week 7 1st March-7th March

Personal and Cultural Experience

Discovery Bay is on Lantau Island, it takes a half hour ferry ride to get there and is stunningly beautiful. As you approach your met by a perfect white sand beach and an unusual landscape where hills seem to be springing from the water. In London there is a 'little China' and I would suggest that Discovery Bay is the 'little Britain' of Hong Kong. There are a lot of ex-pats and affluent Chinese living in this area with the area developing to allow more people to move there.

We spent a night on the beach. This was the first time since moving to Hong Kong that I saw stars. Usually the lights in Hong Kong are too bright and the sky misted over with all the smog that hangs during the day. It was absolutely amazing to star gaze and we pulled our knowledge of constellations to try and identify them.

This park in Shek Kip is a place of true serenity. At one side of the park is a museum of weaving, so we used our student discount to enjoy that. At the other end of the park is a place to bring your offerings to Buddha. Buddha is often surrounded by Lilies so it is interesting to observe the lily pad ponds before you climb the stairs to see the Buddhist god. This park has outstanding gardens with beautiful rocks and in the centre is a podium that looks Japanese. The restaurant is hiding by a water fall and its one of those places you just want to sit and read a book in.

Professional Development

Part of being a good teacher is practicing what you preach. There is a great emphasis on physical fitness in Northern Ireland and obesity in school aged children is becoming a very hot topic in education with many schemes being introduced to look after the health of the next generation. While at HKIEd I am taking a certificate in Intermediate Badminton coaching. I was excited to see the course offered and informed the PE department I had my beginners level in badminton coaching. The only problem is the class is conducted in Cantonese. However one very helpful student from the mainland acts as my translator. I've thanked her a lot but she says she likes doing it as it improves her English. So its a win-win situation.

The training is intense. I find that Chinese people always put their heart and soul into something whether its sport, acting or dancing. They give their hobbies a high priority and spend hours practicing. Their attitude puts me to shame. Its made me aware of the often blazer attitude we have towards doing anything outside of normal university. For the Chinese once they make a commitment they will not miss meetings or arranged practices and I have watched how the Hip Hop group will practice late into the night with none of the members complaining.

Mandarin lessons have been going well. This week we learnt more about money and ordering food. The teacher realises she only has a short time with us so she wanted to give us the most useful Mandarin for travelling. There were four two hour classes, the first two taken by Illie and the other two by Lusi. (below)

Spring dinner was a much awaited event in most of the Hall C's student diaries. Dinner seemed to take a long time because all the speeches were in Cantonese. However one student translated what the special speaker came to share. She entitled her talk 'Life is a stage'. It was great to meet this MP because she is standing up for what she believes in. Tanya Chan is one of six MPs who stood up to the pressure of Beijing and because of her stand won't be able to travel back into China. She advocates a free Hong Kong and while accepting a 'One country, two systems' policy fights for Hong Kong's autonomy to make its own decisions for its own interest.

week 6 22nd February-28th February

Personal and Cultural Experience

This week I went to mass with my roomate Lim. The Catholic church here in Hong Kong is mainly attended by the Filipino migrant workers and so the service is in English. When my roomate who is from South Korea invited me I thought it could be an interesting experience. As part of RE studies in school I learned about Catholicism but had never actually attended a mass. We went at 6 o'clock on a Saturday night. The building was beautiful. The father was from Italy and the sisters are all Filipino. The service was very structured and everyone knew how to respond to the liturgy and when to burst out into song. It was very interesting to compare the service and different symbols to my own church. This was a personal experience that has made me curious to visit other religious centres. There is a mosque on Hong Kong Island but I'm not sure if this would be possible. As a teacher I think it is important to be aware of different religious beliefs as this will help you to understand the children in the classroom.

Hong Kong has a fantastic array of markets. Everything can be bought from the markets and there are streets selling different products. To mention a few there is the sneaker, the haberary dashery, flower and even goldfish market. The smells that meet you as you walk through the markets are amazing, including the meat market. I'm including this video because it shows how important fresh food is. The Hong Kong people prefer to choose their fish, the size and which organs to include instead of buying a pre-packaged gutted fish like the norm at home. In the video you can also see toads, again they are all alive and you can choose which one you want. Apparently toad flesh tastes good on the grill. I will take their word for it!!

