When people ask me where I'm from I never really know how to answer. Growing up in New Jersey I just assumed that people meant what my ethnicity was, since it was so diverse and I look pretty ambiguous. But when people asked me where I was from while I was living in New York I always said New Jersey, since you're pretty much either from New Jersey or Long Island if you live in New York City. But when I moved to California it started to get a little dicey. My first intuition was to say I'm from New York, because that's where I lived the previous 7 years. But since my parents are still in New Jersey, and that's what I still use as my permanent address, is that where I'm from? Because I haven't lived in NJ since 2001. If people still look confused then I say my parents are from India, because I guess I need to clarify that I'm not Mexican.
Coming to Hong Kong completely messed me up. Now my first intuition is to say I'm from California, since that's where I'm studying. But I only lived in Cali for a year so far, so is that really where I'm from? I mean, if you really want to dig deep, I'm actually from Waterloo, Iowa, since that's where I was born. But I have no connection to Iowa since I left when I was 2. So I've been switching between New Jersey, New York, and California while in Hong Kong, whatever state I feel closest to that day. One of my professors is convinced that I'm a Buddhist straight from India, since I'm the only Indian in the class. I'm also the only American in the class, but he chooses to look past that since I'm brown.
I recently visited Singapore and Malaysia, and this time when people asked me where I was from I got all flustered. My first response was Hong Kong, because that's where I flew in from. But when they looked confused since I clearly don't have a Hong Kongese accent, I said California. If they still looked confused then I would say my parents are from India, and then the strange look on their face would usually disappear. Singapore and Malaysia are probably the most diverse countries I've ever been to, with Indian, Chinese, Arab, and Malay people making up the majority. And since I look Indian, but could also pass for Malay, or even half Indian and half Chinese, I confused the hell out of people when I said I was from Hong Kong with an American accent.
If you really want to know, I was born in Iowa, grew up in New Jersey, studied and worked in New York City, am doing my MBA in California, and am currently an exchange student in Hong Kong. And my ethnicity is Indian. There. But to simplify things, I'll just say I'm from California. Because that's where most of my shoes are, currently in the trunk of my car.
Oct 8-12- The Amazing Wall, Beijing
Beijing is only a 3 1/2 hour flight
from Hong Kong, but is significantly colder. It was in the 80's when we left Hong Kong on Thursday, and we arrived to 50 degree weather in Beijing. Everywhere we went everyone kept looking at our feet, probably thinking we were crazy for wearing flip flops! Sandro, Michael, Mirella, Romika, and myself went out of the exchange students, and we were probably the most diverse group in the entire country. An Italian guy, Belgian guy, Nigerian Canadian girl, Cameroonian French girl, and Indian American, Latin/ Indonesian looking girl definitely stand out in Communist China, and no matter where we went there was someone without fail who wanted to take a picture with us. It was amusing in the beginning, but after a while it got kind of annoying, and we were seriously considering charging people to take pictures with us! I'm almost positive that if we set up shop in Tiananmen Square possibly dawning traditional clothing from our respective countries, we could've easily paid for our entire trip. Pretty positive.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Beijing was that hardly anyone speaks English! It was quite surprising, seeing that Beijing is a pretty big city with 13 million people, the Olympics was hosted there last year, and it's a pretty big tourist destination. We would've seriously been lost if Mable didn't write down some common Chinese phrases for us in Chinese, along with names of popular tourist spots. After getting ripped off by the cab driver (you should always make sure the meter is on) we arrived at the Super 8 Motel in Dong Si. It wasn't a super nice hotel, but was cheap and convenient, and we spent very little time there anyway. Our first stop was dinner at a hot pot restaurant, one cuisine Beijing is famous for. It's similar to Korean BBQ, but you cook your food in a huge boiling pot instead of grilling it. We cooked lamb, chicken, shrimp, noodles, and vegetables, and it was super cheap and yummy. After dinner we checked out the nightlife at club Coco Banana, which was pretty insane. It was packed for a Thursday night with mostly locals, and I'm pretty sure it was a gay friendly bar, but the music was really good and the drinks cheap.
