Week Twelve: Buddhas, Roommate Bonding, and Christmas in the Kong

I don't know that much about Buddhism, but Buddhas are hard to avoid when you live in Hong Kong. During my time here, I've stood in the shadow of the largest Buddha statue on earth, read The Dharma Bums (which is a wonderful mixture of Buddhism, self-discovery, and Kerouac's notoriously brilliant prose), and this week, I ventured to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas.

The Temple of 10,000 Buddhas

The path leading to the Temple

The journey to the actual Temple spans a considerable uphill climb, which is lined with (literally) thousands of unique Buddha statues. Among the many figures, there are so many differences- some have long beards, some appear happy, others appear to be deep in thought, and some towards the end of the trail were downright frightening. My favorite statues, though, were the ones that seemed to invite visitors to take advantage of their poses. Along the path, my friends and I stopped to take touristy pictures.

Shaking hands with a very diplomatic Buddha

Buddha, trying to get reception

One of the most interesting things to observe here has been the different social habits of local and exchange students. While it's no secret that exchange students generally go out to drink socially more often than local students, there still exists a veil of uncertainty regarding what both groups actually do once they leave the residence halls.

HKBU doesn't allow us to have alcohol on campus, so generally, if no one wants to go downtown to enjoy the drink specials in Lan Kwai Fong or SoHo, we'll venture to the local 7-11, buy a can or two of cheap beer, and hang out in the park. It's completely legal to do so, too, which is a refreshing change from the laws back home, where popping open a can of beer outside of a convenience store is the fastest way to be labeled as a degenerate of society.

One night, as I was aimlessly Facebook stalking my friends back home, my friend Gabriela poked her head into my room. "Get up, Nat. We're going to the park."

"Who is involved in this 'we'?"

"Our roommates." My roommate, Vera, poked in her head, followed by Gabriela's roommate Melody.

I couldn't put my hoodie on fast enough. Despite the cold, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show Vera and Melody what being an exchange student is like on a typical non-party night.

First stop: 7-11.

Me, Vera, Melody, and Gabriela

We spent the next few hours in the park, where we were joined by a few more of our hall's residents. After a few sips of beer, Gabriela and I found ourselves in the middle of an impromptu Tai Chi lesson. If drinking in the park and learning Chinese martial arts isn't the epitome of culture blending, I don't know what is.

Tsingtao + Tai Chi = success.

With the arrival of cold weather and the end of November drawing near, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in the Kong. Walking through the halls of campus is like walking through an endless sea of sweaters and scarves, end-of-semester assignments are coming dangerously close to their deadlines, and the mall is decked out in holiday decorations.

The three-story Christmas tree at Festival Walk

In light of the holiday spirit, my friends and I decided to visit the ice rink at the mall (because doing so earlier in the semester would have seemed ironically inappropriate, given the unbearable heat that has only recently subsided).

Devon, Jemelyn, Nicola and me at the Festival Walk ice rink

I think ice skating is like learning to ride a bike; once you learn how to do it right (or well enough to not fall over every few seconds), you don't really forget how it works. Coincidentally enough, I learned to ice skate when I was four years old and lived in Maine. My mom insisted on enrolling me into lessons, though I was too busy standing in the corner of the rink and complaining about being cold to learn anything more advanced than basic gliding. Luckily, my dismally noncompliant days of ice skating lessons came through for me, and I managed to stay upright for almost the entire night (unfortunately, my competitive nature came through, as well, and I took a pretty nasty tumble while trying to get a head start in a race with my friend Devon).

Next week should be exciting- some of the other Americans and I are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving together. Although I hate that I won't be home for my favorite holiday, I'm thankful for this experience, and for all of the wonderful people that I've been able to share it with.