After turning in tons of paperwork, I'm officially on the Lingnan basketball team! :) We have our first game this Saturday. EEK! I'm WAY out of shape, especially after lounging around in the Philippines.

Funny story I thought I'd share of my high school bball days...

One day we had a scrimmage and I played HORRIBLE! My coach definitely called me out during our halftime pep talk and said, "Becky, your new nickname is going to be roadkill. Wanna know why??? Because you play like a dead animal!" lol

The pictures above are taken at our team dinners after practice. I love my new bball jacket with Chinese characters.

Dress Code

Wednesdays are my day off school so when I woke up I had no intention of working hard on anything, including my wardrobe. My schedule for this particular Wednesday had one thing on the to-do list: go to the Vietnam Consulate and request a visa for my upcoming trip on March 6th-10th. I wore jeans, my WVU Student Govt. t-shirt, and my super-fly running kicks. To add formality, I wore a yellow t-shirt underneath, put on my make-up, and had a side parted ponytail. Not bad right?! A typical American dress.

Long story short, Hong Kong has a 'no t-shirt & jeans' policy. lol I stuck out so badly on my way to the consulate. On my MTR ride and walk I definitely got some weird what the heck are you wearing- crazy American- looks. I even had two people ask me, "Are you going to go and workout???" lol

Remind me to never dress American again.

Dear Mom, don't read this entry!

Top 5 things not to tell your parents about studying abroad:
5. "Hey Mom, almost all the places I'm traveling this semester have travel warnings. Pretty cool, huh?!"
4. "Hey Mom, to save money I stayed in this REALLY shady hostel. Only 2 bucks a night."
3. "Hey Mom, I'm thinking about living overseas once I graduate."
2. "Hey Mom, I haven't studied for my classes at all."
1. "Hey Mom, I'm thinking about going bungee jumping for my big 21st."

Philippines

Dear Morgantown,

I'm dreadfully sorry to hear about the cold weather. How did you ever survive??? I just returned from the Boracay Islands, Philippines, and couldn't get over the beautiful sunshine. 90+ degrees outside!

I can't quite put my finger on where I fell in love with it there. Maybe it was the food?

Or maybe it was the sunsets?

Or maybe the spelunking?

Or maybe the snorkeling?

Or even the white sand beaches & clear water?

Anyways, I thought of you while I was sipping on my fresh mango fruit smoothie and laying in the sun reading my newly checked out book.
Love always,
Becky

Philippines

Sometimes no updates can mean a good thing. My lack of blogging the last couple days was due to an extremely packed schedule + computer lab closings due to the holiday break.

I wanted to be super cool and link video footage into my blog. But after 5 hours of being on this computer- I give up. The computer wins. Click here to check out some of my footage. My apologies for it not being well organized.

I hope to publish more when I return from my trip to the Philippines. (I'll be back on Monday.) Speaking of the Philippines...EEK! I need to be at the airport in T-minus 4 hours and haven't even packed OR booked a hotel yet. Where does the time go?!

I'll think of you while I'm reading on the beaches of SE Asia. :)

Tuesday

On Tuesday we headed to the annual Chinese New Year Jockey Club horse races. Click here to check out the video. It was a blast with the international students. I'm so thankful to be surrounded by people from all over the world.

After the races, the gals headed to see the new movie, Music & Lyrics with Hugh Grant. I can't even tell you how great it felt to sit down in a movie theater. Now I can't get "...and POP goes my heart" out of my head.

Sunday

On Sunday we checked out the football (soccer for you Americans) match and watched Hong Kong vs. Jamica and Australia vs. China match.
Click here to check out the video
AUSTRALIA I MISS YOU!

After the match we headed downtown and watched the parade. Trust me, come to Hong Kong on Chinese New Year! When I saw these women on stilts I yelled, "I'm not the tallest person in Hong Kong anymore!" LOL

Monday

On Monday I woke up and headed to the zoo & gardens with the Danish gals.

Then we headed to Ken's home to watch the fireworks. SO MUCH FUN!


