Belvedere Times

Belvedere Students Visit Hong Kong.

A report on Belvedere's recent visit to Hong Kong and mainland China.

Ross Mullen, Globe Trotter

Our long awaited trip to Hong Kong finally began on Friday, 19th March, in Dublin Airport. With, surprisingly, everyone turning up on time we changed into our very slick white Belvedere tops and worked our way through security with no major troubles. We reached London and, after standing around for a while, boarded the plane that would bring us to Hong Kong in great spirits and full of anticipation. Twelve hours later having watched movies and got a bit of rough sleep, we got off the plane stiff, tired and most importantly, hungry!

After re-acquainting ourselves with our Hong Kong counterparts and meeting our host families we left the airport wondering what was in store for us. Leaving the airport, a few things hit me straight away. One was the incredible heat that would be ever-present for the whole trip; another was the landscape of the city. Enormous high rise buildings towered over us from every angle and the whole city was bustling with activity.

I reached home and was greeted by my host family's maid, something I would become accustomed to over the trip! Dinner was the first obstacle that I’d meet. I don’t know which was an oddest experience  -  feeling embarrassed asking for a fork instead of chopsticks, or drinking boiling hot water with my dinner. Something we would all agree on was that Hong Kong food was different to say the least!

We were formally welcomed to Wah Yan College on the Monday. The school was completely different to ours and was situated on top of a very steep hill, one which would be a daily difficulty! The school resembled holiday apartments, brightly coloured with corridors on the balcony, something they had the weather for! 

Typically all the Irish students were attracted to the football pitch!  After a so-called “brief” history of the school and Chinese culture, we got ready for the football match against the school. It quickly descended into a farce when Wah Yan attempted to field as many extra players as possible, and numerous players from both sides continuously changed sides! In the end, the “Irish” team won comfortably.

Later that day we visited Stanley & Repulse Bay where we got our first taste of the markets in Hong Kong. We began to learn the skill of bargaining as we came to terms with the currency. A variety of souvenirs were bought, from novelty belts to Chinese hats and Chinese dresses, some of us causing quite a stir in our traditional Chinese attire!

We spent the first half of every day in class, not the most productive hours of our lives! Most of us spent this time trying to fix our messed-up sleeping patterns! Over the course of the trip we spent the second half of the day going on excursions. During the next week we visited the Maritime Service Training Institute, Global Village, Ngong Ping, the Peak and Ocean Park. As you can guess, some were more enjoyable than others!  Global Village was a very different experience. We were put into “families” and had to make paper bags out of newspaper to survive. My family failed to survive but some of the Irish students discovered the art of stealing and their families soon reaped the benefits!

One night we all went to the famous Kowloon Night Market and got the chance to put our bartering skills into practice! This was a night I will never forget. One of the best and most scary experiences for me was buying a fake handbag for my Mam down a dodgy back alley surrounded by five men! That night was a different experience for everyone. Some people spent the whole night shopping while others had some interesting conversations with the natives!

At the end of the week we set off for Dongguan in China. Our first experience was one to remember. While visiting the coast we were constantly stared at by every single local as they took pictures. A truly peculiar experience! At the end of the day we retired to our hotel and after a bit of exploring had an early night. On Monday morning we visited Tung Wah school. Communism immediately hits you in the face  -  army officials at the gate, a huge hammer and sickle monument, and barbed wire atop the walls, very different to Belvedere! We were treated to a flag raising ceremony which was shockingly precise. Thousands of students all stood perfectly straight, in perfectly straight lines, all the exact same distance apart. Not one student dared to look around or even move an inch. While they lifted their flag and sang their national anthem, we stood in amazement. Hopefully this is something we never adopt from our Chinese friends!

After this we were paired up with a student from Tung Wah, all supposedly 16 or 17 despite their very young appearance! Next up was a variety show in the school. Completely unprepared we managed to bluff our way through our performance with Ms. Bowe saving us with her fiddle playing! However, Tung Wah put on a very “eye-catching” performance with their “Golden Girls” and the now infamous “Nobody, Nobody” song. The show ended with everyone singing “Auld Lang Syne,” with the Irish lads all adding a bit of twist with our slightly over the top dancing!

After posing for pictures with our new-found friends, we warmed up for our football match. We lined up in front of the thousands of screaming Chinese students and began to bellow out Only In God, a moment I will never forget. After a well fought 3-0 victory we posed for more pictures with our new fans. After dinner in the cafeteria we left for the hotel.

Our last day in China was spent sightseeing in Macau. Afterwards we got the ferry back to Hong Kong for the final night with our host families. The next day was spent with some last minute shopping, everyone doing their best not to return with any Hong Kong dollars! That night we received our official goodbye from Wah Yan and at the airport we had our final farewell. After some tears were shed, only by the Hong Kong students surprisingly, we boarded our plane. Following a long and tiring journey we eventually reached Dublin Airport.

The trip was an amazing experience that none of us will ever forget!