Off to China...

36-ish more hours before I leave for China! I’m so excited…I’ve been “googling” attractions, activities, directions…like crazy. I am going to China with three other exchange students from Chicago. Sunny, Melyssa, Laura and I will head off to Beijing and be there for 4 days, then Melyssa and I will head to Xian for 3 days, and to Shanghai for another 4 days! I will be missing classes for a week, but since classes are just pass/fail, I’m sure I’ll be fine! More blogging to come after many, many China adventures…

Bibles for Student

In preparation to start the “English Bible Exploration” I have been thinking and planning all the things that we will need…nametags, display boards, snacks, a nice environment…and BIBLES!

A large group of students, kind of our “target market” or audience, that we would really like to see attend the weekly studies are the exchange students from Mainland China. Many Mainland exchange students who come to study abroad in Hong Kong are very open and receptive to learning about Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible, since they have never had the opportunity to do so before.

And because they have never heard about Jesus, and don’t know a lot or anything about Christianity, they most likely will not have a Bible.

So, I thought I would just throw this out there – I have no idea who reads my blog, but if you would like to give money in helping me buy Bibles for interested students who attend the weekly “English Bible Exploration” and do not already have a personal Bible, I would like to give you the opportunity to give.

I am looking into how much Bibles are here, and will wait to see how many students need Bibles. Then I will post another blog post in a few weeks with details. Until that time, just be thinking and praying about it. This isn’t a large international organization or global missions effort, but it is an opportunity to eternally invest in young students lives through giving them the gift of God’s Word.

If you would like to e-mail me about this, or if you are at all interested in giving, just shoot me an e-mail: Sarah.Perry@mail.wvu.edu

3 Months in HK - 2 Months of Bible Study!

Unfortunately classes are long and boring, so in my boredom one day I had a field-day in my planner! I wrote down everyone’s birthdays and started planning out possible trips to other countries, and then started a countdown until I come back to West Virginia. The countdown isn’t a “I can’t wait to come home countdown” – it’s more of a reminder to make the most of my time here, because the days and weeks just seem to fly by! So as of today, I have 3 more months in Hong Kong!

I’m a little overwhelmed because I feel like there is so much to see and do here! But a major development that has occurred in the month that I have already been here is the initiation and plans to begin an English speaking Bible Study on campus!

I am so excited for this! After many, many divine appointments, I somehow met key local Christian student leaders from every Christian organization on campus, and found out that the different Christian organizations have been looking for a way to come together and join efforts on reaching the campus for Christ…what better way than the through an English speaking Bible Study on campus? We all share a love of Christ and the ability to speak English, so it was decided…

We will be having an “English Bible Exploration” for students on campus who want to know more about a relationship with Jesus and the Bible,want to have fun, and want to practice their English! We plan to have the “English Bible Exploration” every week for an hour with a conversational and social dinner to follow. We are planning to meet for 8 weeks throughout the months of October and November!

There is also a senior tutor who is a faculty member at the University who lives in each hostel, and the senior tutor in my hostel, Jennifer, just happens to be one of the sweetest Christian ladies I have ever met! And if everything couldn’t be working out more smoothly and perfectly, she said that we could hold the weekly meetings in our Hostel common room!

So we have a place, a time, planned dates, student leaders, and the support of faculty! And all of this has been accomplished in just 4 short weeks! I’m seriously in awe of what God can do!

And if that wasn’t cool enough, tonight I had dinner with an American English teacher (who I randomly met) at the University. He is a Christian and was a pastor in the United States before coming to Hong Kong! He moved his family to Hong Kong 15 years ago after discovering his heart for the Asian culture and the people here was too strong to stay where he was. In fifteen years he has worked professionally as a professor and everyday as a missionary, living his life for the glory of God and telling other people in Hong Kong about Jesus!

This is the story of my life in Hong Kong…continual amazement and complete randomness! I was so encouraged by his story! He encouraged me to not just share with others once a week at bible study, but to simply live my life shining the light of Christ!

So tomorrow, some friends and I are hanging up poster informing students about the “English Bible Exploration”. Pray that students read the posters and come! The first meeting will be on October 6^th, in just 2 short weeks…pray, pray, pray! 

