Wow how time is just flying by! We can't believe it has already been two weeks since our last entry. This past week was unique because we took a small 'work vacation.' Yes you read right. Our school had a short work week so that we could attend a professional development workshop in Shekou, Shenzhen (basically Hong Kong). Since our development days were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of this past week, we decided to leave Friday night and spend some extra time hanging out. Below is a condensed recap.We arrived in Shekou late Friday night so we did not do much. The real reason for getting to Shekou early was so that we could wake up Saturday morning and catch the first ferry to Hong Kong Island. This would ensure us a full day of exploring the ever-hectic sights and sounds of Hong Kong. This is how we traveled to Hong Kong during our last visit and it worked out so well we decided to do it again.
Saturday morning came and after catching the first ferry we were in Hong Kong by 8:30am. Pazi was craving her KFC biscuits so we set out in search of a KFC restaurant. It may seem like an insignificant thing to most, but when in China there is no such warm and fluffy delicacies so we take advantage of the opportunity. However this particular morning we must have found just the right part of town for avoiding any type of fast food restaurant. We searched for about an hour and found not one McDonald's, KFC, or any other food joint.After searching to no avail we finally ran into a shopping mall and decided to grab something there. We ended up going to the Cafe de Coral. This Hong Kong cafe/diner restaurant serves a mix between Chinese and western meals. We had eaten there before some we settled on the meals there. Just to give you an idea of the dishes. Pazi had a breaded fish filet and scrambled eggs with toast, and Adan had sausage (it was really just a hot dog)and scrambled eggs with toast. Both meals came with Hong Kong style milk tea.
The Peak
With food in our system we decided to go to the one place that we missed last time we where in Hong Kong--Victoria Peak. This tourist attraction also known simply as 'The Peak,' is the highest point for viewing the beautiful skyline of Hong Kong Central and Kowloon. To reach the top one must take the Peak Tram. This funicular railway system was established back in 1888 and through the years the refined tourist venue has seen incredible growth in popularity. It is estimated that some 7 million tourists visit the Peak every year! Since so many people desire to see views from the Peak, we decided to go early to beat the rush. We were very lucky for as soon as we arrived, two double decker tour guide buses pulled up to drop off a few hundred vacationers. With the crowds behind us for the most part we spent only twenty minutes waiting before we were on our way up the mountain. It became apparent with the immense lines we saw building up that the wait could easily be an hour!
Once we got to the top Pazi wanted to view Hong Kong from the Sky Terrace. We paid an extra $3.50 so that we could go to the viewing deck at the rooftop. The fee was well worth it. We spent almost an hour taking in the breathtaking sights of Hong Kong. The panoramic views of Hong Kong Central and Kowloon separated by Victoria Harbour were incredible. The dense amount of 'real estate' packed into such a small location was unreal. This is definitely a spot that we would recommend to other hoping to visit Hong Kong.Seeing the Scenic Stanley
After having a great time at the Peak, we met up with some other teachers from our school and took the bus over to Stanley for lunch. Stanley is a small town on a peninsula located on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. This popular area is close to the famous Repulse Bay with its popular beaches. We couldn't help but feel reminded or Maui with the awesome views of the sea and lush green mountainsides. There is also a very famous shopping market in Stanley. But our experience here is that the sellers are not very motivated to negotiate so we took it easy by having a delicious meal and taking in the scenery instead.
We ate at a nice little Thai restaurant. Then we walked the streets of Stanley watching the boats in the water and the people shopping in the markets. It was just a time of relaxation. However, soon enough it was time to get back to the ferry station so that we would not miss our boat. It ended up being a very eventful day full of good times.The Rest of Our Time
The professional development sessions in Shekou gave us a lot of information to aid us in teaching our students. We had a speaker share with us a number of concepts and ideas pertaining to assessment. The breakout sessions had us working together with others teaching the same discipline. For example, Pazi met with other pre-school teachers and discussed teaching strategies, resources, and much more. Adan split time with intensive English teachers and athletic directors for other schools.
It looks like Adan will be coaching volleyball so he needed to meet with the coaches and directors to discuss scheduling and tournaments. We'll keep you posted on how this turns out. QSI Dongguan has never really implemented sanctioned sports so this should be interesting!
Next week is parent/teacher conferences so much of our time has been focused on getting prepared for them. It is our first experience doing this in an international setting so we are not quite sure what to expect, and thus have spent extra time getting organized. We'll make sure to keep you informed about other happenings as they occur and a new entry will be available next weekend too.
