Partner Yoga Hong Kong Style

Partner Yoga

At Core Power I believe that they have had partner yoga classes from time to time. Not an ongoing recurring class but a "special class". On 10/28/12 Nate and I tried our first ever partner yoga class.

When we first walked in I was a bit nervous. We saw a man and a woman practicing some moves. I thought, are you kidding? That man is half my size! I'm not going to be able to do that!!!

At Pure Yoga they do things a bit differently than I am use to. Depending on the teacher, the "front" of the classroom can be at the mirrors (which I consider the front) or towards the windows (which I consider the back). This has been a little confusing to say the least. Some days I don't want to be in the front, some days I want to hide in the shadows of the back!

Nate and I walked into the class at what we thought was the back of the room. NOPE we were in the front. It seems that all these people I've been taking yoga classes with are experts! It's a bit annoying. I don't even want to try an advanced class. I would probably just have to sit there! So us two beginner partner yogis are smack in the front....awesome.

We start with an individual flow which was quite lovely. I have been taking a class called hot flow but it really doesn't flow that well (my yogi friends will know exactly what I'm talking about). Our first partner activity was doing warrior II leaning into each other. Boy, did I get sweaty! We then did a few other moves where we had to lean against each other. Ok I thought, no big deal. Then came the acrobatics.....

I don't even know how to clearly explain the moves we were doing! The first move Nate was in a down dog pose and I essentially did a back bend over him. Nice for stretching. The kicker came at the end when I was to do a hand stand and Nate was to catch my feet and have my knees hang over his shoulders. Then he was to bend forward and place my feet on the ground so I could stand up. Easy enough right? Wrong. I got a little scared and tried to sit up while Nate thought he was hurting my back. Between us, I managed to slide fall off of Nate and get a rug burn on my shoulder from the mat!

This was a very fun and challenging class that we will be going back to!

The pictures below are obviously not pictures of Nate and I but rather examples of the poses we did. Can you tell which pose I fell from?

Walking in Hong Kong

Hong Kong boasts a population of 7 million people. The land mass of Hong Kong is approximately 426 square miles. What this means is that it is extremely densely populated, in fact, one of the highest if not THE highest in the world. What this means for me is that the simple act of walking can be quite difficult!

Walking on the sidewalks on Hong Kong is like NASCAR racing. You have to speed up, slow down, attempt to pass people without getting rammed by a bag, umbrella or a shoulder. Whenever I see a couple holding hands I get a little agitated, like come on really? You two are blocking the sidewalk! A part of me really wants to red rover right through them! I haven't yet but I may have to try one day...

Walking can be dangerous! Just last week I was minding my own business walking along when I felt a searing pain in my left hand. I looked down and I was covered in cigarette embers from some fool behind me! I turned around abruptly and said hey! I walked away with a burned left ring finger complete with blister. It is usually unwise to wear flip flops or any open toes shoes while walking around. I have been stepped on as well as "flat tired" (you know, when somebody steps on the back of your flip flop and it feels like the top of your foot is going to be ripped off by the straps!).

The best time to go walking is early in the morning. This is a late city. Bars stay open until 5am! Saturday mornings I enjoy my walk to the gym because I can actually zip along!

Thankfully some areas are worse than others. When I walk during my lunch breaks in the area of Whompoa Garden in Hunghom I can easily stroll along which I do NOT take for granted

Mid Autumn Festival

Mid Autumn Festival

On October 1st we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival here in Hong Kong. For us that meant a 4 day weekend!!! But, there is much more to this festival than that.

The mid autumn festival is also known as the Lantern Festival, the Moon Cake Festival or the Moon Festival. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Calendar close to the Autumnal Equinox.

There are several popular traditions that accompany the Mid Autumn Festival. One of which is moon cakes. Below I have posted some pictures of traditional moon cakes which are, to be blunt, disgusting. The first time I tried a traditional moon cake I took a huge bite and wanted to spit it out. I didn't realize that the big yummy looking center was an egg. The combination of sweet outside and an egg yolk center did not compute with my taste buds. They also have "icy moon cakes" or "snowy moon cakes" which are delicious. They are kept frozen or refrigerated and have a variety of flavored centers that include chocolate, red bean, and hazel nut. These are in fact down right delicious. Many parents brought moon cakes to the teachers at school. The "icy moon cake" varieties are not cheap.

Another part of the tradition is lanterns. At school there were lanterns hung on the ceiling for the children. There were many different types that included Hello Kitty and Garfield. While at Victoria Park we witnessed many families spending time with each other with lit lanterns and candles.

Traditional Chinese attire and Dragon Dances also happen during this festival. It was very interesting to see the amount of people at Victoria Park. It was extremely overwhelming just to cross the street to get into the park with the amount of people walking around. A friend we were with has blonde hair and a family stopped her to ask if she could take a picture holding their baby. It is said that blonde hair is like gold!

Mong Kok

Nate and I live one MTR (the Mass Transit Railway, what they call the subway) stop away from an area called Mong Kok. Legend has it that the word in Cantonese is Wong Kok but somebody put the sign upside down.....I'll have to verify this. We have been told over and over that this is the most densely populated neighborhood in the entire world. I certainly would not doubt this. It does not matter what time day or night, there are massive crowds of people everywhere. It is quite difficult to cross the street as there is a giant swarm of people coming right at you trying to cross themselves. You can find anything and everything in this area. There is an area called the "grey market" because the electronics they sell may or may not be exactly legal....We have had to go on this street to buy a phone and SIM cards. I instantly turn into a grouch the minute we step foot on this street. There are so many people going in every direction, it is complete sensory overload!

