By Dorothy

It has officially been a full week for most of us in Hong Kong and we’re finally getting a little more used to the environment here. I was super excited that it was finally time to meet with our host students to prepare a meal together. We were separated into groups of 3 and got assigned one PolyU student to each group. In the group I was assigned, it was me, Brenda, and Chi. A lot of the other students prepared meals at 11 AM, while my group would not meet up with our host student, Ebby, until 4 PM. On our way to meet Ebby at the library on Poly U’s campus, we got a little lost but eventually found her. Ebby told us that her parents wouldn’t be home since they were in Mainland China with her grandma, but that we would get to meet her sister and that she invited her best friend Sofun to cook with us. We all walked to Hung Hom station from the Poly U library and took the MTR to Tai Po station which was 8 stops from where we were. When we got to Tai Po station, Ebby told us that we would be going to buy chicken wings and Chinese BBQ pork at a store across the street and then going into Tai Po market for seafood and vegetables.

When we went into Tai Po market, the smell of fish hit my nose immediately. The scent was pungent but also extremely fresh. It was a lot more crowded than I expected and I had to keep a fast pace so I wouldn’t lose Ebby, Chi, or Brenda in the sea of people there. Ebby’s best friend, Sofun, ended up meeting us near the fish section. Ebby told us that Sofun was a master chef and that she would be leading the cooking for the meal and choosing all of the ingredients. We went to get scallops and shrimp and then went to the vegetable section to get minced garlic, spring onion, tofu, and bok choy.

After purchasing all of the items, we walked to Ebby’s apartment which wasn’t too far from Tai Po market. We all washed our hands and listened for Sofun to give us directions on what we should do. In the family room, me, Chi, and Brenda prepared the scallops and shrimp first by stuffing them with garlic and adding vermicelli onto the scallop shells. The shrimp and scallops were then put into the steamer for 15 minutes. Sofun prepared the fishball and vegetable soup and honey garlic chicken wings on her own since the kitchen was a little too small for all of us to fit in.

The meal was extremely delicious and probably tasted even better since we were all starving. We took a bunch of photos, shared stories about our traveling experiences, and exchanged social media information. Ebby also brought out playing cards and we were able to play a few rounds of slap jack. Eventually we realized that it was past 10:30 PM and that we should head back to the dorms. It was such a great day getting to know Ebby and Sofun and I’m extremely grateful for their hospitality. They made me feel like I had a place to call home in Hong Kong. Even though I miss California and my family here and there, I feel like I will always have a connection here thanks to Ebby and Sofun. I hope one day they can both come visit California so I may return the favor!

By Nisa

Wow, a week flew by so fast and Hong Kong still continues to amaze me. Today we met with our host family for dinner. Our host Yvonne decided to combine the dinner with Zelon’s and his host students. We all took the MTR and then switched to a taxi to Zelon’s house, the trip altogether was about an hour. Zelon lives in a village called Ka Wo Sea View villa in Tuen Mun. The environment there was so different compared to Hong Kong Island; it was more of a family town full of houses and is really quiet. Yvonne took us to a wet market to buy groceries and meat for our dinner; we bought plenty of meat and vegetables. The wet market was a lot busier during the evening, because everyone was barely getting off of work. It took us about two hours to purchase the groceries before going to Zelon’s house.

As we arrived to Zelon’s house we noticed that the house was a lot bigger than it looked, he lived in a duplex and there were two other families in the same building. His house was lot more modern compared to his neighbors and everything looked remodeled, it was almost liked we were in a really fancy condo. Most houses in Hong Kong are only one bedroom and about 500 ft., but this house had 3 bedrooms and a seemed a little bigger than 500 ft. The biggest surprise when arriving at Zelon’s house was seeing his maid. I’ve only read about maids in Hong Kong in books, but never have I actually seen a maid that lived at their home. It was so interesting to me because she was so nice, but so shy at the same time. Thanks to her, prepping and cooking was a lot faster. During our stay there we asked Zelon and Yvonne many questions about school, family and life, the environment felt like we were really at home. We all made our six dishes and made our final big dish of hot pot. It was so much fun making those dishes, we all helped one another out. We really didn’t expect to stay at their place for so long, but they were so welcoming. We laughed at so many jokes and the host students were able to teach us some basic Chinese words to use at restaurants, and other different services.

Our meal was so delicious! I definitely did not listen to my body during this meal, because I just couldn’t stop eating. We had two options for the hot pot, spicy and non-spicy. There was so many dishes to choose from I had to eat them all. The parents were so funny and sweet, they offered many dishes and sat and ate on the rooftop with us. While eating and observing the family, it is definitely no different than our family meals back at home. The only difference that I noticed was that the parents do not know how to cook, so every meal Zeeve (the maid) makes. Interesting fact, the maids usually never sits and eats with the homeowners, but in Zelon’s family case, she does. I’m glad I was able to observe and experience many different things today. I wish I can describe this day in full detail but then I would never stop talking. Lets just say I would definitely come back to visit this family if I had a chance too. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that I have had so far in this trip and continue to look forward to more! Big shout out to Kathleen for all the amazing photos!

