Chapter China: Hong Kong and back to China

Two days ago I scooted over to Hong Kong in order to reenter China and be granted another 30 days stay. My friend Huang, who I met on the bus from Kaiping, met me at the ferry terminal in the afternoon and we went for Dim Sum (which I have discovered is not my favourite kind of Chinese food.) After lunch we went for a stroll through the antique section of town, full of old jade and artifacts, and visited two Buddhist temples in the area. One of them had a wall full of tiny little drawers. I asked someone what they were for and was told they are for wishes. You write a wish on a piece of paper and put it in a drawer. There were only a few vacant drawers left.

I stayed the night in a hotel with a harbour view, and spent the evening and next day working - teaching my Korean students in the evening, and working on the McCawley's kids placemat the next day. It seemed a bit crazy to just go to Hong Kong to hold up in a hotel room and work, but I can't complain about the work, so c'est la vie!

After a quick lunch stop I hopped on the ferry and scooted back to China. I have to say, it felt really good to get back home to China. Don't get me wrong, Hong Kong is great, but it's a whole different place. It's louder and busier and less relaxing and… well, more western. For one thing, many people speak English there. I have become so accustomed to using body language that it was strange to be able to converse with people. I wondered if they thought it strange that I hardly spoke. I went for lunch and my meal was served with western utensils. It actually felt strange to use a fork and I found myself craving chopsticks. (They're way more fun!). From the ferry terminal I took the subway (metro) one stop and made it to the tavern just in time for my 5 o'clock Chinese lesson with Kiwi Pete. I'm learning basic sentences so I can get around easier when travelling. It's really fun to learn, but it takes a while for the words and phrases to stick in my head because it is such a foreign language. Unlike German, French and Spanish, there are no similarities with the English language. It is completely different. Yet in many ways, it is a much simpler language, because it is a logical language, and there is no grammar to deal with.

After my Chinese lesson I rushed home to start my 7 o'clock Skype teaching, and then went for a bite to eat with Brad and Xian at 11 at night. (People stay up later here!) All in all, it was a busy day in China!