Donald RUMP

I'm so thankful on blogger you can now upload videos much easier. Check out this one from camp. It's of Kevin being Donald RUMP.

I've really enjoyed hanging out with the international students this semester. Here are some picture highlights:


Celebrating Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival


Showing the students around the DC area


Playing some sand volleyball with the dorm (we won first place!)

Dinner at Ogawa


I love these people!


Taking them out for Cold Stone Ice-Cream

Day 1 of welcoming in the Hong Kong students went terribly wrong.

For starters, my family is in Oklahoma due to the sudden loss of my grandfather which means that cleaning the house and odds-and-in jobs like getting groceries was up to me and my little 16-year-old brother. And lets get real, has anyone ever succeeded in motivating a teenager to clean the house for someone elses guests??? Heck no.

Then we get to throw into the mix that the house, for the first time since we moved in 15+ year ago, is getting the walls painted and our carpet taken out. Perfect timing, eh?! So if you were to walk into my home now, you'd see the no carpet, just stained green foam and some nails sticking up from the edges of the room. YUCK! If you didn't faint from that aweful sight you'd surly pass out from the fumes caused by the newly coated walls. Not to mention our furniture is moved to the center of the room and covered in clear plastic sheet protectors.
You won't here me say these phrases:
"Welcome, please make yourself feel right at home and take a seat on our furniture."
WAIT- we don't have furniture in our living room for them to sit on!

"Can I fix you something to eat?"
WAIT- we don't have an oven because the wall behind it is being painted and the kitchen table is covered in boxes!

Someone call the whaa bulance right?!
No help or a presentable house were things I couldn't control. I can accept that. But what I can't accept is my poor decision making. For example, my decision to print out directions to the airport at the last minute which caused me to be late for the grand arrival. Or my decision to not ask for help to pick up the students from the airport(Have you tried fitting 4 study abroad students luggage into one trunk???)
Really, what was I thinking???

If riding in a car for 2 hours with your luggage on your lap wasn't a 'Welcome to America' culture shock for the students then I defenitely won them over with they saw a cocroach run across the bathroom floor.

Wow. I tried...I mean I really tried to do a good job. My best does not even come close to doing the job.

Run-down of summa' time

Whew! Much to blog. Here is the run-down of my summer:
I've been working 8-5 at Eastern Division, a med school branch of WVU in Martinsburg. My job is basically office help but honestly, I love it! I work with great, I mean GREAT, women who have been such a positive role model for me and other co-workers.

After my job ended in early August I was a camp leader at Rockbridge for middle school students.




And I just got back from Oklahoma:

Top 10 fun facts about myself

1. I prefer my pancakes to be WAY undercooked. If no one is watching, I’ll top my pancakes with the batter and a little syrup. Scrumptious!

2. I secretly have always wanted to own and drive a motorcycle.

3. YOUR MOM jokes never, ever get old with me

4. I was the only one to get grounded in my family. I hated (hate is a strong word but it’s rightfully used in this context) middle school choir and tried to skip the concert…lied to my parents….and got caught.

5. I hope that someday I’ll have the courage to adopt international children and house exchange students to help break cultural barriers.

6. I don’t have the initiative to learn another language except I've always been fascinated with sign language. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to take come classes at WVU.

7. I wish I blogged more.

8. Red heads do have an immediate connection. Get over it.

9. I can’t just see a movie. I want to overanalyze it, debate it, and watch all of the special features.

10. I have a lot of pride of my roots and family. Don’t mess.

I'll be tagging my Uncle Jasen, my sister, and Stephanie shortly!

TAG

Guess what?! I've been tagged.
Top 10 in the making....

