Rainy day...

It has been raining all day today and still is very warm. I got a little taste of what cool weather feels like in Hong Kong, and now I want more! I am tired of being sweaty all day- yuck! Other than that I never really got to tell any of you about my living situation or what the city has been like for me...

First off I live in a dorm, which they call a hostel. I have a roommate, here name is Lydia, she is from Mainland China. It is a standard dorm with two beds, desks and small cabinets for closets. She is a very nice girl, her English is good, so I can talk to her about things I don't know about campus- she is also very helpful when I am practicing my Mandarin! I think we are a pretty good match, both pretty quiet and to ourselves, but also kind and respectful.There are 4 floors in my hostel and no elevators! Luckily I only live on the second floor :) But move-in day was a pain because I had to carry my 50lb suitcase up the stairs... yay me! It is also very hot in my hostel, so most of the day I have the AC on, which for some STRANGE reason my roommate likes to randomly turn off =/ We had an orientation camp for our hostel, which consisted of icebreaker games and other activities to get to know other girls in the dorm- yes I am in an all girl dorm- and no, not all the dorms are unisex. I have met a lot of nice girls... I've been trying to come out my shell =)  There is this one girl I met, Rachel, she is from Hong Kong and I just love her personality! She, and many other locals, has a British accent when she speaks English!!! That is probably one of my favorite things to do- speak in a wanna be British accent, which ends up sounding Australian haha! She also is IN LOVE with Brittany Spears, so I get a kick out of that also.

Ok so I'll stop blabbing about that... As for the city, I have been to Central, which is where the beautiful Victoria Harbour is. All the skyscrapers light up at night and it's just beautiful! They have a laser light show with music, called Symphony of Lights, but I have not been able to see it yet :( But I still have plenty of time... People don't make me feel uncomfortable here... Sometimes I will see someone staring a bit, but nothing too awkward. Hong Kong is a very unique place... There is culture here don't get me wrong, but it's not like a slap in the face cultural shock. I have learned that personal space does NOT exist here lol. In America, if a table with four seats only has two people, it stays that way... We don't usually have to worry about someone inviting themselves to join our intimate dinner. Here, if the seat is open, it is up for grabs! It took me day or two to get used to what I felt like was intruding on someone's personal space.

I am excited because a traditional Chinese festival called the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, it is a big celebration! The festival involves lanterns, food and moon cakes  :) I am eager to see what a traditional celebration is like for Chinese. My roommate, Lydia, tells me its a time for families to get together and celebrate especially since the weather is great. Also celebrate the full moon, which is what the moon cakes represent :) I will be sure to take lots of pictures!!!

Click the link below to see photos I have taken so far!!
 Link to my pics! :-)


With love,
Courtney

Bring on the change...!

I have attended my first week of classes already and I love them! All my professors are so eager and excited to teach us, it's comforting! There's something about each of my classes that interest me, but my two favorites are Putonghua (Mandarin) and Tourism Planning and Management... actually three- also Population and Migration.. The Tourism and Population classes both involve resource management, which I've become very interested in =) As for the Mandarin courses, I am so intrigued with this language!! I will admit it's definitely complex, but I didn't know there was so much culture and history behind writing the characters! My mind was kinda blown... I also had my first taste of the city on Thursday night, and it is so lively. People in Hong Kong seem like they know how to have a good time, and I can relate to that! 

While touring the city today I realized something about myself, I am not very outgoing or talkative... I know I can be a little shy or I guess reserved. But it has really been a little challenging for me to be the to strike up conversations and just meet new people. I guess the whole idea of it is a little intimidating... I don't think I am a hard person to like once you know me, but I think people often think I'm mean or unapproachable because I have a little bit of a serious look on my face lol. I'm working on it... I hope throughout this experience that I learn or can change things about myself to make me a better sister, friend, girlfriend, daughter and person all around... 

Pics from airport & campus!

TO SEE PHOTOS.. I GOING TO ADD A LINK TO MY PICASA ALBUM! 

I'm here....

Well I'm here! So far I have had to hike up stairs, walk up and down hills to get my ID card and speak with an academic adviser all in FREAKISHLY hot weather!!! No, but in all seriousness within these few hours I've been here, I have already almost cried... I didn't think this was going to be easy but I didn't know I would feel like such.... an outsider. I feel alone, scared, nervous, anxious and still excited. Being here alone is what's really challenging for me. It wasn't until I talked my mom and Justin that I actually started feeling better. Even that almost wasn't possible, because I thought I lost my password to get Internet access here... but as you can see I didn't! Well I'm gonna try and upload some pics I took of the campus and ride here :)

Saying goodbye to Justin was definitely the hardest part of all this... But I am so grateful that he is supporting me through all this :-) I love you, baby! <3

Just boarded my flight to SFO!... Can someone say anxiety! Lol.. No I'm starting to get really excited :-D

Got my Hong Kong dollars! They dont even look real!!! But they're cool because the size of the money gets bigger for each increase in the bill.. Crazy beans

Now that my departure is approaching I'm getting more nervous by the minute... I've never been so far away from everyone I love, but I know this feeling of fear will or should pass once I'm there. I haven't shared all the stress I've been under these past few weeks but I literally was almost forced to have to drop out of LMU. God has really been watching over me, not only am I able to go forth and study in Hong Kong I will be able to stay at LMU! I thought everything I'd worked so hard for was gone. I have to say I didn't realize how badly I wanted to go to HK until it was almost taken away from me. Well I fly out tomorrow, Tuesday.... And I pray that I have safe travels. See you soon Hong Kong