Thursday, December 30, 2010
What Now?
After experiencing so much and spending my life savings, my only question is, 'what now?' What do you do when you come down from something as amazing and extraordinary as what I have just lived? I have learned so much more about myself and what I believe and now that part of my life is done. I try to hold on to those memories and keep people I met along the way in my life, but how long can I keep this up? When does reality set in that I will most likely be stuck in the US for the rest of my life and work a job that may or may not bring me fulfillment, because to be honest I do not know what I want to do. I'm scared of losing people that played a major role in my life during this experience. I know I lost friends when I left to go abroad, but in some ways those friendships should have fallen by the wayside long ago. Does that mean the same holds true for the others? I look at it now and I just don't know. I don't know where I will be in 5 years and I pray not stuck. I have always tried to live by a very simple philosphy: Only you can make yourself happy. When I follow this, which I sometimes don't, I would look at what was the cause of my unhappiness and then work to change it. But I don't know if this is the best way of living for me, it just means constant change. I don't end up working through problems, instead I run away from them. I was unhappy with my hallmates and living situation freshman year and I left the hallway all the time and moved across campus the next year. Even abroad I stopped hanging with people who made me unhappy or ran away from problems because I didn't want to deal with them. Maybe the lesson for my life now is just to take everything as it comes and never let an opportunity slip away. I'm still young, although 22 is daunting and approaching very fast. So I will let this year play out and worry about the future when it happens.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
BBQ Pork Buns
It's funny to me how I have adapted to life in Hong Kong. It seems that you learn to live in a different culture right before you leave it, or that's how my life goes. Everyday is no longer a struggle, I do grimace having to climb nearly 300 steps each morning just to leave my dorm, and the continued climb up the side of a mountain to reach an elevator that will take me to the top of the mountain so I can descend to the other side, but instead of seeing it as a grueling task, its now part of my life.
Who would have thought that I would be eating a bbq pork bun (a type of dim sum bun) while writing this sitting by the campus's outdoor swimming pool watching little Chinese students in speedos swim. I never would have pictured myself liking Hong Kong more than Copenhagen, but its true. I think the main difference is in there's a sense of adventure being in Asia, constantly exploring foreign things and the cities here are just developing and booming, its pretty exciting. Europe is old, it has a lot of history and if you love a more laid back slow pace, then you will love Europe. Sometimes I even miss sipping coffee in a cute cafe while nibbling on the biscuit (cookie) they serve with every cup. But it's a very different way of life, more conservative in some ways, your private life is very hush-hush, people are more closed off, they have their friends and family and are not looking to make more (true at least for Denmark). Hong Kong the people and society are more conservative, hush-hush on many subjects, but being a white western, I have no possibility of integrating into their society--they look at me like a circus animal, and take pictures when they think I'm not paying attention. There is another culture within Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, there is the local culture and then the "ex-pat" culture, the sub-western culture that co-exists. The people are generally friendly in Asian countries, but they know you are different, don't know what to expect of you and treat you differently because of it. Sometimes it works in your favor, nothing you do will overly shock them because they think you're weird anyway. Whereas in Europe anything you did would be judgded and you could be socially ostrized for committing any social faux pas even if you were not aware of it.
My time in Hong Kong is ending soon, I have study trips to Beijing and Tokyo, and then a day in Hong Kong before flying home. Well not really home, I will be back in the US, a place I haven't seen in 10 months, but I will be staying in New York for 11 weeks. Which means I will be returning to NC exactly one year since I left, August 15th. We'll see what happens there whether I can make it or come back home with my tail between my legs. It's a bit nerve racking, I have an unpaid internship and have to find a paid job to support myself for the summer. I have to admit despite the uncertainty I'm excited. Who wouldn't be? I'm living on 5th Avenue, which despite the shared room and no a/c thing is pretty awesome. How many people can say they lived on 5th avenue. One of the main reasons I pushed so hard to be in New York this summer was based on a gut feeling that that's where I should be. Sometimes I have those feelings and try to trust them. When trying to decide between UNC and another university that gave me a nice four year scholarship, I chose UNC, just off a gut feeling of that's where I should be. Let's hope that following my gut feelings takes me somewhere great.
Who would have thought that I would be eating a bbq pork bun (a type of dim sum bun) while writing this sitting by the campus's outdoor swimming pool watching little Chinese students in speedos swim. I never would have pictured myself liking Hong Kong more than Copenhagen, but its true. I think the main difference is in there's a sense of adventure being in Asia, constantly exploring foreign things and the cities here are just developing and booming, its pretty exciting. Europe is old, it has a lot of history and if you love a more laid back slow pace, then you will love Europe. Sometimes I even miss sipping coffee in a cute cafe while nibbling on the biscuit (cookie) they serve with every cup. But it's a very different way of life, more conservative in some ways, your private life is very hush-hush, people are more closed off, they have their friends and family and are not looking to make more (true at least for Denmark). Hong Kong the people and society are more conservative, hush-hush on many subjects, but being a white western, I have no possibility of integrating into their society--they look at me like a circus animal, and take pictures when they think I'm not paying attention. There is another culture within Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, there is the local culture and then the "ex-pat" culture, the sub-western culture that co-exists. The people are generally friendly in Asian countries, but they know you are different, don't know what to expect of you and treat you differently because of it. Sometimes it works in your favor, nothing you do will overly shock them because they think you're weird anyway. Whereas in Europe anything you did would be judgded and you could be socially ostrized for committing any social faux pas even if you were not aware of it.
