First Day of Classes

First day of classes was today, and all told it wasn't so bad. Anthropology class (The Meaning of Life) got canceled, so managed to do my shopping for school supplies. Can you believe that HK doesn't have folders? They're like quasi folders. They have a side and the bottom sealed, forming more of a pocket than anything. And that's it. Got lunch with friends, went to Mandarin class, which looks like it will be kicking my butt for the next four months. Combining with the fact that I'm kind of lousy at Mandarin, my reading skills are very, very rusty, and the class itself seems fairly demanding. Good one, need to take 18 units. Econ class was cancelled, but turns out I have a couple of friends in that class so I think it'll work out. After I get a calculator of course. More classes tomorrow: more Mandarin and Shakespeare, so I'm hoping or an interesting sort of day.

Went shopping again today, purchased more supply type materials, which is a good thing considering that we're basically in school right now. Easy to forget that coming off of a week of just hanging out in HK. Plus I have snack food now = win.

There's a storm coming in, I can see the lightning from outside the window.

For every instance of convience here in HK (MTR/KCR system) there is an inconvienence, some sort of roadblock. Consider class registration: in the US/Canada/probably others it's entirely online - all you have to do is to find the classes on a list, click "add" and you're done! Here, one must obtain the approval of the department by going to that department and obtaining the signature. Then go to the Office of Academic Links to turn it in. Barring the need for a teacher approval form signature of course. It seems like some systems were put into place to provide jobs, rather than provide productive work. Probably some holdover beauracracy from the communists. Always enlightening to walk around campus though

One of the best moments in HK so far: just sitting at night on a Shaw balcony overlooking some of the campus, a railway, construction, and finally the water. Very peaceful, not too devastatingly hot, can of pear juice in hand. Good time for some thinking. I feel pretty divided in my opinion of the experience so far. On one hand it's Hong Kong! Halfway around the world, new sights, new sounds, new...everything. People, foods (though some familiarity reigns), language, culture, currency, how you move - it's all different. On the other hand, it's all different

I just feel sort of unsettled. I feel like I should be able freely enjoy this experience, but I feel restricted and caged in by a lot of things over here. I've already harped on about the language and culture thing (but that's rather impossible to ignore) - it's being caught in an entirely different system. I can't move the way I'm used to, I can't talk the way I'm used to, I can't do the way I'm used to.

The way I'm used to.

I can't wait for this storm to get here.