Prior to my departure to Hong Kong, I made it my mission to spend a lot of quality time with those I hold dearly. This made my departure a breeze, and I felt I left on wonderful terms with all of my close friends and family.
My anxious feelings towards my Hong Kong endeavor were quickly outweighed by my excitement to leave my country and explore a continent I have been fascinated by since my youth. My plane ride was a mix of excitement and mild anxiety. Not anxiety from fear of the unknown, but my eagerness to be in Hong Kong already. My 15 hour flight to Taiwan, then 8 hour layover was excruciating, but still a wonderful experience.
On my flight to Hong Kong, I was fortunate to sit next to a HK local named Royal. We quickly became friends, and he later became responsible for making my first night in Hong Kong completely unforgettable. He took my friend and I to LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) a popular nightlife area of Hong Kong where we danced and met many welcoming locals that we conversed with for hours. Arriving in Hong Kong, I was blown away by my new environment.
Dreaming big with big Buddha.
Hong Kong is a beautiful, vibrant place and it has really humbled me. I rarely thought of how people lived outside of the United States. The people of Hong Kong are extremely hard-working and have a great sense of pride in their country. This is different from my home country. Americans that are socially aware of the political and social injustices in our country usually tend to have anything but a sense of pride in being from the United States. A sense of pride in one’s home is something I have never experienced. But now that I am in my temporary home of Hong Kong, I am proud to be here. My culture shock has been nothing but positive. As an African American, I am a rare individual here. I get stares and double glances, but this is something I knew would happen because I researched the black experience in Hong Kong long before I arrived here.
A goal I would like to complete while I am here is to travel to Japan. Additionally, I have become so much more studious here. Recently I completed a paper assignment five days before the deadline because I am able to focus on my exciting coursework. I am definitely going to bring my new studious habits back to the States.
I have been here only four days and I have already seen magnificent sights. I have walked for a total of 15 hours covering 43 beautiful miles. Never in my life have I had such fun just walking and adventuring.