My time in Hong Kong is ending soon, I have study trips to Beijing and Tokyo, and then a day in Hong Kong before flying home. Well not really home, I will be back in the US, a place I haven't seen in 10 months, but I will be staying in New York for 11 weeks. Which means I will be returning to NC exactly one year since I left, August 15th. We'll see what happens there whether I can make it or come back home with my tail between my legs. It's a bit nerve racking, I have an unpaid internship and have to find a paid job to support myself for the summer. I have to admit despite the uncertainty I'm excited. Who wouldn't be? I'm living on 5th Avenue, which despite the shared room and no a/c thing is pretty awesome. How many people can say they lived on 5th avenue. One of the main reasons I pushed so hard to be in New York this summer was based on a gut feeling that that's where I should be. Sometimes I have those feelings and try to trust them. When trying to decide between UNC and another university that gave me a nice four year scholarship, I chose UNC, just off a gut feeling of that's where I should be. Let's hope that following my gut feelings takes me somewhere great.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Why am I here?
Sometimes its good to stop and ask yourself, why am I here? How did I get to this point in my life? And what am I going to do from here?
All are questions everyone should ask themselves.
1. Why am I here?
I'm in Hong Kong because of my program, I never would have chosen to come to Hong Kong given the choice between Europe and Asia or between other countries or regions in Asia. I was pretty set on studying elsewhere in the world, but since I chose to apply for my program, mainly because someone told me I wouldn't make it, I'm here.
2. How did I get to this point in my life?
I ended up here somehow, not quite sure how, but somewhere along the way I made it here. There are few things in life that are under your control, but you should do your best to let life take its course. I have no set deadlines in my life for things, I do not have an age I have to be married by or an age I have to have children by, all things will happen when they happen, but I am an ardent planner and it can be hard to let control of my life go, but once I do that's when I really start living.
I have also made it this far because of the influence of certain people and certain events. Everyone has people in their lives who make a significant impact. Sometimes it can be an acquaintance, someone you meet briefly on the street, or a very good friend. I have been influenced by a number of people, I have finally come to the one of the biggest realizations of all since coming abroad, that the people who think they have everything really have nothing. Glamour, glitz, it means nothing. The people who suffer in life are the ones who truly understand the meaning of life. The people who fight for their lives can love more, care more, and be more fulfilled by a small victory, whereas people who have never fought, never experienced anything bad can never be fully satisfied. The people who "have it all" have nothing. The people who struggle daily, are the true winners. I know parents do not want their children to suffer and they want their children to have a good life so they shelter them from the evils of the world and give them everything they desire, but this is such a bad idea. These children grow up only caring about themselves, they don't care about others at all, they have no empathy for the world. This is why the world can never come together, because children of rich parents or in the middle class in developed countries do not see how their actions harm the poor, they do not see the daily struggle of these people. It can be very frustrating trying to get along with these people who have never seen any bad in the world before they become adults and don't care.
3. What am I going to do from here?
I have a few things I want to do from this point in my life now:
1. learn Spanish--I was stupid not to so long ago, because now I want to correct some of the past afflictions my country has caused in Latin and South America. I think that is the place to start since the US technically declared that they were the police and controllers of Latin and South America (our side of the world). So far, what I know of history, we have only put policies into place and governments into place that favor us, and do not necessarily help Latin/South Americans.
2. I want to work for the UN. I think that is now my dream job. I know it sounds corny to want world peace, something I think almost everyone wants, but I want to help people in other countries. I think the UN is one of the best ways to do so. I despise government in a way, but mainly because I don't think it ever can truly represent the people's interests. There are too many lobby groups for different companies who feed campaign money to politicians. It's horrible and wrong, but the pressure from lobby groups probably won't ease anytime soon.
This post may be a bit disjointed, but after being reminded of who I was today, I decided I had to get this all down before I forgot or lapsed back into normal exchange student behavior.
All are questions everyone should ask themselves.
1. Why am I here?
I'm in Hong Kong because of my program, I never would have chosen to come to Hong Kong given the choice between Europe and Asia or between other countries or regions in Asia. I was pretty set on studying elsewhere in the world, but since I chose to apply for my program, mainly because someone told me I wouldn't make it, I'm here.
2. How did I get to this point in my life?
I ended up here somehow, not quite sure how, but somewhere along the way I made it here. There are few things in life that are under your control, but you should do your best to let life take its course. I have no set deadlines in my life for things, I do not have an age I have to be married by or an age I have to have children by, all things will happen when they happen, but I am an ardent planner and it can be hard to let control of my life go, but once I do that's when I really start living.
