Saturday, April 14, 2018
Our final full day in Hong Kong. It’s hard to believe this trip is about over. Tomorrow morning we will depart Hong Kong for the 15½ hour flight back to Newark. But before we leave, there was more to be done and seen in Hong Kong.
The delegation’s day began with a visit to the Hong Kong Museum of History. The museum’s story begins with a look 400 million years into the past and Hong Kong’s geological origins and the exhibits move from there straight through to Hong Kong’s reunification with China in 1997. One could easily spend a full day at the museum and still not leave having seen or processed all of the myriad exhibits that span Hong Kong’s history and culture. Many of the exhibits are lifelike, such as the section dedicated to Hong Kong’s wildlife, past and present, and the numerous displays of Hong Kong’s diverse cultural history and traditions. I’m posting a few pictures that will offer additional insight.
After the Museum visit, we were granted a free afternoon before our final dinner together. As I’ve mentioned before, I made plans to have lunch today with a mystery guest. The power of the Albertus Magnus family’s reach was on full display today, because I had the great fortune of meeting Albertus Board of Trustee Chair, Jeanne Dennison ’78 and her husband Peter… for lunch in Hong Kong! When I shared my final itinerary for this trip with Jeanne, she mentioned that she and Peter had planned a vacation to Asia and that they would be stopping in Hong Kong. We simply couldn’t believe it that the dates overlapped. And thus, the three of us spent a wonderful 
afternoon enjoying a traditional Cantonese lunch and then exploring some of Hong Kong’s historical cultural sights. As we walked the streets of Hong Kong Island, once again for me the mix of people, architecture, and bright colors was undeniable. A first stop for us was the historic Blue House, which unfortunately was without normal tours, resulting in us only being able to see inside the first floor entry. A next visit will definitely include this stop to see the full house and its history. We were particularly impacted when we visited the Pak Tai Temple. The temple is the largest on Hong Kong and was built in 1863. Its rooms overflow with vibrant color and are full of burning aromatic incense.
With Jeanne and Peter returning to their vacation plans, I had a small amount of free time to walk through Hong Kong’s famous Ladies Market shopping area. To say that it was daunting and even overwhelming may be an understatement. There are easily more than 100 booths and stalls with merchants selling everything from clothing to technology devices to Hong Kong and China souvenirs. I suspect the art of negotiating the deal is on stage each day within the Market.
The day finished with our delegation joining a number of Yale-China affiliated individuals for a final group dinner. Once again we enjoyed traditional Chinese dishes, seated at large round tables with the Lazy Susan’s constantly spinning. Conversations were lively, and a number of us commented how quickly the trip had passed and how much we all hoped we might be fortunate enough to return to China and Hong Kong in the future.
We have an early departure for the airport in the morning, so I’ll try to check in again then. I do intend, however, to write a final blog post, reflecting on the trip, once I get back to New Haven and have the chance to process all that I’ve seen and heard. This day, our last full in Hong Kong, was wonderful. I learned more about Hong Kong and its history, and in meeting Jeanne and Peter here in Hong Kong, I perhaps engaged in our first, but not last, alumni event in Hong Kong.
President Marc M. Camille, Ed.D., will write regular reflections during his week-long trip to Changsha, China, with New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and the New Haven delegation. The New Haven-Changsha Sister City relationship promotes mutual awareness of cultures, customs, and heritage. Invited by Mayor Toni Harp, President Camille is the only college president from New Haven making the trip.