Happy Chinese New Years from the far East!
We have a whole Week and a half off school so I'm not complaining! Chinese New Years is serious business around here. There is a massive Street fair going on in Causeway Bay in Victoria Park, It's part Flower Market part Random Crap Fair!
They have All sorts of different flowers each supposed to bring their own brand of luck in the new year. There are thousands of orange trees lined up everywhere (not big orange trees small orange trees like Clementine size oranges and small shrubs for trees) they are all for good luck as well.
There are pin wheels that are supposed to change bad luck to good and red everywhere. Tomorrow is the First day of New Years. You are not allowed to clean during Chinese new years or you will sweep the luck away. You are supposed to buy new pants because Foo the word for pants sounds like the word for Luck. There are many many other traditions as well.
This up coming year is the year of the ox. so there are all sorts of things floating around that are cow related. I bought a pack of cards that looks like a chocolate milk package. All the cards have cows on them. I'll put up some pictures soon.
That's all for now
Gong Hey Faat Choi (much wealth in the new year!)
Patrick
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Circle Desk Nights!
Hello all.
It's been another week in Hong Kong and many new things have happened. This Tuesday was the School Sports day. It's an all school track meet. I participated (your required to participate) in discus i was about average. The whole thing was rather boring and took all day. Besides that it was cold. it dropped to 8 degrees C so like mid 40's a bit chilly. Of course this means that all the Hong Kong people where out in Full battle gear. they all had on multiple sweatshirts underneath giant down jackets. with scarves and gloves. it was obscene. the funny bit is that for you events you had to change into your PE uniform (shorts and a t shirt!) it was pretty funny.
Wednesday we had off because of the sports day. I went to Mong Kok with a friend from Switzerland and we walked around. I picked up some random stuff i'd been meaning to get. That was nice. Then I went home and cooked Chicken Enchiladas for my family!
That came out really well, although the kids didn't like the olives or the beans in it. Everyone else liked it. It seems really weird to me that they didn't like the olives or the beans. Cause to me they are totally normal flavors. but i suppose they like tofu.
Thursday was school. In English we are doing speeches and Debate. we are starting with some famous speeches. They are all pretty obvious. but the really interesting part was the ignorance of my class mates...
We started with Jesse Owens. This was met by a chorus of "huh's" and "who's he?'s"
Understandable i suppose growing up in Hong Kong. but we move
They knew Winston Churchill.
Then came John F. Kennedy. yes my friends. my class was at a loss to identify this American president. They didn't know any of the others from the list either. Nelson Mandela, and Martian Luther King Jr.
Things that are common knowledge for Americans just aren't known over here sometimes. I forget this from time to time because everyone over here speaks English so I assume they know about all the things that we know in US.
Another funny thing happened in School. The kid who sits next to me was drawing a knight. he draws all the time. So he turned to me and asked if I knew the circle desk Knights.
So I told him yes i know the Knights of the Round Table.
However I think this would be a great band name
THE CIRCLE DESK NIGHTS!
anywho.. that's about it for now
hope your all doing well
Patrick
It's been another week in Hong Kong and many new things have happened. This Tuesday was the School Sports day. It's an all school track meet. I participated (your required to participate) in discus i was about average. The whole thing was rather boring and took all day. Besides that it was cold. it dropped to 8 degrees C so like mid 40's a bit chilly. Of course this means that all the Hong Kong people where out in Full battle gear. they all had on multiple sweatshirts underneath giant down jackets. with scarves and gloves. it was obscene. the funny bit is that for you events you had to change into your PE uniform (shorts and a t shirt!) it was pretty funny.
Wednesday we had off because of the sports day. I went to Mong Kok with a friend from Switzerland and we walked around. I picked up some random stuff i'd been meaning to get. That was nice. Then I went home and cooked Chicken Enchiladas for my family!
That came out really well, although the kids didn't like the olives or the beans in it. Everyone else liked it. It seems really weird to me that they didn't like the olives or the beans. Cause to me they are totally normal flavors. but i suppose they like tofu.
Thursday was school. In English we are doing speeches and Debate. we are starting with some famous speeches. They are all pretty obvious. but the really interesting part was the ignorance of my class mates...
We started with Jesse Owens. This was met by a chorus of "huh's" and "who's he?'s"
Understandable i suppose growing up in Hong Kong. but we move
They knew Winston Churchill.
