First Day in Hong Kong

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We departed Beijing for Hong Kong today. We are beginning summer school at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in Tai Po tomorrow. As we arrived I immediately noticed that the campus is beautiful. It reminds me of what a school might look like in California. It is constructed on a hill. The dorm we are staying in is interesting. The girls are on the 9th floor, and we have to take 3 different elevators to get to our room, because of how the building is constructed on a hill.

I can see a few initial differences between Beijing and Hong Kong. Obvious differences include the money (The Hong Kong Dollar) and people driving on the other side of the road. Most likely a remnant of Hong Kong as a British Colony. Many of the buildings are built higher, and there seem to be many more of them clustered together, rather than spread out. The scenery in Hong Kong is different, as is the weather and quality of the air. Many people remarked that we saw blue sky, clouds, and the sun for the first time in a week.

Public transportation here is easy using the "Octopus" card which can be used for transportation and at many other types of stores, like the grocery store. Hong Kong has many more choices for food than Beijing did. For example, tonight I had Thai food. Many other people had food from chains that we have at home like KFC, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut. In the Beijing Airport we had breakfast at Pizza Hut together. Pizza Hut in Hong Kong is not at all like the chain in the United States. It seems a little more upscale and does do breakfast. Fast food restaurants like McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut deliver!

We start lectures and discussions at the university tomorrow, beginning with social change and development in greater China. We will also be taking a field trip to a museum in Hong Kong. I am excited to learn more about a region that I do not know that much about.

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