I have also made it this far because of the influence of certain people and certain events. Everyone has people in their lives who make a significant impact. Sometimes it can be an acquaintance, someone you meet briefly on the street, or a very good friend. I have been influenced by a number of people, I have finally come to the one of the biggest realizations of all since coming abroad, that the people who think they have everything really have nothing. Glamour, glitz, it means nothing. The people who suffer in life are the ones who truly understand the meaning of life. The people who fight for their lives can love more, care more, and be more fulfilled by a small victory, whereas people who have never fought, never experienced anything bad can never be fully satisfied. The people who "have it all" have nothing. The people who struggle daily, are the true winners. I know parents do not want their children to suffer and they want their children to have a good life so they shelter them from the evils of the world and give them everything they desire, but this is such a bad idea. These children grow up only caring about themselves, they don't care about others at all, they have no empathy for the world. This is why the world can never come together, because children of rich parents or in the middle class in developed countries do not see how their actions harm the poor, they do not see the daily struggle of these people. It can be very frustrating trying to get along with these people who have never seen any bad in the world before they become adults and don't care.
3. What am I going to do from here?
I have a few things I want to do from this point in my life now:
1. learn Spanish--I was stupid not to so long ago, because now I want to correct some of the past afflictions my country has caused in Latin and South America. I think that is the place to start since the US technically declared that they were the police and controllers of Latin and South America (our side of the world). So far, what I know of history, we have only put policies into place and governments into place that favor us, and do not necessarily help Latin/South Americans.
2. I want to work for the UN. I think that is now my dream job. I know it sounds corny to want world peace, something I think almost everyone wants, but I want to help people in other countries. I think the UN is one of the best ways to do so. I despise government in a way, but mainly because I don't think it ever can truly represent the people's interests. There are too many lobby groups for different companies who feed campaign money to politicians. It's horrible and wrong, but the pressure from lobby groups probably won't ease anytime soon.
This post may be a bit disjointed, but after being reminded of who I was today, I decided I had to get this all down before I forgot or lapsed back into normal exchange student behavior.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Club Play--where the models come out to play
The one thing that I hate about Hong Kong is how fake and all about appearances it is. It makes you feel sick to walk through the markets looking at all the fake designer shoes, bags, bracelets, belts, etc. that have been mass-produced. Just the sheer fact that everything is completely 100 percent fake, yet you have business men and women haggling with the shopkeepers for fake goods. The question then becomes, why buy fake designer goods? You know they are fake, and when I see someone in Hong Kong wearing or carrying a designer item I immediately assume that its fake. The amount of materialism in this country is somewhat sickening especially when you consider that shopping is their religion. No question about it, even the religious statues, the big Buddha for example, are tourist attractions that generate revenue. I'm not saying that its bad for them to generate revenue, but at the same time nothing seems to be sacred anymore in this world. Emerging economies are buying into this everywhere. Nothing is real its all fake.
Now to diverge from my observation on materialism and selling one's soul for fake christian louboutin shoes. (I have to add in that I am not saying that some consumerism is bad, but just the sheer amount that I've seen here is overwhelming and causing me to rethink my priorities and values a bit).
Last night I went to a place in Lan Kwai Fong called Club Play. Its a members only club and I'm not quite sure how we got in...either someone knew someone or sending in our names via email actually got us on the list, I have no idea. Anyway a large group of us got into this place which was filled with rich businessmen drinking bottles upon bottles of moet and models in their stilettos swaying to music. Somehow me and my friend ended up receiving shots from one of the male models while waiting for the bar. At the time I had no idea they were models and just thought they were tall Europeans. Later in the night a local man who spoke no English kept handing drinks to me and two of my friends, first a mixed drink and then a glass of moet. While dancing around, dangerously near a pole, and sometimes on the pole, a few guys approached me to ask if I was a model. The first few times I said no, until I thought about how fun it could be to stretch the truth a bit. The next time I replied "yes". He asked which label I worked for I said gucci, it was a bit out there, but I couldn't think that quickly about which label would be appropriate for my look/body type, or what would even seem plausible. The guy ate it up. Then he killed the whole fun of it by saying "I have to be honest, I want to fuck you". Yea...definitely killed it. I told him I had a Swedish boyfriend. He said he couldn't compete and then asked if I was into Asian guys. I just said I wasn't going to cheat and then swiftly made a move for the bathroom. On the way one of the male models caught my arm and asked me what I was doing. I replied, "Going to the bathroom. What are you doing?" His response, "I'm with this girl right here" motioning to the skinny tall blonde model with an asymmetrical haircut in front of him pressed against the bar. I deftly made my escape. I know that I am enjoying my time in Hong Kong a lot, but if I were to stay here for more than 5 months, I wonder what would happen to my soul amid the consumerism and idolization of fame, beauty, and money.
Now to diverge from my observation on materialism and selling one's soul for fake christian louboutin shoes. (I have to add in that I am not saying that some consumerism is bad, but just the sheer amount that I've seen here is overwhelming and causing me to rethink my priorities and values a bit).
