EIL Intercultural Learning

Tuesday, August 11th   

After what felt like the longest flight known to man, we finally arrived in Hong Kong airport where we were met by Charmaine and Damon, two of the Hong Kong delegates.  The moment we left the airport to get to our coach we were hit by what felt like a wall of heat - the temperature and humidity being nothing like we ever have at home - that said this was Hong Kong, and we do live in Ireland!

Despite everyone being exhausted we all perked up en route to the hotel when we saw Hong Kong itself out the windows of the coach - a city so different from anything here in Ireland - having to crane our necks to attempt to see the tops of the buildings. We arrived in the hotel and, after some much-needed showers, went for dinner with the Hong Kong delegates. Here began our education in the mastery of chopsticks with the help of our hosts, and often to their amusement, as we repeatedly dropped everything, if we even managed to pick it up in the first place.  This was our first experience of the local cuisine and was very different to meals at home with all the dishes being placed in the middle of a table and everyone sharing everything - a far more communal way of dining.  After dinner we were brought out to walk around the streets and shops - all of the girls instantly disappearing into the first shop which we passed! We were all struck by the neon lights which illuminated all of the bustling streets and how the city was so alive well into the night with most of the shops and markets open until midnight.

Wednesday, August 12th                                                                                                                                                                                              

After a night where most of us found it very difficult to sleep, we started the first day of our programme. We first visited the Hong Kong Musuem of History which chronicled Hong Kong's history from the beginning of the Earth to the present day. Being able to see some of the traditional Chinese festivals, costumes and homes was fascinating. Learning about how Hong Kong was affected by WWII was really interesting too as although we learn about the war in school this is an aspect which we never hear about. Having some of the Hong Kong delegates with us to explain things made the experience even more valuable.

We then returned to the hotel for the official Welcoming Lunch. This was the most formal occassion of the trip with local officials being present and speeches being made and gifts presented on behalf of both delegations.  This was a great oppurtunity to meet more of the Hong Kong delegates and talk about some of the things we would be doing over the next week.

After a quick change, with all of us sqaushed into the one hotel room, we set off for Noah's Ark.  This is a built-to-scale replica of the ark in the Bible and where we were to spend the night in a sharing camp.  Essentially this was an oppurtunity for us all to get to know one-another. After a dinner which included cow's tongue (something I can't say I had ever planned on trying, nor ever plan on trying again!), we went outdoors and played various games. This brought all of us back to our childhoods and let us share plenty of laughs...and sweat! We all went back to the boys' room and continued to play more games including one about our first impressions of one another - a potentially very insulting, but nonetheless fun game. As we went to bed the thunder, lightning and torrential rain began - the irony of which was not lost on any of the Irish delegates - but we were all safe in the knowledge that we were in the best possible place...no storm is a match for Noah's Ark!

Thursday, 13th August                                                                                                                                                                                              

Having had a good night's sleep we spent the morning exploring the different exhibits in Noah's Ark which included a 4D show about environmental protection, various exhibits related to the story of Noah's ark and the Treasure House, a children's museum where we revelled in playing with building bricks and watching Jacqueline dancing to Mozart!

From Noah's Ark we headed to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The theme of this visit was environmental sustainability. After a brief presentation on the changes the university has made in order to make itself more environmentally friendly, there was a more interactive group discussion which was really informative and made me question many of the assumptions I had always made about products and energy sources being environmentally friendly. As a result I will certainly be more sceptical in future when considering claims of environmental soundness. We were then brought on a campus tour where the ways in which the university has become more environmentally sustainable were pointed out to us. Whilst not being the most scintillating of tours the view of the bay from the highest point in the universtiy was a nice way to finish up.

We went to the famous Temple Street for dinner and afterwards got to go out into the market and shop.  Bargaining was the name of the game and the Hong Kong delegates had taught us a couple of key useful phrases for this. Some of us were far better than others - bargaining not being my strong suit I chose to stick with people who were good at it and could tell me what to do! Having the Hong Kong delegates with us made things alot easier too.