Last weekend Jamie and Lauren (two dear friends from my glory days of high school) attended our high school classmate, Shannon Boone’s wedding. We had high hopes of arriving early, getting a good seat, and taking tons of pictures for her ‘big day’. Due to not waking up to an alarm and having to purchase a last minute gift, we didn’t get around to leaving till 30 minutes before the wedding…AND (here's the clincher) without directions to the church. lol We thought we were covered because we knew the church was off of King Street, not a big deal right?! But do you have any idea how many flippin’ churches are off King Street??? You’d think the whole town would be converted. Seriously though we must have passed over 25 churches.
5 minutes till the wedding started we broke down and called Jamie’s dad for directions.
3 minutes past the hour we ran inside the church only to find the organist playing and EVERYONE LOOKING AT US WALK IN (our panting from running and heals we must have created quite a scene). Straight ahead we see the bridesmaids and Shannon in her dress waiting to walk down the aisle. OMG I can’t believe we walked in when the bridesmaids were about to walk! To make matters worse, we were stopped by the guestbook Nazi (I’m joking because I was one of them the week before). “Please sign the guestbook, name and address!” At first we laughed, you’re kidding right?! We can just sign it afterwards. But by her ‘you better sign that guestbook or I’ll tackle you’ look we could tell she was on a mission. After the three of us signed our name AND address we tried to sprint to the nearest open seat. But, we were stopped by the wedding escort who must have read up on wedding etiquette because he only walked forward using his right foot. Once the right footed trek ended the bridesmaids started walking down the aisle and the three of us couldn't stop laughing.

+1 for the 'remember when' stories.

Wedding Bells

One down-two to go for June weddings. Friends my age continue to 'tie the knot' left and right. (btw- where did that phrase originate anyway?) I guess it's a hazard of being in your 20's.

The Ely wedding (see picture above) was absolutely stunning. Perfect weather + great company + live jazz band = one fun evening. Props to Bari for planning the beautiful ceremony and classy reception.

I can't help but think I'm so far from being ready to 'settle down' and GASP get ma-ma-married. Sorry mom and dad but ugh...you're going to have to put those grandkid dreams aside for a looong time.

MOVIE TIME

No really...I've downed A LOT of movies over the past two weeks. It's quite sad actually. I knew the addiction was out of control when Adam at Video Warehouse greeted me when I walked in the door (and the fact that I knew Adam's name). But hey, the first step is recognizing the problem exists right?!

Let me suggest these movies to you:
Before Sunset

Primal Fear
(and anything with Edward Norton for that matter)

and (DUH) Pride & Prejudice

Pictures tell 1,000 words

I'm impressed that I remembered my password after not blogging for weeks.
Here is a quick run-down of what's happened so far in the USA:

My little brother graduated


All of my friends are getting married

Bari's bridal shower

Young Life Leadership Weekend in Rockbridge


MUCKFEST


Charleston ROADTRIP


Plus I've started my J-O-B at the WVU Med. Center and have downed hundreds of movies.

Day #1 back in USA

I got an early start to the day (joke) and woke up at 3pm. It's going to take me a bit to adjust to the Eastern Time Zone. Today's 'must-do' was to renew my drivers license that expired in March. My mom and I (yes she had to drive me) headed out around 4pm, and everything was smooth sailing till I realized that the wrong zip code was on my records which led to redoing the license all over again. Go me.
"Is anything else wrong on your information?" the woman asked.
"Well...the weight is wrong too. 150 was back in my prime." LOL We both had a good laugh over that.

When I returned home from the DMV I checked my e-mail and was 'shot to the heart' when I found out the intership I was banking on had already been filled. Ouch. I should have had a more solid "plan B". Anyone have any ideas on what I should do this summer? Better yet, what I should do with the rest of my life???

Around 6pm I couldn't fight it anymore, I had to catch the 'zzz's. I'm driving my poor mom crazy because she's trying to get me to adjust to the USA sleep schedule.
"Becky, you really just need to stay awake and go to bed at a normal time."
"Mom, my resistance ain't that strong."
Next thing you knew I was out for a good two hours.

On the up-side of things my cold is getting way better. Which is comforting to my brothers who were worried when I told them I got sick in mainland China. Red flag: bird flu. (btw- if it really is bird flu I'll feel horrible for those jokes for the rest of my life) I assured them, people get common colds in Asia too. lol

After my nap, I went walking with my dad and a good friend Sarah, at the high school track. Today's simple joy: People who listen.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a highschool classmate and fellow Mountaineer so (dang it) I'll have to set an alarm. lol Also, SARAH COMES HOME tomorrow night. Woot-woot.

ps- Culture shock: seeing an abundance of clothes. lol I didn't know what to do with myself when I saw all of my sisters clothes in our room. I've been living off the same 3 outfits for 5 months.

Coming back to the USA

It's nearly 4am and I'm not a bit tired. Gotta love time differences. I need to take my moms advice and "go to bed on the locals time clock" but I want to blog a bit about returning to the USA and culture shocks.