Last night I went to a place in Lan Kwai Fong called Club Play. Its a members only club and I'm not quite sure how we got in...either someone knew someone or sending in our names via email actually got us on the list, I have no idea. Anyway a large group of us got into this place which was filled with rich businessmen drinking bottles upon bottles of moet and models in their stilettos swaying to music. Somehow me and my friend ended up receiving shots from one of the male models while waiting for the bar. At the time I had no idea they were models and just thought they were tall Europeans. Later in the night a local man who spoke no English kept handing drinks to me and two of my friends, first a mixed drink and then a glass of moet. While dancing around, dangerously near a pole, and sometimes on the pole, a few guys approached me to ask if I was a model. The first few times I said no, until I thought about how fun it could be to stretch the truth a bit. The next time I replied "yes". He asked which label I worked for I said gucci, it was a bit out there, but I couldn't think that quickly about which label would be appropriate for my look/body type, or what would even seem plausible. The guy ate it up. Then he killed the whole fun of it by saying "I have to be honest, I want to fuck you". Yea...definitely killed it. I told him I had a Swedish boyfriend. He said he couldn't compete and then asked if I was into Asian guys. I just said I wasn't going to cheat and then swiftly made a move for the bathroom. On the way one of the male models caught my arm and asked me what I was doing. I replied, "Going to the bathroom. What are you doing?" His response, "I'm with this girl right here" motioning to the skinny tall blonde model with an asymmetrical haircut in front of him pressed against the bar. I deftly made my escape. I know that I am enjoying my time in Hong Kong a lot, but if I were to stay here for more than 5 months, I wonder what would happen to my soul amid the consumerism and idolization of fame, beauty, and money.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Big Buddha and other things
I have to say that since shopping is religion it should come as no surprise that the big Buddha (the biggest Buddha in the world that sits atop a mountain that you have to reach by cable car and unknown to us the cable cars have fallen off the wire before into the bay....which is not deep a man was walking in the middle of it catching crabs) is a tourist trap filled with shopping and photo ops along the way (Asians love to take pictures of everything.....including white people--especially white people actually). The view from the cable car was beautiful, but once we got out at the mountain peak, it was all souvenir shops leading the way to the big Buddha--which has tourist shops inside of it. Apparently the big Buddha was only built 15-20 years ago, probably as a tourist attraction to raise money for the monastery there (the monastrary was a lot better than the Buddha...a bit less commercial, but it was still surronded by tourist shops). Should have known that's how it would be because shopping is the religion of hong kong.
After the Buddha we went into a section of town at TST known for Indian food. We walked into a building filled with dingy shops selling cell phones and strange Indian men eyeing the girls (one made eye contact with me, winked and then motioned at the guy walking behind me...strange people). Seven of us were sat in a tiny dingy room in the restaurant where we literally climbed over chairs b/c they couldn't be moved b/c the room was too small--nice way to get closer to each other. The food was absolutely worth the trip and pretty cheap for the amount we received.
Monday was an uneventful day that just involved a lot of shopping and the discovery of anti-pollution shampoo and the over-priced western grocery store I now love because I can buy imported products from western countries (at a premium price)---but I can now eat chicken without bones, cartilage, fat, and skin still attached...so excited! The anti-pollution shampoo is necessary because without it my hair does not get clean, it stays greasy no matter how many times I wash it, which sounds very gross, but that just tells you how polluted the air is here---it's ridiculous, doubt I could live here a long time, too much pollution.
Tuesday was meant to be a chill day, but instead after some camera shopping in Mongkok we went to a sushi restaurant that served half price sushi after 10pm. The sushi was amazing and I am now addicted to salmon and mango sushi (sounds weird, but so good...really anything with mango is good). The half price deal included our cocktails which was a really good deal. After dinner 4 of us girls decided to go out for a chill drink to hang out and talk. We almost went to central, but ended up in prince edward instead. We had no idea where we were the mtr (metro) had stopped running and we were in a very local area of town. We went into an "American bar"--name of the bar and shard a bucket of coronas (their special promotion) and talked for half an hour. After half an hour the owner of the bar a 50 year old hong kong man came over and began to talk to us, then he proceeded to play raffle games with us (kinda like yahtzee with dice, but different, its a hong kong drinking game). He then bought us two more buckets of beer and a plate of appetizers. Soon he was joined by another 50 yr old hong kong man and then a 35 yr old hong kong woman. Things began to get very interesting when the owner serenaded us karaoking and the woman began to dance with one of my friends and the other 50 yr old man tried to kiss one of the other girls. Next thing I know I have a 20 yr old hong kong guy asking to take a picture with me. It was completely insane. At the end of the night it was clear, the owner was hitting on my blonde friend, the lesbian hong kong woman was hitting on my curly haired friend, the other 50 yr old man was hitting on my brunette friend, and the weird picture0taking 20 yr old was hitting on me. The entire cab ride home we take videos talking about how we would lie about having marine boyfriends next time to avoid situations like that. It was a lot of fun, completely hilarious all night and we got a lot of free food and free drinks, since the owner bought us so much.
