stress and release

If you thought that mid-terms and finals were bad, think again. You haven’t taken the Hong Kong bi-annual secondary exam. It is brutal. They have written tests in all subjects coupled with oral and listening exams in English and Putonghua (school is taught in Cantonese so Mandarin/Putonghua is considered a separate language). Exams began Wednesday this week just as the weather has turned gorgeous. It has been a crisp 65 degrees Fahrenheit everyday this week with clear blue skies to match. Torturous. Starting Wednesday, the students have had exams beginning at 8:30 and running to around 11. Then, they go home to cram some more. This will go on until Tuesday of next week. It may seem like a light load but the students look like they have died. When I see them after their exams they shuffle listlessly past me with vacant expressions. They are convinced that they have failed and probably 65% of them have. I know for sure that the lower level classes of Form 5 (equitable to 10th graders) all failed one exam because some students were caught talking. They will either be held back or asked to leave the school depending on their discipline record. I am so glad that I had a different learning environment. Rag on the American school system all you want, at least you get to enjoy yourself and relax from time to time. I am sure that my outlook on the eastern schooling philosophy will improve in a few weeks after the stresses of exams have faded into distant memory, but right now I just want to hug all of my students and tell them that they are bright, awesome, and strong people! They need to relax and be kids. Some of them already have grey hairs, no joke!

I think that some of the exam stress has morphed into aggression because the day before exams were slated to begin, I caught some older boys torturing the younger boys by stealing their shoes and pencil cases and throwing them out of the classroom windows. Other such incidents have been occurring all over the school…..they have all gone mad!

Whew….despite what the above ramblings may have led you to believe, I have been having a wonderful October! Yesterday I carved pumpkins with the students at Polytechnic University in Hong Hom. I don’t know if I have mentioned it before but I work there part-time on Thursdays as a part of their Big Mouth Corner program which is a venue for students to practice their English with native speakers. English is super important to the university students because that is the language of instruction for all of their classes! Ai ya! Anywho, the pumpkin carving really made me miss home and it brought back a lot of memories of carving pumpkins on the back deck. The students got really into it and carved pirates, the Joker from Batman, impressions of their friends, and all other manner of things. They made some awesome looking squash. It was really cool because a lot of the students were from mainland China and this was their first experience with Halloween altogether. They think it is really funny that westerners and Hong Kongers are so into this ‘strange holiday.’

I was surprised that Halloween is such a big holiday here even though I shouldn’t be because of the British influence. But really, it’s huge! There are whole street markets devoted to selling costumes and accoutrements. Becci and I went to one in Central on Wednesday. She is going as Minnie Mouse and I’m going as a pirate. The dreads really complete the look! Pictures soon.

Walk Much?

It has been a while since I have updated this blog. I have been working and playing extremely hard. I feel like I more strapped for time than at any other point in my life previously. But, I really like living in Hong Kong. Can you tell?

Every day I learn more about this unique island’s culture. Most of the things that I learn are strange and one thing that I cannot get over is the walking. Yes, the walking. I don’t know if it is me that is walking fast or Hong Kongers that are walking slowly but it is an issue. I feel like I am constantly going around people. For a city that is all about speed and convenience, they are lacking in the power-walking department. This would not be a real issue, except that people also do not walk in straight lines. I think that this issue has more to do with the amount of people on the sidewalk rather than an inner ear disorder, but still, grrrrr. The final walking issue which I will subject your brain to is the plight of shoulder bashing. This occurs on a daily basis. It is not the custom here to move out of the way when you see someone coming on the opposite path. Normally, I would be accustomed to moving partly out of the way and having my efforts mirrored by the approaching person. Not here. I have the shoulder aches to prove it.

Word Vomit

Going camping on the beach is not a fitting description for what took place this past weekend. Seriously, I could write a book. I can’t even properly describe it to Elliot when I talk to him on the phone. It. Was. Amazing. Here’s a brief run-down of events:

Woke up at 10 am on Friday (no school because of National Day)
Packed/bought supplies
Met the group at the MTR
Began the first leg of the journey to Choi Hung
Becci fainted; some one on the train hit the emergency stop button
Becci drank a Coke and felt better
We went and got lunch
Took a bus to Pak Au
Hiked for about two hours up then down a mountain (thank goodness there was an excellent path)
Saw amazing views and spiders
Wrote new lyrics to the all-time favorite “Down By the Bay”
Arrived at the beach
Set up camp
Went in the ocean
Body surfed
Got stung by a jellyfish
It got dark at 7
Played with glow sticks
Made a fire
Had a beach party
Slept
Woke up at 5am for sunrise
Spent the day on the beach
Made bracelets
Got sun burned
Collected more firewood
Ate dinner
Built a fire
Had a beach party
Went to sleep
Woke up at sunrise, went back to sleep because it was cloudy
Woke up later and went swimming
Booked a boat back to Wong Shek
Packed up camp
Had the scariest experience of my life (there was no dock and we had to board the boat in the surf)
Had a scary/great/weird boat ride
Did not end up in mainland China
Got off of the boat
Took a bus then the MTR back to North Point
Ordered a Pizza
Moved our mattresses into the living room
Watched television until it was time for bed.

And the whole time I laughed hysterically, bonded with friends, created way too many inside jokes, got incredibly sandy, and really missed people at home.