Russ: Week 1 (First Impressions)

It's nearing bedtime over here and we have our first official day of school tomorrow. The 5 days we have been here have been so jam-packed with excitement that I almost feel like I've been on a 2-week vacation. The days are a little blurred together in my memory now, but I'll give a rundown of my overall impressions.

The flight over was far more taxing than I expected. I'm usually perfectly fine with flying, but the small size of seats on a plane can take its toll on a guy my size. I drifted in and out of sleep all the way through, but never really felt like I slept. It's sad that I never got to experience Vancouver or Bejing for much more than the airports, but I enjoyed the small breaks from the cramped planes.

Arriving in Hong Kong and going to our new home almost felt like a dream after a 24-hour, sleep-deprived journey. After driving through the bright lights and tall buildings surrounding the airport, I was pleased to discover that I'll be spending the next 2 months living in a quiet mountainside apartment. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown, but when it comes time to plan lessons and prepare for teaching, I'll appreciate the relative seclusion. The Australian couple we are living with are simply amazing. Their generosity seems almost limitless and I am forever in their debt for the opportunities they are providing us with.

The view from the hill leading to our new home

We have only spent a limited amount of time at the school, but the welcome we received was even warmer than the weather here (which is incredibly warm and humid, for those wondering). We were met with a huge assembly, complete with presents, speeches, and a big ol' banner with our names on it (they even spelled Mr. Peddle correctly!). The students are enthusiastic and fun, the teachers seem very kind and helpful, and I get the impression that I'm really going to love it here (to the point that I might have a hard time leaving).

We were given the first few days to recover from jet lag and get our bearings (with the exception of the half-day of welcoming activities), so we took full advantage by exploring various regions. We've seen bits and pieces of Sai Kung (where we're living), visited the "Ladies Market" and surrounding shops in Mong Kok, scoped out a handful of malls, took a ferry to Hong Kong island and saw a light show. We've only scratched the surface so far, but I'm already very happy with what I've experienced. I've never been much of a tourist, but there have been several times in the last few days where I've just stood back and said, "Wow...I'm actually in Hong Kong and it's amazing."

Hong Kong from the ferry.

With respect to adjusting to a new environment, I haven't experienced anything close to the culture shock that people warned me about. Yes, I do get stared at a lot and the food and customs are obviously different than what I'm used to, but I feel pretty great about that. I have been expanding my palette for food more than any of my friends or family could possibly imagine (because they know me as a picky eater) and so far I've loved everything I've tried. I even successfully used chopsticks for supper this evening! I'm sure I'll start to miss certain things as time goes on, but English is much more prominent than I expected and McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks are always a stone's throw away.

The busy streets of Mong Kok

Well, I should be getting to sleep. I'm the first of 5 people to shower in the morning before school, so I need to get up super early. It's my goal to write in here as often as possible, so keep checking back for more updates!

Ame: Tomorrow's the big day!

So, we have been here for a couple of days now and we've spent most of those days adjusting to our life here. The internet connection in our apartment is not very reliable. They gave us a usb stick so only one of us could use it at a time. We bought a wireless router so everyone could have internet, but it doesn't always want to work. Today is the first day that it works for everyone. This is why we haven't been online much.

The first day, we got to visit Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central district. Nigel knows some people who live here and one of his friends showed us those places. He brought us shopping, brought us to lunch and dinner at some really good restaurants, showed us how the MTR and buses work, gave us a bunch of tips and told us where to go and where not to go. It was very reassuring to have someone who knows his way around with us because I don't think that any of us knew what to do and where to go.

The next day, we went to school. We didn't spend much time there, we only met a few students and we briefly met our CTs. They made us lunch and had a little party for us. We visited the school. We got our schedule and got a few of our questions answered.

Friday was a day off because the teachers had a professional development day, which is all in Cantonese and wouldn't be very useful to us. Since the gang from elementary also had a day off, we left the city to visit them in Sai Kung. It is so different from where we are that it almost feels as if we are in a totally different place. It was very nice to hang out with the others and to meet Maureen. We had a BBQ and it just felt like it was summer and we were on vacation.

On Saturday, it was their turn to visit us. We tried to give them the same tour that we got on our first day but we got lost since we don't know the area as well. We still managed to go almost everywhere we wanted to go and we stopped at the ladies market in Mong Kok to do some shopping. The vendors there are very persistent, one of them just didn't want to let me go. She ran after me and grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I bought a chinese roll  that cost me 70$HK instead of 120$HK. I also bought a dress. We took the ferry to go from Kowloon to Hong Kong island and we had an amazing view of the island.