Professional Development

Michaela and I have been attending Ambassador Church on Hong Kong Island since we moved to Hong Kong. One week we meet Ben Norton, the director of ICS-International Christian School. He has been to Northern Ireland and actually tried recruiting at Stranmillis a couple of years ago. We told him we would be interested in seeing his school and he set up a visit for my friend and I to see the elementary school and for Michaela to go into the secondary school.

We woke up at 6 in the morning so we could travel there. School starts at 7.45 and the teachers meet up before classes for devotions. I was immediately struck by how different the staffroom was compared to all the ones I've been to in Northern Ireland. There were three tiers of circular soft seats so everyone could see each other. Teachers were sharing their personal stories and able to pray for each other and the concerns of the day. The school was very relaxed and there was an atmosphere created by the by the good repoire teachers had with the children. Children 'hi' fived their teacher as they came into the classroom. While this is very American I liked it because it meant every child was noticed and could share their news as they came in.

ICS' Upper elementary principal Keith Welch took us for a tour of the school. The school is known for its high performance in art and music. ICS has great sports facilities, there is an impressive gym and a swimming pool with three aqua instructors who teach the children how to use canoes and kayaks. There are lap top stations that can be brought into the classroom so that the children can connect to the wireless system at their desk. The science rooms are specially designed. The school is only two years old and at present is the most technologically advanced school. Everything in the school was of the highest standard. The headmaster is very proud of the school and says he aims to offer excellence without cutting costs. In Hong Kong many schools are funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Cub (HKJC) but while ICS is paying off the debts for the new school it refused to take the money from HKJC out of principal because the money comes from gambling. The school has a Christain ethos and very high moral standards which comes from the top and is fostered throughout the school. I really enjoyed being in this atmosphere.

During our day visit, World Vision came to the school and this plus all the work around the school made me think about what an amazing world perspective the children attending ICS are being given. Each classroom sponsored a child and each class makes several service trips each year. For the younger years this involves going to an organisation close by and for the upper years this can mean travelling to one of the near by Asian countries and this year thirty students from the leaving class will have the opportunity to visit Israel.

week 5 15th February-21st February

Personal and Cultural Experience

Its been great to have Katharine Elkin and Hannah Walker visit with us. They decided to holiday in Hong Kong for ten days before heading to Guangzhou for their international exchange. Michaela and I were both off for Chinese New Year so we had a lot of fun introducing them to the other international students and celebrating in style. They joined the boat trip to see the fireworks on the fifteenth. It was amazing to be so close to the fireworks and to enjoy the skyline of Hong Kong from the harbour. It was two of our friends birthdays so there was many Chinese dishes followed by cake.

I took advantage of being on holiday to do some sightseeing and shopping. During my week off we went to the haberary Dasherary market. Every craft item you could possible imagine. Another day we headed to the Avenue of Stars and placed our hand where Jackie Chan's had been. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were the only two stars we knew.

I was invited for a Chinese New Years meal. My roomate Lim and I travelled for two hours to reach the girl's house. It was my first time to be in what they would call the 'countryside' here although it is still very built up. The whole family was there including many who had travelled across the boarder from China for this night. Natell told me that everyone comes no matter the distance because of the importance of family. Chinese New year is the one time when you can expect to see all your relatives. She explained to me that the house was decorated in a very specific way. As I entered her home there was a lemon tree. This is significant because it symbolises five generations being gathered.

As I looked around and saw Natell's Grandparents as well as her youngest nephew I felt really lucky to be invited along to what was a very special day in the year. I was treated like one of the family and this meant receiving red pockets-not just one or two but about twenty. It is a custom during Chinese New year to give out money in red pockets to children and those who are unmarried. Each couple has to give two pockets and when you receive the money you accept it with both hands and bow slightly. Its a great custom that I think should be adopted by Northern Ireland.


Everywhere I looked there was food. We started the evening with a BBQ and then ended up in the kitchen to cook our own noodles in a hot soup and enjoy sea food served on shells. We then went into the living room and ate fruit which was followed by nuts and other interesting Chinese snacks on the porch.

Wai Wai, Michaela's buddy invited Michaela, Katherine, Hannah and myself to her flat on the 21st floor. The highlight of the visit was learning how to play 'omgi'. A Chinese game commonly played by the elderly in parks and anywhere really that theres enough room to set up a table. We thought we were doing pretty good until they played each other and moved so fast I couldn't tell whose turn it was.

This photo was taken after creating a hip hop video on one of the buses with the other internationals. Something about the Chinese New Year. We all let our hair down. I also enjoyed seeing the New Years parade with everyone. I'd only ever seen videos of the lion dance before so it was really neat to be there in person. The parade made us laugh alot because of the random food characters walking around. There was a great atmosphere and despite the rain there were crowds of people. When the parade finished we were just at a standstill.