Click here to check out the video for gardens
Click here to check out the video for fireworks

Saturday

On Saturday (New Years Eve) I met up with Tom and had dinner with is parents which is a HUGE deal because it's tradition that if you have bad company, it will be a bad start to your new year. EEK! I hope I didn't mess up! After the amazing dinner we headed to the Victoria market area for a countdown. Trust me, this place was packed with people. There were times where I was literally dead locked in between people. CRAZY! I was thankful to have a local along with me in the markets because Tom was great at bargaining down some of the prices. Mom- I got you a sweet dragon puppet for your book program. After the bizarre countdown (I had my video camera good to go, looked at my watch, waited...waited...silence. Evidently there was no countdown. lol) We ended the evening at McDonalds. I returned to my dorm about 5 am and couldn't get over how many small kids were still up. I'm convinced the Chinese don't sleep.

.check out the video.

Friday

On Friday I was invited to have dinner with Heidi's (a local student) family. Heidi and I met on during orientation through Lingnans buddy program. We clicked right away because she told me she put WVU as one of her top options to study abroad. Believe me ladies and gents I'm trying to recruit this girl hardcore to come to Morgantown, WV. My fellow tour guides would be proud. :)
Click here to learn more about Chinese New Year traditions.


I'm so thankful for her family open their home to me and other study abroad students. When I return home I want to return the favor to other international students. Mountaineers- take a study abroad student under your wing!

HK Pop Culture 101

Here are the top 5 things you need in Hong Kong to fit in:
1. Phone Charms
2. Plastic rimmed glasses
3. Peace signs
4. Boots
5. Pocket tissues

Camera

I held off on purchasing a digital camera before my trip because I heard from a friend...who heard from their best friends cousin that Hong Kong has the latest and greatest technology. Indeed HK does. If you've got $350+ US bucks you could get one heck of a digital camera with a 3" LCD, mass memory, and all kinds of features. But if you want a simple Cannon it can be a bit tricky tracking one down. Since I hadn't found a cheap & simple camera after hunting a bit my friend Dan Harris offered up his camera for a day or two.

And a month later I was still "borrowing" his camera.

I'm a terrible friend.

I have no idea why Dan is still friends with me.

I finally returned it and currently don't have a camera. So readers my blogs going to be a bit bland till I track down a camera. Please be patient.

And the winner is....

Tim invited me to a hot pot dinner last night to celebrate the upcoming New Year. I assumed we’d have it at a local restaurant or meet up with others in the dorm but to my surprise Tim told me we’d have the gathering on the main plaza of Lingnan University. Ugh ok whatever you say. I walk out there and the place was packed with people sitting at round tables beautifully decorated while live music was playing on a stage. Geezie I had no idea this was here. I find Tim, meet about 8 of his friends, he hands me a ticket, and we find our table. This is really cool. After the New Year toast each of us grabbed our chopsticks and had a free-for-all at the huge bowl over a mini kerosene lit oven. This style of dinner is a Health Inspector/Germ-a-phobes worst nightmare because all 10 of us are double dipping into the bowl filled with shrimp, pig skin, tofu, chicken, steak, and carrots. (Sidenote: It’s hard for me to enjoy shrimp when it’s cooked with its legs, skin, and eyes still attached. I find myself apologizing to it before I eat it. I’m so sorry Mr. Shrimp. Please forgive me.)

After dinner we were entertained by dragon line dancing, a performance by the winners of the recent talent shot, and one heck of a raffle drawing. The raffles were picked by the students, teachers, and administration of the University. One student reached his hand in the box and purposely called the Presidents number. Of coarse the students went wild, they LOVE the president. The president walks up on stage and says he can’t accept the gift but will donate $500 to whoever’s name is called next. The $500 dollar donation from the different administration members carried on for the next 3 rounds.

I was sitting at my table, enjoying the atmosphere but completely lost. The raffle was announced in Cantonese so I was a bit in a daze and texting my friend Raisa to tell her where my table was located.

I noticed my table was getting restless and the crowd getting louder so I look up to find all of them looking at me and clapping. What’s going on. Then Tim yells, “YOU’VE WON!” I couldn’t believe it! lol I ran up on stage, snapped a picture with the VP and accepted my rice cooker raffle gift and $500 bucks. By this time, I was totally into it and made a fool of myself by running off stage doing the Rocky Balboa hand gesture and gave hand fives to each of the tables on my way back. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing the rest of the night.

