A few months later.... the last part of my Hong Kong trip.

I know I've been very behind with my blogging. A few people have mentioned it to me. I got the memo. I will try to remember what has happened in my life from Feb. until June.

So I stayed in Hong Kong for most of my winter holiday. I did go to Malaysia and Singapore for a week with my parents. My parents like to join tours so they don't have to plan anything. However, I will NEVER join a tour again. I hate being restricted and only go to see touristy things. I was never late for the meet up time but we were always the last ones to show up. I like to use up all the time to explore. Many of the people on the trip didn't really care. They just take a quick look and then they were ready to leave. They didn't really appreciate the culture and the surrounding. It was quite relaxing though since we just hopped on and off a tour bus. I went to KL and Melaka. I spoke English and Cantonese in Malaysia. I really like Singapore. It's so clean! I really liked the Chinatown and I took a river tour too. I will definitely go visit again.

During my stay in Hong Kong, I got a chance to spend a lot of time with my family. It was my third time in HK. The first two times, I only stayed for 2.5 weeks. I built a stronger relationship with them too. Thank you for the hospitality! I also saw a few of my friends in Hong Kong, such as Peggy and Benson. It was nice seeing you and catching up =)

Chinese New Year in Hong Kong:
I ate so much in HK because I went when it was Chinese New Year time. I'm not complaining about that at all. In addition, I got red envelopes with money inside because I am not married yet =) heeheeehee One of my aunt's and I went to see the fireworks on CNY night and it was busy. I know, I hear fireworks a few times a day in China but it was different. There were many different shapes, such as happy faces, flowers, bunnies and the number "8". Very creative!

Many markets are opened. The Richmond market will never be the same for me. 

My Birthday:
I celebrated my birthday in HK with my family members. For lunch, I spent my birthday with Bonnie, Raphael, Bill Yee Ma and Uncle Tommy. My cousin and I celebrated our birthday at the "Intercontinental Hotel". We had the buffet. I have never seen so many different kinds of crabs and lobsters... It was DELICIOUS!!! The best buffet I have ever had!

In the evening, I celebrated my birthday with my immediate family. I was so full already but I continued to eat and eat and eat....  I had great food but most importantly, I spent it with my family members in Hong Kong.

I also had a birthday celebration in China! The girls, Anita, Anjali, Catherine, Rachel and Sui Ki surprised me. I had long sparklers to play with to begin the festivities =) Delicious dinners (not just one), Sui Ki cooked for me a few nights later too. Most of the girls just came back from India and they got me gorgeous purple material from India to make an Indian suit for my birthday. Thank you!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and hugs from Canada!!! Next year, which country will I be spending my birthday at? hmmm....


Some reflections about Hong Kong:
-It is quite small with the large population but very civilized
-Many expats, definitely on the HK side
-Variety types of food
-Lots of shopping and things to see (I went to see the Big Buddha and the Tai O Village)
-Many people can speak English
-Very fast paced, always go, go, go

I might want to move to HK in the future. We will see.

First few days of my Hong Kong Trip

I arrived in Hong Kong on Mon. It was a LONG trip. I left my house in Jinshitan at 10am and arrived at my grandparents place in HK at 9pmish. There was a 1.5 hours delay for my plane to leave Dalian to ShenZhen. We were already on the plane so my legs and butt were numb after the flight. The flight was 3.5 hours. Then I had to take a bus from ShenZhen to HK border. I had to take everything off the bus and into a building to check out and in for China and HK. I had to fill out forms too. It took me a little while in there and then I had to go back on to a bus to Kowloon Tong to meet up with my aunt and uncle. They came to pick me up at the bus station. It was very kind of them. I told them I wasn't feeling very well for awhile now. I am still coughing... They went to a place were you can buy turtle pudding and a drink that would help cure colds. It's not real turtles. In addition, they bought BBQ pork for me! YEAH!!!! I haven't had BBQ pork for 6 months. Before I went to China, I thought I could live off of BBQ pork, rice and vegetables. I cannot find BBQ pork in Dalian.

Two days ago, I went for congee and rice noodles with my uncle and grandpa. My grandpa was scared that I was going to get lost on the MTR when I went to meet up with my uncle so he came along. My uncle was surprised that my grandpa came. Aww.... I already went electronic and some clothes shopping =) My uncle and grandpa went home to get some stuff done so I walked around on my own. I just randomly walked around and around. All I needed to know was where the MTR is. I know how to get home from there. I have had a lot of practice from Shanghai! Thank you to Catherine and Rachel =) Just a warning, the escalators in HK are very fast. I forgot how fast they were so the first time I got on one, I almost fell backwards. I had my first taro with pearls bubble tea in 6 months. I forgot how to say it in Cantonese so I had to point and describe it in Cantonese. I still like it more at “Bubble World”. My uncle knows that I love egg tarts. In Dalian, I only found Portuguese egg tarts. They aren't the same. He bought me a couple for a snack and for breakfast! I feel so spoiled here in HK. I've also had two home cooked dinners. My grandma is going to teach me a few dishes I can make on my own. 

