My Journey to Hong Kong Begins

Feature Story and Photos by Diana DeRosa

A Respite & More Details

By now our brains were quite filled with details and it was time to savor some of Hong Kong’s famous cuisine. Shrimp, chicken, eggplant, spinach, fruit and so much more added both a mild and spicy touch to the afternoon before we continued on our educational journey.

Mrs. Carrie Lam would be our next host and she detailed Home Affairs role in these Olympic Games, basically explaining that they look after the local government. “Nothing is more glamorous or symbolic than hosting the Olympic Games … Although we are starting late we will be able in Hong Kong style to deliver a world class event.”

Home Affairs covers such things as security, immigration, medical services, environmental protection, quarantine, culture, education and community involvement.

Mrs. Lam noted that because Hong Kong was brought into the Olympic Games so late in the process they needed to limit what they would do to prepare. Since Hong Kong has a very strong Racetrack known as Sha Tin, which is managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, they decided to focus the Games in and around that racetrack.

And while the details are way more complex than I’ve outlined above, I need more time to process the information in order to present a clearer picture of just how this is all working.

Mrs. Lam was our last appointment and so before heading up for another fitness session (after all that great food we ate) a few of us decided to wander around town and get to know the city we were visiting.

Learning & Experiencing Hong Kong

And so here I was following the advice or Brett Free as I wandered with some fellow journalists to experience the country. The clearest indicator that we were in Hong Kong was the foreign script that was visible everywhere. Unlike the U.S. where the variety of cultures is endless, in Hong Kong there is a strong dominance of the Chinese people. You do see a mixture of other ethnicities here and there; mostly British since they controlled this country for 150 years until July 1 of 1997 when it became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

As we meandered through the streets we took our time grabbing pictures but also noticed that the elderly would turn their heads when they saw our cameras. Out of respect for their wishes we did our best not to intrude on their privacy. Yet in the end we captured a small part of the essence of this country that would be our home for the next week. In the days ahead as we get to see and experience more of the details about the Olympic Games and Hong Kong I will reveal what I learn.

In the meantime, if you have questions or comments, feel free to email me (dderosa1@optonline.net) as I bring you a sneak peak of Hong Kong, home to the equestrian sports at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.