$500 bucks is a lot of money. Let me convert it into my favorite currency…
$500 HK dollars is like 5.98 pairs of shoes in Mong Kok.

Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is just days away!

Bring on the dragon line dancing, lanterns, and red pocket money.

Here are my plans:

Friday- Dinner with Heidi's (a local) family and then heading to the Flower Market
Saturday- Catching up with Tom (another local) and his family at Victoria Park for dinner and night out on the town
Sunday-Football (soccer for you Americans) match with Alex & Kacey then the infamous Chinese New Year Parade and dinner at Hard Rock Cafe with the Danish gals
Monday- Firework show on the Harbor
Tuesday- re-vamp and pack for the Philippines (ugh and prob. get to crackin' on homework)
Wednesday-Monday PHILIPPINES! Manila and beaches here I come!

Love is in the air

For Valentines Day my roommate came back from classes and found flowers, chocolates, and a card from Mr. Prince Charming himself. Suddenly she couldn't go to Ladies Night Out with us. lol Cupid was killing my dinner reservations. :)
Valentines Day is actually a HUGE deal in Hong Kong. I'd even venture to say this holiday has popularized more in Hong Kong than in America (BUT it's evidently not a big deal in mainland China). To celebrate the evening a group of locals and exchange students had a 'Girls Night Out' and headed to Gold Coast to have dinner at a Mediterranean style restaurant. We ordered/shared lamb, steak, veggies, and this ultra fancy heart shaped dessert. After dinner we walked along the beach and passed couples having a picnic under candlelight (barf).

Hair Did

Ladies and Gents I finally got my haircut! Today my roommie & I went to the mall and asked for a layerd chop with (you guessed it) side bangs. I love the new do and can't wait to show it off tonight at the 'Ladies Only' Valentines Day dinner with my study abroad pals.

My sister once told me this statistic about the amount of women who get a dramatic haircut once they go through a life changing event (like marriage, having kids, graduation...). It symbolizes they're a new person. Out with the old and in with the new. I think that studying abroad classifies under that 'life changing event' catagory. I'm so thankful to be here and changing...for the better. :)

Connect the dots

What can I say, the bugs love me! :) I didn't realize just how bad my bites were till I woke up last night scratching my feet. I'm debating whether to start wearing bug spray or attempt a world record for number of insect bites. lol Anyone know the record???

Quirks about school

Let me vent a bit about my classes...
1. In my History of Islamic Society class we have 9 people. Did you catch that, 9 people! The lecture is held in this small, basically soundproof, room. But for some odd reason my teacher still feels it's necessary to talk with a microphone. I'm not even talking about one of those tiny ones you clip on your collar or even the microphone at the podium. I'm talking about the old school, cord attached, you gotta hold it in your hand, microphone. Why??? I mean really. Everyone could hear him if he whispered our lecture. My favorite thing about the entire ordeal is he'll ask in the beginning of class when he has the mic. set up, "Can everyone hear me?" LOL I want to scream YYYEEEEESSSSS!

2. At WVU I purposefully load up my M/W/F schedule because I dread the T/R 80 minute lectures. So you can understand why I'm having such a hard time adjusting to my 2 hour lectures for each class. 2 HOURS PEOPLE! By the end of the 120 minute lesson I leave thinking what the heck just happened and why do I have such a detailed to-do list?!
Sometimes I'll be daydreaming so bad that when I snap back to reality I see my teacher giving me the 'I can tell you're not paying attention' look. (Darn my ambitions to sit in the front row). On Tuesdays I'll snag extra sugar packets from the canteen and 'take a hit' on our 10 minute breaks. lol Sugar is pretty much the only thing that keeps me going. I try to offer it to others but they reply, "Becky, I won't support your drug habits" haha

3. Finally class discussions are few and far between. You've gotta realize that students here are speaking English, their second language, so it's intimidating to have in depth conversations in fear of mispronouncing a word or phrase. Why answer the question when you could be wrong? My teacher for China Through the Eyes of the West teacher has pretty much given up hope on debate. Yesterday during his lecture a PowerPoint slide read:

Discussion Question:

Is Confucianism a religion or tradition?