The Peak

This past weekend I went to “The Peak”, a very well known attraction in Hong Kong. The Peak is probably the most “touristy” thing I have done in Hong Kong so far. The Peak is a viewing point that overlooks most of Hong Kong! To get to The Peak, you have to ride up a nearly vertical mountainside in “The Peak Tram”. After riding up the mountain and arriving at The Peak, you then continue to go up at least five stories in a shopping center/building to “The Sky Terrace”. The Sky Terrace is the highest viewing platform at The Peak.

From The Sky Terrace I could see nearly all of the city of Hong Kong! Then when I turned around I could see breathtaking mountains and vast water! It is so amazing how the city of Hong Kong really is built-up on vast mountains in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

When looking over the city of Hong Kong at The Peak, it was neat to see the places that we have already visited, except from a entirely different perspective – miles and miles away and thousands of feet above them!

After being awed at the view, my exchange friends (Nate, Amanda, and Dan) and I all went for a walk up the nearby mountainside. There was a commercial road that we followed up the mountain and without knowing it at the time, we ended up walking past some of the nicest and most prominent housing in Hong Kong. We were passing tons of gated communities, which is basically unheard of in Hong Kong, since most everyone lives in an apartment. I found out later that most of the really wealthy business men and women live in this area.

After our walk we all went to dinner together at a really nice outdoor restaurant! Overall a great day! 

China...typhoon...24 Hour Breakfast!

My To-Do List for the Week:

Prepare for the 11 day trip to China! Book flights, book hotel rooms, look-up directions to the airports, fun things to do in Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai. On the radar for Beijing – the Olympic sites, eat Beijing duck, and revisit the Pearl Market, Silk Market, and Great Wall! There is still a lot of planning needed for Xian, so far we’ve decided to  go see the Terra Cotta soliders and a the “Tang Dynasty Dinner Show”. And no plans for Shanghai as of yet…but you can bet I’ll be “googling” like crazy to find fun adventures.

Strong winds and rain showers from the typhoon that passed through Hong Kong over the past few days have kept me mostly confined to campus and my hostel room. No major adventures, just enjoying daily jogs in the rain, hanging out with friends, sleeping-in on my “mattress” that I am still getting used to, and eating lots of rice!

Plans for tonight…some friends and I found a “24 Hour Breakfast” place, called the “Flying Pan”, and I would absolutely LOVE to go! 

The Glorified PRT

Right now I am sitting in “Pacific Coffee” in the “ifc Mall”. This is my first coffee shop outing in Hong Kong. Like all malls in Hong Kong, the “ifc Mall” is extremely elaborate, with three phases and at least three floors. I am enjoying a Caramel Latte and Blueberry Muffin, a brief escape from the constant hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.

The ifc Mall is midway between campus and “The Island Church”. The Island Church is an English speaking church that I attended for the first time today. The Island has three services on Sunday and around 1,700 members. The Island Church is about an hour and a half away from campus, an hour of which is spent riding the MTR. The MTR is the transit system here. Think of the MTR as a glorified PRT that extends throughout Hong Kong. The MTR is about 100 times bigger and more confusing than the beloved West Virginia University PRT, but with the same public transportation concept.

Since Lingnan University is about an hour MTR ride to anywhere in Hong Kong, some of my new exchange friends and I estimated that we’ll spend at least 5 days combined on the MTR over our 4 month stay here! That’s 120 hours of quality MTR time!  

Church was so refreshing and encouraging! I expected to walk down the street to see a lone church building, but after 3 weeks in Hong Kong I should really know better! No, like everything else in Hong Kong, the Island Church was part of a multi-floor, high rise building. The Island Church service was held on the second floor. If you ever wonder how Hong Kong fits 7 MILLION people in such a small area, it’s because Hong Kong has built itself UP! Unlike in America, where the majority of homes, businesses, and establishments have their own land and building, Hong Kong shares everything! Millions and millions of people reside, work, and meet, in high rise, multistory buildings!

I’ll travel another 45 minutes by the MTR and walk at least another 15 minutes to go back to campus tonight. It would also be ridiculous to find out how much I walk here! So now you can see why everything I do is such an adventure, because there is no easy “ten minute drive in my own car” to church or the grocery store or anywhere! I never know what the next day, or the next mode of transportation will have in store! 

