First, I found out that, instead of having to go all the way to Wan Chai in central Hong Kong, I could just go to Fo Tan, which is literally one stop from the University MTR station. Not only that, but you can make an online appointment as long as you bring all the necessary paperwork with you when you come. So I made an appointment online for Cameron, Nicole, and myself, then I printed out the necessary applications. I went ahead and filled out my application, and my friends did the same. Unfortunately, the earliest appointment we could get was today at 2:15pm. Afternoon class starts at 2:30pm so we worked it out with the teachers to see if it was OK for us to be late to (or maybe even miss) that class. Since government offices never operate during convenient hours, the teachers were very understanding.
The three of us ate lunch at the MTR station and caught the train to Fo Tan. The walk to the Immigration Department was very short and there were signs everywhere. Interestingly, the office itself was on the 4th floor of a horribly run-down mall called Jubilee Court. Here's the picture I took of the Immigration Office sign. Just behind me was a rolling cart where two women were trying to sell Hello Kitty lunchboxes. Oh boy.
We were in line by the time the office opened at 2:00pm, and (even though our appointment was at 2:15pm) we got seen almost immediately, which is awesome because the place was packed. Thank goodness for online immigration booking. I successfully immigrated and my Hong Kong Identity Card is now in the works. For now, I have an official-looking document that serves as my temporary ID. I can pick up my permanent ID card either July 7th or 8th.
We got back to campus just 15 minutes late to class, and had a grand time as usual. Today we learned how to write a basic resume in Chinese. For practice, our teachers made us each create a resume and pretend to apply for a job position as Head of Marketing for Apple. They looked over our "resumes" and then we did job interviews. I think that class is very aptly named, as it is "Business Chinese." Very appropriate.
In other news, many of you have been asking about my leg injury from...a week, maybe two weeks ago. Anyway, however long ago it was, I thought I would provide visual evidence of my recovering process. I think in another week I'll just have some discoloration.
OK, so I know that yesterday I mentioned that Han Laoshi gave us the supplies to make hot pot ("huo guor" in Chinese). We decided to cook it today but, looking at how much she gave us, it looked like the servings would be skimpy if everyone ate some. So, planning ahead, I bought some cheap samsosa (HK$6.5) to throw into mine so it would be a more substantial supper. Han Laoshi, though, had provided us with a little taste of everything. We had mushroom balls, fish balls, dumplings, sliced beef, one shrimp (which Kelso got), roots, crunchy shell-like things, cabbage, and green onions. Here's my portion after I felt sorry for Chris and gave him a piece of my samsosa.
The hot pot was very tasty and pretty easy to make so I think we'll probably do this again some time. However, I think it needs some more spice to it. Maybe some of that hot chili sauce they always give you on the side at restaurants here.
And, last but not least, Senor Marquez, as promised:
No comments:
Post a Comment