As to the nature of said "adventure," even by this morning none of us knew more than that we were going to Shatin and eating lunch at a Chinese tea house. Well, we met at the classroom, which is where Liu Laoshi finally revealed our surprise destination. I could give all of you in America all the guesses you could possibly want, and I bet you'd still never guess it. So where exactly were we headed?
The projects. That's right, everyone...ghetto, projects, hood...call it what you want, but our teachers suddenly informed us that we were being turned loose amidst Hong Kong's very own government-subsidized housing projects. The reason? Zhongguo wenhua jingyan! This was apparently meant to give us culture shock because obviously we haven't experienced that after 2 months of HKSAR living.
If you're like me, the thought of venturing into that particular part of town was especially unappealing. Some of you may have never been to the American counterpart but, let me tell you, there seemed to be a siren going off in my head with someone yelling "Mayday! Mayday!" Visiting the projects? No thank you, ma'am.
Naturally, I had no choice in the matter. We split into 4 groups, each with 3 students and one teacher. My group included Kelso, Javi, and Chen Chen Laoshi. We followed Chen Chen Laoshi through the familiar parts of Shatin, but the further we got from the bus station, the less familiar the surroundings became. Eventually, we came to a place called Wo Che, which is where the projects are. I can safely assure you I was scared over nothing. It turns out that government-housing here is very different. This is what one of the buildings looks like:
Apparently, the system also works differently. Instead of having essentially free housing paid for by taxpayer dollars, Hong Kong style welfare just means that the government bought up the cheapest apartments in the city and reserves the leases for its poorest denizens. Interestingly, people still have to pay rent, but it's extremely cheap. It's about the same as they would have paid if the government hadn't bought the apartments. The advantage for the current tenants is that they don't have to worry about people who can afford better snatching up the cheap places. So there you have it: the world's most capitalist government still manages to take care of its folks. Take that, Michael Moore! And, from what I can tell, it does a better job than we do back in the States (or in Cuba for anyone who might be under the delusion that that's a difficult accomplishment).
True, America does take pretty good care of its welfare-recipients, but go to any city and you're bound to see innumerable people who are homeless. One thing I have to say for Hong Kong is that I have not seen one single homeless person on the streets. Not one. Mind you, I am not blind, and I actually have been looking ever since that realization hit me. I'm not sure exactly what it is about the system here that works, but I think Hong Kong's got it figured out either policy-wise or culture-wise. If it's policy that's making the difference here, America might want to take some notes.
One interesting thing about Hong Kong housing projects is that there's a whole community built around them. You can see Kelso trying out the playground:
The Wo Che housing projects even have their own schools, many of which are run by charities and church groups:
This one is the high school:
And, of course, what Hong Kong community would be complete without it's very own market? Not Wo Che, that's for sure. It took a little walking, but we got to the Wo Che Market with no problem. Here's Javi checking out the merchandise:
We found a florist's stall at the marketplace and it occurred to me that y'all might like to see what lotus looks like:
Also, you've probably seen them in America, but here's some lucky bamboo. It's popular to keep it in your home here:
And every market has fresh veggies galore. Delicious!
Well, except for that. Behold my arch-nemesis, sitting quietly in it's little green basket, ready to waylay the unsuspecting victim who mistakes it for the world's ugliest cucumber. This is bitter melon or, as I like to call it, the-most-disgusting-thing-you-can-put-in-your-mouth-that-won't-kill-you. I would rather eat an entire tuna-sauce pizza than have this vile substance contaminate my mouth again.
After wandering around the market, we decided to check out some of the other cool places around the community. First, was the post office:
And then a nearby bakery. This is one thing I never expected about Hong Kong. Why in the world are people here so obsessed with baked goods? I was expecting rice and noodles followed by more rice and noodles which, truth be told, I got. However, there's also a bakery around every corner. There's even one at the University MTR Station. They sell all kinds of interesting goodies: squid-ink loaf, chicken pie, pineapple and meat floss buns, and yes, normal stuff as well.
We walked around some of the public areas, like the Sports Ground:
And, naturally, ended up in yet another shopping center. This is perhaps a little known fact, but Hong Kong is secretly being colonized by Japan. Behold, MOS Burger strikes again (among other Japanese restaurants):
Here's something fun. We all know about the Dollar Store in the US. Some people might even recall Japan's endearing 100 Yen Store. Of course, Hong Kong has it's own version: $10 Store.
So after all that walking around, we had all worked up pretty decent appetites and were looking forward to that trip to a Chinese tea house. Apparently, though, that plan fell through without anyone telling us and Zhu Laoshi led us to this dismal replacement: Orchid Garden Restaurant. I have one word for this place: mamahuhu. Not too bad, not too great. Definitely not worth a return visit.
Speaking of return visits, I made one after lunch. See, after lunch we came back to campus. I came back to the dorm to get all the little goodies I wanted to send to my family so that I could take them to the post office. I ended up back in Shatin around 3:30pm, and found my way to this building:
That's right, Hong Kong likes to keep things relatively simple so they clump all the government offices they can into one building. Wow, government making sense? Now I know I'm in a foreign country. Of course, those government offices include the post office so that made things pretty easy. I stuffed all those goodies into a padded envelop and it is now being sent on it's merry little way to America. Mom, you and Sarah can expect your T-shirts (and her gag gift) in 1-2 weeks. I also sent the tote bag Meme wanted, which I understand can change hands sometime around Labor Day.
After that, I decided to do more shopping. I bought a lot of stuff I both needed and wanted and got it all for a grand total of less than US$50. That very random assortment includes 2 shirts, sunscreen that works, a non-broken umbrella, a straw hat, a real plate, an awesome goody for Sara (in addition to the tea), basic medication like pain reliever and band-aids, half a pineapple, and fresh hot pot ingredients.
I bought the food at Shatin Market instead of at Wo Che Market even though they're within 2 minutes' walking distance from each other. I prefer Shatin Market for food purchases because I'm more familiar with it and there's more variety. Seriously, where else can you buy live chickens to behead and de-feather in the comfort of your own home?
Regarding the chickens, there is a cultural note to this. Although only a minority, Hong Kong does have a significant Hmong population. During the ua neeb ritual, which is performed by a Hmong shaman when a person falls seriously ill, a live chicken or other livestock is often sacrificed. Another option is to burn joss paper. Instead of going into lengthy discussion about such a complicated cultural topic, I will instead defer you to the wisdom of Wikipedia. I've read the article and it seems like it explains more thoroughly than I could here. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_paper.
And, yes, there is seafood aplenty in this part of the world. Unfortunately, it seems that the denizens of the Hong Kong fish market have the same reputation as their Parisian counterparts. Well-earned or not, I personally enjoy the environment of the fish market. A quick word of warning for Sophia...don't look.
A market still is, however, a market, and these kinds of places aren't really known for their charming architectural features. Namely, the toilets. Yes, I am the kind of person who would end a blog post with a picture of a toilet. Still, up to this point, I've been lucky enough not to encounter this particular embodiment of Asian culture in Hong Kong. All good things must come to an end, though, and thus my memories from Japan come back to haunt me. By the way, it's not nearly so bad as it looks...there's handle-bars.
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