After finally waking up at 1pm the next day, we set out for Tiananmen Square. It was only a couple subway stops away from our hotel, but the subway is an experience of its own. It's ridiculously packed at all times of the day and, because people don't move to let you out of the subway, you literally have to push your way through to get off at your stop. Not fun. Tiananmen Square was also packed with tourists, but it was an experience to be in the same spot where hundreds of people were killed during the 1989 protests against Communism. We spent some time walking around, and then went to Silk Street for some shopping (and major haggling). We decided not to party Fri
day night since we joined a tour for the Great Wall, leaving at 7am the next morning.
Let me just say that the Great Wall is AMAZING. It's 5,500 miles long, and is so impressive that words are not enough. After visiting a Ming tomb and jade market on the way, we finally reached the Great Wall. We took a cable car up to as close as we could to the peak, but still had to climb a significant amount to get to the very top. The view from the top was breathtaking, and you could see hundreds of people trekking up the Great Wall. It looked almost like a pilgrimage. In the words of Mao Zedong, "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." And yes, I indeed felt like a true man after that climb, haha.
That night we partied at another spot, Club Banana (not sure what the fascination with bananas is), which was yet another crazy night with the locals. This club was located in a hotel, and was a lot more upscale than Coco Banana. Surprisingly we were able to wake up early enough the next morning for our final day of sight seeing in Beijing. Our first stop was the Lama Temple, the most impressive Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It consisted of a row of several temples, concluding with a 3 story Buddha. We then spent a couple hours in the Forbidden City, where all the emperors had once lived. It was gigantic, with rows and rows of different halls (bronze hall, art hall, architecture hall). It was literally an entire city built just for the Emperor, and we could have easily spent an entire day there. We walked all the way to end, where we climbed to the peak of the city. At the top there was a Buddhist temple, with a beautiful Buddha statue overlooking the city, directly in the center. It's amazing how the Forbidden City was built, perfectly symmetrical and beautiful.
Our last meal in Beijing was Beijing's most popular dish, Peking Duck, which was absolutely delicious. We had to wait 50 minutes for it to be prepared, but it was so worth it. Once the duck is cooked it's cut up into pieces, and the traditional way to eat it is on top of a mini crepe with cucumber slices, onion, cantaloupe, mint, and bbq sauce. It was scrumptious, and a perfect way to end an awesome weekend.
Beijing is an amazing place to visit, with so much incredible history. But I don't think I could ever live there long term. First of all it's a constant reminder that China is the most populated country in the world, and everything from taking the subway to driving to going to the mall is a hassle. Second of all, China is a communist country, which is apparent in almost everything. No one speaks English, there are no Western tv channels, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are blocked, and you can't even take pictures in some clubs!
from Hong Kong, but is significantly colder. It was in the 80's when we left Hong Kong on Thursday, and we arrived to 50 degree weather in Beijing. Everywhere we went everyone kept looking at our feet, probably thinking we were crazy for wearing flip flops! Sandro, Michael, Mirella, Romika, and myself went out of the exchange students, and we were probably the most diverse group in the entire country. An Italian guy, Belgian guy, Nigerian Canadian girl, Cameroonian French girl, and Indian American, Latin/ Indonesian looking girl definitely stand out in Communist China, and no matter where we went there was someone without fail who wanted to take a picture with us. It was amusing in the beginning, but after a while it got kind of annoying, and we were seriously considering charging people to take pictures with us! I'm almost positive that if we set up shop in Tiananmen Square possibly dawning traditional clothing from our respective countries, we could've easily paid for our entire trip. Pretty positive.The first thing we noticed when we arrived in Beijing was that hardly anyone speaks English! It was quite surprising, seeing that Beijing is a pretty big city with 13 million people, the Olympics was hosted there last year, and it's a pretty big tourist destination. We would've seriously been lost if Mable didn't write down some common Chinese phrases for us in Chinese, along with names of popular tourist spots. After getting ripped off by the cab driver (you should always make sure the meter is on) we arrived at the Super 8 Motel in Dong Si. It wasn't a super nice hotel, but was cheap and convenient, and we spent very little time there anyway. Our first stop was dinner at a hot pot restaurant, one cuisine Beijing is famous for. It's similar to Korean BBQ, but you cook your food in a huge boiling pot instead of grilling it. We cooked lamb, chicken, shrimp, noodles, and vegetables, and it was super cheap and yummy. After dinner we checked out the nightlife at club Coco Banana, which was pretty insane. It was packed for a Thursday night with mostly locals, and I'm pretty sure it was a gay friendly bar, but the music was really good and the drinks cheap.
