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Published: September 6th 2008
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Hong Kong
Victoria's Peak Hong Kong - August 11th to 22nd
A flight from JFK to Hong Kong (lay-over in San Francisco) that altogether totaled 24 hours, I did not participate in any form of beneficial activity to our world but sit in my seat drugged up from OTC sleeping pills that knocked me out for 16 hours. When Hong Kong was near, however, I did stay up for a couple of hours watching “Made of Honor,” starring Patrick Dempsey, which made it to my top 10 list of “Worst Movie Ever, But I Still Got Hooked.”
When we (Phong, my roommate from last year and I) arrived in Hong Kong, it had just rained and the overall climate was not welcoming one bit. Nonetheless, I have always heard that when foreigners reach their destination where rain is present, it only means good luck. This superstition, nevertheless, fell short to its name when we got lost looking for our hostel. To make things even worst, when we finally made it to our room, it was no bigger than my closet at home and the bathroom was what I would call “an efficient use of limited space.” You could literally sit-down on the toilet, do your business, while also take a shower and brush your teeth at the same time.
During this time, being in Hong Kong did not even hit me yet. The entire ride to the hostel was underground and I did not see much nor did I see the skyline that always gets me. Immediately after moving in, my roommate and I got back on the subway and went to Central Station where we went to look for my favorite restaurant, “Tsui Wah” to meet up with some old friends, a Dickinson buddy and some of my favorites dishes, one being the “Beef Brisket Noodle in Fish Broth Soup!”
Still, being in Hong Kong just didn’t hit me like I expected.
The next day, we met up with Joffre and Wincy, our Syracuse HK Coordinators last year for some “yum cha” otherwise known as “dim sum.” It was good to see them again because I am sure many will attest that they are one of the most helpful persons around. If we had one safe haven in Hong Kong, it would be them. Later on that day, we met up with Laura, a fellow Dickinsonian and had some lunch and Hong Kong’s famous egg tarts and “Bo Lo Bau,” a freshly made sweet soft bun with butter. Even then, I still didn’t feel like I was in Hong Kong and by then I was thinking, “Am I getting sick of this place already?”
Making a move to China was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I left my family, my friends, a potential career, and a lifestyle that I grew fond of. For obvious reasons, I left because I needed to find what I could do in China. I studied here, worked here, and researched various aspects of this place and found many potential opportunities waiting to be taken advantage of. However, when I got here, I second guessed myself and was thinking, “I could just go home and live a regular lifestyle and still be content.” This little moment I had lasted for maybe 30 seconds because right when I got on the Star Ferry to cross over to Hong Kong Island, the breath-taking view of Hong Kong’s high rises wiped away all of my concerns. Right then and there, it hit me and I knew that everything was going to be fine. I came back to Hong Kong, Shenzhen next, because I fell in love with this place and I wanted to do something different, follow my heart and not go with the generic path of working a 9-5 job in NYC.
Coincidently and maybe even faith, *wink*, Kirsten M from Dickinson stopped by Hong Kong in her summer expedition in Asia. That night we took the peak tram to Victoria’s Peak and had a clear night with a clear view of Hong Kong’s skyline. The view was awe-inspiring and even pictures can’t express the beauty of the view.
The next few days the three of us did a lot of walking around and please put this statement somewhere, “I will never go shopping with Kirsten ever again.” Kirsten came to Hong Kong looking for a pair of sunglasses, shoes, and a dress. At the end of the trip, she did not purchase any of these except for an odd-colored pant from Juicy Couture. Yea, Hong Kong, a shopping paradise, and she could not find any of the items she wanted. I still love you though Kirsten and I am sorry for making you feel like a minority in Asia, haha, there are so many of us!
Quote of the week from Phong used on Kirsten: “Damn white girl, what do you thing you’re doing? Get in the back of the line, this is China, white people are in the back of the line!”
Furthermore, we met up with a lot of my Hong Kong friends and we did a lot of eating and singing karaoke. It was good to see my old friends that I have met through the Dickinson and Syracuse program. One of the biggest highlights of the trip was definitely the boat trip that Candy invited me on. I met Candy along with a group of other friends through a summer program Chinese University of Hong Kong had at Dickinson. At this boat trip, Candy and her friends rented a junk and we went wakeboarding, swimming, and jumping of boats into the very clean water of Hong Kong. A side note, wear sunscreen! I am literally pealing at the top of my head due to my newly shaved head. I thought that because I am darker in complexion I would be able to resist the sun a little better. I was very wrong and had to suffer from sunburnt skin for a couple of days and I am now shedding everywhere. Head and Shoulders cannot help my dried and pealing head right now.
An ex-coworker joined me in this boat trip and I made it a goal of mine to teach her how to swim. Lets just say she now knows how to kick her legs in the water. Yea, that goal had to be altered a bit, I am sure we will have another chance to swim Alvena!
Another notable event was when another student I met, Wawa, took my friends and I out for dinner. This dinner was particularly delicious because I could not stop telling her how good the food was. We got various dishes that was steamed in clay pots. It was so good and Wawa, thank you!
Later that week, I had a chance to meet up with more of my ex-coworkers at Upstream Asia. At first, they didn’t recognize me due to my shaved head but seconds later, they kindly welcomed me after I showed them a box of egg tarts that I bought for them.
Hong Kong was more of an adjusting destination for me. I came here to relax and to get back in the groove. My Cantonese is back and I am now more confident just walking around and not getting lost. Seeing all my friends was just amazing and I am sorry if I skipped over you. This blog this is not as easy as I thought. It was a rough start, missing home, adjusting and etc. but I am now ready for Shenzhen. I will try my best to keep you guys updated and feel free to drop me an email me or send me a message on facebook.
P.S. Lan Kwai Fong, Wan Chai, and Knutsford Terrace, still dishing out loads of fun.
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Laura
non-member comment
wow it's very detailed!!
Wonginit your "rough start "of this trip and those concerns sound just like what I felt over there. Hongkong was so amazing to me too, and plus big fun with you, but the difference is that hongkong was the adjusting place and relax before my returning to US, where I'm gonna spend a couple of more years of regular school life and feeling like a minority again haha. Well I believe Hongkong is good start of life for both of us!