My flight left HK at 8:15am which meant that I had to catch the 5:30am bus at Fu Tai. Since I didn't get back from Beijing till 10ish the night before I had to pull an all-nighter to pack up the room. I HATE packing! At 5am Dan and Carolyn met at Hostel D's entrance to help take my bags down. Again- I've made some really great friends here at Lingnan. I slept the entire bus ride and had to be woken up by the driver. My brain was everywhere but the airport. For example, as soon as I walked into the airport I regrouped my bags and upon walking up the the NWA ticket counter I realized I left my travel bag that held my passport, camera, and credit card on the chair where I was reorganizing. LOL Praise God no one stole that thing or else I'd still be in China (wait a second...maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.)

Once I snag my bag on the chair and walk up the NWA conter again I'm hit with the reality that I didn't even bring my online ticket confirmation number. Wow. I played it cool and just handed my passport and prayed that they'd let me through.

Luck was on my side because they let me get on AND didn't say a word about my oh-so-stuffed-to-the-max suitcases. Score.

I thought I was winning the days battles but I'm afraid the flight defeated me. I caught a cold in Beijing (grr) so a stuffy head, swollen eyes, and cough, made the people sitting beside me want to secretly ask the stewardess for a seat change. Call the whaaa bulance but the flight was just was really, really, long.

But seeing my mom at the main gates made it all worth it. Ahhhh family. I love how some things never change...like the fact my mom got lost on the way home from the airport. LOL It's the small things.

For my first dinner back in the USA I got a DQ blizzard. nice. The best part of it all was that I didn't have to pay.

Maybe the 'summer at home' thing won't be that bad :)
I'm excited for the QT with the fam'

The Great Wall

THE Great Wall of China. I was there. What a great way to top the study abroad experience. I feel like I've done it all now.

In the pictures do you see the green pants?! Well it was a double-dare from my older sister. She sent me a box with the pants and a note saying that I have to wear the pants and take pictures. lol So why not go above-and-beyond and wear them on The Great Wall?! I hope I'm never to old to complete double-dog-dares.

Alex, Heidi, Elizabeth and I (all Lingnan students) went out to dinner at this REALLY good restaurant that Heidi's parents suggested we go to. They also paid for the feast=double great. The food consisted of lamb kabab, lemon chicken, fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, and bread. Then they brought all sorts of performs from kungfu demonstrations to hip-hop dance. The night ended with a dance party. Elizabeth summed it up perfectly, "You know in movies sometimess everyone breaks into a musical or dance at the same time?! I can't believe that actually happens in real life too."

Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

Once we found our hostel (it was a relief after walking around an hour+ with our bags) we showered and met up with my friend Jessica Li's cousin for Beijing's finest, PeKing duck. Wow. It was SO good!


The following day I cruised around the city and toured the Forbidden City (which btw goes on and on and on...)
and Tiananmen Square. AHH words can't describe how it felt to 'walk the walk' where the 1989 protestors stood. Chills just thinking about it! As much as I hate admitting this, I couldn't stop thinking, "I can't wait to show these pictures and tell these stories to my class." DANG IT! I try so hard to dodge being a teacher (change major, refuse to buy teachery clothes,...) but sometimes I just can't help it!

Beijing...oh Beijing.

Going into China's capital I had the preconceived notion that, "Oh Beijing will be soooo much like Hong Kong because *flick hair* like they're like both big cities in China." Umm no.

Sometimes I wonder about myself. DUH BECKY being under British rule for 90+ years changes a LOT of things. For starters, they drive on the right side of the road, have religious freedom, and the food is much spicier (yes!).

But I also noticed other little things that were much different then Hong Kong like seeing trash on the ground or (gasp!) homeless people sleeping in the subway station. What is this?! Can it be, a normal mega-metropolitan city?! (Ok you won't get these notions till you've lived in Utopia (aka Hong Kong) where you find no trash on the ground and it's a rare site to see homeless people anywhere.

Arrival:
My flight landed in Beijing about 3pm and after getting my very last travel passport stamp for this semesters study abroad experience (sad face), checked out my bags, and headed for the doors, I suddenly heard out of no where, "Becky!" God?! "Becky!" I look around and then see Alex and Heidi waiting for me. LOL Their flight arrived at 10ish and the 'took one for the team' and waited on me so I wouldn't get lost. Thank goodness they did because Heidi, a Mandarin speaker, was able to get us around the city with ease. We caught bus #2 and had a map of our hostel that was "Just a six minute walk from The Tien. Square". Riiiight The 6 minutes turned into an hour hunt.