Friday, 14th August                                                                                                                                                                                                        

First on our schedule was a trip to the Magic Kingdom.  Most of us had conjured up images of this being something Disney-esque so when we arrived at an apartment block we were all slightly confused.  We all piled into a small room with a stage and realised at this point that it was a magic show that we were attending. All of the tricks were amazing! We all got the oppurtunity to get involved and be part of one of the tricks which made them even more astounding as we couldn't figure out how they could be doing these things.  At the end we were all given a small metal ring and chain and taught a couple of basic tricks which we spent the rest of the trip trying to perfect and relishing the chance to show them to any of the HK delegates who had not been there with us.  Lunch was at a traditional dim sum restaurant - the meal was HUGE, the food just didn't seem to stop coming. 

After lunch we got an old tram up to Victoria Peak. The packed tram jostled its way up the side of the hill, surprising us all by not falling back down again, the slope being so steep.  A few of us took the oppurtunity to go to the highest point of the building, from where we had the most amazing view of the city from above. The buildings seemed to sprawl forever - all of them so tall and densely packed when compared to Irish standards.

That evening we visited a YMCA centre for the deaf - here we got to meet with some of the deaf people and learn about and ask questions about the centre, its work and the daily lives of the deaf.  We also learned the alphabet in sign language - another thing that we continued to practice amongst ourselves for the rest of the week - and how to sign the song Pretty Woman. This was great fun - with everyone getting lost and going at different speeds. If any of us ever need a good laugh, looking back at the video that was taken will certainly do the trick!

We then visited another YMCA facility - this time a Centre for Young Night Drifters (YNDs).  This centre seeks out young people who are hanging around the streets at night - not necessarily homeless but who for one reason or another choose to stay out rather than go home.  The centre seeks to give them somewhere else to spend this time, attempts to help them solve any problems or issues they might have and tries to teach them new skills. We got to see young people using the music equipment in the centre and also the hip-hop dance class.  We were then brought out in our coach to drive around the city trying to locate and identify YNDs -quite an odd experience as the coach would pull up alongside a park or similar area, the lights would come on and we would all, far from subtly, stare out at groups of children and teenagers on the street.

Saturday, 15th August                                                                                                                                                                                          

Saturday saw us spend most of the day at Ocean Park, a themepark with both rollercoasters and rides and animal exhibits. This was the hottest day of the trip, or at least it felt like it. We had all become too accustomed to the air-conditioning in our coach and in all of the buildings. With the sun shining and the humidity very high, being out in the heat all day and walking around was a new and sometimes trying experience.  We went on most of the rides - some more willingly than others - which were great fun. We also visited the aquarium where we got to see all kinds of marine-life which I've never seen before - from various sharks and rays to sea-horses and, most importantly, we found Nemo! Our final stop was a visit to the Panda habitat. They were such beautiful and gentle animals, unphased by the throngs of people staring in at them as they attempted to eat and relax. I wanted to take one home!

After a much-needed shower (this was a common feature of the week) we went for a Shanghai-style dinner. We then dashed to catch the Star Ferry in order to have a tour of the harbour.  The skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour, in Hong Kong and Kowloon, were all covered in various lights and displays.  We all clambered to get the best possible view of the nightly light show where all of these lights changed, flashed and twinkled in time to the music playing on the ferry. Once we disembarked, we walked along the promenade where we took pictures with Jackie Chan's handprints on the Walk of Fame and saw an Olympic torch from the Beijing Olympics.

Sunday, 16th August                                                                                                                                                                                                        

We started the day with a trip to see the Golden Bauhinia, a large statue of a bauhinia flower, the symbol of Hong Kong, which was presented to the people of Hong Kong by China on the occassion of the handover in 1997.  This visit encouraged much discussion and questioning on the topic of what may happen to Hong Kong in 2047 when it is no longer a Special Administrative Region.  From here we took a tram through the city en route to Stanley.  This was quite a touristy area, many of us feeling more like we were in a resort in Spain than the Far East.  The place was full of Westerners and western restaurants - a fact we were none too pleased about - the fact we were Westerners ourselves was entirely besides the point and seemed to have almost been entirely forgotten by us! We spent most of the afternoon enjoying the beach here and swimming in the sea which was a much more comfortable temperature than any beach in Ireland.

