Chicano in China
Yes, indeed. I’ve made it to Hong Kong (barely) alive.
I stumbled into China in the late evening of August 28th. Times were hectic prior to my departure from The States and not much has changed since my arrival in China. I’ve spent my time climbing (literally) thousands of stairs, sweating in the 90-degree weather with outrageous humidity, and waiting in a variety of offices.
Among the chaos, I have been able to find great joy, though. Hong Kong has been everything I was hoping for plus an infinite amount of unexpected bonuses. In the past week, I feel like I’ve learned more than I have in the past 5 years. I’ve gained a MUCH greater perspective on life, and I know that what I learn will only continue to increase in value and frequency. I’ve met many students from all over the world, each carrying with them unique perspectives about work, life, and happiness. The origins of some of the students I’ve met include France, Canada (Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto), Singapore, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Austria, Mainland China, Myanmar (Burma), South Korea, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, and the good ‘ol U.S. of A (Kansas, Illinois, California, New York, Connecticut, Virginia).
The diversity of this city is absolutely astounding. I’ve been meeting so many students from all over the world, and they have all been extremely fun to talk to and learn from. This surge of new personalities and culture has been exactly what I was yearning for, and as a journalist/sociologist it’s been more enjoyable than I could ever put into words.
So what exactly have I been doing in Hong Kong?
Well, I’ve spent a significant amount of time trying to finalize the details of my exchange program. Just two days ago I finally received my student visa!! Wahoo! Also, getting my student octopus card was quite a struggle without my visa (The Octopus cards are the same thing as an Oyster card from London … essentially a subway pass that you can use in a few other venues). The last thing on my list will be getting my student ID card, which I hope to take care of this week.
Also, I have only been registered for one class since I’ve been here. A former reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times teaches the class, and we have only been meeting for an hour a week. The class is titled “Feature Writing,” and I’m hoping that my professor will be able to teach me about being a better storyteller over the next few months. He’s a really great guy.
In addition to my one class, I’ve been meeting with a woman that is a former reporter for The New York Times & New York Times Magazine. She is the director of the journalism school here at HKU and she has been very helpful in setting me up with an internship. She’s actually married to my feature writing teacher. Anyway, I’m hoping to find an internship very soon.
My plan of attack is as follows:
- CNN newsroom ——> which is highly unlikely because they have no positions open, and when they do have positions open, they hire mostly grad students. A grad student that I met interned with them this summer and said he rarely made it into the actual newsroom, anyway. I have been pushing for this internship hard, though, just because so many people said it couldn’t be done here @ HKU & at the convention in Chicago.
- TIME OUT (Hong Kong) ——> I have a feeling this will likely be where I end up because my previous experience lends itself to this magazine. I’m hoping that I get to work here, too, because I’ll get to write more, and I’ll get to participate in all the fun activities happening around the city!
- TIME Magazine (Asia Edition) ——> I know a student from Mizzou that is working in the photo department for TIME, but the writers get much less glamorous internships, I hear. At this internship I would compile lists of information and … yeah, probably fetch a lot of coffee…. But then again, I’d been working for flippin’ TIME Magazine!
- CNN Marketing ——> I think my resume also lends itself to this because of my work experience this summer; this is why I put it at the bottom of my attack list.
- Give up. Find a new day job. (aka write for a local daily or something harsh and no-fun)
Beyond my academic and professional pursuits….
I’m soaking in as much culture as I can. Yesterday morning I ate dim sum at a local Hong Kong restaurant with my roommate, Patrick (from Singapore). Patrick spent last summer in the U.S. and has been a pleasure to have as a roommate. He’s a really cool guy, and has helped me orient myself to the city and many of its hidden treasures.
During our dim sum breakfast, Patrick had me try beef stomach, pork liver, octopus, and many other tasty treats. Everyone at the restaurant spoke Cantonese, and once I was discovered as a westerner, I had about 30 pairs of Hong Kong eyes rested on me as I learned about the conventions of a typical Hong Kong breakfast.
The etiquette at the local restaurant was really relaxed and the environment was very gregarious. After eating a Dim Sum dish with meat, people would just place the bones on the table. Also, jasmine tea was served, and a lot of tea made its way onto the table, as dining partners would carelessly fill up their comrade’s teacup. Oh, and all the tables were round. Everyone shared the dim sum dishes, and when a new serving would come to the table, the whole restaurant would watch and laugh as I sampled the dish. Dining out has been a lot of fun.
In addition to my delicious dining experiences, I’m learning many languages: I have many French friends who are helping work on my français skills (which also helps me work on my Spanish skills), and I’m attending a Chinese class that I’m not actually signed up for. The teacher of my Cantonese class thought I spoke Chinese natively after she asked me to pronounce something in front of the class… kind of funny, I thought. My plain Midwest American accent has helped me a lot out here.
Finally, I will leave you with my favorite anecdote from the last week:
Although it’s extremely hard and unfair to weigh all the personalities I’ve met and conversations I’ve had, I must admit that my most meaningful interaction I had in Hong Kong was with a man from Myanmar (or Burma).
