"The most important thing I've learned is this: The fact that we all believe in different things is nowhere near as important as the fact that we all believe."

Monday, February 01, 2010

Introduction

My name is Kristen and I'm currently a freshman at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. I'm studying abroad at the University of Macau in Macau, China for five months. I've been here approximately 2 weeks. Exchange students arrive 2 weeks before classes start for orientation and course enrollment. My first week here was orientation week which consisted of sightseeing, parties, eating out, and information classes about culture and language. Before detailing my orientation experience, I must first explain a few things about where I'm living.

Macau is actually a series of 3 islands in the southern part of China across the bay from Hong Kong. Macau, the first island, is full of many casinos. It is the first island you pass through when arriving from Hong Kong. Taipa, the second island, is the island the University is on along with a few casinos and many residencies. The third island, Coloane, is unlike the first two. It has many small houses, parks, and even a golf course! It is really quaint without any high buildings or traffic. Macau was actually owned by Portugal until 1999. When Macau was handed over to the Chinese government, an agreement was signed that Macau was to remain independent, or a Special Administrative Region (SAR) for the next 50 years. Therefore, Macau is much more liberal than mainland China. There are very few rules here. The people living in Macau can do things like gamble and surf the internet freely without any problems. From Macau's rich past, there is a vibrant mix of Portuguese and Chinese architecture, cuisine, and culture throughout the islands.