Wednesday night was the I house party (our dorm's party), wan chai Wednesday--ladies night, girls get free drinks all night, and Terry the Irish guy's last night in hong kong. The night began with Japanese drinking games, love shots, Limbo, and then led to wan chai and swindlers. My night ended pretty early when I left at 1:30 and took a cab home.
Thursday was my friend's birthday, so we celebrated in style. The girls went to get their hair done at the hairdressers since its so cheap and then we all put on dresses and went the the shangra-la hotel and ate outside at the tapas bar there. The food was good and just hanging out with the girls was a nice change of pace. Later we met up with the guys at Fevar in LKF where I was assaulted by the drunk bartender who bit my hand after initially kissing it. The music was great and there were poles to dance on everywhere and a ton of exchange students mixing with the local hong kong youth. A few people were thrown out of the bar for being too drunk and the korean took a nap on the sofas. A Moroccan guy told me that I should make out with him since he hadn't had sex for a month....not a good pickup line....he ended up having to search for some love in the mix of people after I refused. I lost my friend who's birthday it was during the night and searched the club for her...I later found out her need for a falafel was too great and she had wandered to the nearest kebab shop. When I left the club at 4:30am, I just wanted to hop in a cab, but the french boys were trying to drag me down the street to get some Mc-Donalds---they always have to have Mc-Donalds before going home. I broke away and escaped Giulium's grasp and made it back without Mc-Donalds.
Today I pulled myself away from my bed to go to class, unable to comprehend much, and almost got hit by a bus again and had a mini-freak out when I almost got hit by cars 4 times in the span of 20 min. It is very difficult to know where to look here when crossing the street b/c its ingrained in you to look left, but the car that hits you first here is coming from the right....so weird. Decided that I'm going to Thailand in April--Bangkok for a day and then south via night train and then ferry to koh samui for a beach/island trip for a few days. Haven't planned Australia yet, but thinking I'll be able to go at the beginning of May, which would be amazing, even though that would mean I would be travelling all of May (Australia, Tokyo, Beijing).
Life is good here, its been a lot warmer here and pretty humid lately. One little note, I'm wondering if my taste in guys changes in new places. In Copenhagen I wasn't very interested in Scandinavian guys, but since coming to Hong Kong I find the Scandinavian guys most attractive, does that mean I'll start favoring Hong Kong guys when I go back home?...hmmm...
After the Buddha we went into a section of town at TST known for Indian food. We walked into a building filled with dingy shops selling cell phones and strange Indian men eyeing the girls (one made eye contact with me, winked and then motioned at the guy walking behind me...strange people). Seven of us were sat in a tiny dingy room in the restaurant where we literally climbed over chairs b/c they couldn't be moved b/c the room was too small--nice way to get closer to each other. The food was absolutely worth the trip and pretty cheap for the amount we received.
Monday was an uneventful day that just involved a lot of shopping and the discovery of anti-pollution shampoo and the over-priced western grocery store I now love because I can buy imported products from western countries (at a premium price)---but I can now eat chicken without bones, cartilage, fat, and skin still attached...so excited! The anti-pollution shampoo is necessary because without it my hair does not get clean, it stays greasy no matter how many times I wash it, which sounds very gross, but that just tells you how polluted the air is here---it's ridiculous, doubt I could live here a long time, too much pollution.
Tuesday was meant to be a chill day, but instead after some camera shopping in Mongkok we went to a sushi restaurant that served half price sushi after 10pm. The sushi was amazing and I am now addicted to salmon and mango sushi (sounds weird, but so good...really anything with mango is good). The half price deal included our cocktails which was a really good deal. After dinner 4 of us girls decided to go out for a chill drink to hang out and talk. We almost went to central, but ended up in prince edward instead. We had no idea where we were the mtr (metro) had stopped running and we were in a very local area of town. We went into an "American bar"--name of the bar and shard a bucket of coronas (their special promotion) and talked for half an hour. After half an hour the owner of the bar a 50 year old hong kong man came over and began to talk to us, then he proceeded to play raffle games with us (kinda like yahtzee with dice, but different, its a hong kong drinking game). He then bought us two more buckets of beer and a plate of appetizers. Soon he was joined by another 50 yr old hong kong man and then a 35 yr old hong kong woman. Things began to get very interesting when the owner serenaded us karaoking and the woman began to dance with one of my friends and the other 50 yr old man tried to kiss one of the other girls. Next thing I know I have a 20 yr old hong kong guy asking to take a picture with me. It was completely insane. At the end of the night it was clear, the owner was hitting on my blonde friend, the lesbian hong kong woman was hitting on my curly haired friend, the other 50 yr old man was hitting on my brunette friend, and the weird picture0taking 20 yr old was hitting on me. The entire cab ride home we take videos talking about how we would lie about having marine boyfriends next time to avoid situations like that. It was a lot of fun, completely hilarious all night and we got a lot of free food and free drinks, since the owner bought us so much.
Wednesday night was the I house party (our dorm's party), wan chai Wednesday--ladies night, girls get free drinks all night, and Terry the Irish guy's last night in hong kong. The night began with Japanese drinking games, love shots, Limbo, and then led to wan chai and swindlers. My night ended pretty early when I left at 1:30 and took a cab home.
