My first impressions of Hong Kong

My roommate and I. She is a hotel management major, and a local of Hong Kong. She speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and is learning Japanese.
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When I first arrived in Hong Kong, certain aspects surprised me that I didn't expect to surprise me. The things I remember most about the arriving were: how VERY hot and humid it was (I felt sticky being outside for 30 seconds, a feeling that would continue the first few weeks); the Mickey Mouse mooncakes (mooncakes being a traditional Chinese desert served at the moon festival in October...a symbol of Chinese beliefs in filial piety, and traditional reverence of ancestral worship, with Mickey Mouse on the front. Starbucks and Haggendaas also sell mooncakes, actually); the fear I had of eating something in the airport that actually had chicken feet in it; and finally, after traveling for almost 24 hours, walking into the hostel bathroom to find that there was no toilet paper (its a bring your own kind of system).

Hong Kong Disneyland. One can see the influence of the west in Hong Kong at the smallest happiest place on earth.
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My first few days, I had a hard time adjusting to only a few things. The weather was very difficult to adjust to. Being from Colorado, where really humid is 25% humidity, the 100% humidity here really made me feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, the CUHK campus is actually on a mountain, so going anywhere is a real hike. At first, I took the bus everywhere. Now that the weather has cooled down, I walk a lot more. Another thing that shocked me was which products you can and cannot buy here. Clinique makeup (an American company) is everywhere, but it took me days to find a curling iron or a women's razor.

They [the locals] realize they are the people of a unique city, with a unique culture, and they want to share that with the world.

Mushrooms with Abalone, a really really expensive fish. Why it is so expensive, I don't know, because I couldn't eat more than a bite.
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But all these things seem minor compared to the problems I had with food. The first meal I ordered here was eggs with ham, which was a paper thin slice (yes, one slice) of ham with one fried egg. And that is supposed to be your breakfast. I tried some traditional food, but it made me slightly sick. They don't eat white meat, all dark meat. And they leave the skin and about an inch of fat on the chicken, and leave it all on the bone, and chop it up. You are expected to put the whole piece in your mouth, and spit out the bone. I got the strangest looks from my Chinese friends trying to pull meat off the bone with chopsticks, which inevitably sent the piece  (bone, chicken, fat, and all) flying across the table. Our first week, they gave us a huge 10 course seafood meal. I tried everything, but liked very little. The seventh course was a dish called "drunken chicken" which  was an entire chicken cut into pieces and sprawled out across a plate, including the chicken's head, tongue still inside. It also included a whole fish, seen in the picture, and other such seafood (see further pictures). After that incident, I realized that I was going to have a hard time eating here. One of the most famous dishes here is sharkfin soup, which can run up to 2800 Hong Kong dollars for two people (which is about 400 US dollars. Pretty steep for a bowl of soup, don't you think?)

A part of a 10 course seafood meal we were given. Whole fish, chicken heads, and everything else were all included.
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Once I got accustomed to the food and the weather (well, I could tolerate both in any case) I started looking at how the people were. An overwhelming number of people here are trilingual, speaking Cantonese as their first language, and then also speaking Mandarin and English. While I wouldn't call them fluent in the latter (although some are) many of them are quite proficient, and they understand a great deal of the language, minus American slang. Some people only speak Cantonese (and they tend to work at our cafeterias, which makes ordering food somewhat troublesome). Cantonese a complex language with nine different tones (mandarin just has the four) and very strange pronunciation. I can count to 10, and say excuse me, but that is the extent of my knowledge of Cantonese.

A typical market where locals shop. Here, one can find incredibly cheap jades, lace, clothing, wall paintings, and almost anything else.
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I have had such a wonderful time thus far sightseeing. Of all of the sightseeing I have done, two particular places have really been incredible. The first is what is called the "10,000 Buddha Monastery." This monastery, considered one of the Top 10 Wonders of Hong Kong, includes a long hike up a mountain to a colorful and bright Buddhist monastery. As promised, there are in fact 10,000 Buddhas, including the life sized Buddhas that line the path leading up the mountain, and all of the Buddha images, small and large, inside the temple itself. It shows that Chinese culture is certainly alive and well in Hong Kong, as there were many many people there that day to worship. Yet at the same time, it is not the same as mainland China monasteries (at least the ones I have seen in pictures). It doesn't have the antiquity that monasteries in the mainland have; it's new, and it's flashy, since everything is so colorful and painted gold. One can see the influences of modernity in a largely traditional setting.