Today, we relaxed. Tomorrow is our first day at school and we wanted to rest and prepare our things for the big day. I am having a blast so far and I can't wait to meet my students!

Val: well... this is it!

So I guess that this is it, in less than 48 hours, we'll be gone for vancouver, then Beijing and finally to Hong Kong! It is being said that we'll surely feel and look like Zombies when we'll arrive in Hong Kong! I can't wait to see that!

Next time that I will write on this blog, I will certainly be in Hong Kong, in a much warmer and humid AND polluted environment but WARMER is the word that I was looking for! :)

See you there!

p.s. I wanted to say a big and sincere THANK YOU to everyone (from McGill and Hong Kong) who has work for this field esxperience to work, I truly appreciated it!

Valérie soon to be in HONG KONG! :D

Side note to all

This blog is in Hong Kong time, as I thought it would be more relevant and useful for the ones who are reading this.

Kim: Are We There Yet?

Ok, it's real now. Only two weeks until departure. I suppose one might say that it's about time that I realize that I am actually leaving!

I've been looking forward to this experience since the very moment I opened my McGill inbox and read "Accepted for Hong Kong" as a subject heading of Kate's e-mail. However, there were still some doubts lurking in my mind. Will my fourth fieldwork actually be carried out in HK? Last year, I was supposed to go to Indonesia for my third fieldwork and it fell through three weeks before the departure date. Thankfully, things are different this time: I have a flight itinerary, I have been assigned to a school, I have contacted my cooperating teacher and the on-site fieldwork supervisor, I got my shots, I have been to workshops/meetings. We are two weeks prior to departure and the placement is still a "go"!


What an incredible opportunity! I get to do two of the things that I am most passionate about at the same time: teach and travel. Some people say I'm lucky (I agree), others say I worked hard to be where I am (I also agree). I like to think that when your heart is in the right place, when you've worked hard, and when you've taken risks, there is bound to be opportunities made available to you. At the risk of being cliche, I would say that the doors are there, it's a matter of whether or not you look for them and choose to walk through them.


There are only two weeks to go until departure, yet it seems like the "To Do List" is interminable. Mind you, after seven and a half semesters, the "Done List" seems much greater. I am going to complete my B.Ed. in Hong Kong. Now THAT is exciting!

Ame: In my suitcase, I will pack...

So, as Russ has already mentionned, this is getting real and it's getting here pretty quickly. And I have no idea as to what I should put in my suitcase, no idea as to where I should start! It will be warm, but humid. We need "teacher clothes" and stuff for the weekends. We may or may not need to bring sheets and pillows and towels. Since there's 4 of us in the same apartment, we'll end up using each other's stuff, so not all of us have to bring a straightening iron and what not. All of this reminds me of the game "In my suitcase, I will pack..." which always ends up with the kids packing apples and bananas because they're easy words to remember. But, for some reason, I have a feeling that packing apples and bananas won't be very useful...So, in your suitcase, what are you packing??

Russ: It begins...

Alright, time to break the silence on this whole Hong Kong trip. Until now, I've let the reality of this looming adventure drift to the back of my mind in an attempt to focus on school, work, my band, and all the other aspects of my Canadian life. The truth is, yesterday I told someone at the career fair that "I'm going to Hong Kong this month."

It just got real.

With less than 3 weeks to go until we embark on our journey, now is the time to start taking my Hong Kong to do list seriously. I'm going to outline a few important things I plan on doing here on this blog. That way, it's out in the open and the onus will be on me to get it done. As well, any HBs (that's have-beens for those of you not in the know, referring to students who did this trip last year) can give me a heads up if I'm forgetting anything extremely important.

Things to do before Hong Kong

• E-mail cooperating teacher, say "hi"
• Go to medical clinic, see about vaccinations
• Let my bank and cell phone company know that I'm leaving the country
• Buy travel books, learn a few key phrases
• Register for field experience abroad on Minerva
  
• Apply for teaching certificate
• Register for CEFRANC
• Apply for work at a bunch of school boards
• Buy a ukulele (2.5 months without music, not happening!)
• Buy new luggage

Am I forgetting anything?