while from my pictures you could easily get the impression that all i ever do here is eat and hang out with people, i actually do have a lot to do. being enrolled in a course in HKU (= university of hong kong) means two contact hours (and yes, that's two hours, not 90 minutes) PLUS a one-hour tutoria per weekl. all my classes are really interesting though, and the feeling of learning new things is so rewarding. this semester, i'm taking
Senior Year in American Studies
Making Americans: Literature as Ritual and Renewal
Hong Kong Popular Culture
Media, Culture and Communication in Contemporary China
+
Mandarin Intensive
Senior Year in American Studies
Making Americans: Literature as Ritual and Renewal
Hong Kong Popular Culture
Media, Culture and Communication in Contemporary China
+
Mandarin Intensive
yeah, right! and i'm using these pencils to practice my characters.
so even though i don't have to face in-class examinations like those people in economics & finance, i do have a massive load of readings and a couple of essays as well as term papers ahead of me.
fair enough, we have a [insert name of the world's largest coffeehouse company here] on campus which supplies us with caffeinated drinks to overcome that afternoon low, plus a nice lily pond which, however, is always deserted as students are too busy running to class to actually come here and sit down on one of the benches.
and while it is certainly true that hong kong is a fast-paced place - people are always going somewhere, doing something - i couldn't help but notice that they are always, always in my way and i know that those of you who have been to japan are now knowingly nodding their heads. where a german would most likely chose the right side of a walkway to get from a to b, a hong konger will walk right in the middle, leisurely strolling about, maybe even stopping for a couple of seconds to show a friend a little video on their swanky iphone, perfectly unaware of whatever traffic they are holding up. good gracious, it's killing me! i guess it's my german genes and their need for efficiency...then again, another phenomenon has taken hold of me without me even noticing: scuffling. slowly but surely, i have adopted this way of locomotion, especially when walking indoors on slick, polished floors. i simlply cannot be bothered to lift up my feet anymore, shuffling my way through supermarkets and hallways, dining rooms and metro stations.
so even though i don't have to face in-class examinations like those people in economics & finance, i do have a massive load of readings and a couple of essays as well as term papers ahead of me.
fair enough, we have a [insert name of the world's largest coffeehouse company here] on campus which supplies us with caffeinated drinks to overcome that afternoon low, plus a nice lily pond which, however, is always deserted as students are too busy running to class to actually come here and sit down on one of the benches.
and while it is certainly true that hong kong is a fast-paced place - people are always going somewhere, doing something - i couldn't help but notice that they are always, always in my way and i know that those of you who have been to japan are now knowingly nodding their heads. where a german would most likely chose the right side of a walkway to get from a to b, a hong konger will walk right in the middle, leisurely strolling about, maybe even stopping for a couple of seconds to show a friend a little video on their swanky iphone, perfectly unaware of whatever traffic they are holding up. good gracious, it's killing me! i guess it's my german genes and their need for efficiency...then again, another phenomenon has taken hold of me without me even noticing: scuffling. slowly but surely, i have adopted this way of locomotion, especially when walking indoors on slick, polished floors. i simlply cannot be bothered to lift up my feet anymore, shuffling my way through supermarkets and hallways, dining rooms and metro stations.
