The Years At HKU

When I got into the Honor Class, I overheard one of my English lecturers who was not particularly fond of me for whatever reason, remarked, "I could just see her (meaning me) strutting over the stage for her Diploma." How very unkind!
And "walking proudly" I did, three years later, with honors.

It was one of the best years of my life; it was one of the worst years of my life.

Throughout the next three years, I made some lifelong friends. I enjoyed the Courses I was taking, even History. The Following years, I read Ethics/Logic, Philosophy, History, and English. English would be what you would call my major. We went from General to Specific. English Language. History of English Literature. English writers - including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Shaw . . . Writers for fictions, poetry, plays, and so on. I eventually concentrated on 19th Century and Modern English Literature. My Fourth year's English Lit. Prof. was a known poet. E. Blunden. We got along wonderfully.
I used to write some poetry then.
He talked me into being President of the Arts Association. 
He was a great mentor. I learned a lot from him. He thought I could do anything if I wanted to. Hooray for Prof. Blunden.

Throughout those years, I went to lots of Banquets and Cocktail Parties - mingling with Faculty and students alike. Actually, I did not drink. I still don't now. I was probably the only one asking for orange juice or tea (what was I thinking?) at those parties. Sometimes, the Butler or the Houseboy would give me strange looks while handing me the juice. I did not care. My host, the vice-Chancellor had invited me. So? 
I also attended lots of other Functions and Dances with some friends or schoolmates (I don't really want to call them Dates.) Well, we were expected to have someone to go to those parties with, Right? We had Dances - formal ones with evening dresses and tuxedos.
Our Chancellor of the school was the Governor of Hong Kong - we were the privileged bunch. 
The Vice-Chancellor actually was the one who ran the school. The Vice-Chancellor and his family lived on the campus, like most professors and their families did. .

When the Duke of Kent (or was it Duke of another region?) came to town, I was one of the six girls selected to "Dance with him." He was, at that time a mere teenager. Oh, what could I say? He was somewhat a Bore. He did not really care to fill our Dance Cards, we didn't really wanted to dance with him either. Much to do about nothing!

Sometimes, some of us students were invited to Garden Parties at the Governor's House. Very British.

Jackie, my Portuguese friend, was crazy about our Vice Chancellor's son, Ed. Ed seemed to be fond of Jackie. Jackie had hopes of marrying Ed, but Ed's parents did not approve. A sad story! There was discrimination - Ed was British, Jackie was Portuguese. Jackie was heart-broken. She went to Portugal after graduation. Ed eventually went to Australia, where his family came from. In later years, I heard that he had written a book about HK. I wondered if he mentioned any of us. Ed had passed away. Jackie still lives in Portugal.

And in my fourth year at HKU, I fell in love.