IBCE Orientation

So this will make some of you tremendously happy:  a picture with me in it!  Please, be impressed...be very impressed.

We had IBCE orientation that same morning so we met at University Station.  Here's some of the area around there.

Remember when I said there was political activism June 4th?  It was over this statue.  You see, this suspiciously Statue-of-Liberty-esque landmark stirred up quite a controversy regarding where it was supposed to be erected.  CUHK stayed mum on the subject, but it ended up on campus anyway.  Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a photo of the news crew reporting from there.

So once we were at the train station, we met up with Yammy Lai, Glos Ho, and Meredith Bellamy--some of the masterminds behind this little excursion--and they introduced us to four of the members of the Chinese cohort.  Joyce, Christopher, Josephine, Geoffrey, it was great meeting you guys and I can't wait to see you at USC!  Anyway, we all walked over to the Orchid Lodge again for a dim sum lunch.  This time I took a picture to make everyone back home jealous.  In the background, from left to right, are Javi, Diana, Rachel, and Geoffrey.  Oh, and that's Cameron's hand looking especially dexterous with those chopsticks.  As for what's on the table...pork buns, shrimp rice, radish cakes, fried eggplant, pork & shrimp dim sum, jasmine tea, and so on and so forth.

After gorging on lunch, we walked over to one of the classrooms for some make-the-American-students-look-like-idiots time.  In other words, calligraphy.  David actually looks like he knows what he's doing in this picture.  Mind you, the key phrase is "looks like."  Nobody had a clue.

Kelso and Lauren beasting those door-tags.  Go ladies!

And look!  Another picture of me!  I wonder what thoughtful person thought of including me in the pictures?  Actually it was Nicole.  By the way, that's my name:  in pinyin it says Mai Rui Rui.

IBCE orientation didn't last very long so after we dropped our stuff off at Student Hostel II, which I can now fondly call Di Er Xuesheng Sushe, we went out to the Benjamin Franklin Centre for amazing cheapo dinner.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Lemon Grass Chicken with Vermicelli:

This one below was actually Charlie's, but three different people ordered it:  Spicy Dumpling Soup.  Just from the smell, I can safely say I will order it soon.

Oh, and here's a picture of the cleverly-named Benjamin Franklin Centre Student Canteen.  Sadly, you can't see the giant mural with the creepy-looking unicorns on it in this photo.  I'll try to take one soon.