Fight for Your Life!

Tuesday all secondary classes were collapsed in honor/awareness of WORLD AIDS DAY 2009. The students were split into various groups and were given tasks to raise awareness. Some groups did a dance, some did art, however, my group wrote a song to raise awareness of AIDS in HK.
I was a bit apprehensive at first, simply because I was not sure how the logistics would work or what Maggie (my CT) had planned. But as the morning went on and the students were very excited and into the activity.
Maggie created a "back-track" and the students wrote the lyrics, rhythm and melody....all original.
Here is what they wrote:

(Verse 1)
Hong Kong is so BIG, and I feel so small.
I stay home, left out, feeling fearful and contagious.
I am avoided, hoping for help.
People must know that I exist.

(Chorus)
Na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na
Fight for your life!

(Verse 2)
There's always hope, we know we can fight for life.
We know we can fight for live.
We know we can fight for freedom,
We can fight for anything.
Find your stream of life when you feel hopeless.

(Chorus)

(Rap!)
Protect yourself from HIV
Causes AIDS
defeat the desease
it's unstoppable but understandable
Responsibility si what we need.
Families need help
education fee
unable to work
differs on daily life
excuses on top of my head
is that it?

(Bridge)
Shouldn't be a mark of shame
Shouldn't be a mark of shame
No, not a mark of shame!

Time for all of us to speak out
Time for all of us to speak out
Yeah, yeah let's speak out!

(Chorus 2x)

Here is their dress rehearsal! So awesome!!

Food and fun!

The past few weekends J and I have gone on adventures with Eric and Cherrie!
They are the BEST tour guides any crazy American could have...
Here are some of the crazy things we have done:
"bowl of rice" - [insert awesome chinese words that translate]
This "hole in the wall"place is a HK tradition. People queue up for hours waiting to eat this. As you tell from the menu, some of the items are really odd.




After suffciently stuffing ourselves with rice and waffles, we walk (for what seems like forever) to a Japanese Dessert House. OH MY! I have never had such tasty ice cream.....fresh mango and cookies & cream over fresh fruit and topped with little chocolate cookie sticks. It was heaven in a bowl :-)



Saturday's adventure was to have Hot Pot and meet Eric's best friend, Francis (quite possibly the tallest HK man I've met). Since I am not a huge fan I decided to play it safe and get minced beef with rice and egg. I was a bit skeptical at first, however, to my surprise it tasted like spaghetti! Afterward we went to the Garden Market for some shopping and bargaining, of course!


As we venture through Mong Kok it amazes me how at 11pm at night, it feels like day time because of all the lights!

Sing to the Lord a new song!

One of my most favorite (totally unhealthy) treats in HK....waffles!!!


J with hern ew rings she bought from the Year 4's at the school fair.


Happy Thanksgiving!!
Though it was a bit warm (70s) and i was wearing shorts, Thanksgiving was celebrated here in Hong Kong. There are 16 American's on a fellowship here at HKiEd and they prepared a full meal on Tuesday for all who wanted to join....pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, turkey, green bean casserole, cup cakes, sweet potatoes (with marshmellows and brown sugar), bread, and so on. It was delicious!
Thanksgiving dinner, however, J and I went to Mc Donalds; not quite as exciting as family and grandma's garlic bread! After our feast on campus we were given a WHOLE PUMPKIN PIE. I have of course been eating it bit by bit to ensure that I can make it last!
Sunday night J and I headed to Kaitlin's apartment for a Thanksgiving feast!
Quite possibly the most memorable moment of the night is when the 3 of us look up and one of our Korean friends is eating corn bread with chop sticks!!! It was wonderful to swap stories, traditions, and life with some new friends :-)

Wallwisher.com

Today my Year 9's had a double lesson on lyrics and theme in pop music. We listed to the 80s song "Pictures of You" by the cure focusing on the theme's of "lost love" and "loneliness".
Throughout the lesson the students looked at media in relation to the theme in music videos....each group looked at something different : camera angles, interactions, lighting, etc. Their final task we to find their own group example of "lost love" and do a "wallwisher" post on it. They were a bit rushed at the end and so their posts were not as thorough as i would have liked. but when they presented they were clear, and concise about their thoughts.
What is "wallwisher" you ask? Wallwisher is a online post-it note center!!! However, unlike the traditional paper post-it this is all electronic. Since the students here at RCHK are driven by technology and always seem to have their nose in their computer, I have been trying to work with that and not try to see computers as a distraction. On wallwisher the students can not only post their thoughts, but they can add images, video, audio, etc. to enhance their groups post. I find it fascinating, and the students had NEVER heard of it!
(Above is a picture of the classes post from the lesson today).

On Saturday J and I (and the rest of the RCHK faculty) went to school....ugh...professional development. This is J and are after lunch.

The school flew in a professor from New Jersey to talk about "Guided Inquiry" - inquiry based learning. I found most of it very informative. I got lots of advice that has completely changed the direction I am going with my year 7's and their research. He really stressed discovery of knowledge v. teaching skills. My entire life I have been taught skills. Here, at the IB school, things are radically different. It has been an adjustment teaching in the inquiry process, but one that I have enjoyed as it fosters much creativity!

