The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Life & Times

Media Credit: Cora Hardin TEA TIME: Cora Hardin was fortunate enough to experience a formal Chinese tea ceremony.

In recent weeks, I have had quite an adventure!

I have gone to the mainland and eaten fried noodles for breakfast.

I have been stuck in the Middle-of-Nowhere, China, where two out of three buses I have set foot in have broken down, and so I barely made the cut at the border at midnight.

I have been invited to an authentic tea ceremony by my roommate's father and learned more about this cultural aspect than I could have ever imagined.

I have volunteered at the local YMCA without being able to speak the language, and yet I still had a blast.

I have done my studies while sitting in an historic walled park left over from the time of the initial British invasion. Here, I shared my space with old men who take their birds (and cages!) for a walk and a little bit of socializing.

I have also watched countless films at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Basically, I have just done so many things I never have before, and had a splendid time at it! The semester is coming to an end now, though, and I am going to miss the adventures of the city, and the adventure each class presented. These included everything from passing around Tibetan swords and dusters made of Yak hair in my Chinese Politics and Government of China to going on trips to one of the world's most efficient business libraries overlooking the stunning Hong Kong harbour. My classes all had highlights that I will never forget, even including a New Year's flower market to evaluate business approaches! The entire semester has just been one grand unbelievable experience.

I remember my first weeks here. Everything seemed strange, but I loved it. It is interesting to see how quickly one adjusts and takes differences for granted. For example, when I first got to Hong Kong, I was losing weight without trying. The pounds were flying off. I have now figured out the reason for this. It was not all the walking I was doing or the healthy food choices of Asians at large. No. It was the mere fact that I was incapable of handling chopsticks properly, so I was shoving them into a bowl with high hopes that maybe something would stick (about one grain of rice always did). The topic of Chinese food would require a whole story for itself, though, even apart from my above mentioned inability to bring it to my mouth at first.

Continued...

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