First night:
Ok there are some things you just shouldn't do traveling on your own. One of them is staying in a dorm room in a hostel by yourself. Usually it's a safe and fun bet to save money. As Michelle Carrier says, "The shadier the hostel the better the stories."
Anyways, so I think I'm staying in a 8 person dorm room with bunk beds. I was shocked to walk into a room with three beds and two of them taken up by men (28+ year olds). It gets better. "So how did you two meet?" "The internet." "Well what brought you to Asia?" "The beautiful girls."
ugh. WHY??? I thought I saw the last of you creepy Western men.
Dear Asia,
I promise we do have solid men somewhere.
But mom don't worry because if I really didn't feel safe I would have spent the extra $4 bucks to get a double room by myself.

Other random things: I wish I spoke the language. It's much harder to get around and (obviously) communicate with locals. Also, people weren't kidding about the spitting problem. yuck. Construction is everywhere and they're pumped for the Olympics.

Minute update

Ugh I hate when I slack on blogging. Where do I begin on updating you on the last 2 weeks?!
Here is the 4-1-1 in a second: I finished my exams. I headed to Beijing. I packed up my room and headed on a jet plane. I'm back in the USA.

Exam Time -huh-

9:30am I had my very first final examination and was shocked to walk into the test area filled with 150+ chairs with assigned seats. “Please put your student ID in the right corner of your desk and place your personal items under your desk.” Whoa they’re serious. “It’s 9:30 you may now begin.” Oh great, the ACT all over again.

Surprisingly Exam 1, England History, went pretty well. We’ve already established that I’m a nerd so I have no shame in telling you that I enjoyed answering the final essay. I went to town on the sucker! Henry VII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Charles I & II ain't got nothin’ on me. Shooooot.

I actually finished the exam one hour before the time was up which is huge in Becky Lovell world because I’m usually one of the last ones out due to my dad drilling me to double check my tests when I was younger.

I left the exam room thinking, you know I actually enjoyed this class and I learned a lot.
I wish I could have said the same for Exam #2 of the day, History of Islamic Society, at 6:30. I was doomed from the beginning, poor studying, and lack of concern, had me in. But I was also frustrated over the exam questions, especially the final essay worth 51% of the grade. Riddle me this: How has the West changed its viewpoint on Islam since World War I. (Ok those weren’t the exact words, yada yada, but it was something very close) It angered me because:
1. How can you answer that sort of 'since World War I' question in 5-7 paragraphs?
2. How can you generalize the “West” and “Islam” in such broad terms?

I left the exam room nearly shaking in anger. Relax Becky. About to explode, I took out my frustration on the school’s swimming pool till it closed.

Exam numero 3 is manana then I'm heading off to have a farewell dinner with the gals I went to Thailand with.

Rummikub

This past weekend I went to the KIBC youth retreat. The original plan was to go camping outside but due to the rain we rerouted plans and ended up camping out in the church. Bring on the board games ladies and gentlemen! When I opened up the games cabinet and saw the game Rummikub I screamed SWEET! You've gotta be a Tate (my mom's side of the family) to understand this excitement because my Great Grandmother is a Rummikub fanatic and every time we get together we play rounds of really competitive Rummikub.

But playing with the teens made me realize just how competitive I was. I said things like, “Oh no you can’t go down with a wild.” “Actually do you mind color coding that please?” “Well once you draw you can’t play it.” These are legit rules but they DIDN’T CARE AT ALL! lol I wasn’t used to this let’s just play for fun mindset.

I was so competitive and strict on the rules that by the end of the night no one wanted to play with me. Ouch.

Pimpin' my passport

HUM HA HA I finally got pages added onto my passport. woot woot

More to write- the library staff is lovingly kicking me out.

The Peak

Check out The Peak in Hong Kong. *sigh* I love it here!

LAST DAY OF CLASS

FREEEEDOM! C-ya 2 hours lectures! :)

Dinner at Lum's home

Emotional Month

Remember my 'glory days' of blogging when I'd write at least 3 entries a week?! Man has that gone down the tubes this past month! lol Sorry blog-addicts.