But instead of addressing the class he says, "Well if we were going to have a class discussion this is what I'd ask...." Then he gave us a broad, anyone could be right, sort of answer to the question and then moved on.

Now that I'm on a roll- I hate the word digress. Something about it. I'd rather hear nails on a chalkboard then hear someone say, "Let me digress". I think it's one of those words that people throw out to look smarter. People, you don't need the word digress! BLAH! So to combat my hatred I'm using it all the time...and in random phrases. "Hey want to digress to the mall?" "Let me digress and tell you about yesterday." "I was sleeping, till my alarm digressed me from my beauty nap."

All this talk about classes makes me wonder what study abroad students think when they come to WVU.

Midnight Blueberry's Gift

Dude- my sister ROCKS! Last night I got a note in my mailbox: Please come to the Wang Administration Building to pick up a package. SIIIICK-wit-it! You bet I picked it up ASAP in the AM. As soon as I signed for it, I ripped it open and immediately saw CDs (praise God) and letters. But the best part was seeing my 'Midnight Blueberry' Lip Balm. LOL

Let me digress: One random night my sister and I were at Wal*Mart and she got this package of princess Chapstick. Ever since we've called each other by the name of the Chapstick scent. I know...we're really cool.

Craving America

I'm not homesick by any means (sorry mom) but I've been craving weird things from America. For instance, two days ago I woke up and thought, I really really want poptarts! It caught me off guard because I don't even like poptarts all that much. That was like so high school.

Also, I've been singing and dieing to hear America pop music songs. You know those songs that play...and play...and play again on the radio?! Ones that are SO overplayed you consider breaking down and calling into the 800# radio station and demand variety in the tunes?! Yeah, those songs I've been missing.
For example, songs like "Beautiful" by James Blunt or the song "Bad Day"

Really...what the heck is happening to me?!

Cheung Chau Island

This Sunday I went to Cheung Chau Island, a ferry ride from HK Central. It was really nice to break away from the big city life and go hiking, eat fresh seafood, and soak in the beach with new friends. Props to Tim (see upper right hand corner) for setting everying up.

I also enjoyed listening to Francois's (from France) I-POD and being introduced to French rap music. I'm going to have to track down a CD before I leave.

Chinese New Year Dinner

Chinese New Year festivities will begin this Friday, Feb. 16th. The town is decorated with huge red lanterns, stores are flooded with red pocket money holders and our campus International Exchange Office had a celebration dinner with about 40 students (local & exchange). We baked traditional cakes, practiced Calligraphy, and had a traditional feast.
-Cake baking was quite a biceps workout. Geezie we had to stir for so long! But (as with all desserts) it was well worth it!
-Writing in traditional Chinese calligraphy made me think of 'the good ol' days' in my kindergarten class when I would practice writing my name, concentrating on each letter, trying not to mess up and thinking this is the hardest thing in the entire world because Chinese Calligraphy is so intricate. It took me at least 10 minutes to finish my 4 character greeting. You bet I flaunted that sucker around, like an A+ spelling test.

-One of my favorite memories of the day was when they brought out our traditional dinner, an entire roasted big, nostrils and all, with red flowers on it's head. Then (if it didn't get any better) our advisor says, "Come and stand behind for a group picture." haha Carolyn, a used-to-be vegetarian, goes "Baby steps people....BABY STEPS. I just started eating meat again" lol I don't think it was coincidence that we had so much pork left over on the table.

Birthday Bash

Eammon (a study abroad student from Beloit College in Wisconsin) had his 21st birthday bash at Gold Coast Beach, a 15 minute drive from campus. We had a blast! You can't go wrong with 30+ people, beach front, and char coaled corn-on-the-cob. Good times!

Another joy of studying abroad is getting to meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds. At the party I was able to interview/get to know Rod (Pronounced "Rood") a year long study abroad student from Scotland. He's passionate about politics and his family. His dad is a hard working, middle class, gotta-work-your-way-up, journalist, who got his big break after interviewing one of the last people to see Hitler before his death. Pretty crazy?! Although he's "retired" his dad still works for many news organizations.
I love hearing about peoples inspirations. I hope someday I'll get to meet Rod's dad.

