Foreigner

What's wrong with sitting next to a foreigner?

Sometimes I find myself sitting in class early before people come in to take their seats. After the class begins, I find myself with an empty seat next to me. This often makes me sad and sometimes prods at my self-confidence.

Recently, I had a talk with a REDbird trainer who grew up in Canada. She shed some light on the gap between mixing internationals and locals. Often, if a person isn't confident with their English, they find it difficult to talk to the international students. Many students, after all, with strong English background end up studying overseas. So students who are not so confident end up going to HKUST and subsequently are uncomfortable with the high number of exchange students and foreigners like myself. They of course won't leave their comfort zone and go out of their way to practice English. And as long as there is the lingual gap, there is also the illusion of the cultural gap, which heightens a sense of the need to stay within your own circle.

I think my adjustment period here brings to light an important take-home point. That "foreigners" isn't limited to someone who's from a different country and speaks a different language. It refers to people who are generally different from what we are used to. This sort of thing happens everywhere! In the USA, Canada, and elsewhere. When the Filipinos, Vietnamese, or Chinese first immigrated to Southern California, they all experienced a sense of discomfort from their communities. After all, why should someone be forced to accept a new culture and way of thinking? Why should someone be forced to try to communicate with people who were so limited in their English abilities?

But change that way of thinking and ask.. why should you alienate the person who is different when you don't even know that person completely? Can't you learn something new from someone that's different from you? New perspectives. Reach out to people. I personally think it makes the world a better and friendlier place.

I gotta be honest, though, stepping out of my comfort zone has definitely been HARD!

International Student Survival Points

It's been a month since my arrival at HKUST. Three months left until my holiday break back in California! I miss you, baby!! [DEC23]

1. Keeping home close to your heart.
People say that home is where the heart is, but sometimes people might take this phrase too literally. Maybe people think that the physical place where we come back to at the end of a long day at work is the place where our heart resides. But nobody reminds us that home is something we can carry with us. Home is love, memories, and thoughts for and from the people we care about most.

I just received an USPS express package from my boyfriend. Granted, it also included trancripts which I needed to complete my credit transfer of courses... but it in addition included the gifts he was planning on giving me for our seven months together. I didn't think it was going to be so amazing! I was excited, yes, but when I actually had it in my hands, I felt like... well, a woman. What I mean by that is... (1) he sent the stuff by express which is the most expensive but fastest shipping option, (2) the necklace and bracelet items seemed to cost more than should be expected for a "monthsery"/birthday present. It's not the material objects persay that make me happy, it's the "thought" that counts. The fact that a man is willing to invest his hard-earned money in a girl would make that girl feel pretty dang special. Perhaps this is the root of why women love jewelry so much? To answer your question, baby, yes of course I would wear the random jewelry you give me--but only because it's from you and not because I particularly like jewelry. I'm always going to be a tomboy at heart.

2. Find the culture & leave your comfort zone.
Perhaps the most debilitating phenomenon that occurs here at HKUST is that internationals stay with internationals, locals stay with locals, and mainlanders stay with mainlanders. This of course antagonizes the whole idea of internationalizing the campus. People coming here will claim that they want to be exposed to different cultures, but simple exposure just doesn't seem to cut it for me. If you're in a different country for any period of time, it benefits you to not only learn the language but make an attempt to close the gap between the cultures. I have a high tolerance for when people speak different languages around me and this helps others feel comfortable around me. These bonding events for the HKUST Female Basketball Team (comprised mostly of locals) are my favorite examples:
a) Hong Kong Style BBQ
Hong Kong style BBQ is like campfire time in the United States, but better than American BBQ and campfire combined. At least, in my opinion. Imagine cooking your own sausages, fish/pork/shrimp/beef balls, chicken breasts, cuttlefish, pork ribs, corn, and zucchini over an open pit. Before the food is finished, you baste your food items in honey and leave it over the fire for some time so that it becomes glazed. Then, consume to your hearts desire! A spin-off of the Western "S'more" for desert: egg-honey bread glazed with honey and toasted marshmallows in between. The bread itself is just plain delicious. I shall have to introduce this to my friends in America. Maybe at the next CA bonfire.
b) Pictionary [In Chinese]
You'd think that you don't really need words for games like Pictionary and Charades so it's the perfect cross-cultural game. WRONG! Chinese characters alone have different meanings, then when placed with another character creates a whole different word. In a sense, it's a little easier than English Pictionary. But it's also harder. During my turn to draw, my teammates would sometimes know the word but not know the English translation and so I would never know if they knew what I was drawing about. Also, many of the Pictionary translations were so weird. The English word "BIND" was translated from the literal Chinese characters for "Suffocation". "LAP" was "Knee". And Chinese people don't even use the word "POTTY". Yeah, it was still incredible seeing the cultures come together! And hilarious fun.

