Hi everyone,
My name is Fiona and I’m a 4th year English student at UBC. I am also very excited to announce that it is my last semester of undergrad! Other than majoring in English literature, I am also fascinated with human social behavior, which is why I am minoring in sociology. This is my first time taking an online english course, so I’m interested to see everyone’s take on literature through the platform of a blog.
I was born in Hong Kong but moved to Coquitlam BC when I was five. Therefore I was raised in BC, but I would visit Hong Kong at least once a year. I visit less often nowadays due to school. If I had to describe Hong Kong with one word, it would be ‘dense‘. Not only are there people crowded all over the streets, but buildings, apartments, and malls are also tightly packed in Hong Kong. No wonder why it’s one of the most densely populated places in the world! My favourite memory of Hong Kong will always belong to the liveliness of the crowds, with bright city lights glistening at night. One of the things I love most about Hong Kong is their food. For all the foodies out there, I highly recommend you checking out this link here that introduces Hong Kong’s most popular food/drinks. Are you drooling yet? Moving along, the first photo below is of the Hong Kong skyline; I hope you find it as breathtaking as I do. The next couple of images are to give you an idea of how dense the region is. 
So now that I have provided some information about myself, I would like to introduce the course. English 470A is an online english course that focuses on the study of Canadian literature. I am fascinated to learn more about the intersections between European and Indigenous traditions of literature. Another important aspect of this course is to learn about story telling in literature. There are multiple factors to consider in story telling which includes perspectives of stories we listen to, and the stories we do and do not hear. Throughout this course we will gain a better understanding between literature and storytelling. I am also excited to learn more about Canadian literature in a context that focuses on First Nations. I look forward to discussing and researching about nation building and literature. Lastly, I hope to improve my interaction skills by discussing/collaborating with my fellow classmates online.
References:
Drescher, Cynthia. “Jaunted.” Jaunted The Pop Culture Travel Guide RDF. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014. <http://www.jaunted.com/story/2013/3/7/175654/1696/travel/What+to+Eat+in+Hong+Kong%3A+21+Foods+That’ll+Rock+Your+World>.
“HONG KONG: THE FACTS.” Population. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. <http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/population.pdf>.
“The busiest streets of the world.”OpenTravel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. <http://opentravel.com/blogs/the-busiest-streets-of-the-world/>.
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for the great link to Hong Kong food – I have visited Hong Kong twice now and really enjoyed the open lunch and dinner stalls along the crowded streets with all the scents and mysterious foods – yum! And what an interesting History Hong Kong has – every bit as colonial as Canada, yet strangely now a part of China. But perhaps only strange to someone of my generation. Do you know anything about the Indigenous peoples of China? I don’t – but wish I did. Thanks again. Erika
Hello Professor Paterson,
Wow it’s great to hear that you have visited Hong Kong twice; I always love hearing about other people’s experiences on Hong Kong. I’m glad you enjoyed the wide range of foods! As for the indigenous peoples of China, I know that the first people that inhabited the island of Hong Kong were indigenous peoples from China who were fisherman. Also, the British colonization of Hong Kong changed its history forever. Hong Kong would not be as commercialized as it is today without British colonization. Hopefully that gives you a better sense of the history of Hong Kong, which is a part of China today. I actually took a summer exchange course this past summer, and it happened to be a comparative history course between Vancouver and Hong Kong. I kept a blog while I was in Vancouver and Hong Kong and wrote about my experiences. If you are interested you can check it out at http://604×852.tumblr.com/
Thanks!
Fiona
Hi Fiona !
It’s great to know that there’s someone else in this same course that’s also from Hong Kong! I also highly recommend the food from Hong Kong, it’s really one of the best! Following Erika’s comment, I’m not too sure I know anything about the Indigneous peoples of China, however, I would not say that I see Hong Kong as a part of China as strange as I spent most of my childhood there and grew up in a society where Hong Kong had already been handed over from the British back to China. It has been clear throughout my entire life that although Hong Kong is geographically a part of China, it is a bit different than all the other chinese provinces, as Hong Kong is described as a ‘Special Adminstrative Region’ due to its history of previous occupation by the British. I’d really like to know more about how it was colonized by the British though, it would be interesting if you knew and could tell me more!
Julie
Hey Julie! Thanks for reading this post. It’s so interesting knowing that you grew up in Hong Kong, I feel like we have some sort of connection haha! Although I didn’t grow up in Hong Kong, I too acknowledged Hong Kong as a SAR, though it is attached to China. Because of the Opium War in 1842, China was forced to lease Hong Kong Island to Britain as a hub to trade opium. If you would like to know more information, I have attached a BBC history link here . As mentioned to Professor Paterson, I took a comparative history course between Vancouver and Hong Kong this past summer and actually got to travel to Hong Kong. There, I blogged about my experiences of learning about the history of Hong Kong and Vancouver. If you are at all interested to read about my blog, you can read more about it here. Thanks Julie! I look forward to more discussions with you as the course continues.
Fiona
Hi Fiona,
I am also “fascinated with human social behavior”, and I am particularity interested in how our thinking is affected by the behavior of others. I am a psychology minor and one of my favorite courses was social psychology, which dealt not only with our behaviors in social situations, but also our thoughts and emotions. What I find especially notable is how even very subtle or nuanced interactions and observations play a significant role in modulating us externally and internally. I am also very interested in the relationship between reasoning and emotion, and the situations (e.g. moral judgements) in which one generally plays a larger role than the other.
“I am also very excited to announce that it is my last semester of undergrad!”
Me too, and I share your excitement = )
Hi Spencer!
Congratulations on your last semester at UBC! Woohoo, victory lap! Though I am not a psychology major or minor, I have taken several psych courses at ubc. I agree with your comment on how the slightest interactions we have in our lives are capable of playing a significant role in our lives. Speaking from a sociological perspective, my interest lies in the meaning we generate from the interactions we make with people and the community. It would be great to combine our thoughts to create an analysis based on the study of the mind, brain, and social behaviour! Thanks for sharing your thoughts again.
Fiona
Hi Fiona, Julie and Spencer – it would be interesting to compare the colonizing narratives of Hong Kong and Canada – wouldn’t it. Something you could think about for your final research paper – if you choose a research paper. I would also love to learn more about the Indigenous peoples of that territory. I wonder if there are websites out their created by Indigenous peoples of China? Thanks.