Week Without Walls 2017: Hong Kong

Many international schools take annual trips which focus on experiential education, service learning and/or introducing the students to new activities that aren't possible within the walls of a classroom. This year, I travelled with 36 tenth graders and 3 other teacher-chaperones to Hong Kong for nine days. This was a conceptual trip, planned by the art and business teachers at my school and we didn't work with a tour company or guide. These two passionate educators spent hundreds of hours organizing the experience that follow...

Day 1: It was not just another normal Friday. As school ended and we packed up to go home teachers and students were going home to rest a little, finish packing our bags and then take flight on a red eye to Hong Kong!

Full moon rising on my pre-plane walk around the neighborhood

We all met at the new terminal of Yangon International Airport and amidst many hugs, smiles and goodbyes from nervous parents, we gathered the students, checked in and made our way to our gate. 

The flight from Yangon to Hong Kong is only about three and a half hours, but this was our first night's sleep. Most of us dozed in and out and then...

Day 2: We arrived in Hong Kong! We collected all but one suitcase (which would be delivered the following day - the student wasn't upset, he was pysched to go shopping!), made our way through customs and sleepily boarded the bus waiting for us. It was probably only a 30 minute drive to our hotel, but I was fast asleep when we pulled up to the Intercontinental. Luckily, this amazing hotel was ready to check us in, even though it was only 7:30 in the morning. 

Checking in to the hotel

After a much-needed rest in the rooms and we wandered nearby for a late breakfast/early lunch. Next up was shopping! The students were thrilled to have some time in the mall. Shopping opportunities remain scarce in Yangon, especially for brand-name clothes and electronics can have a 100% mark-up.

Snack at the mall - this shop resembled an Eddie Bauer/Ikea with a cute restaurant.

We boarded our chartered bus once again and headed to The Peak, where we dug right into the art component of the trip, visiting Madame Tussauds wax museum and the Trick Eye Museum.

Pablo y yo - in Madame Tussauds

Chaperone shot @ the Trick Eye Museum

Chaperone selfie - we are in Hong Kong!!!

Day 3: This day was full of public transport: boat, bus and subway! We enjoyed breakfast in our hotel and then walked to the ferry dock, relying on our Chinese-speaking students to help us with directions, where we took a ferry to the other side of town. Here, we waited for another boat, which brought us across the water, out of the city. It looked like there were lots of hiking trails, but we found a bus to take us up up up where we would visit the Po Lin Monastery.

View from the little "town" back towards the Buddha

Cows relaxing in the monastery below the Big Buddha

Stairs leading up

View from the top - another opportunity to fall in love with Hong Kong!

Obligatory shoe shot for mom - not usually taken with jeans + sneakers!

On the boat ride back many students napped. They would visit the Great European Carnival on the Waterfront Promenade for dinner, rides and games once we returned to the city center. I had arranged to meet a friend, E, another international school teacher who lives in Hong Kong, so I separated from my group at the Carnival entrance. It felt strange to be away from my "Hong Kong family," but it was great to share a gluten free vegan Italian dinner with E and wander around the center. She follows a similar diet to mine and she showed me her favorite snacks, available at 7-11. Score!

Thank you E for showing me around!

Day 4: Once again, we headed out on a chartered bus, all wearing matching splash-painted t-shirts, this time to Ocean Park! Ocean Park is an amusement park-sea world kind of combination. There would be plenty of fun, but we also had a tour booked of the dolphin facility and the students were divided into small groups to work on their "polaroid challenge" - a photography assignment which would span the entire trip and take advantage of some of the amazing locations we were in.

The best view I've seen from a roller coaster :D

Lunch inside the aquarium

Behind the Scenes Dolphin Experience

Day 5: On Valentine's Day our big group broke into two groups: the advanced art students and two teachers went on their own artsy itinerary, while the business teacher, many students and I ventured back towards the airport, this time to visit Cathay City. We started with an extensive lunch in the corporate cafeteria (the nicest cafeteria I have ever seen; I would eat there everyday!). We had a special tour of the flight training center, learned all about the training process for pilots and crew and even met the CEO!

We all dressed in uniform - one of Cathay's requirements for all tours. Flight attendant and our guide in red on the side!

Inside the office building! Practice space for flight attendants in training. 

We met back up with our full group at the hotel where we had a little rest and some time to get dressed up. We celebrated Valentine's Day and our last night in the center of Hong Kong with a dinner boat cruise.

Hong Kong, will you be my Valentine? ;)

To be continued...

What I'm Listening to:

Glass Animals - How to be a Human Being - My ears haven't had this much fun in a long time!

Just finished eating:
Gluten free and vegan and only eight ingredients? These peanut butter chocolate chip muffins may become my new favorite breakfast! (Or dinner...or snack...)