One of the most random events I attended over the Chinese New Year was a comic world conference. Students bring there work here in the hope that they can get signed and move from the amateur to professional world of drawing comics. The photos tell it all. Students have made their own outfits and many had comic books and other merchandise that they had designed for sale. As the only foreigners there we were approached and asked if we could comment on the event. luckily for me Christmas and Anton knew what they were talking about and I just said I was impressed with the students work. They got us to finish the interview by jumping in the air and yelling animax. Its funny the things you will do in a country where noone knows you.

Professional Development

Michaela, Jamie and I are organising an event to promote the UK. We met with Carmen in the International office who says HKIEd will give us a budget and she wants us to come up with a programme that promotes our country but more importantly introduces local students to our campus. We have the Stranmillis year book here but not much else so we are going to have to be creative. I have already decided that we should ask KaYu, Wing, Victor and Shirley to come and share their experience.

week 4 8th February-14th February

Personal and Cultural Development

Chinese New Year was celebrated on the 14Th of February the same day as Valentine's day. This is the year of the tiger and everywhere you look you can see tigers. Children wearing tiger hats, shop displays with tigers and even tigers made completely from dyed flowers. This week has been full of mini celebrations as the excitement of New Years has been building. It can be easily compared to how we feel as Christmas approaches.

The family all gets together, the buses stop running and most of the shops and restaurants close. Hong Kong Ied starting to empty on the Wednesday. All the mainland students return home and the students inform me this is the best holiday to go home on because you visit all your relatives and they give you red pockets full of money.

Michaela and I were very lucky to be invited out for a New Years meal. Wai Wai-Michaela's buddy who was also Johnny's last year took us out for a vegetarian meal. We sat around a round table, two in fact because her extended family totaled about thirty while many many different dishes were brought out. While the meal was completely vegetarian, the tofu and other foods were flavoured to taste like meat and seafood so it was definitely an interesting meal. You had to be quick with your chop sticks because as soon as a new dish comes people stand up and try and get some, if Wai Wai wasn't looking out for me I don't think I would have eaten. Its very different to at home where you wait and make sure you only take the right portion that allows everyone else to have the same amount, but I think I prefer here-its fun and really brings the family together.

The international office at HKIed invited all the students for traditional Chinese food, Chinese cutting and calligraphy writing. We spent the afternoon cutting and writing on red pieces of paper that the locals would use to decorate their homes at this time. Joanna, a local student gave a presentation on Chinese New year and answered all our questions such as why the colour red. Tradition has it that a beast would come and steal children every New Years but one New Year a little girl walked out in front of the beast unafraid wearing red and the beast never came back, so every New Years everyone wears red, the house is decorated in red and presents and money pockets are also the colour red.

Actual New Years was spent with the other international students. We all brought a dish from our own country and it was a feast. We also exchanged presents like 'secret Santa' but secret Sa Fin'. Its common here to exchange presents wrapped in red. So we ate, danced, played a few games, exchanged presents and really bonded as an international group away from home.

Professional Development

At the beginning of the week we had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong Jockey Club Primary School. The school is on campus but has no land for the children to play on or spend their recess so each floor has a separate green area for the different years to go during break times. Apart from lack of land, a common problem in HK, the school has very impressive resources and its location on HKIed campus allows it to take advantage of the amenities such as the swimming pool.

We were given a tour of the school and then we sat in on an English lesson. The teacher was absolutely brilliant and has left a lasting impression on how teaching should be done. She had a great repoire with the class and you could tell from their enthusiasm they were enjoying themselves. The children were learning English but they were doing it though maths. They had to find out the heights of their classmates and do some comparisons. The teacher used a tally to control behavior with points being added immediately and threats of removing points being serious. The children became too noisy at one point during the lesson and the teacher made the children put their heads on their hand. She moved around the classroom and it seemed like she was giving a drama performance where she needed to ensure the full audience saw everything. I learned a lot from the short observation and it was interesting to compare my experience of schools in Northern Ireland to this one. Each of the subjects are taught separately here, just like in a secondary school at home. The children can wear a uniform similar to home or a more comfortable polo shirt and bottoms. While Buddhism is taught at some primary schools at Hk Jockey Club PS it is not purposely timetabled into the day like how we have Assembly or RE classes.