Rooj
Marta Araujo Joined: September 11th 2005
Logged in: May 17th 2010
Logged in: May 17th 2010
This journal is a documentary of my life teaching and travelling in Vietnam for a year and now it will document my life in Hong Kong. Feel free to read, laugh or cry and dance around in your underpants!
Travel Blog Posts
CIMG0815
I've applied to be the island caretaker for the Whitsunday Islands! That's right guys - the best job in the world will hopefully be mine! :) We had a bit of a panick last night when the website said that the application deadline had closed but we were able to upload my application this morning. Emotional rollercoaster I tell you! If you don't know what this job is all about you can check it out on www.islandreefjob.com My URL to my video is: http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/jiW0GSG9aik I had an awesome time doing it with my friend Claire to who I owe a HUGE thanks for being my camera crew and props manager :) Enjoy it and leave me a comment once you're done! Much love M xx Video link for full length video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZNqE64wCg&layer_token=c36d93ad0dcdd55d ... read more
Singapore River Cruise
Singapore The bus ride down to Singapore was a nice surprise. It was the first bus ride I had ever been on that provided meals and a blanket and big arm rests… you got to have big arm rests! We stopped several times on the way - pee stops I call them - and I found that one of the most refreshing things to do was to buy fresh chilled fruit from one of the stalls nearby and eat it under the shade of the huge palms. Remember how I said I wasn’t happy about eating by myself - well check me out! Eating by myself under a tree! Obviously, something good was finally coming out of this trip ☺ However I still felt the need to talk and I really didn’t want to start talking ... read more
Photo 8
After a quiet time on the blog I have decided to come back with determination to keep it updated of my travels! 2008 will be Travel Year and it started off like this.... The time has finally come to fly solo! As some of you may know I'm a little bothered about doing certain things by myself. I do love having time to myself, reading a good book and chilling out on my lonesome but when it comes to things like travelling and eating, I really do enjoy the company. However, there have been many times when I have wanted to go somewhere new and have ended up not going because friends have already been or just because unlike me, they don't have holidays all year round! So the solution to this problem? A flooding tactic ... read more
Photo 3
Aloha people of the blog! I have to warn others who are not my friends that this blog won't contain much that will pertain to travelling or indeed HK... it's just an update for those of you who follow the blog (thanks Kent for asking why blog activity was so low). So we are in 2008! I can't believe we are nearly 10 years on from the Millenium! It's crazy. So much has happened I feel I need another whole 10 years to get my head round it, but I feel like I've achieved little. It's amazing how time sometimes can escape from under us. It's so tangible yet untouchable at the same time. I feel like I spend so much time doing nothing when I could be doing so much more. I know and I'm ... read more
Sai Kung pier
A fair bit has happened since my Shanghai trip and you'll all be glad to know that my bleeding feet healed rather nicely! Besides the general grind of work, gym, eating, sleeping and not doing much during the week, it is the weekends that alleviate the burden of the working week. A lot of people tend to think that I don't have a real job and that I am travelling in Asia and therefore it is all a big partying holiday. This is not necessarily true. I have a REAL job, I am a trained teacher and I work hard. I am not travelling around and I don't party... I'm too tired!! And just like anywhere and everyone else in the world, I try to relax during the weekends to gear up for another week ... read more
Skyline
As most people know by now, I don't mind living in Hong Kong, but it is no Vietnam. To the naked eye, it seems that all Chinese culture and traditions have been irreversible squashed in the concrete jungle that is Hong Kong island, and to some extent that is true. For a more authentic Chinese experience you have to travel out into the New Territories to be able to say that you are in fact in a different country. I don't like that. I don't like that you have to travel to find authenticity. I don't like the fact that the mix of East and West is completely unbalanced. So what to think of Shanghai? Named the Paris of the East, with a population of 17 million and an economic development of over 12%, I ... read more
Poodle t-shirt
Hey guys, So after a long deliberation I have decided to continue writing the blog as I have many plans for more adventures and escapades in Asia and to be honest, I'm forgetting things that I've been doing and I want to remember everything!! So how is everyone!? This will only be short, add some photos for you to see and hopefully this will give me more of a reason to get out more with my camera! News in short: *My job still kind of sucks but I'm on holiday right now so that's good! * I have been accepted onto the Masters programme at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious universities Hong Kong University (HKU) to do a Masters in Education with an Early Childhood Specialism - YAY * I've bought my flight home ... read more
HK night
Hey everyone, It's nearly Christmas!! Wohoo!! I've been meaning to write for a while but just haven't found the time! Not because I'm having too much fun but just generally busy with work (although some fun was had this weekend - a little too much I might add, one example being I tried to pay for drinks on Friday with my Toys'R'us card... long story). Getting quite excited about upcoming birthday and Christmas - only because it's an excuse to spend some dollars on meself! Gave myself my birthday present already - an NDS Lite(hand held Nintendo game for all of you not cool enough!) and drumming lessons for Crimbo! By next year I'm hoping to be able to play both at the same time! Ha! I've now been to Macau twice, the first time to ... read more
Kowloon By Night
Hey, Here are some photos from the first few days in Hong Kong. I'm hoping to just go out today and take some more pictures, as I finally bought a plug adapator from an old lady in the street yesterday! Also included some pictures of my lovely jubbly studio apartment! Back at work tomorrow (Monday) and I wish I didn't have to work! It's not bad once Ive started but just always harder when returning after a holiday!! Now it's hardwork all the way till Christmas! That's another 6 weeks! YAY! I've not bought my ticket yet but will be returning to HCMC for Christmas, so if you're there then let me know so we can catch up at the sushi bar or Bia hoi!! Tuesday Elizabeth and I went to Disneyland! That's right! There's a ... read more
Halong Bay
That's right boys and girls... it's half term this week over in this part of the world! And my internet fault, whatever it was, is finally fixed! So let's rewind to when I was still in Vietnam - as most of you know, I finished working in Vietnam 3 weeks ago now to come to Hong Kong to teach. I wasn't really excited at the time and I'm realising why now. I actually like being settled somewhere. I hate not knowing where to shop or where to go for nice, cheap food. I know that some people get a lot of pleasure and excitment from finding out but I don't. I like things to be orderly. I like knowing where things are. The last week in Vietnam I travelled to Hanoi and Halong Bay. I didnt ... read more