Yesterday, I went for dim sum with my uncle. I had shrimp dumplings, sui mei, rice rolls, pan fried beef rice noodles, etc. Then I met up with my cousin Amy. I had to go to the doctor's first because I've been sick for a few weeks now. So the bad news is my asthma is back and also my allergies. I am now taking pills so hopefully everything will be going again. I haven't had asthma since I was a little girl. I'll keep you posted. After the doctor's clinic, we went for milk tea and thick toast with condensed milk for a snack. Amy went to work for a bit so I walked around Central. They have bars, restaurants and many stores in that area. I found a Starbucks that delivers! I found an English book store! Whoop whoop. I really like it in HK because there are so many things I can do at any time. There is a huge expact population. My cousin, Amy and I went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner with my other cousin, Charles, which I haven't seen in about 18 years. It was so nice to see him. The food was amazing. After dinner, Amy and I went for a foot massage. It was so relaxing. I slept over at Amy's for the night. Moorea  is so cute. This morning, she and I played together before she went to school. I am having a really good time in HK. Pictures to come.

New Year's Weekend and a Hospital Visit

For the New Year's weekend, I went to Harbin with a few of my colleagues. It was an awesome weekend; however, I did not sleep on the way to Harbin. We took an overnight train. I wanted to try China style so we slept on the hard sleepers. The beds were fine but it's 6 beds in one area and there is no door. I am a light sleeper so when someone is talking, snoring or walking by to use the washroom, I would wake up instantly. Also, the washroom was DISGUSTING. Someone threw up in the toilet and it wouldn't flush. Eww... Next time, I will buy tickets for the soft sleepers where there are 4 beds in a room. There is a door. The hotel we stayed at was nice and very close to everything. Thank goodness it was not too cold. We had to layer up but it was not as cold as previous years. I had the best Russian cabbage roll in Harbin. Some of the highlights were I stood and played on a frozen river, went to see the Siberian Tigers, celebrated New Year's with some of my colleagues, and went to the Ice Festival and slid down ice slides. Check out all the pictures on Facebook. 

I got very sick after I went to Harbin. I was coughing and hacking day and night. My students even told me to go home. Therefore, I took one day off and went to the hospital. Do NOT panic. I do not like going to hospitals but I needed some medication to help me sleep and stop the coughing. People in China goes to a hospital to see a doctor. They do not go to a doctor clinic. Thank goodness I have a MSH medical plan so I went straight up to the 5^th floor into the VIP room. If I didn't have that plan, I would have been totally lost. There were lines everywhere for paper and for scans and blood tests. I had to fill out some paper work and the nurse, Nancy, was very friendly. She spoke some English and helped me. The doctor's English was not very good. I do not know if he understood what I was saying. The only words that came out of him was “pain, breath deep (pronounced as breast deep), no, dating, period regular, hot?” I had a blood test right after. I did not have to wait and go another day. Everything is done instantly. Then I had a CT scan. There was a huge line up for the locals to get a form and a number. The nurse showed me where to go and helped me throughout the process. While I was waiting, I saw men smoking and spitting in the hospital. Hmmm.... I also saw a man wheeling his wife on a stretcher to go into the CT scan area and they had to line up. I wanted to get out of the hospital ASAP. I guess people can get everything done at once in a hospital. I found out my results on the same day and I had medications made at the hospital. Everything was so convenient. I hope I will not be returning to the hospital. I have an appointment to see a doctor in Hong Kong today.

Before 2011

I know I haven't blogged for a long time. I will be posting quite a few within the next few days. I am now in Hong Kong for my 5 weeks break. Hopefully I will be going to Singapore and Malaysia too.

My last few hours in Dalian was quite memorable. Thank you Will for carrying my suitcase down the stairs for me. I am going to miss you as my neighbour =( You are always so helpful and a great person to just check in and out with. Thank you to my sister, Anjali, for going to the airport with me. It was sad to say good bye for 5 weeks. Next time, I'm going to hire a driver. On the ride from the qing gui to the airport which is about a 10 minute ride, the taxi driver was yelling on his phone as he was driving. He was almost hit another car on the right side and he started driving on the wrong side of the road. A truck was coming right at us. It would have been ugly. I started this blog while I was on the plane in Dalian because my plane is delayed by 1 hour. They play such cute anime on the plane televisions. Heehee... Just my luck. 