After finally waking up at 1pm the next day, we set out for Tiananmen Square. It was only a couple subway stops away from our hotel, but the subway is an experience of its own. It's ridiculously packed at all times of the day and, because people don't move to let you out of the subway, you literally have to push your way through to get off at your stop. Not fun. Tiananmen Square was also packed with tourists, but it was an experience to be in the same spot where hundreds of people were killed during the 1989 protests against Communism. We spent some time walking around, and then went to Silk Street for some shopping (and major haggling). We decided not to party Fri
day night since we joined a tour for the Great Wall, leaving at 7am the next morning.Let me just say that the Great Wall is AMAZING. It's 5,500 miles long, and is so impressive that words are not enough. After visiting a Ming tomb and jade market on the way, we finally reached the Great Wall. We took a cable car up to as close as we could to the peak, but still had to climb a significant amount to get to the very top. The view from the top was breathtaking, and you could see hundreds of people trekking up the Great Wall. It looked almost like a pilgrimage. In the words of Mao Zedong, "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." And yes, I indeed felt like a true man after that climb, haha.
That night we partied at another spot, Club Banana (not sure what the fascination with bananas is), which was yet another crazy night with the locals. This club was located in a hotel, and was a lot more upscale than Coco Banana. Surprisingly we were able to wake up early enough the next morning for our final day of sight seeing in Beijing. Our first stop was the Lama Temple, the most impressive Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. It consisted of a row of several temples, concluding with a 3 story Buddha. We then spent a couple hours in the Forbidden City, where all the emperors had once lived. It was gigantic, with rows and rows of different halls (bronze hall, art hall, architecture hall). It was literally an entire city built just for the Emperor, and we could have easily spent an entire day there. We walked all the way to end, where we climbed to the peak of the city. At the top there was a Buddhist temple, with a beautiful Buddha statue overlooking the city, directly in the center. It's amazing how the Forbidden City was built, perfectly symmetrical and beautiful.
Our last meal in Beijing was Beijing's most popular dish, Peking Duck, which was absolutely delicious. We had to wait 50 minutes for it to be prepared, but it was so worth it. Once the duck is cooked it's cut up into pieces, and the traditional way to eat it is on top of a mini crepe with cucumber slices, onion, cantaloupe, mint, and bbq sauce. It was scrumptious, and a perfect way to end an awesome weekend.
Beijing is an amazing place to visit, with so much incredible history. But I don't think I could ever live there long term. First of all it's a constant reminder that China is the most populated country in the world, and everything from taking the subway to driving to going to the mall is a hassle. Second of all, China is a communist country, which is apparent in almost everything. No one speaks English, there are no Western tv channels, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are blocked, and you can't even take pictures in some clubs!
Oct 5- Weekend in Taiwan!
Hong Kong welcomed me with open arms and put on a fireworks show for my birthday! Haha, my birthday was actually on China's Independence day, so after a long night of partying on Wednesday night we just relaxed, got Indian food, and saw fireworks on Thursday. A great way to start 26 :)
The exchange ladies (me, Mirella, Romika, and Mable) left for Taipei early Friday morning. Mable lives in Toronto but was born in China and speaks Mandarin fluently, so we were extremely glad that she was with us because very few people in Taiwan speak English! The first place we visited was Danshui, which was a couple stops off the MRT from our hotel in Taipei. We stayed in the TS Hotel right in the Times Square area of Taipei, which was pretty affordable and convenient. The city has a pretty good train system, and we got around very cheaply on trains and buses. Danshui is basically a Fisherman's Wharf, known for its beautiful bridge and street food. The fishball soup was BOMB.
