The University of Macau holds many things: serious students, dedicated teachers and scholars, breathtaking views of the Macau Peninsula and the South China Sea, a great rock climbing wall and many others. It also is about stairs.
Growing up, my image of China was always of a broad and fertile valley dotted with rice fields and a few homes, with dirt roads winding through. The reality of Macau is that it is among the most densely populated areas on earth, and the university, instead of being in a broad valley, is rather perched on the side of a cliff. There are stairs, elevators and escalators everywhere. But mostly there are stairs.
Last week Elaine and I left our apartment early to watch the sunrise from the top of the highest classroom building on campus, and 364 stairs later there we were. The good news is that the stairs are a form of forced exercise, since the elevators are usually crowded with students who wouldn’t dream of climbing even two flights to get to class. We’re thankful for small things!