Believe it or not, I only have two more weeks of study abroad left. AHHH! It's been an emotion-filled month.
I'm excited to see my family and friends.
I'm tired of school. (boo exams this week)
I'm sad I have to 'let go' of Hong Kong.
I'm thankful for the friends I've made.
I'm anxious to see Beijing.
I'm dreading my long flight back.

All-in-all it's been one awesome time! I'll always look back and think, man that was the best semester of my undergraduate college career.

Lunch with Mr. Li and Sandy

I'M A REBEL.
Right now I'm skipping class and blogging. I can't help it! I mean really, how could I leave listening to Michael Buble' radio on Yahoo?!

Today for lunch I met up with Mr. Peter Li (past WVU administrator) and Sandy (past Lingnan Study Abroad advisor).


I really enjoyed chatting with them about my time in Hong Kong and asking advice on how to help international students next semester.

Yes I'm tall.

I'm 6 feet tall which is a bit above the average 5'5" height for Western women but WAY above the average 5'0" height of Asian women. As you can imagine, I get stares and the typical "Wow, you're really tall!" responses when I meet people. But yesterday I got the worst tall joke.

Here is what I posted on my sisters Facebook wall:
"Just for a good laugh, I wanted to pass along THE worst 'man you're tall' insult for a girl. Background of the story: I'm standing next to Joy, my new BFF from church, who is just about 5 feet tall and super tiny. Roseyln then says, "Hey you two look like David and Goliath!"

GOLIATH?! I wanted to cry. Goliath is WAY worse then "Gosh you must play basketball." or "Wow are you like 7 feet tall?" OR EVEN "Man you're like a giant."

Ugh I never thought I'd be able to relate to Goliath but at that moment I felt like I just got knocked out by a stone. Goliath?! I mean come on.

Extra pages in the 'port

I'm writing this entry in with my head held high, shoulders up, and flipped hair. I can't help it, I'm just so proud because next weeks schedule must include a trip to the American consulate office to get (huge smile) extra pages tagged onto my passport because there is no room for my oh so beautiful (and flippin' expensive) mainland China visa.

Thank you. Thank you very much!

On May 16th-20th I'll be heading up North to Beijing, China. OK- I'M SO EXCITED! History majors back me up, Tienamin Square, The Forbiddin City, and you know that thing called The Great Wall. (Me pushing up my glasses) I can't wait for the educational experience. The $30ish visa and $150ish plane ticket will be worth it. (At least thats what I keep telling myself now that my bank is empty.)

Sidenote: Ignorent me thought, "Oh I'll travel all around mainland China when I study abroad in Hong Kong. I can take weekend trips to Beijing and Shanghi. Heck, why not take a pit-stop to Japan? DUH BECKY Beijing is a 24 hour train ride away from Hong Kong. It's like being in Atlanta, GA, and wanting to visit NYC for a day. It just ain't happening.

Choir Concert

The women then invited me to the choir concert. Look at Roselyn doing an amazing job on her solo:

Ladies Lunch

Two Sundays ago Rosalyn, a woman from the Philippines who is in my evening Bible study, saw me coming back into the church after catching the Youth I's bball game outside.
"Becky, have you had lunch yet?"
"Well no actually I was just about to..."
"Why don't you join us?"

I walk into a classroom (and the choir of angels sing halleluiah) and see the table filled with homemade food from the Philippines. I thought I was going to intrude but the women treated me like a celebrity.
"Hey Becky nice to meet you! We're so glad you joined us! Rice?" Sure!
"This is chicken adobo. Here is steamed broccoli, so healthy! Fresh fruit. Sticky rice. Fresh fish...."

The next thing I knew my plate was packed to the max and I had coffee and silverware. How did they do that?! Gosh I love this hospitality!

The women were anxious to hear about my life and introduce themselves.
"Hi, I'm Julia. Like Julia Roberts." or "Hi, I'm Joy, like Joy to the world!" Luckily I had a scrapbook in my bag (you know, to show those 5 students who were going to come to my Sunday School class) and when "Joy to the world" laid eyes on my younger brothers she said, "Oooo they're SO handsome! Can I come home with you?" Her face turned bright red and we laughed and laughed when I told her how old they were. Joy's response, "Well, you can't stop love!" LOL

Simple joy in life: Women fellowship

Sunday School

The past two Sundays I've taught Youth I Sunday School. Miek (youth director/role model/great guy) talked me into filling in for the teacher while he was away on business. I willingly obliged under the assumption that 5, 10 tops, Youth I (13-16 year olds) would come. I was shocked when over 20 kids walked in the room. WHAT A BLESSING!