Friday night we went to Luxy, which is a famous club for internationals and locals in Taipei. And by club, I mean CLUB. I haven't been to a place like that since Exit or Sound Factory in my early clubbing days. After pleading with the bouncer to let us in without our passports, and then paying 600NT$ each ($20 US, but is damn expensive in Taiwan) to get in, we had a really good time. The music was awesome, and the crowd wasn't bad either. By the end of the night all four of us were dancing on the podium, so that should speak for
itself :)
Saturday we eventually woke up and took a bus up the Jinguashih mountain to Jioufen, known for its spectacular views, tea houses, and street markets. We walked through the street markets, tasting amazing local food on the way. We ate pineapple cakes, wasabi peanuts, fishball soup, almond tea, taro balls, pork stew, stinky tofu (it does stink, but tastes so good!) and so much more. After walking around for a couple hours trying to work off the millions of calories we ate, we sat in a tea house on the top of the mountain for a while, taking in the gorgeous view and delicious teas. We stopped by the famous Shi-Lin night market on the way back home, famous for its street food and shopping. Let's just say that my stomach and wallet hate me right now :/
It started raining on Sunday, but we still managed to do some more sight seeing. After eating amazing sushi with the biggest pieces of fish I HAVE EVER SEEN, we visited Taipei 101 (the world's tallest inhabited building), but didn't go to the top since it was too cloudy to see anything. We also visited the Chiang Kai-shek memorial, who was China's leader and later became part of the Nationalist government trying to free China from communism. Our last stop before leaving for Yanming mountain was Lung Shan temple, a buddhist temple some say is lucky for lovers ;)
We stayed in the Tien Lai Resort in Yanming mountain on our last night, which is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately it was still raining hard when we got there so we couldn't go in the outdoor hot springs. But we took full advantage of the indoor hot spring and sauna. It's imitated after Japanese bath houses, with a natural hot spring, cold pool, sauna, and steam room. Bathing suits are not allowed, so let's just say us ladies got to know each other very well, hah.
The exchange ladies (me, Mirella, Romika, and Mable) left for Taipei early Friday morning. Mable lives in Toronto but was born in China and speaks Mandarin fluently, so we were extremely glad that she was with us because very few people in Taiwan speak English! The first place we visited was Danshui, which was a couple stops off the MRT from our hotel in Taipei. We stayed in the TS Hotel right in the Times Square area of Taipei, which was pretty affordable and convenient. The city has a pretty good train system, and we got around very cheaply on trains and buses. Danshui is basically a Fisherman's Wharf, known for its beautiful bridge and street food. The fishball soup was BOMB.
Friday night we went to Luxy, which is a famous club for internationals and locals in Taipei. And by club, I mean CLUB. I haven't been to a place like that since Exit or Sound Factory in my early clubbing days. After pleading with the bouncer to let us in without our passports, and then paying 600NT$ each ($20 US, but is damn expensive in Taiwan) to get in, we had a really good time. The music was awesome, and the crowd wasn't bad either. By the end of the night all four of us were dancing on the podium, so that should speak for
itself :)Saturday we eventually woke up and took a bus up the Jinguashih mountain to Jioufen, known for its spectacular views, tea houses, and street markets. We walked through the street markets, tasting amazing local food on the way. We ate pineapple cakes, wasabi peanuts, fishball soup, almond tea, taro balls, pork stew, stinky tofu (it does stink, but tastes so good!) and so much more. After walking around for a couple hours trying to work off the millions of calories we ate, we sat in a tea house on the top of the mountain for a while, taking in the gorgeous view and delicious teas. We stopped by the famous Shi-Lin night market on the way back home, famous for its street food and shopping. Let's just say that my stomach and wallet hate me right now :/
It started raining on Sunday, but we still managed to do some more sight seeing. After eating amazing sushi with the biggest pieces of fish I HAVE EVER SEEN, we visited Taipei 101 (the world's tallest inhabited building), but didn't go to the top since it was too cloudy to see anything. We also visited the Chiang Kai-shek memorial, who was China's leader and later became part of the Nationalist government trying to free China from communism. Our last stop before leaving for Yanming mountain was Lung Shan temple, a buddhist temple some say is lucky for lovers ;)
We stayed in the Tien Lai Resort in Yanming mountain on our last night, which is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately it was still raining hard when we got there so we couldn't go in the outdoor hot springs. But we took full advantage of the indoor hot spring and sauna. It's imitated after Japanese bath houses, with a natural hot spring, cold pool, sauna, and steam room. Bathing suits are not allowed, so let's just say us ladies got to know each other very well, hah.
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