The Halfway Point

It's hard to believe that my stay in Hong Kong is already halfway over - time has just flown by. Without a doubt, I think that a tight-knit staff, amazing students, and gorgeous surroundings have attributed to the speed of life here. Even though there have been glitches at camp - food that is comparable in taste and healthiness as Panda Express, to name one - for the most part, I think that CTY has really prospered as a new site (this is CTY's first time in Hong Kong).

Last weekend, we took the kids on a field trip to the Science Museum and the History Museum. Afterwards, we watched "Up" for a movie night. The whole day was extremely low key, and I think the kids had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures:

There was a special dress exhibit at the History Museum. These were incredibly beautiful!

A couple of days ago, it was my day off with another RA, Callie. Because our schedules are so flexible during the day, other RAs and staff members were able to join us and explore the city for a good chunk of the day. Our first stop of the day was a popular Japanese burger chain, called Moss Burger, which are located in a good number of the malls here. After having the same Chinese food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I was in absolute heaven - the delectable burger was a wonderful change of pace for my tastebuds and stomach!

After lunch, we trekked to the Western district to find "Cat Street", a small market we had read about the night before. Along the way, we stumbled upon a small yet quaint tea shop, and ended up getting a lesson on the Chinese tea ceremony. The woman at the tea shop showed us how to make tea using loose leaves, and let us sample a good number of types of tea. At one point, she asked us if she was boring us because we weren't very talkative. What she didn't realize was after days filled with screaming children, we were completely entranced by the calming atmosphere of the shop and wanted to enjoy the tranquility as much as possible. :)

The woman who instructed us, and who has an incredibly soothing voice!

The group at the tea shop. (L to R: Callie, Morgan, Jonathan, Josh, and Me)

Afterwards, we strolled around, observing Cat Street and the adjacent street, Hollywood Road (the first competed road in Hong Kong). On Hollywood Road, we found the famous Man Tai temple. The incense hanging on the ceiling were different than others that I seen before; they were shaped like spirals, and there were so many of them burning that the temple was completely in a haze.

Next, we went and found a unique little bar for drinks before the other staff members had to go back to campus. After the drinks, we said our goodbyes, and Callie and I went off wandering in the Western District and found ourselves in a sort of farmers market in the street. To end our day, we headed towards TST (Tsim Sha Tsui), and watched boats along Victoria Harbor before turning back in.

The bar!

A video of the market.

Fresh vegetables...how I've missed you!

What's that under the fruit stand?

A cute kitty!

Callie and me at Victoria Harbor

In the evening after dinner, the staff members and the RAs who had the night off all went to the beach one hundred yards from our residential building. We sat on the beach and talked for a few hours, while enjoying some rain, and in the end we ended up all going into the ocean, which was the absolute perfect temperature. It was a perfect conclusion to a perfect day!

As I write this, I am at my desk listening to John Mayer and watching the rain pour and pour outside my window. There is a possibility of a typhoon this weekend!