For all the friends who accompanied me on this trip
Hai yat jahm hai dai hok. Ching siu sum ..something... hong kwik. The next station is University. Please mind the platform gap when alighting. Xia yi zhan shi da xue. Qing xiao xin che xiang zhi jian de kong qi.
With a swoosh, the doors open and you step out (minding the foot-wide gap) into a blast of wet air. Nope, not a sauna. "Doot" goes the octopus machine as you swipe your wallet over it. You stepped out of car number 6, so you swipe first then leave. Car 8 makes you walk down the stairs before swiping.
You turn and see the bus pulling out of the stop. Missed by a minute, and the next bus is in 30 minutes. You decide to walk up. Mosquito bite count: 2
You walk along on the sidewalk until you come to a gap in the metal railing, and then you cross the street at the speed bump. There is a bush on the other side with red tropical flowers that look like a ball with a dangling ornament. There is also a building with green metal swings and a slide and hanging towels and other laundry, which reminds you of the buildings in mainland. Walking up the stairs to Madame Ho makes you hot and sweaty, and you notice the alternating dark and light shadows on the steps from the yellowy street lights. You take some breaks when you're with people, but alone, you just continue to drag along until you reach the top. Mosquito bite count: 5
Walking past Madame Ho, you always turn your head and look in. You take in the sofas and the TV and the piano and the bar and the ping pong table, which always reminds you that your hostel doesn't have one. You pass Madame Ho and continue climbing the hill. You notice the gnarly old trees by the bus stop and the tennis courts by the University gym. Then, past the first driveway where you want to turn, and then the second, where you really turn. Mosquito bite count: 6
Pentacoastal Mission Complex. Pushing the elevator button. Looking around at the brightly-lit hall. Ching siu sum sing gong gei mun. Please mind the lift doors. The tiles on the ground contains little reflective bits that causes light to be bounced everywhere. Little rainbows scatter over your pants. You step out into a bright hall, then walk out into the warm wet air again.
Now up the hill past the I-house. The sounds of a bus roar by and you can't see beyond the top of the hill and the bend of the road. Will a car come? You walk casually in the middle of the road. So satisfying. Turning right, up the stairs, another long uphill. Your breath sounds loud in the quiet evening. Your shirt sticks to your back and sweat runs down your face. Every step is a new challenge.
Mosquito bite count: 9
MMW. The two tall yellow cylinders face you. You shuffle into the lobby and jab the elevator button. Elevator no. 2 glides open. 7th floor. Door close. Up you go. You study your hair in the mirrors and check your overall appearance. At the 7th floor, the doors open and you're greeted with two dark empty elevators with their doors omniously open. How creepy. Walking outside the building, you admire the campus. It's beautiful at night. You look up. A few stars, a moon. Some clouds.
Uphill again, but this time not so steep. You can hear toads croaking and crickets chirping. A striped cat with a stubby tail darts into the bushes. There is the garbage storage on your right. And after that, the hazardous chemical storage. No mobile phones, states a sign on the door. Beyond these, you see the lights of Ma On Shan across the water. Yellow and white lights show which homes use florescent and which use normal light bulbs.
Almost there now. The bites on your hand is itching and stinging. You press the code, 4 sharp beeps. The door opens with a click. Home.
With a swoosh, the doors open and you step out (minding the foot-wide gap) into a blast of wet air. Nope, not a sauna. "Doot" goes the octopus machine as you swipe your wallet over it. You stepped out of car number 6, so you swipe first then leave. Car 8 makes you walk down the stairs before swiping.
You turn and see the bus pulling out of the stop. Missed by a minute, and the next bus is in 30 minutes. You decide to walk up. Mosquito bite count: 2
You walk along on the sidewalk until you come to a gap in the metal railing, and then you cross the street at the speed bump. There is a bush on the other side with red tropical flowers that look like a ball with a dangling ornament. There is also a building with green metal swings and a slide and hanging towels and other laundry, which reminds you of the buildings in mainland. Walking up the stairs to Madame Ho makes you hot and sweaty, and you notice the alternating dark and light shadows on the steps from the yellowy street lights. You take some breaks when you're with people, but alone, you just continue to drag along until you reach the top. Mosquito bite count: 5
Walking past Madame Ho, you always turn your head and look in. You take in the sofas and the TV and the piano and the bar and the ping pong table, which always reminds you that your hostel doesn't have one. You pass Madame Ho and continue climbing the hill. You notice the gnarly old trees by the bus stop and the tennis courts by the University gym. Then, past the first driveway where you want to turn, and then the second, where you really turn. Mosquito bite count: 6
Pentacoastal Mission Complex. Pushing the elevator button. Looking around at the brightly-lit hall. Ching siu sum sing gong gei mun. Please mind the lift doors. The tiles on the ground contains little reflective bits that causes light to be bounced everywhere. Little rainbows scatter over your pants. You step out into a bright hall, then walk out into the warm wet air again.
Now up the hill past the I-house. The sounds of a bus roar by and you can't see beyond the top of the hill and the bend of the road. Will a car come? You walk casually in the middle of the road. So satisfying. Turning right, up the stairs, another long uphill. Your breath sounds loud in the quiet evening. Your shirt sticks to your back and sweat runs down your face. Every step is a new challenge.
Mosquito bite count: 9
MMW. The two tall yellow cylinders face you. You shuffle into the lobby and jab the elevator button. Elevator no. 2 glides open. 7th floor. Door close. Up you go. You study your hair in the mirrors and check your overall appearance. At the 7th floor, the doors open and you're greeted with two dark empty elevators with their doors omniously open. How creepy. Walking outside the building, you admire the campus. It's beautiful at night. You look up. A few stars, a moon. Some clouds.
Uphill again, but this time not so steep. You can hear toads croaking and crickets chirping. A striped cat with a stubby tail darts into the bushes. There is the garbage storage on your right. And after that, the hazardous chemical storage. No mobile phones, states a sign on the door. Beyond these, you see the lights of Ma On Shan across the water. Yellow and white lights show which homes use florescent and which use normal light bulbs.
Almost there now. The bites on your hand is itching and stinging. You press the code, 4 sharp beeps. The door opens with a click. Home.