From 8-27-07

I didn't get internet on my laptop til today so here's from my first day: So here I am! After 13 hour straight of flying, I arrived in HK. The flight was actually pretty awesome, it was really empty so we could all spread out a lot. There were a bunch of other exchange students but no one was going to HKU on my flight, I guess I didn’t realize there are so many universities in Hong Kong. It was so pretty flying over the ocean! There were all these little islands. But it totally looked like we were gonna land on the water. For a huge city, Hong Kong is really green, there’s tons of mountains and you can see the ocean from most places. Then at the airport, I met up with some other students going to HKU. We all hung out and waited for everyone else. We finally all got on a bus to HKU. Most of the students, I think were from mainland China so they were all speaking Chinese to each other. Us American, English, South Korean, and Swiss students just kind of hung out in the back together. I hope I can find them all again though, they were really cool. It took a while to get to the university, longer than I think we all thought it would. It was pretty overwhelming arriving at the university, I guess especially for me because I go to a tiny college and this is just really huge and spread out, it’s pretty hilly too. And my residence, is of course, on the part of campus furthest away from main campus. I was wondering if it was at all reasonable to walk, but I really don’t think it will be, I will probably have to take the bus to campus. There were 4 other girls from the bus who lived at Patrick Manson, all from mainland China. So of course they were all speaking Chinese to each other. Our residence wasn’t open and we were half an hour late to office check in times (we totally could have made it if the bus wasn’t driving in circles-I don’t speak any Chinese but I think that’s what the girls were saying too, haha). So there’s this Chinese lady who lets us in. Oh and by the way it is raining this whole time. And my umbrella was packed away. So yeah, they are all speaking Chinese with her and pointing at me every so often. The girls speak English and they would translate for me but mostly they speak Chinese to each other. So anyways, we got temporary rooms for the night. But they were un-airconditioned. And let me tell you, it is super super humid here. The girls decided to camp out in the common room but I really just wanted to sleep after being awake for over 24 hours straight so I slept in my room. And I don’t have any bedding yet so I just used a blanket I stole from the airplane, haha. And my sweatshirt as a pillow. It actually wasn’t so bad as it got into the night, and early this morning it felt quite pleasant, although now I am sweating again. So I woke up at 6 am, I think I will be pretty over jet lag, I will probably go to bed early tonight but at least I will be sleeping at night. The thing is I can’t leave my room really because I don’t have a key and I really don’t wanna just leave all my stuff. Check in isn’t til 9, when I can get my actual room and really move-in. It’s currently almost 7:30, and I have nothing to eat or drink. There are vending machines but I don’t have enough coins, just cash so I can’t get anything, and I don’t really wanna wander to the 7-11 just leaving my stuff. So I figure I will wait until 9. Also, my buddy is supposed to meet me at some point. Most people’s buddies met them at their halls but mine hasn’t contacted me yet, as far as I know since I can’t check my email (I can’t get internet yet either). So I’m gonna call her when I get my room stuff settled and I really really hope she can meet me up because I will definitely need help finding my way around, I have a lot to do and I really don’t know how to get around, especially since my residence is so far from main campus. I guess if I can’t make contact maybe I can find someone else’s buddy group to tag along with somewhat. Otherwise, the residence isn’t too bad really. My current window view is mostly the building across the way but you can see the sea and the mountain, it’s very pretty. The rooms are pretty small but I’m sure they are nice once the air-conditioning works . There is some good storage space and good lighting. The common room has a bunch of chairs and a tv, and some vending machines. One has like ramen type noodles. The pantries have hot water taps which will be convenient. I will probably eat a fair amount of ramen and drink a lot of tea. I wish I had a cup and tea now, I could make some even though it’s real real hot in here. Anyways, I think I will like it here. I think I will like the city, it is both really scenic and cosmopolitan. It is definitely overwhelming being in someplace just so huge, but I think once I get settled in the next couple days I will feel a bit better. I can’t wait until the 31st, that is international student orientation, where I am sure to see my friends from the bus. And it is nice that I have a definite plan for that day. That’s not til Friday, sadly. But once I get internet, I’m gonna try to contact the Bryn Mawr girls. It would be nice to meet up with them in the next few days. Okay, well now really just a bit more than an hour until I can get my room. Yay.