A global family. Pict. 1: Alex (from Germany) and me. Pict. 2: Me, Alex (from Maryland) and Corin (a local)

Video Diaries

Lately I've been getting video footage left and right for the WVU Visitors Resource Center Video Diaries project. Obviously the biggest perk of taking part in this project is that I get to borrow a video camera for the semester and show others what it's like to be a Mountaineer overseas. But -ugh- after reviewing my footage I'm doubtful they'll want to use anything I send them.

So heres to you WVU Editing Crew...I sure hope you can make a masterpiece out of shaky and horribly cut footage.

HK Concert

Background: Earlier on my blog I posted about going to cheer on a fellow bball teammate in a singing competition in the preliminary round of a campus wide talent show. Although he did really well, he didn't make it to the finals. Last night, they had the top contestants of the preliminaries perform in the schools auditorium. In between the groups of 7 ind. singers, 5 doubles, and a band, they had some of HKs top pop stars perform one of their hit songs.

You bet I jumped on board when I found out some of my bball teammates were going to the ever-so-popular concert on Thursday night. I didn't really have a good reason for wanting to go to a concert in Cantonese- but like an assorted box of chocolates you just can't help yourself to wanting to find out what it's like. I had nooo idea what to expect and laughed at the thought of trying to sing along in Cantonese.

I met up with Jessie (a bball teammate) an hour before the concert started. The line was HUGE and winding all the way back to the schools fish pond. One thing was for sure, I underestimated how popular this concert was going to be. Once we entered, seats in the bottom level were full so we headed towards the balcony with met up with Zin, another bball teammate. When we finally sat down we a performance schedule, neon glow lights, and pong sticks waiting for us. See the picture if you don't believe me. (Amy remember the 1999 world cup in DC?! Good times)

The concert was a blast! Rachel, my favorite contestant, won the top award. wha what. I remembered her from the preliminary round because 1. She sang in English 2. She played piano Her voice is amazing & sounds a lot like Sarah McLachlan. I'm thinking about dropping out of college and being her agent. (Trust me, shes that good)

The night ended with dinner at Town Center Mall and walking Zin's dog Happy around the Tuen Mun park area. Yet again...another amazing night in Hong Kong.

Simple joy in life: Cantonese rap music

HOT POT

On Wednesday I had a hot pot dinner with past WVU study abroad students. The traditional Chinese dinner is just what it sounds like...you have a big Betty Crocker like pot and throw in all kinds of greatness like shrimp, dumplings, tofu, lettuce, carrots, fish ball, noodles, and/or beef. You continually add and take out/eat what you want. Once you take it out of the hot pot (with chopsticks) you pour chili soy sauce on it. Simple. Delicious.

My new roomie!

I (yet again) lucked out on the roommate situation.
Her name is Sarah, she has Westlife on her I-Tunes, and loves to shop. So- we're pretty much BFF. She also invites me to go on outings with her friends and is great for the inside local scoop for restaurants and such. Another cool thing is that she studied aboard in Wisconsin last semester. Trust me, she's great.

I wonder how long it will take her to realize I'm worlds worst roommate?! EEK!

New Years & Weather

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. (Feb. 17th-20th) Today on campus we had this festival/carnival type thing in anticipation for the 'year of the pig'. After much deliberation, I have my New Year plans scheduled. I'll be in HK from the 17th-20th then head to the Philippines from the 21st-26. (+1 on passports stamps CHA CHING!)

Many people have asked me 'hows the weather in in Hong Kong?' I answer...The weather in Hong Kong is beautiful! It's "winter" but the sun is ah' shining with a gentle breeze. I walk around campus with sunglasses and have sun block ready to go...but students (who would swear its freezing) are sporting bulky winter coats lined with fake fur. haha It cracks me up. They constantly ask me, aren't you cold?! You need to get a jacket! But the classrooms are freezing! Confession: If I'm the first student in the classroom, I power off the AC. I know- I'm a rebel. Below is a picture of my good friends (sitting at my favorite spot on campus, right by the fish pond) soaking in the sun and celebrations.

Ahh it's so warm. So, how's the weather in the States???? :)

I LOVE HISTORY MUSEUMS!

On Sunday evening I went to the HK History Museum with 5 others.

