8-7-12 Tuesday part 2

continued from Tuesday part 1...

Kowloon Walled City Park. 
After tour guide Carmie said the name about 3 times, I realized it wasn't her or me, it was the name I just couldn't understand. When I saw it printed I was like, oooooohhhhhh! 

This park, as you can tell by the name, used to be a city. Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated, largely ungoverned settlement that in the 60s and 70s was a haven for triads, prostitution, gambling and drug use. It was pretty much a free-for-all, with very little involvement from the government. (If you want to know more: www.lcsd.gov.hk/parks/kwcp/en/index.php) Anyway, the government eventually got fed up with the crime and squallor, demolished the city and made a park that opened in 1995. This is a small model of the city that took up only 6.5 acres.

The park is laid out in a classic Chinese garden style. Carmie gave us a short intro to Chinese gardens, because there is so much meaning behind the choice and position of every plant and structure. First of all, one is not supposed to see the whole garden from one point, parts are hidden from view on purpose to encourage exploration and discovery. Therefore one feature of a traditional Chinese garden is a big rock or wall blocking the view from the entrance. Usually as soon as you enter there is some obstruction. Also, much of the garden can be seen metaphorically. For instance, a rock can mean a mountain, a pond can mean an ocean. This make the garden not just pretty but meaningful. One last thing, many times the entrances to gardens and homes are flanked by couplets, one part of the poem on each side.

LUNCHTIME! We were pretty hot and tired by this time, so we headed toward the Kingdom Hall and a lunch spot just around the corner. Lunch was amazing! It was served family style, with dishes of food placed on a large lazy susan in the middle of the table. Pork dumplings, BBQ pork buns, egg custard buns, shrimp dumplings, pork and noodles in brown sauce, glass noodles and steamed vegetables... Yum and Fun! I had never had Dim Sum before and I really liked it. 

Since lunch was just around the corner, we walked to the Kingdom Hall for the meeting for service. James told us we would have the privilege of working in stand witnessing! This involves not just standing (hehe) but using a stand of literature to show which publications we have.

The meeting was about how to be all things to all men. Then we got some tips on how to do stand witnessing, such as to smile and look approachable. If we are getting stared at then we could say hi (lay ho) and maybe ask how they are (lay ho ma). 

We were split up into groups of 3 or 4, given a group number and told to remember it. This came in handy because after we got back onto the bus, we drove around and as we approached an intersection, James or Carmie would shout out, "ok group number 1, this is your stop, get ready to get off!" and then we'd pile out and go with some local friends who were waiting for us. Our group had Tony and Maria and us. We were greeted and taken for a short walk to where our stand was. Here we are: 

We stayed there for a little over an hour and Zane placed a magazine! When it was time to go, but before we got back to the bus, the friends we were with took us into a store to get some traditional Chinese snacks. I forgot the name, but it's basically a waffle but instead of square depressions in the batter, it's little egg shaped bubbles. So cute and yummy! They also got us egg custard tarts to take back and share on the bus. Those were very rich and a little too much for me since we had just been boiling in the heat and humidity. I think they would hit the spot on a cooler day.

Here is our full service group except for Maria because she is taking the picture. 

I know it's only the first day, and I promise it won't always be like this, but I have to split this into a part 3! Stay tuned!