1/17/18

Another day, another lecture, another trip – today in class we talked about Hong Kong’s literature, and discussed Eileen Chang’s Love in a Fallen City. These past two classes have been a sharp reminder that I haven’t taken English since high school – the sorts of discussions that we have surrounding literature (even if the focus is on the writing’s relationship with Chinese society) are fundamentally different from those we’d have about history or philosophy, and I’ve found myself feeling a little out of the loop these past couple classes. That said, it’s been good to feel my way around a different mode of discussion, and while it’s felt a little weird, I’ve definitely found myself quickly getting the hang of it, I think. After noodles at Fu Tai, a few of us and Professor Yu went downtown to hike Victoria Peak, the tallest point on Hong Kong island and most famous view of the city. Although the hike wasn’t hugely long, and didn’t feel hugely arduous (except for the steep first section), I still found my feet and knees sorely aching by the end of it – I realized I’ve spent drastically more time hiking, walking, and generally on my feet here in Hong Kong than I think I ever would back home, and while it’s been great, it’s also worn on me – I just hope I can keep up the energy for this final week before we have to leave. The top of the peak was pretty, for sure – the lookout deck at the very top was crowded, the line was long, and the tickets were expensive, so we opted to just enjoy the view from the tram station and head back down, just in time to meet the rest of the group in Causeway Bay for dinner and a night at Happy Valley Racetrack. I don’t consider myself a gambler, but I found myself easily caught up in the energy and excitement of the races. We even won a dollar on our first bet, and even though we proceeded to lose fifteen on our second, it was well worth the experience. It was a great place to people watch too – I’ve never seen so many foreigners concentrated in one place here, and it was fun to try to guess where they all came from, and what had brought them to Hong Kong. we didn’t stay long, but we still had a great time, and I think at least some of us will be back next Wednesday.