I bumped into this man on HKU’s campus when I was returning from one of the offices where I had been trying to gain sponsorship for my student visa. While I was making my way from this building to one of the student lounges, I was stopped and asked for directions by this man who was having difficulty navigating his way through campus.
Because HKUs campus is not built on a typical grid-system, but instead, in a 3-D fashion (up a hill and segmented), I opted out of trying to explain the directions. Also, feeling compassionate after spending four days entirely lost myself, I decided to walk with the man to his destination of interest.
I said to the man, “I’ll take you to the place you are interested in going.”
As we walked to the other side of campus, we began to prod at each other’s backgrounds:
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“America,” I answered. “And you?”
“Myuhnmr…have you heard of this?”
“Wait… say that again…”
“Myuhnmr…Brrrrrmrr?”
“No…… I’m not sure I know where that is,” I conceded. “So, what do you study out here?”
“Journalism,” said the man.
“JOURNALISM??!? Me too!!” I enthusiastically reacted. Nine times out of ten that question is answered with, “economics and finance.”
“Are you from Missouri??” he questioned.
“haha! Yeah! How do you know about Missouri?!?!”
This gentleman was one of the few Asians I had met that actually knew where Missouri was. I was not only shocked, but also very excited.
“That is the best journalism school in the world. It has been my dream to be a journalist since I was very small. I have always loved writing,” he told me. “I have studied literature for a very long time in the capital of Myunma, oh Burma.”
“Ohhhhh! Burma! Ohhh!” I said. I finally understood: Burma aka Myanmar…. Wow.
“Yes. Yes. Do you know of this place?”
And then our conversation took off….
The man continued the conversation with questions about media coverage in the United States: he was interested in coverage of his home country, and also perceptions of the Iraq War in America. I answered his questions, though I did not mention anything about the recent Burmese protests, or my perceptions of the incredible turmoil that exists in both Iraq and Burma.
We continued our walk and our conversation.
The discussion made its way back to the most immediate common ground we shared: we were both studying in Hong Kong.
“So how do you like Hong Kong?” I asked.
“It is very nice, but it is also very expensive. This city is ten times more expensive than my home country.” He rephrased in an attempt to reiterate, “The cost of living is very low in Myanmar. Also, the place where I live is very much like a prison cell. The costs might not be so high for you.”
I corrected him.
“Well, for many American students it might be a little cheaper. I am the son of an immigrant, though. My family does not carry that much money either.”
I told him the story about how my dad entered the United States, briefly. He then confessed to entering Hong Kong in a similar (and unbelievably, more epic) fashion. I will not be writing about the details of either of their journeys, but I can assure you that both men are incredibly brave, and I completely admire both men’s passion for the pursuit of a dignified life. If you’re interested in hearing details, just email me or ask in person. I will not be writing about these facts in my blog, however.
Back to the story…
Completely shocked, and unsure how to respond to his story, I asked if he’d like to see some of the clips from my portfolio; he was extremely excited and was very interested in the opportunities available in Missouri. He was also well acquainted with American politics, and knew the background of the story I wrote about Missouri’s superdelegates during the Democratic primaries. “ I would be jumping in the air if I could have written an article like this,” he said. His smile stretched from ear to ear.
He continued to tell me more about his studies in the capital of Myanmar where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He then conceded that he had participated in student protests against the government at his university, and was imprisoned for seven years.
Wow.
“I spent a lot of time reading literature in my cell. I love English literature. Also, I spent lots of time meditating. My apartment is almost identical to my old cell,” he added. He laughed. “I’m serious.”
I told him I practiced a bit of meditation myself. He inquired about what I knew, and I told him that I was only familiar with controlled breathing. He was still very excited. According to him, this is the most important part of meditation. He said you want to focus on the tips of your nostrils. Meditation is the acceptance of being. You can’t actively pursue relaxation. You must simply accept it. The tips of your nostrils and upper lip become the doorkeeper to your breaths. He also told me that there are 7 levels of meditation, and when you reach the second level, you can be in the middle of the greatest storm on Earth, and you won’t hear it or notice anything around you. You would remain be completely at peace.
We agreed to go to a temple or somewhere cool in Hong Kong sometime soon to practice meditation together. He seemed more than happy to teach me. It should be cool. I’m hoping I can get to @ least the third level by December. : )
We’ll see how it goes….
Anyway, this man for Myanmar was an outstanding person. He had endured so much, and risked his life all in the pursuit of becoming a journalist. It was hard to keep my composure at many points in our discussion, as I felt like an ungrateful, selfish, and lucky bastard.
I’m still not even sure I want to be a journalist. I’ve screwed around so much @ Mizzou, and so many times, I haven’t taken my work or assignments as seriously as I probably should have. Contrastingly, this man has risked his life, climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and lived in a prison cell, all because he feels so passionately about revealing the truth.
Damn.
When I entered University…
I was one of a few in my family to continue their education beyond high school. My grandfather told me that I was extremely lucky, to be very grateful, and most importantly to:
Learn as much as you can.
Meeting this man from Burma is a testament to the fact that I have found the right place for me to gain the most wisdom at this point in my life. Still, there is plenty of work to be done.