Lamma Island

As if the Modern Toilet and a little John Travolta wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, on Saturday I went on my second “Cultural Excursion” that the study abroad office at Lingnan University organizes for exchange students. We left at 9 in the morning and proceeded to take a 45 minute bus and 30 minute ferry ride to Lamma Island, a traditional fishing island in Hong Kong.

Lamma Island is majestic! Since we were on an organized tour, we had a tour guide and were first oriented to Lamma Island by being educated on traditional fishing techniques and history of the Island. It was all very interactive and I even got to hold a live star fish and a horseshoe crab! Part of the tour was “funny hookless fishing” where we all got to “go-fishing” with a string tied to a long bamboo rod. At the end of the sting, our tour guide and local fishermen tied a small dead fish. We were then allowed to “go-fishing” and feed the humongous fish that inhabit the water!

After learning about historical fishing techniques and “going fishing”, we all went to lunch and ate really, really fresh seafood. I literally saw the tanks of live shrimp, crab, and squid, and then saw it 30 minutes later, prepared to eat! We ordered peppered shrimp, fried squid, scallops, vegetables, fried rice, and cashew chicken! The scallops were steamed, still in the seashell, smothered and cooked in a garlic sauce and combined with Chinese noodles! Best scallops of my life!

Then after our fresh sea food, we took a tour of the island, where we literally hiked halfway around, up and down one of the Lamma Island mountainsides! It was hot, and it was a workout, but it was awe inspiring, gorgeous, and simply majestic! Well worth the sweat, and the humidity! Each mountainside jutted with boulders and was brought to life by the most emerald of green trees and plant life. Beyond one mountain, was another mountain, and sitting below each mountain was the most aqua blue and turquoise green tinted water. The water seemed to hold the mountains in place, creating a tranquil beach experience. I seriously thought I was on the set of a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie and expected Jack Sparrow to jump out from behind the nearest plant life.

At the end of the two hour hike, we finished on the other side of Lamma Island and waited for a Ferry to take us back to Central, the main part of Hong Kong.

Beyond the busy, city life of constant high rise buildings and millions of people, sits the beautifully tranquil Lamma Island. It was a perfect “Cultural Excursion” of Hong Kong and I was again amazed at the truly breath-taking views my eyes have seen over the last few weeks. Will truly remember Lamma Island for a lifetime.  

The Modern Toilet

I knew it wouldn’t be long until I would have to visit the “Modern Toilet”, a toilet themed and inspired restaurant in Hong Kong. After applying for my Visa to go to China in two weeks, I went to the “Modern Toilet” Restaurant with my new traveling friends.

My three new exchange friends from Chicago and I went to the Modern Toilet, where we sat on toilet bowls as chairs and the tables were two sinks with a piece of glass over them. The walls were decorated with green neon flashing urinals, and toilet seat covers.  The drinks were served in “mini-urinals” and the food was served in “mini-bathtubs”. Then came the desert…we ordered a chocolate flavored, shaved iced dessert! And, yes, you guessed it…the brown, heaps of ice, looked just like poop! With raisins, and tan roasted crackers, chocolate candies, a chocolate ice cream swirl, and chocolate syrup, this giant terd inspired dessert was served in a “mini squatty potty” toilet bowl. HahahaHaha…it was so much FUN!

Then the girls and I decided to go to the movies, where I enjoyed my first English movie, with Chinese character subtitles, in Hong Kong. We saw the “Taking of 123 Pelham”. I thought it was a good movie, love John Travolta and Denzel Washington! 

Everyday Life

As I am writing my latest blog posts, trying to keep up with the everyday adventures…let me just tell you about my surroundings, giving you a little glimpse of what everyday life is like…

I am chasing this salamander thing around my room! Haha…I don’t really know what it is, and I don’t want to know. I’m going to say that it is a friendly salamander! I’ve noticed them around my hostel. I’m just glad it looks like a salamander and not a spider or cockroach! I know I look ridiculous chasing this thing, so I’m glad no one is here to see me.

I can smell the Clorox that is used to clean EVERYTHING! The cleaning ladies for our hostel clean everything at least twice a day! Because of the Swine Flu, everyone here is extremely health conscious. It is not uncommon to see people wearing surgical masks.