3. Think carefully about roommates & student societies.
I am so fortunate to have a nice roommate who's willing to talk to me and be my friend! She doesn't have any disagreeable qualities and we get along very well. One thing you should make sure of when you get settled: if you don't think you can have a peaceful year with your roommate, swap out!!! It will prevent your life from unnecessary stress. I was lucky enough to have a nice roommate... honestly, I wouldn't have the guts to ask for a swap.

Snow and I tried out DANSO but in the end decided we both didn't have time for it so we didn't sign up for November's performance recruitment. Which brings me to another point, be forward thinking before you join societies or clubs. You need to learn how to allocate your time and if it's your first year, those grades are, believe it or not, important. No overloading! Do things that are beneficial to you in the long run. I chose to keep active and fit through Basketball Society; develop my leadership, self-image, and service through the REDbird Award Program; and keep an academic edge through the Chemical and BioMolecular Engineering Student Society.

And here's the choreography:

And oh yes: PufferFish!!

Listening to: Owl City - The Saltwater Room

Hong Kong's Mid-Autumn Festival

Okay, I should totally be scolded for being a hermit during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm apprehensive of social interaction. Just kidding.

Whilst my midday nap, I evaded an invitation to see the Dragon Dance at Victoria Park with a Canadian exchange student (Matt) from my Health Psychology class. After the evasion, I considered showering before leaving my room for dinner but decided against it. Then I ran into another group of friends, my fellow Hall III internationals, and ate with them in the canteen until they invited me to see Hong Kong island. I avoided this invitation after running into a Malay friend (Sean Sean) who invited me to eat with their group. Later, I found out that Sean Sean was also going with the other Malays out for a night on the town. It seemed there was no escape. Someone lent me some travel money and the next thing I knew I was on my way to the city with a large group of twenty other students (comprised mostly of BBA, Finance, and Accounting students). Regrettably, I did not have my camera and I had left my dorm room with the shorts I was planning to sleep in, bed hair, and a backpack with study materials.

As an immediate consequence of not having a camera, I resorted to my Sony Ericsson Elm camera phone which produced okay quality photos. But the atmosphere at the carnival called for technology beyond that which such a machine could offer. So next year I'll hopefully be more prepared for friends dragging me out of my shell of a dorm life.

The crowds were ridiculous in Hong Kong. And with thousands of people on the street, I couldn't help but feel small and insignificant. The city carnival was in fact mostly for families and couples and people who just wanted to see and take pictures. I was feeling more alone than usual. I felt that it didn't matter how crowded a place was if only I had Hieu holding me and making sure I would never get lost. It didn't matter how many people there were, I would still feel important to someone and that's enough for me. It seems that finding love in a city like Hong Kong is a one in a million, hit or miss, chance--especially for someone like me. Which, of course, makes me realize how much of a blessing it is to have somebody to love. Someone to miss. Someone to care about. Someone that makes you feel like yourself when everything around you is going wrong. My only thought is... one day. One day, Hieu and I will share even more amazing and unforgettable experiences together. But it'll have to wait.

The day before, I ate mooncakes with some dear sisters from church. Hall III also had a celebration and I made mooncakes!

Traditional moon cakes bewilder my American tastebuds.

