Quarry Bay trail, 2 minutes down the road from our apartments. The other morning, since my gym membership has expired, I became inspired to stop being lazy and try to explore this trail. What I experienced amazed me, and I am angry I had not discovered it earlier on in my journey. after running up the long expanse of stairs along the jungle-like trail for about 10 minutes, I came to see the most incredible views of Quarry Bay- with the sun rising over the hills, and the serene elder Hong Kong trailblazers practicing their morning tai chi in the designated tai chi gardens along the trail, I couldn't help but feel serene as well. Though the trail was a bit challenging to run, it was fun to be on in the morning, with all the active residents I passed by saying Jo San (meaning good morning) and smiles on each and every one of their faces. Never once have I received a smile from anyone I passed running in LA... Such a lovely experience overall and I plan to utilize this trail, along with the track I found at a park near the local elementary school instead of a gym pass for my remaining days here.

Never Ending MEOWS

BOBO

This week is packed with adventures planned- Friday dinner with my boss and Global Fellows in Sai Kung, famous for its seafood; Saturday junk boat rental for the day with 30 friends, checking out beerfest Hong Kong style later that evening in LKF; Sunday Ocean Park with Co-workers and friends, will finally get to see a Panda!!