Above is a photo of beautiful wooden turtle compasses that HKIS gave us last week at orientation. For the explanation behind them, watch Mr. Holland's Opus. Last week's orientation was great-- as were all the meals they fed us! This week will be more planning and setting up our classrooms, then families come on Monday & Tuesday to meet their teacher, see the classroom, and do paperwork.
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Some Observations about HK so far:
1. Locals like sparkly clothing and accessories, and it is appropriate to wear sparkly things day or night.
2. The milk tastes funny here.
3. There is a process for everything, and every company has a stamp/seal that is constantly used for paperwork. That being said, these processes make things like getting an ID card or transferring a car title very smooth, especially considering the population density here.
4. The electric water heater in our bathroom usually doesn't give me hot water the whole time I'm showering.
5. People provide very polite service here.
6. The MTR here is the best, cleanest, and easiest to use that I've ever seen.
7. It is difficult to use round plastic chopsticks to pick up slippery food.
8. Helpers allow non-helpers to get on the bus first in our apartment complex, which makes me feel ashamed.
9. Everything is available in green tea flavor/scent (ex: ice cream, kleenex, doughnuts, etc.).
10. Staying in your lane on the road and following posted speed limits are optional.
