blah blah blah

our group – pre-departure

I’m on the plane. Been up in the air for about an hour and a half now. I took a pill to help me sleep, and I was almost drifting off but they have woken me for food. May as well eat, I guess.

So… my row was lucky enough to have malfunctioning movie screens. I was checking out what movies were available to watch but didn’t see much that interested me. It was a bit disappointing but I figured I could just sleep. But then, when I opened my eyes to survey the food cart situation, I saw that one of my classmates in the row and ahead of me was watching BD2, specifically Bella’s first hunt. What?! Why was this not an option for me? (BTW, the girl beside me also happens to be a Rob/Twilight fan. How lucky am I?!) So, naturally, I grabbed a flight attendant and explained that apparently our row’s screens are missing icons. She’s gonna reset the system after the meals are cleared away.

She’s watching. Why can’t I?

…

Just finished the first meal. Not too bad. A chicken/vegetable something or other with a white, peppery sauce. Bun, salad (of which I did not partake), and chocolate mousse.

…

As I was saying, there is no way I’m NOT watching Breaking Dawn when it’s an option. Is it weird that this will be my third time watching it on an airplane?

The plane itself is not so bad. It’s the same type as the one I flew to and from Japan in. As in big. They have those crazy pods in first class. Then 2 separated sections for economy class. The economy rows are 3 seats on either side and 3 in the middle. All of us that are travelling together are all sitting with each other. I have three girls in front of me, two in my row (I’m in the aisle seat – 36C to be precise), the guy and the two degree students in the aisle next to me, and one straggler by herself (poor her!) in front of that row. Actually, not poor her. She’s still with us. Just sharing her row with other people. And she’s the one watching Breaking Dawn. (She is the lucky one, if you ask me.)

I’m not in the mood for reading or watching movies right now. Gonna nap for a bit first. The pill I took is making me groggy and quite unstable on my feet. Might want to take advantage of that before it wears off. I do have a lot to occupy myself with if doesn’t work out.

When I wake up, I hope she’s remembered to restart our systems.

Oh, and BTW~ this is a 15 hour flight. I thought it was only 12. Yuck. Poor us.

It took so long because we took the scenic route through Northern Canada and Russia.

…

There was this nuts chick behind me at security that had a full bottle of lotion and was arguing to bring it on the plane. I couldn’t hear was what being said but she turned the bottle upside down and starting squirting it out everywhere. It was causing a bit of a scene. The security personnel lady was calling for back up and 2 more guards showed up. I lost interest since no one was screaming or being thrown to the ground. Boooo. I wonder if she ended up getting on the plane. Haha.

Also, when we got down to the gates area, there was a souvenir shop where I picked up 3 boxes of icewine chocolates and 4 boxes of maple crème cookies (since it was buy 3, get one free) for the teacher gifts. It was just over $50. But then I went into the convenience store and they had even more stuff. Like maple or icewine tea bags, and other candies and stuff. I bought just one box of maple tea and these maple sugar things. I figured I could leave that in their staff room for them to share. Then I also saw little dream catcher cell phone charms. So I bought three of those too. All told, $100 on teacher gifts. I know, I know. I’m stupid.

The teachers will get one of these each

…but they can share these.

…

Dammit. The system is reset but the new release icons are still missing. No fair. I DO have the first four movies on my laptop as well as my personal bootleg copy. I COULD just watch those… But I kinda wanted to check out Life of Pi too.

Well, that settles that. For now, I’m gonna listen to some nice classical music, curl up with my lumpy pillow and fuzzy Edward blankie, and go to sleep.

…

Update: Movie situation was rectified (icons still didn’t work but apparently selecting negative space works), BD2 was watched, at least 11 hours of sleep was had, two more meals were consumed, and everyone landed in Hong Kong safely.

2nd meal: cup noodles, brick sandwich, and a cookie

3rd meal: congee, fruit, and inedible bread

Welcome to Hong Kong!

(originally posted to ngohheuiheunggong)

