Reflection

Reflecting on these past several months in Hong Kong, I am grateful for the unlimited access I was given to the CUHK library system. I am also extraordinarily grateful for Hong Kong's (and CUHK's) proximity to mainland China, which allowed me to visit Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guilin, Yangshuo, Chengdu, and Lhasa.

Much heart-felt mahalos goes out to the Eu Tong Sen organization and the University of Hawai'i for making all of this possible. Aloha!

Last Day

Today is officially the last day of the spring semester.

Departure paperwork was necessary in order to get my deposits back. I picked them up from the IASP office and filled them out on the spot. According to IASP, the deposits should be ready two months from today, so I'd say I'll be receiving them in August.

I was required to cancel my library card by returning all my books and handing in a form to the library staff behind the counter. Within less than 24 hours, I was no longer allowed entry into any of the libraries, which was inconvenient, especially since I still wanted to print documents.

My CUHK email account and access should also no longer work after today either.

Shenzhen to Guangzhou

A new super-fast railway line has opened between Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Total travel time has now been cut to about 1 hour. The railway approaches speeds of up to 196 km per hour and makes only 2 stops between Shenzhen and Guangzhou East Railway Station. The train vibrates and shakes in a way that makes me nervous, but it seems to be secure. A ticket is 75 RMB. Goodbye buses and slow trains！

Expenses

The largest amount of my funds were put on my Octopus Card, which I used to purchase meals at the canteens, groceries at Park n' Shop, and travel between University Station and other parts of Hong Kong. Octopus Cards can be re-charged anywhere Octopus Cards are accepted, which makes it very convenient to use.

My Student ID was used to pay for laundry and dryer use and printing expenses. Between January and the end of April I spent 200 HKD on laundry, having washed my clothes once every two weeks. I placed about 150 HKD on my Student ID to print out documents related to my research.

The best place I found for printing out documents was Chung Chi College Library, ground floor near the back. The printers there are fast and well-maintained.

Summer has Arrived

Today's weather was 73 F and completely blue skies. What a phenomenal change. The rest of the week onwards promises to be even better in the upper 70s/lower 80s with completely blue skies.