Summary of the end of 2010. I have been so busy with work. I live on the girls campus but in the teachers' apartment. As I was walking home from the boys campus and I entered the gates of the girls campus, I heard a very familiar male voice. One of my students and a few of his friends were on the girls campus. They had permission to be on the girls campus because they were watching the debate but they were wondering around the campus. I could hear and identify that student's voice from anywhere. I escorted them off the girls campus and my student's last words to me were “Do not worry Miss Ng, you taught us how to use a condom properly so we will be okay.” I received a few Christmas presents from my students. I received a lot of chocolates. A student bought me a mini decorated Christmas tree. A student of mine bought a nice white t-shirt and he drew some pictures on it. It is quite cute and very thoughtful. I made 120 cups of hot chocolate for my students for Christmas! It is very popular here to give beautifully wrapped up apples during Christmas time because in Chinese, apple is call “ping guo” and “ping” means happiness. People sell wrapped up apples on the street and their business can move around because it's on a wooden cart. One of my female colleagues received a pack of condoms from a student as a joke. Thank goodness my students did not give me condoms to repay for the ones I bought for them to practice with...

I had a lovely Christmas weekend. On Christmas Eve, we had a Christmas potluck at Anita's and Catherine's. I made stuffing and bought a pumpkin pie. Catherine made a TURKEY! It was the best turkey I've ever had. It was so juicy and moist. Everything was perfect. Each of us had a secret santa and a small stocking. Thank you for making it so special girls (Anita, Catherine, Anjali, Sui Ki, and Rachel). On Christmas Day, Anj and I went to a Spanish Tapa in Dalian City and we spent a few hours at Starbucks. The malls in Dalian were too crowded. For Christmas dinner we had “jiao zhi” (dumplings). We had a China Christmas dinner with good friends. This year I have been to Canada, United States, Japan, and China. Next year, I'll be travelling a lot in 2011.

Sex. Education lessons

I started the sex. ed. unit this week and I will continue teaching it next week. 10 days of sex. ed. The boys have been looking forward to it all semester! However, they were not very interested about the sex. organs of a female. They only wanted to know where the penis goes or some of them already knew all about it... I did not want to hear any of their personal stories. They were more excited when I taught them about their sex. organs, erections and masturbation. Maybe they were embarrassed that I was teaching them sex. ed. I use a lot of humour and they love it!

On Thurs. it was the BIG Day! As you know from the previous post, I bought condoms for each of my students and bananas. By the middle of the day, I started running out of condoms. I think some of my students took some of them with them or other students from other classes took one.... I gave the boys a hand out about how to put on a condom and we discussed about it. One of the students jokingly said, after using the condom, wash it and hang it to dry and another student said keep it as a souvenir. I had to tell them not to use it again and I tried showing them it is hard to put it back on and their semen might still be on it. These are the kind of boys I teach... We all laughed about it. I also told them it's not too expensive to buy more. I taught the boys how to correctly open a package of condom and check the expiry date. Then I showed them how to put it on a banana (penis). They were shocked about the size... In all 4 of my classes, when I finished showing them how to correctly put it on either clapped or said that I was a pro. You might even see a video or a picture of me showing them how to put it on correctly...

It was their turn. The lubricant on the condom that I bought smelt odd and it got all over the place. Some of the boys started taking out tissue to hold the end of their bananas and showed their classmates they did it correctly. I allowed the kids to explore a bit. A student tried wrapping it around a large water bottle and it did not work. A kid told him his penis is definitely not that big and another one said maybe his is. Some of the boys started blowing their condoms into balloons. I just had to make sure the students knew the difference between a rubber birthday balloon and a latex condom. I told them to not use birthday balloons as a condom because it is not the shape of a penis and it won't protect them. They laughed so hard that some of them fell to the ground! A few of my kids filled the condoms with water. Two boys filled it up to a size of an adult cat curled up and brought it into the classroom. They were impressed about how strong latex is. I also showed a picture and talked about the female condom. Overall, it was a good day and I was exhausted. However, all my students were engaged!!! I also learned a lot about the Chinese culture of what they tell students. For example, if a girl uses a tampon, she is no longer a virgin because the hymen might be torn. I guess they do not want girls wearing tampons. Tampons are not very common here at all. Also, if a female has her period, she cannot drink or eat cold things or she will die.

The boys are learning a lot and having some fun too. Thank you boys! Next week, they will be watching "Juno" and learning about STI/HIV/AIDS. I will post some of their sex. ed. questions on my blog sometime next week.

Next week is going to be crazy but festive. I do not get two weeks off for winter vacation. I will be attending a staff Christmas party tomorrow night, the English Corner Christmas party on Sun., wrapping Christmas gifts for an orphanage with the Outreach group, supervising at the student co-ed Christmas party, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas breakfast and many other festive gatherings! There is a lot of Christmas spirit here but it's not the same as back home... I MISS YOU GUYS!