PolyU + SJSU students + Zelon’s parents

By Melissa

Today was a special day for all of us. We had the opportunity to step into the Hong Kong people’s shoes and see what a home-cooked meal was like for them! We were able to sleep in a little more today and met Iris, our PolyU student host, in front of the the Pao Yue-Kong Library on campus at 11:00 AM. We were split into groups of three and some of us had a lunch meal and others had a dinner meal with the host students. Iris came and walked Frankie, Teresa, and me over to the Hung Hom MTR station nearby and got on a train to head over to the Tai Po District, where she lives. I was excited to see her apartment because I have always wanted to see what it was like inside the high rise apartments that made Hong Kong look so beautiful.

Tai Wo Station

The MTR ride to the Tai Wo station was about 40 minutes long and we were all surprised by how far she lived from the PolyU campus. When we arrived, we had the chance to meet her youngest son, Aiden who was 4 years old, and her helper, Tini. Since we visited during the day, her husband was at work and her oldest son was with her mother so we weren’t able to meet them. Her parents also lived in the Tai Po district along with her parents-in-law so she likes the convenience of her location is.

Frankie playing with Aiden

Tini cooking

When we arrived, Iris’ helper, Tini, was already preparing the dishes for us. I was actually caught off guard that she spoke Cantonese so well because she was from Indonesia. Iris told us her helper does a lot for her while she is still a student and having a helper in Hong Kong is really common. Once Tini was done with cooking all of her dishes, she brought them out to the living room as we helped her open their foldable table. We began with 5 dishes: minced pork, fried broccoli with squid, tomatoes with eggs and spinach, and congee. She also had three leftover Joong from the dragon boat festival and was kind enough to share some with us as well. We were stuffed and had conversations that lasted throughout most of the afternoon. We talked a lot about our countries similarities and differences such as gun control, the education system, and the status of people. I loved the intellectual conversations we had because it was interesting to look at something in a different perspective and to be more open-minded about topics I have never thought about. Frankie, Teresa, and I took the MTR back to the dorms by ourselves because we knew it was a long trek for Iris and we also felt confident to take public transportation after a week of experience!

Our meal

Joong (wrapped)

Group selfie

By Emily

On the (school) bus

Dragon’s Back hike

Panoramic view from Dragon’s Back trail.

Group on trail

BBQ – HK style (on skewers) vs. Western style (on grill)

Lastly, we eagerly walked to the beach to cool off. The water was surprisingly really fresh, not too cold or hot. Some of us joined a group of local HK beach goers to play rounds of beach volleyball. We hiked miles and miles that lead to an amazing paradise location. We had lots of fun today and enjoyed a different type of class session on the island.

Fun in the sun

Made new friends with locals.

Fish’s point of view 😉

By Teresa

Today’s adventurous agenda consisted of going to the beach – however, in order to reach the destination, we had to work hard for it, in the blazing hot sun. The hike that we embarked on was called Dragon’s Back. At first, I thought the hike would be easy because of the numerous elder adults walking on the trails. Little did I know that this would be one of the hardest hikes I have ever attempted. Something surprising that I had heard from Iris was that this was actually one of the easier hikes and that many elders go on this trail. It was shocking to know that many of the older adults are stronger and have better stamina than me, but that just goes to show how important physical activity and health is to the people of Hong Kong. Although the hike was challenging due to ups and downs on the stairs, as well as being startled by the creatures that we saw along the way, arriving at the beach was very rewarding and a huge accomplishment for me. Frankie, the host of our tour, took us to an open area to barbecue as a reward and learn about the different techniques that the Hong Kong locals use to cook the food. The Hong Kong way was much like making s’mores over a camp fire, using a skewer stick to cook the meat over the fire. The Western way was like cooking on a grill, in which there was a grill placed on top of the fire pit and the meat was then cooked on that.  He also showed us a honey glaze that we could put on top of the food that made it delicious. After we ate and relaxed, some of us went to the ocean to swim. It was cool to see the locals interact with us. Marin and Frankie asked if our group could play volleyball with the locals and they happily agreed. The volleyball game went on for about an hour and it was nice to see the locals enjoy our company. It is always nice to be reminded that although we don’t speak that same language, we do share common activities such as playing sports. Although this was one of the more challenging activities so far on this trip, it helped me to remember why I came to Hong Kong, to explore a new country that I had never been to as well as get a closer look into the culture here.

Check out the video above of our group in action!