Thursday was my friend's birthday, so we celebrated in style. The girls went to get their hair done at the hairdressers since its so cheap and then we all put on dresses and went the the shangra-la hotel and ate outside at the tapas bar there. The food was good and just hanging out with the girls was a nice change of pace. Later we met up with the guys at Fevar in LKF where I was assaulted by the drunk bartender who bit my hand after initially kissing it. The music was great and there were poles to dance on everywhere and a ton of exchange students mixing with the local hong kong youth. A few people were thrown out of the bar for being too drunk and the korean took a nap on the sofas. A Moroccan guy told me that I should make out with him since he hadn't had sex for a month....not a good pickup line....he ended up having to search for some love in the mix of people after I refused. I lost my friend who's birthday it was during the night and searched the club for her...I later found out her need for a falafel was too great and she had wandered to the nearest kebab shop. When I left the club at 4:30am, I just wanted to hop in a cab, but the french boys were trying to drag me down the street to get some Mc-Donalds---they always have to have Mc-Donalds before going home. I broke away and escaped Giulium's grasp and made it back without Mc-Donalds.
Today I pulled myself away from my bed to go to class, unable to comprehend much, and almost got hit by a bus again and had a mini-freak out when I almost got hit by cars 4 times in the span of 20 min. It is very difficult to know where to look here when crossing the street b/c its ingrained in you to look left, but the car that hits you first here is coming from the right....so weird. Decided that I'm going to Thailand in April--Bangkok for a day and then south via night train and then ferry to koh samui for a beach/island trip for a few days. Haven't planned Australia yet, but thinking I'll be able to go at the beginning of May, which would be amazing, even though that would mean I would be travelling all of May (Australia, Tokyo, Beijing).
Life is good here, its been a lot warmer here and pretty humid lately. One little note, I'm wondering if my taste in guys changes in new places. In Copenhagen I wasn't very interested in Scandinavian guys, but since coming to Hong Kong I find the Scandinavian guys most attractive, does that mean I'll start favoring Hong Kong guys when I go back home?...hmmm...
Friday, January 15, 2010
Asian Madness
As promised I will continue to update my blog, now moving onto Hong Kong, it's just easier to start from here then recap more of Europe, or my long flight from London to Hong Kong.
Campus:
The CUHK campus is outside of Hong Kong and is on a mountain. Yes, a mountain, to get to class, food, the metro (MTR), I have to hike up and down a mountain, or take secret elevators or staircases in buildings up and down that take you to different parts of the mountain, or I can catch a bus that goes around campus. I have been running some around the campus and think I may die some days, but the view is absolutely amazing. I have a local roommate from Hong Kong, she's very nice and made me dinner one night, except I already had dinner plans, but she ate the food so it's all good.
Hong Kong Island:
Hong Kong is a bit crazy. Picture NYC, but with millions more people packed into a smaller space with one or two lane roadways and monstrous buildings, flashing lights, stores open all the time, and just general chaos (and weird asian food smells drifting through the streets). It's pretty ridiculous. It can be overwhelming. There are malls everywhere here and shopping is a sport. Malls are kind of expensive actually except everything is half price and always on super sale. There are 7-11s and Starbucks and McDonalds everywhere here (except you can get noodle soup with egg in McDonalds along with your big mac).
The Food:
American Chinese food is not chinese food. Chinese food can be good, but it can also be horrible...picture a whole chicken with beak still attached fried and put on your plate. Never eat chicken here, it always includes the skin, cartilage, and bone. Also stay away from whole fish or anything that says "fresh" if its meat, it means it may still be served alive. Western food is not good here, they don't know how to make it and is ridiculously expensive, imagine your outback steak costing 40 dollars. I paid 20 dollars for a chicken quesdilla at TGI Fridays with the worst tasting salsa in the world, never again. The school canteen has food really cheap, only 2 or 3 dollars for a massive plate, but then again you never know if what you get will be edible (stay away from chicken).
Nightlife:
The nightlife is amazing here, but drinks are not dirt cheap, think NYC prices for a cocktail, beer, or wine. They do have ladies nights and liquid bars which are the way to go, or standing in the street outside 7-11 drinking...that's a good way to go too. Wan Chai has ladies nights Wednesday nights, Carnegie's has a bar you can dance on but is very crowded and serves free "champagne" to all girls (really sparkling wine). Lan Kwai Fong (lfk) has ladies nights on Thursdays, one place had free cosmos for girls, and Fever had a liquid bar, 5 dollar entrance for girls, but 30 for guys, free drinks once inside though. Friday night is Club 9 night, 18 dollars for entrance and free drinks till 1:30am. Saturday night is lkf again, Oysters has LITs for 4 dollars. Volare is a really cool bar/club in lkf on the 29th floor of a building and has awesome night views of the city. Going out here is fun, but you have to take a taxi back to campus, takes about 30 min. (getting into town take the MTR takes an hour). The MTR shuts down at 12:30 am, so taxis are a must.
