Day 2 Odds and Ends

Ok I've clearly been screwed in the housing department:

1 - Temporary hostel is filled with CUHK student workers and 25 year old Dutch guys. Plus it's far away from where every meeting is. Plus, comparatively, the rooms are old and run down.

2 - Permanent housing is the furthest from University Station, at the top of the mountain, and it's canteen has a reputation for giving it's patrons food poisoning.

But:

1 - Free air conditioning

2 - I have a single, so far

Campus tour was interesting and hilly. I doubt I could find my way around, but at least I kind of know where I'm going now. The shopping trip at the end of the day was mostly a failure - cell phone still doesn't work. Group dinner and a grocery run were perfectly peachy.

-The trains can get obscenely crowded
-Saw a huge cockroach today
-Bugs invade my closed room
-HK Chinese people have the best T-shirts. Good designs and color schemes, appropriately indie writing and slogans on them

Things seem to be focused on appearance and presentation over here. Hair is immaculately tussled and disheveled is mixed with designer. HK seems built for this though; the buildings are dressed up in lights and colors just like the people who live inside of them, and there are mirrors in every elevator.

On a note of appearance, I don't think the tension of "I look Chinese" versus "I have basically zero language skills" is ever going to go away while I'm here. Shopkeepers tell me "It's better to buy three oranges" in Cantonese, which only compounds problems. And our perfectly well meaning student guide this evening said to me "I don't know why but whenever I see you I speak to you in Cantonese." In my defense: no, I don't understand you. So much for a defense.

It's guilt (oh I should speak ____), it's frustration (why do they assume____? why can't they ____?), it's edging towards resignation (ah screw it). And there it is.