"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 08, 2010

Orientation Week Pt 2


The rest of the week consisted of class time and sight-seeing tours. I particularly enjoyed the tours. Our first tour on Wednesday was a cable car up to a light house and the Macau Tower. As you can see, the view from the lighthouse was spectacular! You could see all of Macau! I've uploaded a few of my favorite pictures. Being somewhere so different has definitely inspired me to take photos more creatively.



One thing that I've learned to love is the way the Chinese eat a meal. A lot of dishes are ordered, and then one by one, the dishes are brought to the table for everyone to share. I could sense the anxiety on all the Westerners' faces when the waiter/waitress would only bring one or two dishes at a time. You could not help but think, this will never be enough! But as time goes by, more and more dishes come, and everyone eventually becomes full. "Going out to eat" is truly a social event that takes at least an hour or two to complete! I really like the companionship that goes along with sharing all of the dishes, however. I feel like it's Thanksgiving or Easter again when I pass dishes along and get my drink refilled by the person sitting beside me.


The days following, all the foreign exchange students learned about the gambling history of Macau from someone who teaches a professional course on the subject. It was interesting to learn about how Macau became the gambling city it is today and how companies from America were granted special rights in order to build the Venetian, MGM Grand, and The Wynn. I visited my first casino--something I wouldn't be allowed to do in America! It was more elaborate than I could have ever pictured it in my head. Shown is a picture of me inside the Grand Lisboa--which has actually been voted one of the most interesting buildings in the world.