Prior Misconception: Language

Before leaving for Hong Kong many people asked me if I needed to be able to speak Chinese. I told them no, that in Hong Kong people speak English and all signs are in English and Chinese.

After being here for going on three weeks I can now say that this was definitely incorrect. While communication at the university is in English, and most of the faculty and most of the professional staff at CityU speak English, the larger population does not speak English.

The Chinese spoken here is Cantonese (the dialect of those who come from the southern province of Guangdong) and that is how the Chinese communicate with each other as it is their native tongue, and the most comfortable form of expression. All students I see on campus talk to each other in Chinese. Thus, communication with people outside the university -- in stores, restaurants, on the street – poses challenges.

This pattern is more pronounced in Kowloon, where I reside, than it would be on Hong Kong Island, but it is the norm throughout Hong Kong. In many areas of Hong Kong that I have walked through all signs are in Chinese. So, a knowledge of Cantonese would be a very useful skill.

I start my class on Friday, so I will see how all this plays out in the classroom.

Damn Good Advice

How many Americans have been run over because they looked left instead of right?

Loudon Wainwright III wrote a song about this...for skunks.

Disenvoweled Again

When will they get the spelling right!?!?

Yu Lan Festival

From early August to early September of this year traditional Hong Kongers observe Yu Lan or the Hungry Ghost festival. During the month it is believed that human ghosts roam the living world and different forms of offering are provided that include burning incense (most common), flowers, and food. I see remnants of these offerings on street corners and in front of small shops. A local urban playground/park (below) I passed yesterday in Shek Kip Mei is currently dedicated exclusively to the celebration that includes theatrical performances on elaborately constructed stages.

Temple Street/Yau Mei Tei

A very popular Hong Kong activity is to visit the Temple Street night market in the Yau Mei Tei section of Kowloon. Many merchants and hawkers selling their wares from stalls, street corners, and store fronts. Lots of good deals. Bottles of beer and seafood are also served at rock bottom price from sidewalk food vendors.








The prawns are still moving.


Alive...Alive-o




Me with all my Hong Kong mates.


For those with higher brow tastes there is the Kubrick book store.

Office Non-Standardization

Here are a couple of interesting differences I noticed when I moved into my office and was provided with a printer and binders.

The standard paper size here is half an inch longer than the US eight-and-a-half by eleven.

The binders here use a two-hole puncher with the holes in different locations and close together.

I have no idea why these differences exist or persist.

Bathroom With A View

The men’s bathroom that I use when I am at work -- on the fourth floor in the Festival Walk office tower, where my office is located -- is unusual in two respects. First, it has floor to ceiling windows through which people outside can see inside. The floor plan allows people to see the row of sinks but not the area where the urinals and stalls are located. Second, because the windows are so large it affords a spectacular view of Kowloon Tong and beyond. Every time I use the facilities I stop to gaze out at the magnificent cityscape and the mountains beyond.

So, I decided I had to get a photo (below) of this unusual bathroom amenity. But I have to admit I was a little worried someone would walk in while I was snapping pictures in the men’s bathroom and get the wrong idea. I imagined a headline:“visiting prof arrested with camera in boy’s bathroom”. The word “boy’s” rather than “men’s” would send the obvious message about my motives. I would be sent back to UNF in disgrace.

Still, I took a chance, knowing that no one arrives at work here before 9 am and that I would have the place to myself. I did not linger.



Looking south toward Hong Kong island; CityU in foreground.