After hearing so much about how small apartments in Hong Kong are, the Home Visit was something we were all looking forward to.  Myself, Laura and Damon all went to visit Dwyane's apartment. We were instantly struck by how little living space people in Hong Kong actually have.  The whole apartment would probably have fit in my kitchen and yet 5 people lived there. I also realised how much space we waste in our homes, as they utilise every inch to its full potential.  For dinner we met up with one of the other home visit groups and went to a local restaurant where we had hot pot.  This was definately a new dining experience. A big pot with a sort of flavoured soup was placed on a hot plate in the centre of the table and then all of the meat and fish came out raw.  In order to cook the meat we had to put it into the pot and then leave it until it was done. The meal was delicious and the whole cooking process just added to the enjoyment.

Monday, 17th August                                                                                                                                                                                                      

First on our schedule was a trip to a Buddhist Monastery and Giant Buddha.  The Buddha, whilst indeed being giant and very impressive as such, turned out not to be a centuries old place of worship as we had anticipated, but rather more of a tourist attraction which had been built in 1990's.  This ancient mystique was further effected by the fact that sponsors names were engraved on the body of the statue itself.  The monastery had a similar tourist vibe to it but it still gave us the opportunity to see incence being burned and to see that no meat or alcohol was permitted on the premises.

We spent the afternoon in Tai O, a small fishing village which is built on stilts.  We were all struck by the vast difference between life in Tai O and in the city. Going on a boat tour of the harbour we were able to see the stilts upon which the houses were built.  We were also lucky enough to glimpse a couple of pink dolphins swimming.  While walking around the village a couple of us also had the strange experience of being asked could people have their photo taken with us. The Hong Kong delegates explained to us that they had said that they weren't used to seeing foreigners - as I am blonde and couldn't be much paler if I tried I really must have looked out of place to them!

Before returning to the hotel we stopped at an outlet centre. Despite the numerous brand name shops and reduced prices we bought very little here.  Instead we all flocked to Ladies Street as soon as we returned to the Hotel - this is a market brimming with "designer" bags, shoes and clothes, together with and all sorts of traditional Chinese items and souvenirs.  This was a regualar haunt of the Irish delegation and where we spent most of our money. 

Tuesday, 18th August                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Being our final today, Tuesday's schedule was less hectic than the rest of the week.  In the morning we visited a YMCA Secondary School.  We were given a presentation on the education system in Hong Kong and on the school itself, which was followed by the Irish delegates giving an unprepared, off-the-cuff, and therefore very very brief description of the Irish education system. We then went for refreshments and were given the oppurtunity to mix with the students, who brought us on a tour of the school in small groups.  The school was quite similar to Irish schools in many respects such as its classrooms and size. It also had some very impressive facilities however such as facilities with which to have video conferencing with schools on the mainland.

After lunch we were free for the afternoon to pack and prepare for the Farewell Dinner.  This time mandated another quick visit to Ladies Street for last minute shopping! The Farewell Dinner took place in our hotel and was one of my personal highlights of the whole trip. All of the Irish and HK delegates were present (except P.J. who was unfortunately sick), together with all of the leaders involved and some local officials. The evening included speeches and presentations, games based on the Cantonese we had learned over the week, and great food. The Irish delegates then gave a cultural performance which included tin-whistle playing, irish dancing, a poem being read as Gaeilge and then the whole delegation taking to the stage to give rousing (if not particularly tuneful) renditions of The Fields of Athenry and the national anthem.  The Hong Kong delegates then performed a song, Forever Friends, which culminated in all of us gathering together in a cirlce at the top of the room, hoping that we would indeed be forever friends. After the obligatory thousand or so photos (something the Irish were now just as bad for as our hosts) we headed out to a bar and then continued the party in our hotel into the early hours.

Wednesday, 19th August                                                                                                                                                                                               

Earlier than any of us would have liked we sadly said our goodbyes at the airport (all of us secretly hoping we had swine flu and would have to stay for another week). Happy that we had had the most amazing trip ever in Hong Kong and that we had made so many wonderful new friends from both Hong Kong and Ireland, the countdown had already started to the return trip when we would all be reunited again.