(Becky, take a deep breath...) OK IT WAS AMAZING! haha

I can't wait to return on an upcoming Wednesday.

No classes on Wed. + free admission= Greatness.

I enjoyed browsing through exhibits on

Chinese Opera (see pict.), rice farms, and past wars.

Yeah- it was incredible! You should be jealous.

Church

I'd been on the lookout for a local church that had a service or two in English. It was a bit disheartening after asking around and getting numerous responses of, "Humm, let me get back with you on that." Luckily my mentor/buddy Tom introduced me to the campus Chaplin and translated "English service at 9AM" for me. (Whew! Sigh of relief.)

Come Sunday, I was really looking forward to the service. I wondered what songs we'd sing, what verses would be used in the sermon, and what locals students would show up (hey, maybe we could start a Bible study?!) As I entered the chapel doors that feeling overcame me. Aww that feeling of entering into a place that feels like home, a place of comfort, a place of God. But once I opened the doors to the sanctuary I only saw one person in the congregation and noticed that something was playing overhead. Shoot I must have misunderstood the time. I walked up to the elder man and asked, "Good Morning, is this the English speaking service?" His head shot up with a huge smile and he nodded a big yes.

Humm. Uh. ok. I sat down and after a couple minutes passed, my eyes tuned into the powerpoint screen ahead playing a televised (English speaking with Cantonese subtitles) church service. After a while the pieces started to fall into place...Oh my gosh, this is the service! It's going to be a televised church service...and I'm the only one who showed up.

I've never been so humbled in my life.
Blown away, I opened up the Bible. I love it when Bibles are in two languages. Looked overhead and thought, gosh this is really beautiful. What a blessing it is to be here!

Once the service ended I gave the typical head nod, wave, and "c-ya later".
"Yes, thank you for coming." He replied. As I was about to head out the door he said, "You're our first visitor." I stopped dead in my tracks and turned back. I noticed his eyes started to fill with tears. "Every Sunday I come here to be with the Lord. I turn on the service and turn it off. It's encouraging to have someone else come and worship."

I don't think I'll ever forget his words.

"I'm really thankful this is here. Really, thank you."
"Feel free to come back anytime, even during the week. It's always open for you."
"You bet...See you next Sunday for sure."

Beethoven Symphony # 2&7

On Saturday, Jonathon (a local) and I went to De Waart's Beethoven orchestra concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The show was absolutely breathtaking! Each persons musical talent and dedication came together and created such a timeless masterpiece. Wow. I'm getting chills talking about it. Again, I'm SO THANKFUL to be here and experience outings such as this.

A simple joy in life: To see a violinist close her eyes and be enthralled by the music, swaying side to side and tapping her feet while she plays. From an outsiders view, it's like she enters an entirely different world.

Classes

I finally have my classes set in stone.
5 classes=15 hours.
History 399: History of Contemporary China
My teacher, Dr. Rhoads, blew me away with his life story. For starters, he was born at the old Lingnan University campus and grew up in China. He's experienced numerous significant world events like the 1949 communist take-over and Korean War. Oh yeah, and he got his undergrad at Yale, PhD at Harvard, and is a retired professor from University of Texas in Austin. Not too shabby, eh?!
History 399: The World Turned Upside Down
England history. Ouch. The only things I've got going for me is that my Aunt teaches this back in Texas. The professor, Dr. Smith, is a loud and proud Brit anxious to tell others about his home countries history. Hopefully his knowledge and passion of the topic will rub off on me.
History 265: History of Modern Islamic Society
10 people in the class + Good book + Interesting lectures = Good Class
History 193: China through the Eyes of the West
I tacked on this class after I dropped Mandarin. The first two days of class we broke up into groups: American exchange students, China mainland exchange students, and two groups of Hong Kong locals. Our professor gave us a list and asked each of our groups to write down our stereotypes of the county. America & Japan were first on the list. To my surprise other students actually had positive stereotypes like daring & heroic. I was blown away by the Chinese stereotypes of Japan. Students characterized them as brutal & cruel (due to the China-Japans long history) and kinky (evidently Japan is known for its porn). I'm going to learn a vast amount in this class due to a great teacher who can facilitate class discussion.
Media-Culture-Creativity
If you can't say anything nice...don't say it at all.