I’m sitting on my “bed”, typing on my laptop, enjoying the breeze of the fan I bought last week, and listening to Mulan on my computer. I’m not really watching it, since I’m writing this blog post. I felt like Mulan was very Asian inspired…

I’m drinking hot Forest Fruit Tea. There is a hot water heater on every hostel floor and the students here use hot water for everything! For tea, for noodles…since you can’t drink the tap water here, lots of students put the hot water in water bottles and wait for it to cool and then drink the water.

It’s the everyday things like “salamanders” in my hostel, or eating rice all the time, or praising the Lord for the invention of air conditioning, or walking into the bathroom in the morning and being greeted by the cutest 5 foot floor mates who half awake say “good morning, Sarah”! It’s being greeted by the coolest hostel security guard on campus, Bing Bing, who every time I go for a run says, “Oo Sarah you are so very Fit”. It is all of these little things that aren’t major adventures, but significant pieces of everyday life that make up the entire experience! 

Buddhas in Sha Tin

After attempting to go to church on Sunday, without a map or any real sense of direction and getting terribly lost, I was going to make sure my next “mini-adventure” would be a success…

When coming to study abroad in Hong Kong, I was looking forward to traveling to surrounding countries, but never really thought I would explore Hong Kong. I didn’t know at the time how much Hong Kong has to offer…fun attractions, mountains to be climbed, firework and light displays…my local friends ask me every day if I’ve been to their favorite Hong Kong attraction. Just today a girl asked me if I had been to the Modern Toilet Restaurant?! Apparently, it is a toilet themed restaurant in Hong Kong! All the plates and bowls are mini-toilets and the food resembles…poop! I haven’t been to the Modern Toilet yet…but you can bet that I’m “going to go” (haha no pun intended).  

There are 18 districts in Hong Kong to be explored…and I’m determined to see every single one of them! First on the list – Sha Tin…

I was determined not to get lost, so I “Googled” and printed out maps and things to do in Sha Tin. Itinerary for the evening…go to The Ten Thousand Buddhist Monastery, to the New Town Plaza Mall, and to Snoopy’s World…

With Google Map in hand, we headed around the city of Sha Tin and up a mountainside (we did get lost, even with the map)…to the Ten Thousand Buddhist Monastery. I’ve learned to set my expectations really low, that way I’m never disappointed and always amazed! And the Ten Thousand Buddhist Monastery was truly amazing!

We started our trek up a mountainside with hundreds of life-size golden Buddha statues on both sides of us, lining the concrete pathway winding up the mountain! Hundreds of Buddha’s could be seen all the way up the mountain, each one with a different stance, facial features, and gestures!

We definitely got our workout in the Hong Kong humidity, hiking up the mountain to finally reach the Monastery. Outside the monastery were even more golden Buddha’s, and inside the Monastery there was an alter, and the walls were lined with mini-golden Buddha’s. Buddha’s were everywhere, there truly are TEN THOUSAND!

This was truly one of the most unexpected and unique sights I have ever seen! A “hidden treasure”! 

Rowing Team Update

I joined the schools Rowing Team and we had our first activity and “screening” the other night.

We ran a lap around the university, were timed for a minute doing push-ups, sit-ups, and these jumping jack things. Then we were timed for 3 minutes on the stationary rowing machine.

My roommate, Ling, is on the Rowing Team and as I and the other new team members were rowing, Ling and the surrounding team members were yelling and cheering us on…mostly in Cantonese. So I would hear *CantoneseCantoneseCantonese*… “keep going”… *CantoneseCantoneseCantonese* …“use your legs”… *CantoneseCantoneseCantonese* …“more power”… *CantoneseCantoneseCantonese*!

My roommate is so great! And I am affectionately known to the rowing team as “Ling’s Roommate”. Whenever I would introduce myself to a rowing team member, each one would say “oo yes, I know, I know, I know…you’re Ling’s Roommate”.

More rowing adventures to come in the future, I am sure! I’m excited to get started and learn how to row, it’s something I’ve never done! 

