So we have reached the month mark already! It’s hard to believe how quickly time has gone but the more time we spend here, the more it feels like home, as we have begun to adapt to the culture and the way of life of a Hong Konger. Again, the pace of this week is no exception, as we have been kept occupied by preparing for class, meeting with friends and venturing on various sightseeing expeditions. Although, it is through the practice of writing these blogs in the midst of the busyness that I am able to reflect and remember aspects of my journey so far and how they are impacting my personal, cultural and professional development.
At the beginning of the week, we travelled to Kam Shan Country Park along with the other exchange students, as part of a hike that the International Office here at HKIEd arranged for us. It was an interesting experience to say the least, as we were surrounded by hundreds of wild monkeys for the majority of the trek. I soon became very aware of my fear of wild animals, however it was a great opportunity to bond with some of the home and international students, as well as to enjoy the beautiful mountainous scenery and learn about the history of the area, which included British trenches from World War II. It is through these continuous adventures and observations of new scenery that I am gaining priceless knowledge and firsthand experience in the grandness of this world that we live in and so often take for granted. As a result of this, Andrew and I took the opportunity to book a holiday to Thailand, in order to explore more of this continent.
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| Monkeys coming to attack. |
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| International group after the hike. |
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| Hiding in the trench. |
Tuesday marked a very special day in many people’s calendar, as they gave and received gifts from loved ones or secret admirers...for Andrew and I, we were both particularly fortunate, as we celebrated this day not on our own but with 13 other people. It was interesting to find out that Valentine’s Day, known as Qīxī Jié in Chinese, has a completely different story to the one which we are told about St. Valentine. It also differs in date, as it takes place on the seventh day of the seventh moon in the Chinese lunar calendar (7th July this year). The Chinese origin of Valentine’s Day is a love story between a cowherd and the seventh daughter of the Goddess of heaven, both characters representing the stars Altair and Vega, who are forbidden to be together but on this specific date from earth’s perspective the constellations meet, symbolizing the importance of the time that you spend with a loved one. It is little nuggets of information like this and many more, which I have learnt and can envisage telling my future class, as I hope that my experiences here will influence my teaching and provide a more interesting way of learning for my pupils.
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| Celebrating Valentine's Day with friends and pancakes. |
The Stranmillis students who will be studying in mainland China arrived in Hong Kong this week and we were eager to spend some time with them to show them around some parts of this country that we have become familiar with. This involved walking around the Kowloon Walled City Park and watching the Symphony of Lights show at Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was interesting to hear about some of their fears and expectations of the adventure that they were about to embark on and to realize that actually one month ago, both Andrew and I were in the same position. However, after being here a month it has been beneficial to reflect on how we both have grown as a result of this Hong Kong experience. I have now officially been away from home for the longest period of time, which has allowed me to develop my own independence on the more necessary “grown-up” aspects of life, to which my parents will be overjoyed, such as setting a budget, buying groceries and doing laundry.
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| Keith, Danni, Sophie and Dan at Victoria Harbour. |
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| Symphony of Lights display at Victoria Harbour. |
Hong Kong is renowned for being one of the most diverse and multicultural places in the world. This is particularly evident to us through the extremely diversified group of students, both home and exchange that we have been accepted into, as well as the church that we attend. It is through these newly formed connections and relationships that many of the elements as to how I am developing personally are being influenced, by equipping me for the future and enabling me to better contribute to society, as a more well-rounded global citizen. I also believe that these networks with different people from a range of backgrounds and nationalities have and will continue to benefit me, as I embrace the increasing multicultural society of Northern Ireland and further understand the importance of implementing an inclusive approach in the primary classroom.
My experience so far has been compiled of many opportunities to grow as a person, whilst developing a greater cultural awareness and an extensive skill base that I can use in the classroom. I believe that through this period of international exchange, I have gained far more personally, culturally and professionally than I ever would have obtained if I would have remained at home. Therefore, I am forever grateful and immensely excited to see what other exciting opportunities lie ahead of us in the next four months.
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