Shopping for Condoms in KFQ

I went into town this afternoon and my main purpose was to find 120 condoms. I found a sex store! Thank goodness the sign was in English, "Adultstore". Hmmm.... I wonder what is inside. So I went in, the first thing I noticed a 4 year old boy in the store... okay... He was playing with his age appropriate toys, such as trucks. His mom owns the store. I had a hard time telling her that I needed 120 cheap condoms because they are only for showing the kids how to use a condom on a banana/carrot/cucumber. I think the number of condoms that I needed shocked her. I played charades and used my limited Chinese skills and it WORKED! I came out with 120 condoms. Each box had 10 condoms and each box cost me less than $2.00. 20 cents per condom??? hmm... As she was looking for the boxes of condoms, I looked around the small shop. The shop had many different sex toys. They all looked very cheap and not in very good quality. So I only bought 12 boxes of condoms. When I was about to leave, she asked me if I wanted anything else and I said, "No, thank you." She then proceeds to take something out of the drawer; she took out birth control pills. She had several kind of Chinese brands. I quickly left! I will be teaching my grade 10 boys how to use a condom on Thurs.

They thought I would show them porn in class... They were a little sad that I said no and they can watch it on their own time. They have very good questions. I had a good laugh. Maybe I'll post a few of them in a few days.

Quick Summaries ....

I am so behind with blogging...

November 29 - December 5:
- In Planning 10, I taught the students the different steps in solving conflicts. I gave each group a different scenario and I said they could bring props if you want. Some of the scenarios were stealing a cell phone out of a classmate's bag, fight after a basketball game, parents not happy with school marks, etc. One of the skits was a group of friends are smoking, drinking, not doing their homework, and will probably be kicked out of school. Again, forgetting that I am in China, two students brought a cigarette, lighter, and a can of beer to class. There is no legal age here for those products but there are school rules. They started acting and then took out the props, I was shocked but I let them keep going. The students in the class were laughing their heads off. One of the students opened the can of beer and one just lit the lighter but not the cigarette. Thank goodness they did not start drinking the beer and smoking in my classroom.... Next semester, I think I need to change that scenario!

-At the school, the students eat all their meals in the cafeteria almost 7 days a week. The cafeteria has 4 floors. However, students can order out of school grounds. The delivery people can only pass food through or over the fence on one side of the school grounds. The students and delivery people have a system. They give the money, they get the food and then they leave. There are many different businesses though but they somehow figure it out. I will take a picture sometime this week. On Dec. 2nd, I was one of the people purchasing food over the fence, even though I am allowed to leave school premises. We had an office pizza party so I ordered in. The pizza here is not the same as in Vancouver... It's not very good. The delivery guy had to deliver food to students at the same time so we met at the fence. I felt like I was violating school rules. In addition, I was too short to grab the pizzas over the fence so my co-worker and students helped me. There are bars so the delivery man couldn't slide the pizza of that size sideways without tilting the pizza to one side.

- Erin and I went into Dalian City on the weekend. I went to "Olive Garden". It's not the same as in Langley and in the States. However, it was a nice venue and the food was not mad. I ordered a lunch size pasta and it came with pumpkin soup, salad and a coffee and I ordered a dessert, tiramisu for about $12.00 CAD. I will definitely go back =)


December 6 - December 12:
-On Sat. I went into Dalian City on my own. I had to go pick up my wool pants that I got made and a few Christmas presents. I did NOT get lost and I didn't have to take the taxi either =) I resort to taxis if I'm lost here in China. I instead took the train into the city and then I took the trolley. I find it fascinating that the trolley is in the farthest lane from the curb. People get off and dodge traffic to get on to the curb and people on the curb would dodge traffic to get on to the trolley. Remember, I told you before even standing on the curb is not safe here in China.
- On my way home from the city, people were selling long johns on the side of the street in black garbage bags! They are only $2 CAD per pair for the thin ones. Let me know if you want a pair! On the train back, someone brought a clothes hanger and she hung her grocery bags on the hanger to the bar. That's an awesome idea. Why didn't I think about it earlier???
- In the evening, I went to KFQ in the Hong Mei area, where a lot of Korean people live, for a Charity Concert. It was put on by a grade 12 student at Maple Leaf. She is a very talented young lady. She plays the violin beautifully, can sing, organized and has a huge heart! There were Korean food, bake sale (thanks to the Maple Leaf teachers), Christmas card sale (thanks to the Outreach Club at Maple Leaf), and great entertainment. I witnessed the Korean break dancing and dance off. WOW! There were a lot of talented youth that performed from dancing, rapping, singing, playing an instrument to throwing a stick around and hitting someone in the face (a teacher from Maple Leaf). I had a fun night!

It's snowing here, windy and in the negatives.... I guess I should start wearing my long johns. Tomorrow I start teaching 120 grade 10 boys sex. education. Any tips? I'll keep you posted!!!