o hai
Bittersweet Goodbye
I can’t decide how to feel about leaving Hong Kong—for the past couple of days I’ve been very hot and cold about my departure. I feel like I’ve been living in a dreamland for the past couple of months, and I’m not yet ready to wake up back to reality. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited about returning to the States, but it’s hard to say goodbye to the place I called home for four months.
I love Hong Kong. I am so grateful and happy that I had the opportunity to study abroad here. It’s been an amazing experience—with so many new memories, friends, and stories. I will definitely come back one day, and I can’t wait to fall in love with the city all over again <3
This is too amazing! JESS, you are a beast—straight from the dirty south!
Summing up our experience in Hong Kong….in a rap song :D
On our way to Ozone—the highest bar in the world at the Ritz Carlton <3
Let’s…keep in words
Dear Abroad Family,
I’m not good with making speeches, so I will resort with a blog post.
Just a couple of months ago we were all strangers…picked to live in a house, work together, and have our lives taped. Okay, not really, but we should have had our lives taped! It would have been one crazy drunken show—Real World Hong Kong.
As corny as it sounds, I am so happy to have met you all. From exchanging quick hellos and how are yous, to ten fingers, to deep conversations, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed my time here with each member of Thumbs Up. You guys have been my family, and I can’t imagine going back home and not receiving a “7 MTR for dinner” text.
Chemistry was crazy from the get-go (word to Mary J). People call us the “California group” and consider us to be cliquey/exclusive, but I disagree. I think we’re just lucky that we all get along and happen to WANT to hang out with each other all the time. #separationanxiety
In the short three or so months, I can’t believe how much we know about each other. Though, sometimes I think we are a little too comfortable with each other…aka Anthony stories (NI HAO) but I wouldn’t change a thing :]
I’m sure we annoy each other from time to time. It’s only natural since we spend so much time together, but we still love each other at the end of the day. I love that we can make fun of each other (excessively) and still remain friends. #CanadaislikeAmericabutnotasgood #fobproblems #AussieandEastCoastChineseaccents #MontereyParkswag #butthole #phoneconversations #GeorgefromGeorgia #weiproblems #whyamialwaysinthemiddle #donggu #getoveryourself #juststrokemyback #cantoneseprincess etc. etc.
I’m going to miss traveling with you guys. I’m going to miss raging through the streets of LKF…or you know, La Bodega, with you guys. I’m going to miss cab talks. I’m going to miss food adventures. I’m going to miss family dinners. I’m going to miss being loud on the MTR. I’m going to miss the hundreds of notifications a day from Thumbs Up. I’m going to miss Hank’s head shake of disapproval. I’m going to miss the Jianadaren. I’m going to miss Gary’s get-you-pregnant eyes. I’m going to miss everyone!
I guess what I’m trying to say is: Nimen shi wo de hao pengyou! Thanks for the laughs, the memories, and the good times.
As some famous man once said (aka a tumblr post I found…):
“We’d said we’d keep in touch. But touch is not something you can keep; as soon as it’s gone, it’s gone. We should have said we’d keep in words, because they are all we can string between us—words on a telephone line, words appearing on a screen.”
So let’s keep in words. It’s more fun to text anyway :] I love you all and I thank you for making my abroad trip truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Here’s one for the books. Stay shufflin!
Love,
Rebecca
This is the best 豆漿 I’ve ever had in my life and it is getting me through the night. That is all.
Asian drivers are cray!
Guilin, China
Decided to go join my friends on a trip to Guilin the night before departure. It was either study all weekend for my midterm or visit one of the most beautiful places in the world…soooo of course I fell into temptation. Guilin is beautiful. Mountains, luscious greens, and LED lights everywhere.
This trip is definitely one for the books, from beginning to the end:
The train tickets to Guilin were sold out, so we decided to take an overnight sleeper bus. We got lured into buying the bus tickets from a shady looking company that claimed to have “direct and luxurious buses” to Guilin. Instead, we ended up in a shitty pickup van that brought us to a shittier/overpacked bus without a bathroom. We were told that it would be a direct 9 hr trip, but of course there were multiple stops and it ended up being a 12 hour trip. Good bonding times though :]
Day 1: We visited the Reed Flute Cave, known for its multicolored lighting and rock formations. Then we made our way to Elephant Trunk Hill and explored that area. After that, we were supposed to go on an evening river tour…but we took traditional costume pictures with the Sun and Moon Pagodas instead! Hahaha hilarious.
Day 2: Right off the bat, we were approached by a stranger who offered us a private driver to take us to our destinations all day (for 300 rmb). To be honest I felt really uncomfortable, but I went along with the group and hopped in the sketchy van with the stranger. They can’t take all 6 of us down, right? In the car we kept making (semi-serious) jokes about being kidnapped and not making it out of Guilin. The driver’s insane driving didn’t make me feel any better either. THERE ARE NO RULES ON THE ROAD IN CHINA. The driver weaved in and out of lanes, drove onto the opposite side of the road, had a fake siren, pretended to pay the toll person, and maneuvered between trucks and motorbikes. But hey, we got to our destinations quickly and he turned out to be a nice guy. I guess never judge a book by its cover..?. .… ..
We arrived in Yangshuo in one piece and proceeded to go on a river tour on bamboo rafts. I chose the wrong person to go on the raft with…Anthony. Two non-mandarin speakers was not the best idea. We got an ASSHOLE of a driver who we could not communicate with; he was a douchebag to us because we refused to buy anything. At one point, he stopped and asked us to buy HIM a skewer/sat down and ate some peanuts with his buddy. It didn’t only happen once. He stopped again, sat down, and popped open a beer. He taunted us with the last sip of beer when we told him to hurry up…effing bitch. I was ready to row that bamboo raft myself. GRRRRRR.
Next stop, Li River. The mountains are pictured on Guilin’s 20 dollar bill and we got to see it in person by motor boat. SIMPLY GORGEOUS. It’s so serene, and unrealistic. It’s crazy to think that a place like this actually exists. No wonder Guilin is known as heaven on earth.
Before leaving, we made a quick stop to West Street to see Guilin’s nightlife.
Wonderful and memorable trip overall. Now back to studying…
This is my home v(-__-)v
As I am more than half way through my abroad program, I would like to share some features unique to Hong Kong.
Things that HK believe in:
- Humidity
- Milk tea with every meal
- Cha siu fan
- 7-11
- Sasa
- LKF on any day of the week
- Octopus card
- Quiet car on the MTR (Oops, our bad)
- Stairs
- Cheap but trendy clothing
- Fake everything
- Starting price at some ridiculous amount and then giving it to you for half the price
- Gorgeous skyscrapers and views
- Engrish
- School spirit and stomping
- Lady Gaga shoes and “Look-like-you-pooped-in-your-pants” pants
- Angry birds (I still don’t get it..)
- Mr. Wong’s
- McDonald’s and KFC
- Condensed milk
- Teenage PDA
- Sex and Zen
Things that HK do not believe in:
- Ice water
- Napkins
- Mainland China
- Deodorant (..gawd)
- Hot Cheetos
- Stopping for pedestrians
- Cold drinks
- Daylight saving
- Mexican food