Now, let's get real, it's teenagers. So...

WHAT A BLESSING I have some of my moms patience. lol I forgot just how 'high on life' middle school aged kids are. All-in-all I really enjoyed it, especially talking with them after class or watching the pick-up game of basketball on the court outside the church. They have a weekend camping adventure this Friday-Sunday and needed leaders- you bet I jumped on the opportunity!

(Side note: I really missed being a mentor. I've been learning all sorts of things here and it just feels so good to give back and be a teacher/mentor.)

Manic Monday

"It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday"
-The Bangles

I woke up this morning and (as much as I hate admitting this) wanted to go back to bed. It's the last week of school and I'm just about burnt out on lectures. Call the whaaa bulance, right?!. Anyways I wake up, and head off to the library because of course I didn't do my class readings for Monday over the weekend. I head to the main desk and ask for the readings which were on reserve and guess what?! Someone beat me to them. Argh. Then I return my notebook computer that I rented over the weekend and SURPRISE I got slapped a $50 HKD library fee.

I got so mad at myself for thinking it was due on Monday not Sunday that I had to take a 'calm down Becky' breath. Don't act like your dad with Video Warehouse late fees.

One more week of school. One more week of school. I've been repeating Coach Gray's wisdom in staying strong past the finish line, "through not to" or Coach Bullett's advice of "holding the follow-through"

Last month here

Tomorrow is May 1st and I leave Hong Kong on May 21st. AHHHH

Since I only have t-minus 20 days left I've been packing the schedule tight and checking things off the 'to-do' list.
Tomorrow-Shopping for cheap shoes in Yuen Long with locals
Wednesday-Dinner at a locals home
Thursday-Last basketball practice & hot pot gathering
Friday-Sunday-CAMPING!

Since I have such a short time till I return to the US, "home" has been in my thoughts. I've been thinking of things, and making a list, of things that I'm looking forward to returning home to. Obviously talking face-to-face with my family and friends ranks #1 on the list and having dinner at El Ranchero ranks number #2 (you have to be from the 'burg to understand) and then I've got odds-and-ins stuff that follow (weird stuff that I never thought I enjoyed so much, like cooking or sitting on a couch). The bottom line is: being away makes you appreciate things on a new level.

Although I love and miss these things on 'the list' I'm not going to spend time boo-hooing over it. I know it's a privilege to be here. I don't want to mess things up and have any regrets of my time here in Asia. I'm going to make the most of my last month as a study abroad student living in Hong Kong.

I LOVE IT HERE

Today was one of those "Gosh I'm so glad I'm here" kind of days.

Tonight for dinner my good friend Carrie contacted all Lingnan students who are in some way connected to West Virginia University (basically if they have studied abroad at WVU or will study abroad next semester at WVU). About 15 people showed up for Pizza Hut pizza, frisbee, and Mountaineer talk. I mean really, who could ask for more?! I loved showing them the WVU convocation video and hooking them up with WVU gear. And yes...we had WVU story time. (Thanks again Alana for the scrapbook!)

Then (drum roll please) Tom and Tim wished my older sister Happy Graduation.

I'm begging the future WVU Lingnan students to come over early and stay a week or two at my house. I cherish every moment we get to hang out.

Culture Shock

Yesterday I hit the one-month-mark till I'll be returning to the US-of-A. It's crazy how time goes by so quickly.

Culture shock upon returning to our home country has been the topic of the week for study abroad students. Basically we're all scared of reversal culture shock. See when we arrived in Hong Kong drinking tea, eating with chopsticks, seeing people everywhere, walking by huge skyscrapers, and hearing Cantonese, caught us off guard. But now these things that seemed so foreign to us at the beginning of the semester are now part of our everyday routine. The culture is now part of us.

Panny's Home

I just got back from dinner with my b-ball teammate, Panny, and two other of her friends. Let's take a moment of silence to be thankful for Thai food. (Amen.)
Although dinner was incredible, checking out Panny's house was my favorite part of the evening. I'm (again) so thankful that the locals are taking me under their wing and showing me a side of Hong Kong that I was afraid I would miss being here for only 5 months.
Here's a video of her place:

ps- I decided to give my WVU bball jersey that Sarah sent me to Panny. She'll enjoy it more and I think Joe Alexander would be proud to know that people in Hong Kong are rockin' WVU #11 jersey.