The Markets:
Today I went to the Ladies market in Mongkok. Markets are great as long as you aren't too shy at bargaining, you have to be firm, they are trying to rip you off. I ended up with 2 D&G purses, a Marc Jacobs clutch, new black ballet flats, and some awesome rhinestone hair clips. Yes I went a little crazy, but its fun. I just need to stop buying stuff now, or I won't be able to bring it home.
Hong Kong is a crazy place, there's always something to do. Tomorrow I'm going for a corporate visit at Ocean Park and next weekend I think I'm hitting up Macau for a weekend of gambling and partying!
Campus:
The CUHK campus is outside of Hong Kong and is on a mountain. Yes, a mountain, to get to class, food, the metro (MTR), I have to hike up and down a mountain, or take secret elevators or staircases in buildings up and down that take you to different parts of the mountain, or I can catch a bus that goes around campus. I have been running some around the campus and think I may die some days, but the view is absolutely amazing. I have a local roommate from Hong Kong, she's very nice and made me dinner one night, except I already had dinner plans, but she ate the food so it's all good.
Hong Kong Island:
Hong Kong is a bit crazy. Picture NYC, but with millions more people packed into a smaller space with one or two lane roadways and monstrous buildings, flashing lights, stores open all the time, and just general chaos (and weird asian food smells drifting through the streets). It's pretty ridiculous. It can be overwhelming. There are malls everywhere here and shopping is a sport. Malls are kind of expensive actually except everything is half price and always on super sale. There are 7-11s and Starbucks and McDonalds everywhere here (except you can get noodle soup with egg in McDonalds along with your big mac).
The Food:
American Chinese food is not chinese food. Chinese food can be good, but it can also be horrible...picture a whole chicken with beak still attached fried and put on your plate. Never eat chicken here, it always includes the skin, cartilage, and bone. Also stay away from whole fish or anything that says "fresh" if its meat, it means it may still be served alive. Western food is not good here, they don't know how to make it and is ridiculously expensive, imagine your outback steak costing 40 dollars. I paid 20 dollars for a chicken quesdilla at TGI Fridays with the worst tasting salsa in the world, never again. The school canteen has food really cheap, only 2 or 3 dollars for a massive plate, but then again you never know if what you get will be edible (stay away from chicken).
Nightlife:
The nightlife is amazing here, but drinks are not dirt cheap, think NYC prices for a cocktail, beer, or wine. They do have ladies nights and liquid bars which are the way to go, or standing in the street outside 7-11 drinking...that's a good way to go too. Wan Chai has ladies nights Wednesday nights, Carnegie's has a bar you can dance on but is very crowded and serves free "champagne" to all girls (really sparkling wine). Lan Kwai Fong (lfk) has ladies nights on Thursdays, one place had free cosmos for girls, and Fever had a liquid bar, 5 dollar entrance for girls, but 30 for guys, free drinks once inside though. Friday night is Club 9 night, 18 dollars for entrance and free drinks till 1:30am. Saturday night is lkf again, Oysters has LITs for 4 dollars. Volare is a really cool bar/club in lkf on the 29th floor of a building and has awesome night views of the city. Going out here is fun, but you have to take a taxi back to campus, takes about 30 min. (getting into town take the MTR takes an hour). The MTR shuts down at 12:30 am, so taxis are a must.
The Markets:
Today I went to the Ladies market in Mongkok. Markets are great as long as you aren't too shy at bargaining, you have to be firm, they are trying to rip you off. I ended up with 2 D&G purses, a Marc Jacobs clutch, new black ballet flats, and some awesome rhinestone hair clips. Yes I went a little crazy, but its fun. I just need to stop buying stuff now, or I won't be able to bring it home.
Hong Kong is a crazy place, there's always something to do. Tomorrow I'm going for a corporate visit at Ocean Park and next weekend I think I'm hitting up Macau for a weekend of gambling and partying!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's been awhile...but now onto ASIA!!
