Hong Kong (volume 4)
My exams are over! But I’m still recovering from a cold, so 😷😩. My roommate has gone home, so I have the room to myself. It feels too quiet at times.
The weather has cooled down a lot in December. It’s been under 20°C for the past couple of days, so I’ve been wearing at least two layers, often three to stay warm. It’s so much better than the really hot and humid weather that I first encountered in September.
I had an entire week free between exams, so to pass the time, I spent five days in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Honestly, it paled in comparison to my other trips to Beijing, Hangzhou and Lijiang, so I’m only briefly mentioning it here. However, it was really cheap, I enjoyed the food and the alternative was most likely procrastinating from studying.
The highlight by far for me was riding an elephant. It was fun to go downhill and have to hold on to the seat in fear of falling off.
Lately, I’ve begun to really appreciate the Lee Woo Sing canteen. It’s really freeing to know I can eat whenever I want just by going down eight floors. The food here is among the best on campus, the prices are low (especially by Australian standards) and what’s more, I get a 10% discount on everything since this is my college (I don’t think other colleges have such a discount). Also, because United College’s canteen is closed on Sunday, Shaw College’s canteen isn’t popular (I hear it’s terrible) and I-House doesn’t have a canteen, Woo Sing’s canteen brings people from these colleges together.
This (below), Chinese fast food is what I eat over half the time. There are four options every day to go with the rice and bland, frozen vegetables, which are from a rotating menu, of which I select two. It costs $20.50, which is $18.50 after my discount. Unlike some other items on the menu (which are around $25-35), there’s no wait time, so I can get through lunch or dinner in 10-15 minutes if I’m eating alone.
It’s so easy to catch up with friends over a meal, because unless you eat off campus, ‘eating in’ is essentially the same in terms of time and cost as ‘eating out’. I’m going to miss the convenience and affordability of getting together with friends for lunch or dinner conversations when I get back to Sydney. It’s also common to bump into people you know at the canteen, which is good for my social life.
For breakfast, I usually have a glass of fresh milk, an apple and a few slices of raisin or pumpkin bread. I’d estimate it ends up costing around $15/day (fresh milk is expensive here, at $22/litre). It’s cheaper and more convenient than eating from the canteen’s breakfast menu, which I don’t like.
Meeting people from all over the world, I’ve noticed that most people here are at least bilingual. Hong Kongers are fluent in Cantonese and usually English, plus can speak Mandarin. Mainland Chinese are fluent in Mandarin and those who come to Hong Kong have professional proficiency in English. Most Europeans seem to be at least bilingual. The majority of students here from countries such as America, New Zealand, Canada and Australia speak another language at home, whether that be Japanese, Korean, Cantonese and/or Mandarin.
It’s truly, truly humbling. Language is how we connect with people. And I’m glad that my primary language, English, as the language of business is the most important one to know right now. But in this modern era, the distance between countries is getting smaller (figuratively), so we all have to communicate internationally. For this reason, I don’t think one language is good enough anymore, not for me at least. Speaking another language, even if only in an informal capacity is a sign of respect. (It’s also good for your brain.)
For the past two years, I’ve been learning to read and improve my Chinese in my spare time as an intellectual pursuit. In fact, a few of my posts have Chinese translations, which I’ve published to my WeChat Moments. Although I do speak Mandarin, since it is my first language (which fell second to English as soon as I started school), I feel extremely limited in the topics I can comfortably converse in. My exposure this semester to so many multilingual people has motivated me to step up my game, to further increase my fluency in Chinese, to meet the rest of the world halfway - to be a global citizen.
CUHK has its own MTR station, where most of the free campus shuttle buses originate and terminate. It’s two stations from Sha Tin, which is connected to a huge shopping centre. From Sha Tin, you can also catch the A41 bus to the airport, which is far cheaper than taking a taxi. As you can see, the platform is really curved.
Mind the gap
From the MTR station and the pool, you can see how green and hilly the campus is. Fortunately, there are a few express elevators scattered across campus to make walking easier.
Finally, here’s a photo from United College’s elevation overlooking central campus. On the lower right corner is the library, where LG1 is open 24/7. The walkway seen is the University Mall, which was the heart of CUHK student’s Umbrella Movement protests last year.
The semester has gone by so quickly, I can’t believe it’s almost over. Got to make the most of my final days in Hong Kong!