Hong Kong

The Yale-China Teaching Fellows had a 10-day orientation in Hong Kong. Colin, who teaches in Guangzhou, was rather sick during the orientation, so we joked that he had swine flu... though it's not really a joking matter!


We began with a week of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) training, followed by three days of general orientation. I met up with Chris, with whom I spent a lot of time at Yale, which helped ease the transition to a different culture.

Chris and I taught a practice lesson together during TEFL training. The "students" (our fellow Fellows) interrupted our lesson plan several times with legitimate questions, like the difference between "aloud" and "allowed," or the definition of "eavesdropping." The most important thing I learned from that session was not to be too obsessive-compulsive about sticking to my lesson plan, as unexpected issues will come up in class regardless. As a teacher, it is important to address the needs of your students, but you can't answer everyone's questions during class--I will have to find a delicate balance between the two!

In Hong Kong, we went to a few popular downtown spots. We went to TST, which is across the harbor from the business district of Hong Kong. From TST, you can see its beautiful skyline, which puts even New York to shame.

The business district, called Central, is also a great destination for shopping and tourists. Walking around, one of the first things we all noticed was that couture shopping and labels were a big part of Hong Kong life. While in California, I've never even seen a Tiffany's or Louis Vuitton. In Hong Kong alone, there were several of each. It's so strange to think that in one city, there is enough of a wealthy community to demand more than five Rolex stores!



One of the Yale-China alumni, Drake Pike, took us out to dinner on "Lamma Island." We had pigeon's head as a sort of rite-of-passage into the fellowship (shh! I didn't eat one!).


One interesting development was that I didn't get bitten by mosquitoes. In Norfolk, I got a mosquito bite probably once a day. So far, I've only gotten maybe two or three. Hopefully as a result, I will not get malaria (or Japanese Encephalitis, or anything else deadly that I was supposed to get shots for).

On our last day in Hong Kong, we had a mystery activity for dinner. Turns out, Chrissy and Katie had gotten us a private trolley ride through downtown Hong Kong, complete with dinner catering! It was a fun two-hour ride, and it was an exciting way to view the city in the evening.



Our medical fellow has a two-year-old, so she joined us at meals and outings occasionally. She was quite charming!


The Batman building from The Dark Knight!


Sogo is now in Hong Kong!


These are the four Xiuning Fellows. Zoe, me, Brendan, and Michael. Stay tuned for an update from Xiuning very soon!

Peace.