I like the nightlife. I like to boogie.

So yesterday marked the beginning of orientation. The day was filled with such boring, tedious lectures and errands that a group of us were dying to get out and see the city that night. So after a lot of telephone tag, knocking on doors, and what not we got a group of about 10 girls together. The guys had already headed down to Central to grab dinner and drinks before the club. After a 40 minute train and MTR ride into the city, we step out in Central Hong Kong and it is…just wow. So many signs and lights and people, even at 11pm there were so many people out. We walk up this hill filled with designer shops and then we’re in Lan Kwai Fong. It’s the bar district with so many bars and clubs and they were all filled as we passed by. We go into this Hotel called HotelLIKE or something like that and it is so swanky and modern. We go into the elevator and go up to the 30th floor and when we step out we’re accosted by just how gorgeous the city skyline is. The guys are still eating and drinking so we all order drinks. And while they weren’t that much cheaper than in the states, this was the best Sex on the Beach that I’ve ever had. One girl got a French Martini and I could drink those like water they’re so delicious.

The guys called ahead to the club and booked a table. We got there and actually ran into a few more CUHK kids, so our group is nearing 20 at this point. Our table is right by the bar and the place is PACKED. It’s predominantly westerners – lots of English and Australian accents could be heard. The guys bought a HUGE bottle of champagne and it comes out with a firework attached. The guys also bought like 2 or 3 bottles of vodka with cranberry and orange juices for mixing. I don’t know about the other people there, but I am definitely not used to this kind of lifestyle at clubs. Whenever I do go to clubs, I just go and dance and maybe get one drink because I’m cheap like that. These kids, they live it up! The club played a great mix of the stuff we hear back home and then some trance and techno. We ended up staying until about 3am. The taxi back got lost and didn’t understand much English but eventually we did get to campus. Although, he dropped us off at the very edge so we had to walk and try and find our way in the dark through the wilderness. Quite an adventure! Ended up getting back to the room at 4am and then talking to a few people back home since it was the middle of the afternoon there.

Today was more of the same boring orientation stuff, but it culminated with a welcome dinner in Tsim Sha Tsui. We had the whole restaurant for the IASP CUHK program. The panoramic windows showed the entire Hong Kong Island skyline and it’s fantastic. The photos do not do it justice. I missed the nightly light show but I’m sure I’ll catch it another time. I debated going out again tonight but since I’m moving into my permanent dorm tomorrow morning I decided against it. There will be plenty of time this semester.

Ps. Uploaded photos to facebook. Highlights here: skyline from the restaurant, champagne fireworks, and a few of the beautiful ladies I went with.

First day out on the town....

I don’t really have jetlag, I think thanks to not sleeping the night before the flight, but I still woke up really early at 7:30am. Decided to just lie around in my room reading until a respectable hour and then met up with Rachel and her roommate Benil (who has an awesome British accent) to take care of registration and ID cards and what not. The campus is beautiful – so green and has a great view of the water. The only problem is that it is massive and built on a hill. Our orientation hostels are on the bottom of the hill so in order to get anywhere to eat or take care of errands, we have to climb up steep hills.

We tried to grab lunch on campus – HUGE mistake. Someone ordered a fruit salad and what they got more closely resembled potato salad. So gross. I got a ham and cheese sandwich and it was the most bland thing I’ve ever eaten, but at least it was better than that Fruit Salad.

So we took care of errands, met more people from all over the globe, and then decided we’d been in Hong Kong far too long without going shopping. So we hopped on the train to take us to Mong Kok. That….was an experience. It was hotter and way more crowded there than pretty much anywhere else I’d ever been. And this was in off peak hours! There were outdoor markets that reminded me of the Fashion District a bit, except the venders were a bit more aggressive and a lot more Asian.

Apparently, it is really common for high rise hotels to have the first few floors be a mall. And by the first few, I mean TWELVE STORIES. We went through every floor of the mall and found some interesting shops, really nice restaurants, and even an arcade! I bought some new sandals since my US$3 pair from last summer have seen their last days on the street. I bought some more essentials – towel, shampoo, toothpaste, all these things I forgot to pack. I also bought a new phone to use here and to use once I’m back in the states. It’s pretty sweet. Nokia 5000 or something. White with purple accent. I’m kind of in love with it. And, with the SIM Card minutes and everything, it only cost me US$140. All in all, I’ve spent around HK$2000 in one day. That’s about US$300. After this though, I’ll be all set up, so I shouldn’t be spending that much in one go anymore. So yeah, my number here is 95260031. I don’t know what numbers you have to punch first to call from America though…ask Izzy or google it if you want to call.