In my last post I forgot to mention one of my favorite parts of the Internation Fair and HKiEd....my henna tattoo! Don't worry mom, it's not permanent :-)

"Check this out!"

Saturday the IO (international office) took the exchange students on a trip to Sai Kung. We took the shuttle to the Sai Kung Pier and met our guides: Tony & "the very quiet side-kick". We all got onto a boat and traveled to the Yim Tin Tsai Village about 30 minutes away.
The village is abandoned, but is a tourist spot because of the once rich salt fields. It was interesting to see all the buildings full of furniture but uninhabited.
It was funny to follow Tony around. He is a lover of nature, especially trees. I have never heard so many names of trees in my life!! He would always, no matter if we had walked 5 steps, take his pointer and say "check this out" (pointing dearingly to a green plant of sorts). If only I was a botonist....
All in all it was a great day of meeting new friends and sharing stories :-)

Tony explaining that this house was made of volcanic rock (he thinks).


The abandoned houses.


Salt Fields.




A cemetery in the hillside.


J and I at the highest point on the island gazing at the golf course that covers the island next to us.

"No photo, no photo!"

Highlights from last week:

Wednesday the 11th HKiEd had their annual International Fair. The International Fair is an opportunity for the campus to come together and celebrate it's diversity. There are students from Korea, Finland, Germany, Malashia, Sweden, Japan, US, Thiland, and so many more. This was a time for us to get together and share our "home" with the rest of campus. Kaitlin, J, and I were asked to put together a booth promoting Butler and the U.S.A. We had a blast!!

Our table had oreos, mac & cheese, Butler gear, rice krispy treats, and a Lucky Draw (raffe). The Hong Kong students went nuts! They were fascinated by the food and loved the pencils and could not get enough of the lucky draw.

Thursday the 12th J and I headed to the HK Cultural Centre for a 4 piano concert! The center is celebrating 20 years and these 4 pianists premiered at the hall 20 years ago. They were back for a celebration concert. They played all sorts of repertoire - Bach Concerto for 4 Pianos, Variations of Happy Birthday, Dvorak, etc. Below are pics of the center as well as the theatre the concert was in. The HK do not like for people to take pictures of their performance spaces. I have tried to sneak a couple and promptly get told, "no photo, no photo." And of course they were taken without permission :-)


Check out the pipe organ!!

Please stand back from the door.....beepbeepbeep

There are few things that I just have not gotten comfortable with here in Hong Kong:
-It is dark by 6pm
-Everything smells Chinese
-The stupid people that jump the metro at the last minute causing the doors to open and close just so they can push themselves into the car which causes the lady to come on the intercom and say: Please stand back from the door, several times
-People do not flush every time they use the toilet
-Steps are everywhere!
-Time difference between home and HK (it is quite difficult to talk to people)
-Running for the bus (I had to do it myself)
-No stars....ever
-3/4 of people have never seen snow

On a happier note....here are a few pictures from the past few days :-)









J and I headed to Stanley Market for some much needing shopping. We ended up chilling at the waters edge for most of the afternoon. It was beautiful and full of people from so many ethnicity's!

Just a side note: I tried cabbage and pork dumplings tonight....and I liked them! Leave it to Jamie to find some Asian food that I like!!

A Tour of My "Home."

This is the front of campus. In this quad there is a bank, the student affairs office, the post office, the clinic (doctor), the police, etc.

The view from the fountain area near the entrance to campus.

My dorm building....Grantham Hall.

The stairs leading up to our dorm room.

My dorm room, nice and cosy. Each side has a small closet, a bed, and a desk.

The dorm buildings are terraced as a result of being built on a hill. The building is divided into sections (so that elevators could be installed) - floors 1-3, floors 4-6, floors 7-11.

The view from my dorm room!

The large announcement screen near the bus stop.

My first morning in HK.

My life, in map form.

This may give an idea of what HK looks like in relation to my life....
HKiEd (Tai Po) = Where I sleep
Renaissance College (Ma On Shan) = Where I teach
Church of All Nations (Repulse Bay) = Where I go to church

Night Life.

Saturday night Eric took J and I to Victoria Harbor. This is my favorite part of Hong Kong. It is right at the main island by the Hong Kong Cultural Center. We parked ourselves at the water's edge and waited for 8pm, then the city came to "light"!
A 15 minute light show set to music. It was incredible, and something that Eric nor I had ever seen.

A day at the beach....sandy and warm.

Friday was filled with music!! J's CT took several primary students to Discovery College for an "Orchestra Jam." Upon arrival we were whisked to sections where I got to lead the violin 3's. It was an awesome experience of being thrown into a situation, not knowing all the kids, and being successful. I had fun and the kids were successful!!
Saturday Eric took J and I to Mong Kok. We bargained our way through the Ladies Market buying many authentic and touristy things. We also go to browse the Hong Kong Professional Teacher's Union Store. It reminded me of bradburns, walgreens, and borders in one. I bought some folders for A4 paper as the paper here is longer than in the states. I also bought a children's book with pictures and Cantonese for basic items.
After our 3 hour excursion to church on Sunday morning we met Kaitlin and headed for the Hap Mun Bay Beach, a short boat ride from the Sai Kung Public Pier. It was November 1st and the 3 of us were in swim suits, covered in sun screen, and swimming in the ocean. It was a fabulous way to end the week!!