Travel Update

So I’m going to China…more details to come and more stories to be told once I come back…but in two weeks I am traveling from Hong Kong to Beijing, to Xian, to Shanghai, and back to Hong for 11 days. By air and by train I will travel up and down China!

Good thing I bought that traveling backpack! 

Highlights of HK

The Office of International Programs here at Lingnan University organizes “Cultural Expeditions” around Hong Kong, so this weekend I went to the Hong Kong History Museum then on a Tour of Kowloon, an urban city and major district of Hong Kong, then to the “Avenue of Stars”, which is the Hong Kong equivalent to Hollywood’s Avenue of the Stars, then we went to dinner with our “buddies” and local tour guides for the day! We did all of this is just one day! It’s crazy how much happens here in just 24 hours.

On Sunday, I tried to meet up with some contacts I had made, they are a group of just graduated college students who are from America and starting ministries here in Hong Kong. I was suppose to meet up with them…but I got completely lost and my hour journey to where I thought I was going, turned into a two and a half hour journey to meet up with them to have dinner! I’m getting used to the fact that I can never plan or know what to expect here. I enjoyed my day adventure and stopped to relax at a Starbucks before dinner. I had Steamed Almond Soy Milk – it was delicious!

I got a package in the mail from my mom yesterday, with granola bars and a laptop camera! So I’m ready to video chat and Skype…

Thai - Jell-O - Ghost Festival - Double-Decker

Other than classes, I have been meeting with new friends, learning about life and the culture here in Hong Kong and at Lingnan University. Everyone is really sweet and is more than happy to go out to lunch with me or show me around the Tuen Mun area where Lingnan University is located.

Last night I organized a dinner with all the girls on my floor and told them to invite friends, so about ten of us all went to dinnert! We had the best Thai food! It was amazing! It’s so fun to go out to eat with the locals, because they know and can find the best places to eat at a really affordable price! Many of the restaurant menu’s are also in Cantonese or Chinese characters, so it’s very helpful to have a local friend who can help me read the menu! We had at least 15 different dishes of fried rice, spring rolls, vegetables, chicken…and it was only $38HK a piece! That is less than $6USD! The restaurants will even throw in complimentary dishes and desserts. Last night we had this vegetable/Jell-O dessert – it looked like clear Jell-O, didn’t taste like much and was slightly sweet.

Last night was also “Chinese Ghost Festival”. The Chinese Ghost Festival is to recognize past ancestors. It is believed that during the Ghost Festival Night the realms of Heaven, Hell, and the realm of the living are open. Taoists and Buddhists perform rituals, like burning incense and paper, to transmute and absolve the sufferings of their deceased family members.

So last night there were tons of people burning paper and fake money on the street and sidewalk and in metal garbage cans/bins. As we were walking to dinner you could see the ashes floating in the air and smell burning paper and incense. It is during times like these, when I see random street fires, that I am reminded that I am truly in Hong Kong.

Last night was also my first time to ever ride in a “Double-Decker” Bus! I was pretty excited!

Oo... I'm here to STUDY abroad?

How are classes?

Well, I honestly forgot that a huge part of STUDYING abroad, is actually having to take classes! I am taking 5 classes here at Lingnan University – 3 marketing classes, 1 business class, and 1 history class. Everything is going to transfer back to WVU perfectly, and fulfill all of the requirements that I still need to graduate in the spring!

Classes are twice a week for an hour and a half each class. All of my professors are Asian, and a lot of them have actually graduated from universities is Canada. It’s funny, because in one of my classes, the teacher goes in and out of speaking Cantonese and English! (I'm getting used to that though, it happens all the time). I’m the only international student in that class, and the only student who can’t speak Cantonese!

In two of my five classes, I am the only “western” student! Which means I'm the only person who isn't from Mainland China or Hong Kong. Everyone is super friendly though, and I’ve learned that once I start talking to people, they speak English really well, they are just a little timid at first. I always tell them how grateful I am for their ability to speak English!

I think I’m really going to enjoy my classes. Since I am on exchange here all of my classes will transfer back as “pass/fail” – so all I have to do is pass my classes, which takes a little bit of pressure off. I also do not have any tests in any of my classes until the final exam. The rest of my grades are dependent on class participation, small assignments, presentations, and group work.

…off to lunch with some new friends and then to class!