Sixteen hours is a long time to be anywhere, let alone in an enclosed capsule with two-hundred other people. There’s a point on the flight, when you’ve watched three movies, been properly fed and watered, had a quick nap, and you’re feeling pretty good. You pat your self on the back for handling this flight like an adult; then you peruse the screen and realize you have eight more hours left. My advice would be to nap as much as you can. If you can’t nap, make shadow puppets with the small child next to you. Time will then move at a fairly steady clip.

When you get off the plane, realize that Hong Kong Airport is not actually in Hong Kong! You have the option of taking a taxi, but it will be rather expensive. Instead, take the MTR, Airport express. It will cost you 100 dollars (20 USD) to get to Hong Kong Central station. Then take a taxi from there to HKU. The train is very quiet, clean, and efficient. I would highly recommend it.

First; oh my god is it humid. Exceptionally humid. Ridiculously humid. So humid I want to walk into the nearest beauty salon and make them burn off every last fiber of hair on my body. Second; the stairs. The previous blogger mentioned that he didn’t see any overweight people in Hong Kong. I now know why. Stairs and escalators have become my primary means of transportation. I live on the 10th floor of an apartment complex and (you guessed it) no elevator. You actually have to work to be overweight here. Like, you need time and serious logistical planning to pull off anything like an easy route. All this height however, makes for spectacular views. Breathtaking really; how the sunrises over the harbor or the skyscrapers twinkle in the dark.

Next; my apartment. Its, hmm, lets say very basic. You forget how much luxury one has in the States. The washer looks like it was cobbled together from a used Oldsmobile. My roommates are nice. I have a post-grad student who’s from mainland china (nicknamed “mainlanders” here) who’s incredibly nice. He showed me all around campus without even asking and we’re going to lunch later next week.

Still, it’s only been the first week and I already love it here. There’s just this comfort factor that I haven’t felt in a long time. I can’t wait to explore.

I’m back! Students who perused the Drexel Study Abroad web-blog will notice that my name does appear twice; once under Costa Rica, and now in Hong Kong.
I promise you now, my dear reader, to again provide you with the quality writing that you’ve grown accustomed to. If my writing is unsatisfactory to you; well, no one’s forcing you to read it.

To begin, I’m super white: a nice mix of Anglo-Baltic, blonde haired genealogy if I must say so myself. (My eyes have also been compared to the icy-blue waters of the Arctic Ocean, but that’s beside the point.) This means, that I’m not an ABC (American Born Chinese) and don’t have any experience with Asian or Asiatic culture. This works out better for you though, since I’ll point out interesting characteristics that would otherwise go overlooked to students with a prior background.

Hong Kong. It’s a glorious city really, full of culture, action, history, and adventure. I’ve always wanted to visit. If you’re interested in learning more, here are some books and movies and websites that I researched to get myself into the traveling mode.

A Modern History of Hong Kong- Steve Tsang: A history book that includes the Opium Wars to the handover.

Myself a Mandarin- Austin Coates: An autobiography about a British Magistrate trying to administer UK justice is a very foreign land. Set in the 1950’s.

Infernal Affairs (2002): a Crime thriller which lead to The Departed (2006). I think it’s a much better movie, less swearing and more thrills.

Openrice.com: A “foodies” guide to all of Hong Kong’s eating establishments, from hole in the wall to swank.

The pocket travel guides I’ll be using are Frommer’s Hong Kong day by day, and Lonely Planet Hong Kong. (I usually prefer Moon books to Lonely Planet, but my bookstore didn’t have the HK version.) Hong Kong trades in Hong Kong dollars. Currently the exchange rate is 7.8 HKD to 1 USD. Bill increments are in 10’s, 20’s, 50’s, 100’s and 500’s, with 10, 5, 2, and 1 dollar coins. Hong Kong uses the British system for outlets and plugs, you need a converter.

The weather, as I’m finding out, is extremely hot and muggy. You will want to pack sandals, since rain storms are often quite common. There also will be droll notices e-mailed from the university, telling you the steps you must take if a typhoon hits HK.

An octopus card is an all purpose card for the public transit systems. You are able to pick up a student card from the university, but only until 10 days after you fill out the paperwork. You’ll probably need to purchase one beforehand at any MTR station.

This is just a few tips for non-local residents, to help get you acclimatized more quickly. My next post will be more narrative based. Have fun and good luck!