As part of our requirements for our supervising teacher, we have to complete six journal entries on assigned topics. The first one is sort of just an overview of our feelings pre-departure. I did a similar one on my own for my Japan trip blog so I thought I may as well post this too.

~~~~~~~~

I’m leaving for Hong Kong in 3 days. Although I am pretty prepared, I don’t really feel that way. Any new situation creates a certain amount of anxiety, and lucky me, I tend to feel it more than the average person. Of course, I am excited, but it’s tempered with equal parts of the anxiety. Not for any one thing in particular, but just the whole situation. There is so much that can’t be known ahead of time. Will the children and teachers like me? Will I plan suitable activities? Will I enjoy where I am staying? Will I like the food? What if I get sick? Will I be more homesick than I anticipate? What if it is so hot that it’s all I can think about? All these things jumble together in my brain and create a ball of nerves that sits in my centre.

I realize this makes me sound like a total neurotic mess. I’m not really. I am looking forward to many things as well. The adorable-ness of the kids is at the top of my list. I think that is a given. I already get along with the people I’ve met that are going to be sharing the space with me. I think that will be fun. And I’ve wanted to go to China for years. It’s getting to live out another one of my dreams. I feel lucky in that sense. Many people can’t say the same. I’m really looking forward to the sight-seeing ~ namely street markets and temples. There is nothing in particular I need to see. Whatever arises is fine with me. Although it seems like a waste to be going all the way there and NOT being able to visit the Great Wall… I guess that can’t really be helped if there is a health advisory in effect. I’m still holding out hope that we can make it work.

We have been given lists of things to do in preparation for leaving and most of those things I have crossed off already. My paperwork is all in order, gifts for the children I will be working with have been purchased, and I did a vast amount of clothes shopping. I am required to wear business appropriate attire that is both modest and weather suitable. I owned next to nothing of that nature. Now I have enough to last me the entire month without having to wear the same thing every day (which is also a relief to my nerves). I have all the other things purchased that I may need (all the toiletries that I am accustomed to and may not be able to find in the scents/brands I prefer and a little medicine kit – essentially a small pharmacy). I also exchanged the equivalent of about $50 CAD to HKD just to cover me for the first night.

gifts for the children

travel pharmacy

newly purchased toiletries – enough for a whole month

shoulder bag, HK$, passport, credit cards, etc.

One thing I still need to do is to buy gifts for the teachers I will be working with. Usually when visiting from a foreign country, you bring something small – souvenir trinket-y type things, indicative of your home country – to give to those who put up with you when you’re there. I looked. Found nothing I felt was appropriate. I was hoping to get something at a particular gift store in the mall I frequent most often but it had closed down. So, in a true procrastinator’s fashion, I am relegated to the airport gift shops. I’m not thrilled about that, but seeing as there is nothing close-by and I don’t drive… not much choice.

Other than having everything I need to take with me in order, there isn’t a lot I feel that I can do to prepare myself. I kind of wish I could pre-plan all my activities but I don’t think that’s possible. Although, that would relieve a ton of stress. Hmmm….

I already have weird sleeping habits that are completely backwards in my time zone, so I won’t have to deal with jet lag. I’ve talked to quite a few people about my feelings, so that helps to calm me down a bit. And everyone is fairly liberal with advice, of course. The funniest was “don’t kiss any Chinese men and don’t eat pork, so you don’t catch that flu” which somehow later evolved to the reminder of not kissing any pigs. Noted. Thank you.

entire new wardrobe

also bought a new suitcase and backpack – seems excessive but they were both very necessary

(originally posted to ngohheuiheunggong)

This one at least has a purpose…

As part of my ECE (Early Childhood Education) diploma program, we are required to do a work experience placement at a child care centre each semester after the first is completed. It’s a 2 year (4 semester) program, so that means 3 placements.

Part way through our first semester, during a field placement information session, one of the teachers mentioned that for our third and final placement, it was possible to qualify for an “atypical” placement. That meant working in a setting other than the usual day care or preschool. The various opportunities included a kindergarten classroom as part of the newly imposed full-day early learning where both a teacher and an ECE work together, or in a hospital paediatric ward, etc.

The final thing our teacher mentioned was that each year, a handful of students were selected to go to Hong Kong to do their final placement in a preschool there. I internally freaked out. Okay, maybe a bit on the outside too. If you know much about me, you may already have clued in to the fact that I *might* be a tad obsessed with Asian culture, specifically in regards to China and Japan. In my head, I was ready to fight my entire class to ensure I was one of the ones who got to go. (I may have said as much and administered a whole lot of stink eye, too.)

The teacher told us that in order to be selected, we had to maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher and prove economic ability and various other points. From that point on, I became a total grade whore. I worked hard for my 4.0 and kept it up the entire two years. (No easy feat for me. I’m extremely lazy and a world-class procrastinator. Plus, a career drop-out.)

I was a little worried about the financial aspect for a while and was wondering how I was going to swing it. I don’t work while I’m in school (not an effective multi-tasker). Luckily, things really seemed to be meant to be. My parents sold the condo my brother and his wife were living in and offered them a nice chunk to help them out with a down payment for a new house. They deemed it “only fair” to give the same amount to my sister and I to do with whatever we pleased. I had no qualms.

So, grades and funding? Check and check. I also made it quite clear to every single teacher I had that I was determined to go and put the idea in their heads that they should do whatever they could to help me out. Several were very accommodating and gave me glowing references when the time came.

When our final semester was approaching, the organizers of the trip held formal interviews for the 30 or so students who had shown interest. Only 8 would be selected from the diploma program and 4 from the degree program. It was intense. I had a panel of 5 faculty I had never met before interview me for over an hour. Nerve-racking, to say the least. But I made it. I was selected as one of the lucky 8. (Haha, lucky 8… get it? No? Ask me later, if you care.)

So~ when all of my classmates started their final field placements, I had those three days a week for 7 weeks off. Obviously, it isn’t possible to attend classes and be in Hong Kong at the same time. The way it’s planned is that once classes were over, we would have 2 weeks to prepare and then go to Hong Kong for an entire month. Which is the stage I am in now – preparation. All of my friends have officially graduated but I technically won’t until my placement is completed successfully.

And, the point~

Unlike all but one of my classmates, I am married. (I’m more than 10 years older than most of them, too.) Hubby wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of me leaving for a month, but he’s always been very supportive, and we live quite a different lifestyle than most couples our age (no kids, etc.) so there was no real reason I couldn’t go.

Neither hubby or I are fans of talking on the phone. There is Skype, of course, but there is a 12 hour time difference between Toronto and Hong Kong so scheduled times to talk will probably be brief. This blog was actually his idea. He thought I should describe my days as I would to him and he could catch up on all that stuff on his own time. I thought that would also be a convenient way to keep multiple people informed without having to write a lot of emails. Two birds.

So there it is. Enjoy my experience vicariously.

And don’t worry, the posts will NOT be this long.

This is the school I will be at ~ and this is where I will be living.

(originally posted to ngohheuiheunggong)