The Hong Kong skyline from Victorias Peak.
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On the complete opposite side, at Hong Kong Disneyland, one can see specks of traditional influence inside a largely imported, modern, western setting. Much of Hong Kong Disneyland is the same as the states, only phenomenally smaller (my campus is actually bigger than Disneyland). Yet at the same time, only at Hong Kong Disneyland will you find Mickey Mouse chopsticks; restaurants that sell only dark meat chicken, burgers, and instant noodles; and a show imitating the Lion King with a total of 3 African Americans playing the lead in a majority Asian cast, and two baboons that translate the story into Cantonese periodically (kind of broke the traditional African mood...) I also learned at Hong Kong Disneyland the stereotype that Asians like to take pictures. Every 5 feet, someone was taking a picture. In fact, we waited in line (for my Chinese friend) for 2 hours to take our photo with Pooh and Mickey, but only 10 minutes for Space Mountain.

A staircase that leads partway down my campus. You can see how the steep slopes and the tropical weather can be extremely uncomfortable.
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While these stereotypes may be true, the people here are quite courteous, especially the local girls. They are always more than happy to help me when I look lost (which the first week happened a lot). The men are somewhat more shy, but I believe that to be an aspect of culture. I was told by local students that a certain amount of timidness is expected. They are always smiling, and quite polite. Nevertheless, there are things they do that, as a westerner, I had a hard time adjusting to because it seems so rude. Cutting in line is commonplace, especially since you have to wait in line for EVERYTHING, from buying a cup of coffee to waiting for the bus. If you are not lightning fast, they will simply cut in front of you, and it is almost expected. To get a seat on the subway, you literally have to fight for it. Another thing that shocked me is the fact that they won't move for you on the sidewalk. If they are coming towards you on the sidewalk, it is not expected for them to move out of the middle so there is room for both of you to pass. Bumping into people is a part of everyday life. A final thing that surprised me is the way they eat. They eat extremely fast, and spit things out (such as bones) into their plate. There is little sense of dining etiquette, and it is not considered crucial in their culture, compared to other aspects anyway.

A walk up to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas, a famous monestary in the New Territories. Like everywhere in the New Territories, its a hike to get to the temple, but its designed to allow you to worship as you walk. Getting to the temple prepares you for actual worship with the golden, lifesized Buddhas.
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Overall, however, the local students are quite intelligent, and love to discuss concepts, ideas, and international differences with me. I have had lengthy discussions about local ideas about the rest of the world, what they think of Americans and Europeans, and even what they think of themselves. They realize they are the people of a unique city, with a unique culture, and they want to share that with the world. Furthermore, they want to help create an international global environment, and help bring the world into modernity.

The actual temple of the 10,000 Buddhas temple.
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I would like to end this journal with a comments about something I talk about with local students a lot, which is their impression of Americans. It is very unfortunate that a few immature Americans and American movies have given us a very bad impression. My roommate told me that she only met one American last year, and she never saw her sober. I have also encountered similar expectations. I had a friend ask me my favorite drink, and when I said I don't drink much, he was shocked. He said "You're american, aren't you supposed to be an expert?" My roommate's boyfriend is constantly telling me I am unique because I love talking about politics, cultures, and world views. He claims that that makes me a very unique American. While I'm happy to be considered the "unique American," it makes me sad that this is the international stereotype we have created for ourselves. While stereotypes should not generalize a culture, these people have come to this stereotype from real life experiences. Therefore, I end this journal as a challenge to you. Study abroad, and show them how thoughtful, intelligent, and respectful Americans can be. Show them that we are not all ethnocentric, we realize that our country being very powerful does not make us better than others, and that we do more than get drunk.