Sorry for the lack of posting anything about Europe, it was a bit of a whirlwind that came with a lot of ups and downs. I travelled all over the place 1. Denmark--the country I studied in...if you can call what I did studying. 2. Spain-Barcelona...probably my favorite place in Europe, absolutely amazing in every way and I will definitely be going back there and want to explore Spain more. 3. Czech Republic-Prague: wonderful city, saw the pope in his pope mobile, went to a castle, the mini-Eiffel tower, Old town square, had amazing food, and went to the opera at the National theater. 4. Hungary: Budapest--not my favorite place on earth, a poor corrupt country, probably not the best place to go when your vacationing...although the exchange rate makes it very affordable. 5. Poland: Krakow: sad I only spent a day here since it was a nice break from the overly large cities I had visited previously. Planned to go to Auschwitz and the salt mines but ended up flying home early...costly mistakes. The one downside to Poland: the only people who speak English are in their upper teens, early 20s...sucks if your in a store, asking directions, or trying to take a bus somewhere. 6. Germany: Berlin: the first study trip of the semester involving too much drinking, sleepless nights and a breakdown...maybe that's why I hated Berlin...7. Italy: Milan, Venice, Florence, Siena, Perugia, and Rome: I liked some Italian cities: Venice, Siena, Rome...not crazy about Milan, Florence, or Perugia....nice cities but the first two seemed dirty and overpriced. The canals of Venice were amazing and the David at the accademia in Florence...something that has to be seen, a photograph does not do it justice. I learned that if I lived in Italy long enough that I would most definitely learn Italian. 8. France: Paris, Versailles, Epernay: I don't understand why people hate the French so much, I actually like them a lot and their cities and trains were amazing. 9. Belgium: Brussels: study trip number two was a lot more fun than Berlin despite the black mold growing on the ceiling of our hostel and the crazy hours: they kicked us out of the hostel from 10am till 2pm...horrible. The beer was great and going out almost every night and EU presentations were the norm. The last night I almost ended up having a breakdown---maybe an indication that I can only stand GLOBE students for so long and can't handle them non-stop all the time. 10. The Netherlands: Amsterdam: Long weekend following Brussels, it was fun, learned I cannot handle 420 without freaking out, so have decided not to try it again--probably the healthier alternative. 11. Sweden: Lund: visited Bjorn and his family with my brother, nice chill day, nothing incredibly exciting but hanging out with the Swede was fun and meeting his family was really nice. 12. England/Wales: Brighton, London, Shrewsbury, New Town: Saw Michael and Katie again which was wonderful. Tried crumpets and was a cold rained on tourist in London. Went to Wales for a New Years that involved me passing out at 1:30am....too much alcohol.
Sums up my adventures through Europe, 12 countries in 4.5 months not counting Iceland--saw it from the sky was in the airport 1.5 hrs or Slovakia...8 hr bus ride through the countryside, saw castles, mtns, and stopped at rest stops there.
Being abroad has really changed who I am, at home I had friends to rely on all the time and going to Copenhagen I knew really no one. I was really excited at first, but then made the mistake of not meeting people outside my program, which really ending up biting me in the butt down later. Putting random people together in a group and expecting them to get along is insane, its not going to happen, we are friends with the people we get along with normally, you can't force yourself to be friends with or like a person. I have a few friends within my program, but am really trying to be just a normal study abroad student in Hong Kong, its hard when your already labelled from the beginning but I;m optimistic that it will turn out alright, I've already met some amazing people and I'm not afraid to just start talking to a random stranger...never was really.
I think I've grown up a bit, we'll see what people think once I get back home, but I figured out what I want to do with my life and the steps necessary to achieve my career goals. Learned about relationships with friends and with guys and learned more about myself. I am not the same girl who lets people walk all over me anymore, I don't just try to blow off things that bother me, I confront people about them now---part of growing up, learning to stand up for yourself...its not meant to be mean when you confront someone its just standing up for yourself. I'm through with fake people...can't stand them actually, hate backstabbers, and people who aren't trustworthy. Learned everyone needs friends and family, they're the people who will be there for you when the world falls apart---even if you call them at a ridiculous hour from a foreign number.
The best piece of advice I can offer anyone from my experience is: Don't let others bring you down, do what makes you happy, and never let anyone stand in your way.
More to come later, promise I''ll update in Hong Kong and that some of it will be more lighthearted, those were just some tough lessons I had to learn from my European experience....but now I'm in Asia, so only Asian lessons from now on. :)
Sums up my adventures through Europe, 12 countries in 4.5 months not counting Iceland--saw it from the sky was in the airport 1.5 hrs or Slovakia...8 hr bus ride through the countryside, saw castles, mtns, and stopped at rest stops there.
Being abroad has really changed who I am, at home I had friends to rely on all the time and going to Copenhagen I knew really no one. I was really excited at first, but then made the mistake of not meeting people outside my program, which really ending up biting me in the butt down later. Putting random people together in a group and expecting them to get along is insane, its not going to happen, we are friends with the people we get along with normally, you can't force yourself to be friends with or like a person. I have a few friends within my program, but am really trying to be just a normal study abroad student in Hong Kong, its hard when your already labelled from the beginning but I;m optimistic that it will turn out alright, I've already met some amazing people and I'm not afraid to just start talking to a random stranger...never was really.
I think I've grown up a bit, we'll see what people think once I get back home, but I figured out what I want to do with my life and the steps necessary to achieve my career goals. Learned about relationships with friends and with guys and learned more about myself. I am not the same girl who lets people walk all over me anymore, I don't just try to blow off things that bother me, I confront people about them now---part of growing up, learning to stand up for yourself...its not meant to be mean when you confront someone its just standing up for yourself. I'm through with fake people...can't stand them actually, hate backstabbers, and people who aren't trustworthy. Learned everyone needs friends and family, they're the people who will be there for you when the world falls apart---even if you call them at a ridiculous hour from a foreign number.
The best piece of advice I can offer anyone from my experience is: Don't let others bring you down, do what makes you happy, and never let anyone stand in your way.
More to come later, promise I''ll update in Hong Kong and that some of it will be more lighthearted, those were just some tough lessons I had to learn from my European experience....but now I'm in Asia, so only Asian lessons from now on. :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)