Made it back just in time to catch some night owls online. If you’re on at 12am-1am, so far its’ been a good time for me to be online too. Let’s chat!
Tonight was a tour of Sha Tin, which has a huge mall, even bigger than the 12 story one. We walked around, got some good Chinese food, and then ditched the awkward tour guide (he went back to do his laundry) and hung out at this bar called Sky Platform. Not terribly exciting at 8pm at night, but the drinks were pretty good and it gave us all a chance to get to know each other better. Yay for new friends! Exchanged digits (yay for having a phone again) and now I should head to bed. Early day tomorrow since we officially start orientation at 9:30am.

Flying into the Night...

So my last day in the good ole US of A was frantic. Running around doing errands and freaking out about stuff not getting done in time, all made worse by the lack of sleep and lack of food leading up to it. But it was worth it. The farewell bar night and party at City Park were awesome and allowed me to see most people at least once before I left. I didn’t get to fit in everything I wanted to do (like the shooting range and filming some video shorts) but the important stuff got done and I still had time for the Hellogoodbye concert and a good amount of napping. Although, I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the HGB show – he kept forgetting lyrics and just seemed too high to perform well. Oh well, they were bound to be off one time since I’ve seen them so much.

So, last meal at IHOP and some How I Met Your Mother and it was time to go to the airport. I’ve known about going to Hong Kong since February but it didn’t really hit me until KT was driving me to the airport. I’d just said goodbye to everyone I know. The next familiar face I’d see was going to be in December, or maybe not even until I came back to the USC Campus. Well, this was what I asked for. I wanted to be thrown completely from my comfort circle. No going back now and despite the sadness, I am really excited for this semester.

The flight to Canada was pretty nice. I was next to an elderly couple who were amazed about my upcoming journey. They were very chatty and seemed nice but all I wanted to do was sleep at this point. Luckily, they decided to watch a movie so I could finally get some peace. The rest of the 3 hour flight from LA to Vancouver was dream filled bliss.

I passed the time between flights with a couple guys who were on my first flight – one heading to Shanghai and the other to Beijing. It was really nice to talk to people kind of in the same situation I’m in. (And nice to prove to myself I’m not as socially awkward as I picture myself sometimes, haha)

In not so nice news, I tried to use my USC bank card to get a meal in the Vancouver airport….it was declined because I didn’t mention Canada in my travel note. So once I land, I hope I have enough cash on me to get a phone that works and then call the USC Credit Union to fix this. I exchanged US$300 for HK$2050. Man, that seems like so much money. Also, due to the card problem, the guys bought my lunch. So there’s the silver lining to that situation!

The flight to Hong Kong was looooong. 13 hours and we actually arrived early. I spent the first 3 hours of the flight asleep. Rachel, a Canadian CUHK girl on the same flight as me, tried waking me up 3 times – poking, talking, etc – and nothing worked! I finally woke up on my own and found her and Logan (another Canadian CUHK kid) at the back of the plane enjoying the free drinks on transatlantic flights. Logan had had 4 beers, 2 rum & cokes, and glass of wine already. It was then that I knew this was going to be a fun trip. The next 9 hours were spent talking about Canada and how it’s the 51st state, the stupidity of the American South, different reasons on picking CUHK, previous travel experiences, movies and television, and more. It was weird to me when they commented on my accent. They’re the ones with the “oot and aboot” accent! Interspersed with all this was some napping and some pretty terrible airplane food (they served cup of noodles with apple slices as a meal!) They’re both really nice people. They’re both in I-House though, so I’m not sure how much we’ll actually be able to see each other once the semester starts.

Ok that's it for now. This was written on the plane when I had lots of time and nothing to do. I don't think all entries will be this long. I'll update about my first day in HK once it's done...only about half way through and I'm already tiiiired.

3 Days and Counting...

So, I don't have Wacky Asian Adventure stories yet. I haven't even left the country actually. I'm just setting up the blog so it'll be good to go once I'm over there. And I figure I'll give some background on me and the program.

I'm Kristal. I spent most of my life in the San Fernando Valley - it's "The Valley" you hear referred to a lot, where "like" originated to make us always sound a bit more bimbo than we actually are. It was fun times where I spent my weekends either in a mall, movie theater, or with Girl Scouts. Then for college, I moved a whole 45 miles away to USC. From the Valley to Downtown - not a mind shattering experience. I crave that mind shattering experience. And now's my chance - a semester in Hong Kong and then a month (or so) of traveling anywhere my heart and wallet take me in SE Asia.

So why Hong Kong of all places? Most people choose England, France, maybe even Eastern Europe. Well, HK was an easy choice given my requirements - upper division Communication courses, tolerable exchange rate, and not freezing since I'd be there in winter. This limited my options and plus, my roommate Izzy talked up how wonderful HK is since she lives there. She says it's got amazing food, good weather (once the humidity dies down), and the city is always bustling with activity. Soon I'll know for myself!

The hope for this blog is that it'll be a way to keep in touch with people while I'm abroad. Also so I'll have a written record of my travels that'll last and can't easily get misplaced like a paper journal can be. So here's the kick off of the blog, let the fun begin!