The great thing about Mong Kok is Langham Place. This building has been
me and Nate's refuge. We have a membership to Pure Yoga and Pure Fitness located in the Langham Place building. Their emmenities are superb. Free Wifi, sitting areas, sauna, steam rooms, excellent locker rooms, etc. Each cardio machine has a DVD player and TV with a giant wall of DVD's to check out. There are full seasons of some great shows that include House, Mad Men, Sex in the City as well as movies. They have a huge variety of workout and yoga classes. By far the nicest gym I have ever seen. This giant building is also a mall and is connected to the Mong Kok MTR. There are department stores, grocery stores, food courts as well as a theater located in this building. Anything we need is right there! Right down in the MTR there is an awesome Fro Yo place! H&M is also attached. Like I said before, anything you could ever need is located there.

A down side to Mong Kok is the smell. Because there are so many bakeries, literally probably five different bakeries on every block, you will get a lovely wafting of sweet smells followed abruptly by the most horrid smell known to man. I cannot even describe this putrid stench. I think maybe it is some of the intestines hanging on the streets in one of the food stops. I still have not been brave enough to try some of the different "street foods". I am working my way there. There is also something called dried seafood stores. This is also not a great smell to encounter. One evening we were walking home from Mong Kok and I heard a loud shriek. There was a giant cockroach making a run for it over some poor girls feet. I have seen approximately ten cockroaches on the streets. Some are HUGE. Nate was right, I should NOT wear flip flops!

Coffee

I LOVE coffee. I look forward to a delicious cup of joe each and every morning. I especially love fall and winter because there are new varieties of fun festive creamers. White Peppermint for example. Or even better Pumpkin Spice! At home (Well before when I lived in America :) I would make exactly one cup from my Keurig, place exactly one tablespoon of creamer and approximately a half a packet of Splenda. Perfection. I am so sad to say that the coffee here in Hong Kong is HORRIBLE. For the most part they only sell instant coffee at the grocery store. I have yet to see an actual coffee maker anywhere. I have been told that they do exist but are very expensive. I recall my late Grandma Mero drinking instant coffee (I think Folgers?) with a great amount of cream and sugar. Here in Hong Kong they sell "2 in 1" as well as "3 in 1" coffee packets (2 in 1 coffee and milk, 3 in 1 coffee, milk and sugar). The flavor is't great, the coffee is very weak and there is quite a high number of calories per cup!

Another coffee that is huge out here is the infamous chilled Nescafe drinks. There are typically 3 varieties sold at every 7-11 for $8 (this is approximately $1 in America). These are chilled little cans. If I'm in a pinch, these can do the trick.

McCafe is VERY big out here, as is McDonalds in general! There is at least one Micky D's on every corner and they are always incredibly busy! The McCafe has their own separate booth at McDonalds. It is more like a Starbucks counter with specialty coffee drinks and pastries. The drinks there are generally $24-40 HK. Too much for my blood.

THANKFULLY there are many Starbucks in Hong Kong! I guess they really are taking over the world. Unfortunately, they are just as expensive here as they are in America. My delicious skinny vanilla latte is about $4 in America and about $32 HK which equals out. How I wish I could go to Starbucks everyday, sigh.....

There is another great coffee place called Pacific Coffee. They are Starbucks competitor. Their prices, pastries and food are comparable to Starbucks.

Everybody wish me luck on finding a better coffee solution!

School Has Started!

We began our training for Cannan Kindergarten on Monday 9/5/12. The training was....interesting. We learned about the History of our schools. The trainer also told us the mission/vision of the school. She told us we should memorize this in case anybody asks (I later learned from people who have worked here awhile that this was the first they had heard about this). The training ended with a delightful clip from Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, I Believe. Very interesting choice...

Myself along with the other three teachers at my school went back to our location. We had the task of making an English Board. How four adults took 4+ hours to complete a hap hazzard board I'll never know. These Chinese teachers have the most amazing boards I've ever seen! They spend many, many hours on this.

The second day at School I noticed a very large group of elderly Chinese people doing some Tai Chi in the court yard in front of my school. These people are legit. They have swords and everything. We sat around, again, perfecting our English Board. The two returning teachers helped us two newbies with some ideas. I was grateful to Tracy as she taught the Pn Class (pre-nursery) the year before and this is the group I will be working with. Pre-nursery means that they are between the ages of 18 months through 2 years. Once they turn three they are in the N Class (Nursery).

Wednesday the "bigger" kids came to school. Our duties include meeting them at the door, spraying their hands with alcohol, making sure their temperature was taken at home (if not they need to have it taken at school). The English teachers are asked to be standing in front saying Hello, Good Morning/Afternoon. While the children are walking in there is music being played....very weird music for children....it starts out fine with Puff the Magic Dragon but then includes songs like How Many Roads, Country Road, etc.

My little babys didn't show up until Thursday. There was a group of kids that came to summer school. Those children came to class without their parents. A larger group came with their parents Thursday, Friday and Monday so they could get acclamated to preschool. There is a LOT of crying going on. On Thursday I held a crying child for an hour straight. This little bou would only stop to say "go home go home go home". You could get him to stop crying if you said, "one two three SMILE!" He would stop to smile and then start crying again.

The Peak

We traveled up the winding roads on the double decker bus up to Victoria Peak. The view is breath taking!