Then came John F. Kennedy. yes my friends. my class was at a loss to identify this American president. They didn't know any of the others from the list either. Nelson Mandela, and Martian Luther King Jr.
Things that are common knowledge for Americans just aren't known over here sometimes. I forget this from time to time because everyone over here speaks English so I assume they know about all the things that we know in US.
Another funny thing happened in School. The kid who sits next to me was drawing a knight. he draws all the time. So he turned to me and asked if I knew the circle desk Knights.
So I told him yes i know the Knights of the Round Table.
However I think this would be a great band name
THE CIRCLE DESK NIGHTS!
anywho.. that's about it for now
hope your all doing well
Patrick
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Hello All,
Happy New Years everyone.
Life here keeps rolling inexorably forward. It's the 11th and we are drawing closer to the half way point. On the 23rd i'll have been here for 5 months.
After being here for 5 months i really feel like i'm starting to get to know the city a bit better. I know my neighbor hood much better than i did a month ago (thanks to the copious amount of time off I've had) I've gotten better acquainted with Causeway Bay and Wan Chai.
A change has come over me recently, I find my self thinking not about what food and things i'm missing in America but what food and things from Hong Kong i won't be able to find once I've come back.
This was my first week back at school. I did go back on friday the 2nd because my school is insane but this was my first real week back. The good news is i passed all of my Exams! Even pure maths where i only got 35 out of 100 marks (that was the passing grade i got an E (yes they have a grade E here)) I got D's in both Chemestry and Physics, and of course the highest grade in English.
Hong Kong itself has changed over the past week. Yesterday we dropped below 10 degrees C it made it all the way to 8 degrees and i got to pull out both a coat and hat for the first time since landing here.
Me and my friends went around yesterday as usual from one point to the next without any actual aim. We ended up somewhere new this time. Instead of going to Kowloon Tong or Mong Kok we ended up at the IFC in central. The cool thing is we found this little area with wicker furniture where you can hang out and no one bothers you. Your right under the IFC too.
I've been enjoying having a computer again, Even though i'm probably spending more time than i should be on it. But what else is new.
Today was Hoho's birthday so we just had a party. I gave him two magnetic board games. Tuesday is my host mothers birthday so I need to figure out another gift for her.
I can't believe we are already in 2009. Me and Adrian have already finished teh first 4 books of harry potter. It doesn't feel like i jsut got here but it doesn't feel like it was very long ago either.
Anywho. Life rolls on.
I'll go put up some more photos on Myspace now.
Hope your all well.
I would love to hear from you guys feel free to shoot me an email or even better a real letter.
I'll post again Soon
Patrick
Life here keeps rolling inexorably forward. It's the 11th and we are drawing closer to the half way point. On the 23rd i'll have been here for 5 months.
After being here for 5 months i really feel like i'm starting to get to know the city a bit better. I know my neighbor hood much better than i did a month ago (thanks to the copious amount of time off I've had) I've gotten better acquainted with Causeway Bay and Wan Chai.
A change has come over me recently, I find my self thinking not about what food and things i'm missing in America but what food and things from Hong Kong i won't be able to find once I've come back.
This was my first week back at school. I did go back on friday the 2nd because my school is insane but this was my first real week back. The good news is i passed all of my Exams! Even pure maths where i only got 35 out of 100 marks (that was the passing grade i got an E (yes they have a grade E here)) I got D's in both Chemestry and Physics, and of course the highest grade in English.
Hong Kong itself has changed over the past week. Yesterday we dropped below 10 degrees C it made it all the way to 8 degrees and i got to pull out both a coat and hat for the first time since landing here.
Me and my friends went around yesterday as usual from one point to the next without any actual aim. We ended up somewhere new this time. Instead of going to Kowloon Tong or Mong Kok we ended up at the IFC in central. The cool thing is we found this little area with wicker furniture where you can hang out and no one bothers you. Your right under the IFC too.
I've been enjoying having a computer again, Even though i'm probably spending more time than i should be on it. But what else is new.
Today was Hoho's birthday so we just had a party. I gave him two magnetic board games. Tuesday is my host mothers birthday so I need to figure out another gift for her.
I can't believe we are already in 2009. Me and Adrian have already finished teh first 4 books of harry potter. It doesn't feel like i jsut got here but it doesn't feel like it was very long ago either.
Anywho. Life rolls on.
I'll go put up some more photos on Myspace now.
Hope your all well.
I would love to hear from you guys feel free to shoot me an email or even better a real letter.
I'll post again Soon
Patrick
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