Overload

It’s 5:41am and I’ve yet to see zzzzz’s. Looks like another night spent in the 24 hour study room at Lingnan University. Go me and my ability to consistently put off homework. (Like right now…)

I’m dodging responsibility and blogging because I can’t compute anymore filler sentences to make this paper 2,000 words. Poor Microsoft Word Count tool. I’ll write like three words and magically think if I chant bippity bop it de bo and wave my pen that it can turn into +300. So far, no luck. Any suggestions?!

Let me digress…
The school set-up is so different here. Take my History of Islamic class, the only "work" we’ve had all semester is lectures and one dinky multiple choice quiz. But this Friday we had an individual 5 minute presentation, test, AND paper due. And this end of the semester overload is a popular trend. My teachers have recently started class with, “Ok now don’t forget EVERYTHING is due this week.” Ya know, I was always a fan of a well prepared, spanned out marathon not an unexpected, brutal last minute sprint. (Can you tell I'm sick of writing papers?)

But on the upside it’s perfect for study abroad students because you can easily skip classes in the beginning of the semester (cough cough) and just OD on coffee and Circle K cheap study snacks to get you through.

In the meantime, I’ve gotta buff this current 1,812 essay to 2,000-2,500 word essay. Hummm. Does Microsoft Office sell word steroids? “You-hooo Mr. Paperclip man…”

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

You seem to encounter REALLY random things when you study abroad.

Like tonight I saw fellow study abroaders and local students perform in a school drama, Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Top 5 random things about the play:
1. Seeing Mark, a beloved Sri Lankan in his costume.

2. Puppets doing a dance
3. Being asked to participate in the ending fight scene and wear black noses
4. Trevor & Kerensa's rap and 2-kool-4-skool outfits HOLLA
5. "Rood" aka Rod from Scotlands steller performance.

Good job guys! whoot whoot

Alana's Package

My dear friend and co-worker, Alana, recently sent me a package filled with candy, CDs, and a really cool scrapbook with pictures of Morgantown. I can't even tell you how much it meant to me! For starters it came at a perfect time. I was a bit down after hearing about the VT shootings and I'm convinced there is nothing that can pick up your day quite like hearing from friends and family back home. Then the candy gave me a sugar rush to stay awake during my classes. (btw- Alana I forgot how much I love Sour Patch Kids!) Finally, the cds, well I'm jamming to them now. THANK YOU ALANA!

Here is me giving "Morgantown Storytime" to my classmates:

Rachel's B-Day Dinner

Rachel, my Thailand travel buddy, recently celebrated her 21st at a local Thai restaurant. Click here to check out the video.

Panny's Birthday

After the team dinner we headed out to celebrate Panny's birthday near the Lan Kwai Fong district. I was so confused when the 15+ of us went inside this random apartment looking building and went to the 4th floor. What is going on?! It finally sunk in when I saw 'Private Party' on the door. YESSSSS!

I'd read about these private parties before and how they're popular in Hong Kong but (obviously being an exchange student) wasn't expecting to actually be part of one. 'Private Parties' come complete with karaoke, games, and an open bar (with plenty of non-alcoholic options). And yes for all of you wondering...I made my karaoke debut with Westlife. haha It was so much fun! So much fun that I didn't get home till 7AM!

Side note: I love being able to come home at 7am. I love being this age, single, with no huge responsibilities that wouldn't allow you to come home that late (or early depending on how you want to think of it). Trust me, I'm going to soak it in while it lasts.

Here's a picture with Panny and her sister.
(Sarah, I miss you!)

Dinner & Birthday

I won't shut-up about my basketball team because I really enjoy the friendships I've made with my team on and off the court. We recetly had our end-of-the-year Lingnan sports team banquet, basically a shin-dig where all the schools sports team come together for a buffett dinner with THE President of Lingnan. (Students here are CRAZY about the president) I was cracking up when the boys were playing their video games before. Click here to check out the video (If you pay close attention you can see the keychains they add to the gameboys. Hillarious!)

Anyways, I snagged a shot with the boys team. Ow ow! Aren't they so good looking?! :)

I also won a $100 HKD gift certificate to Park-n-shop grocery shop

After the dinner we suprised Panny with a birthday cake