Framing my life in Hong Kong

Once, my young colleagues from AIESEC Kaunas got a brilliant plan of how to promote AIESEC internships in social media.Their idea was very sharp, creative and simple - encourage young people to go on internships by posting themed pictures showcasing current interns lives all around the world. Every day of March they were posting different pictures with a particularly prearranged topic:

Picture of Hong Kong (Kowloon city) from the Lion Rock

I was asked to collect mine. And some of them, together with other interns' captures were on their facebook profile for all March. Since my part is already gathered, I thought of introducing you a little bit more of Hong Kong I know and see every day. And by following the image pattern suggest by my creative fellow AIESECers, let me describe a small part of this very diverse and in every sense multidimensional city.

1. Flag

Three flags at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), or the place where I work already for 9 months. Starting from the right we see the flag of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This white, five-petal Bauhinia blakeana on a red field symbolizes "one country two systems" political principle applied to the region. The flag of Hong Kong have to be always displayed together with a flag of the People's Republic of China, which we see right here in the middle.
Lastly, the flag on the left - a symbol of PolyU. As university website states, "The round shapes at each corner intertwine to symbolize "P" for Polytechnic and "U" for University. The image of "T" for technical excellence of the past symbol is retained, and the open perimeter represents increased interaction between the University and the world".

2. Dance 

AIESEC culture is vivid everywhere. 

3. Stranger

I took this picture in Kwun Tong MTR (subway) station. A man was waiting for his train just as I did.

4. Dinner

Chinese culture is very collective and food oriented. Many different kinds of dishes are shared between each other on the round spinning table.

This picture is from our team Mid Autumn festive lunch. Tasting Dim Sum.

5. Where I sleep

Surprisingly for Hong Kong, my flat is very specious and I am lucky enough to live in a room twice a size as a regular one. 

6. Can't travel without

Although Hong Kong is a small in size (only 1,104 square kilometers), it's basically impossible to travel without wondering about the beautiful nature all around. I adore this place because of it. 

7. My work

This picture is taken from one of our workshops by self-made balloon mapping kit. By simple materials like cotton string, plastic bottle and balloon with helium, students took aerial photo of chosen area in Kwun Tong. Later, those pictures have formed a satellite map of the area and were uploaded on the "Public Lab" public map database (http://mapknitter.org/map/search?q=jcdisi).

However, my work sometimes can look also like that:

Or even like that: 

8. Friends

Picture from AIESECers tram ride in specially designed Eatery tram at DETOUR Matters festival. This event was also one of our work duty.

But friends for me here are also same passion, habits and quality time together.

9. What I didn't have a month ago

The time I was preparing the list of those pics, I was just dreaming about this trophy in my hands and how it would nicely compliment all my efforts. Although I haven't planned to fall and finish 25 km off-rode run being half-dirty half-wounded, the feeling of accomplishment paid it all off.  

The passion of running continued and even found some great friends:

10. What I found

I feel like I'm repeating myself but nature here is one of my biggest discovery and the most exciting face of this land.

11. Street

Two different views of streets in Hong Kong.
A picture above is taken from the "you don't want to go there on weekends" Mong Kok area...

... or more western looking Wan Chai.

12. View from my office

13. After work

First week and night out in Lai Kwai Fong (or simply LKF) with colleagues.

14. 10 p.m.

On Wednesdays, around 30 thousand of people come to Happy Valley to enjoy another very Hong Kong activity - horse raising. While most of gambling enthusiasts watch the raise from upper rooms or on TV, for the rest of people it's a huge mid-week party.

15. Smile

During staff photoshoot.

16. Tallest building

Hong Kong can be easily called the tallest city in the world.

Although the tallest building is International Commerce Centre (ICC) reaching 484 meters height (left). On the 118th floor it has also the tallest bar on earth - Ozone.

17. Water

18. Hat

Garden keeper at the university. They use those hats to protect their skin from the sun burn and various insects.

19. Native

School kids from quite remote area in Hong Kong were asked to guess what those simple Lithuanian phrases might mean. For some of them "Koks tavo vardas?" sounded like "Have your lunch yet?" and our "Viso gero" guessed to be "I love you".

20. Plant

21. Famous

Do you remember those red white and blue "turginius maišus"? And do you know that this is a very Hong Kong style spread worldwide? One of the cities famous artist and our School of Design alumni Stanley Wong (a.k.a. Anothermountainman) is playing with those colors and patterns by creating different goods.

22. Surprise

It was a genuine surprise to see those beauties...

....some really smart decisions of street maintenance... 

... or the umbrella vending machine.

Surprise was also to see how successful the University Info Day can be. Potential students are coming to visit faculties, get introduced with teachers, see what are they actually doing, discuss future job possibilities and decide if that university can meet their requirements. 
PolyU has its Info day in October and usually it's packed with visitors - kids and theirs parents. Despite a regular visit, many activities are organized for them, like guided tours, workshops, competitions and performances.

Can anyone remember such crowds in any university in Lithuania?

23. Your Choice

A view from Sunset Peak in Lantau island. More than 3 hours of hiking up for 20 minutes of this breathtaking view. And a quick run back until you still can see your way down.  

24. Sport

Never thought playing squash can be that exciting. Well, it is.

25. Happiness

Happiness is to graduate from university, wear a robe, get dozens of flower and a "must have" graduation gift - Teddy bear, also take thousands of weird pictures and start to wonder about all undiscovered possibilities.

With my AIESEC buddy Mildred on her very special day.

26. Social

I live in a very local area. No matter when, there you can always see elder people around, taking, discussing their life, or dancing, exercising in kids playground, doing Tai Chi, playing badminton with their grandchildren. Those people are so surprisingly active and full of energy.

27. Last thing I bought

Egg waffles. And it's never enough of them.

28. Somewhere I went

A stop moment in a beautiful Sai Kung country park.

29. Looking down

A view from Lion Rock and the feeling "I'm on the top of the world".

29. How I feel today

I'm well!


30. Change

I honestly don't feel that much of change by myself. But let's say that Hong Kong definitely gives some colors for my life. And that's why it's exciting.