Excellence with a Soul, Leadership with a Heart

Is the motto of Shaw College, where I am. Apparently they also have a cheer that includes the yelling "WE'RE THE BEST." It's actually pretty nice though, the housing gods look like they've reversed their position of "Slap Sam" in a pretty significant way. The rooms in Kuo Mou Hall are so new that they were still under construction today, the day before we move into them. They have a nice kitchen space (must buy own pots and pans though), a common room or two on the bottom floor, and new furniture in the rooms. Plus there is an outdoor basketball court somewhat nearby (it's a little beat up, but I'll learn to love it), as well as a rehearsal space for a band that will be formed. And it shall rock.

Downside? Near the top of the mountain that is CUHK. Never have shuttles played a larger part in my life.

Went back to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) tonight for an IASP dinner and a walk around. For all of the crap HK can throw at you, it's pretty amazing too. Just going from shop to shop in the neon lit corridors has an energy all it's own, very visually striking. They should have sent a poet.

Had a pretty interesting conversation today. I know I've been complaining about this whole about my being pwned by various linguistic/cultural barriers, but wouldn't you know it goes the other way too? Leave it to an American to lose perspective on things and let it all become about "me."

We were talking, he had some trouble finding the right words in English. He pulls out a dictionary, types something in, and looks at the result. He called not knowing what the English translations were "suffocating." And he's right. That's how it feels when the people you're around drop into a language you don't understand, when people ask you questions that you just can't answer. Pulls the air right out of you.

But you never think that English is hard (especially if it's your major) until it's pointed out that it is, in fact, for a lot of people a foreign language. Other people can flip between languages because they've learned those other languages.

I'm not a bad Chinese person, I'm just a little behind on the learning curve. Let's take steps to fix that.