Weekend Trip to Tia O

I spent the weekend with a volunteer organization sponsored by City University, called City Youth Empowerment. During the semester I will participate in a variety of social work activities from playing with school children, tutoring college students in English, cleaning homes of the elderly etc. This weekend's activity was spent in a traditional fishing village, Tia O on the island of Lantau.
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I have been to Tia O twice now, but this time was a completely different experience. First time was on a hiking trip (more like walking) with other exchange students for the day. This time I was the only non-local student among 25, or so, Chinese students for two days. The first night there ended up being a lot of discussion about cultural differences, which I really enjoyed, among other topics such as "what do you think of Chinese girls?" and are American girls like they appear in the television show America's Next Top Model. For example, Hong Kong locals admire "relaxed" American culture. That is, they feel that the motivation to succeed professionally in Hong Kong's competitive work environment  compromises one's enjoyment of the "good" things in life. 
One of the most notable observations of the fishing community was how terribly polluted it is. It was the first time I realized how sheltered I am from the harm that is being done to the earth. For me this epiphany was even more meaningful because, well I am an environmental studies major, and all I have done is learn about how bad things are and this was the first time to experience it. Despite the overwhelming amount of trash prevalent everywhere and the awareness that whenever a toilet was flushed the pipe lead straight to the water below the stilt house we were staying in, it was a very charming, relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. I also had the opportunity to see the white dolphins, learn about the relationship the natives have with the land and the sea, also understand the factors that effect the rapid change of the community and the people's way of life there.