Insights in Hong Kong

Things here are great, waking up everyday is like getting an adrenaline shot in the arm. I roll over look out on Tolo harbor and its hard to believe how beautiful it is here.
We went on a tour around the city yesterday and I have a little better feeling about the geography of Hong Kong. We visited Victoria Peak which I think sums up Hong Kong quite well it and of itself. Looking out in one direction is a beautiful view of the ocean with small islands covered in trees and are so green they don't look real and than you walk through a about 100 feet to the other side of the platform and you are looking down on a massive city with streets so packed with people that you cant see the street. The preservation of the picturesque bays and mountains is magnificent. Not to mention, I saw the house of Jackie Chan.
I went to the ladies market in Mong Kok to see what it was like and it was really fun. There are miles of these stands hawking all sorts of useless items that were exactly the sort of thing for which I was searching. There are all the rings, purses and items of clothing that you could want as well as electronics. I bought a watch although I had never heard of the brand...Rolex? Maybe you've heard of it. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and really gave a good feel for life in inner city Hong Kong.
I moved into the International House(my dorm) and my roommate is a Swedish guy named Erik Gustov. He's a very nice person and he also likes to try all the new foods and Chinese ways. We went to the grocery store and I stocked up on instant noodles and water. Almost all the food here is very good and the portions are huge. This point was emphatically proven again when we had our 13 course meal at the Star Seafood Floating Restaurant.
For some reason I am making a lot of friends from Holland. The only people I have been annoyed by so far are American and those Americans are few and far between. People are very welcoming here at the university and also in general. They like to teach the culture and why things are as they are. People are also generally very interested in where I am from and what things are like. This is the conversation which takes place without fail:

Them: Where are you from?
Me: Kentucky, in the states.
Them: Oh! Kentucky Fried Chicken!

They really love KFC here.

College is a time to try things out of ones own comfort zone as well as find what will determine a new comfort zone. For me this meant coming to Hong Kong to study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in order to see and experience new things. This not only means that I will encounter chicken feet and shark fins but also new ways of thinking and interacting with others.
The very idea of a friendship and love is interpreted in different ways here and I wish to interact with those around me with as few barriers as possible. During a lecture here at CUHK a professor encouraged his listeners to "take off their raincoat" when getting in the shower. What he meant was that without letting down one's own personal guard and interacting with the surrounding culture unimpeded there would be something lost. I intend to just that; so come along for the ride and experience Hong Kong with me.