Another thing... I really hate when people cuss. (I'm sorry if you ever read this Kevin.) Unfortunately, I never say anything about it anymore. I don't protest against cuss usage like I did in high school. You see, I don't have anything against Kevin since he was really friendly and helped me avoid getting lost in the heavy crowds. It was also a relief to find someone I could relate to and could speak and understand English with high proficiency. However, cussing is a personal distaste of mine. And it saddens me that "Americanized" locals would cuss so much. Because there's much to say about how senseless American culture is... we could really afford to expand our vocabulary.

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at HKUST

CBME is getting more internationalized by the year. Although I am a first year student with no Cantonese or Chinese-speaking background, I volunteered to help out during Outreach Day. It was difficult because students kept talking to me in Cantonese. Maybe it's because I look Asian and if you're not careful you'll make a blunder and mistake me for a local. But once I open my mouth to talk, you'll notice my American Western accent and scoff. I kid. But anyway, it was great getting to know a few of the department's faculty... namely acting head, Dr. McKay, professors: Dr. I Ming Hsing, Dr. Barford, and visitng professor: Dr. Carol Lin.

The thing I loved most about this day was explaining the setup for our miniature sample of a microreactor. It was so amazing to see high school students interested in it and listening intently. They were asking questions out of pure intellectual curiosity. Kudos to HK students who want to make a difference in society! I also got a free polo shirt. Hooray for free stuff! I'm proud to be in CBME. <3 In the upcoming years, look for me, I'll be a student ambassador.

Upcoming Post: FAQ

My Greatest Happiness

I suppose it's a good thing that I'm not taking that many pictures right now. But what good is living in the moment if you have nothing to show for it? I only seem to regret not taking enough pictures~ So, I'll try taking more interesting photos and asking to take pictures with interesting people.

Living in Hong Kong and having family and my love in the United States is like I'm living in two different worlds at one time. It's kind of tiring but at the same time, I don't care. My greatest happiness is being blessed enough to have someone to miss and a place to come home to.

The Starting Point

The Extraordinary

Those who regard the history of societies as the history of their great men, and think that these great men shape the fates of their societies, overlook the truth that such great men are the products of their societies.

In high school, I recall taking part in a Socratic seminar where I instigated a discussion on whether the heroism of a man was given simply as a product of the circumstances in which they were placed or whether that man possessed truly extraordinary qualities. In my opinion, men or women of character exist anywhere and anytime but if there are no circumstances in which to reveal such a person, he may never be great and remembered in the textbooks of learning or through the stories of tradition.

There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.

The same can be thought on smaller scales. We must constantly challenge ourselves in order to reveal our true potential. If we remain in a stagnant and comfortable environment, we also will remain stagnant in growth and never know how much we can really accomplish.

That's the reason I'm here at HKUST. And although I'm homesick, how else am I going to test the limits of my abilities? I'm used to making friends instantly, but that was in my own territory. It was my nature to be sociable. Now I'm encountering cross-cultural and cross-lingual boundaries. This is surely one of the most difficult time periods of my life. Constantly questioning whether I'm going to be well-liked or even welcomed into friendships and societies. I'm encountering different learning strategies and difficult accents in class. The extracurricular choices are diverse. And intellectual conversation, something which serves as both stimulation and motivation, in my own language is not to be found! I can't find a single soul I can truly relate to because of our language differences.

It boils down to one thing now: Adaptation.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

In another example to this concept of circumstances revealing hidden attributes: my relationship with my boyfriend. At the beginning of our relationship, I never imagined we would be the way we are now. I never imagined that I could feel so much love for someone. And I never imagined he, as a person, would be so loving. I have always believed that Hieu remains sincere to his emotions at all times but even so I'm hesitant to accept the happiness at hand. That boy is truly full of surprises and he makes me feel so loved and so important. Maybe the idea of being apart prompted me to cherish him in such a way that wouldn't have happened if we had an average (local vs long distance) relationship. True, the distance has made my love stronger so far, but it's only been two weeks. There's still a long way to go. To this, I will keep hoping for out future. Circumstances over time will reveal love in many ways.