Halfway Done with Study Abroad Program T.T

I am halfway done with my internship, and I’m already starting to miss this city and lifestyle. Here are some reasons why:

One, I probably won’t be able to see the friends I’ve made here and my relatives again, or for a while at least.  They’ve made me come out of my comfort zone, more than the actual city to be honest. Hong Kong, to me, is like a mini city, so I feel like I could live here for a while (if the rent wasn’t expensive, that is). Back home, I would always hang out with my group, which mostly consists of Asians, so we generally have the same mindset. However, meeting my classmates and the other students from other programs have given me different perspectives on life that I never would’ve thought if I didn’t come here.

Two, I’m going to miss living by myself. Technically, I should be dorming with one of my classmates, but she got her own room, and so I have the whole room (double-bed one) to myself. This is pretty Gucci compared to everyone else living here. The space I occupy would probably cost at least one, or two, or even five hundred thousand US dollars if I weren’t in this study abroad program. Rent here is just ridiculously expensive. Everything else like tax is not paid, free market economy makes it easier for people to sell (fake) things without a license. Even 7-eleven can sell alcohol at a cheap price ($10 USD for a bottle) becuz they don’t need an alcohol license. (why I even know this, it’s a long story. Let’s just say I’m always surrounded by alcohol and smoke.)

Three, I’ll also miss my coworkers (and their sarcasm xD). The whole atmosphere feels just like home, well sorta. I’m the youngest and an intern, so the professionalism has to be there. Other than that though, I’ll miss hearing their funny comments every weekday. It makes time goes by faster, which I don’t want it to.

Four, this whole trip has been like a vacay to me. Once I go back to Houston, I’ll have to deal with reality again. That includes, college, planning out post-career life, club officer activities (for two clubs, actually), and home chores. Sigh, why didn’t I do this sooner? I wish I was going into junior year. I would have more time to explore myself and do other things, like research, volunteering, traveling, etc. internally, I feel like a kid just learning about life. I feel old, too. Bros, I’ve done a lot of first time stuff during this trip than the 20 years I’ve been in Houston. Like, WHAT WAS I DOING BACK THEN??? It’s going to suck going back and facing those responsibilities, but what can I do but face them? I can’t really complain at this point. I just need to take action and stop being lazy and shy with my feelings.

One thing I’m definitely going to be taking back home with me is newfound confidence. After talking with so many different people during this trip and experiencing a study abroad program, including an internship, I feel like I can do anything (well, not really). I’ve always wanted to travel and try working in a different city, and I DID! ^_^ That’s one, or well, a lot, of checks off my bucket list.

If there’s anything I won’t miss, though, it’s the pricing here. It’s at least a dollar and a half more than the pricing in Houston (for a Tall Starbucks frap…I know.)

Alright, I’m going to go resume watching my Chinese drama. I have at least 30 episodes to catch up, so got lots of time during this trip to finish it. I'll be watching Game of Thrones soon, too. K, Ciao.

P.S. I'll probably post some pics here, but honestly, you can just check them out on my Facebook page or Instagram (Suki Tu and suki_winnie, respectively). 

What's my work life and lifestyle like right now?

Well, i'm actually adjusting pretty quickly.

Maybe becuz i have already visited HK, but it was only like 3 days. Or maybe becuz i have relatives here, so i'm not that afraid and homesick as i was when i was in Kansas City. Or maybe it's the culture that is familiar to me yet filled with different people mixed together.

Like New York, HK is like a hotspot, attracting and connecting with different types of people. I see British, Korean, Japanese, Indians, Africans, Filipinos, you name it., everywhere (except for Vietnamese ppl, which i'm not sure why). So, one thing i learned last week was that when ranking the universities here, the # of international people are one of the most weighted criteria. And you know what? Mainland Chinese people are considered international students. Like what?? No wonder HK universities are ranked high af. They're literally next door to China, man.

Oh, and last Saturday was the Handover anniversary of HK, which is the day when Hong Kong was given back to China, and the President came over, too. What sucks tho i didn't really see protests, which i wanted to take pics of. That's like something i always wanted to 'take part of' tho not really get involved. The other girls in my program saw one and even got a British flag from one of the protesters (jelly >.<).  But, at least we saw the fireworks. Idk if that counts as a a thing to see thoooo >_> But bros, it was such a coincidence that the rain stopped when the fireworks stopped. It was something out of a movie scene. We couldn't get a good view nor take good pics cuz there was a thunderstorm and gusts over 70 mph, but there were still a lot of ppl who came out to see the fireworks. It became kind of a tradition since the handover, so yeah.

Anyway, it has already been two and a half weeks. My sleep schedule went back to the way it was (meaning i stay up til past midnight). Living by myself has been alright so far. I don't really have any big issues since i need to learn how to manage a work and life style on my own. Work place is nice: there's a lounge, i have my own desk, my co-workers are the best, and restrooms. They're pretty scarce here, esp with the toilet paper. I will probably get lonely after the other intern leaves tho. He's also a fellow Coog who graduated in 2012 :D It's nice having somebody like that who understands where you're from. This is his last week, and he's going back to London for his Master's, which is cool. Lots of traveling, which i want to do in the future. But, i'll take things one step at a time. It was nice getting some advice from him post graduate life becuz i'm not really with alumnus at my school. But now, i think after being separated from my usual group of people, i feel a lil bit more confident talking with people (except boys). I can nvr get inside their heads. I can be rational with them, but other than that...let's just say i'm not good beyond the friend scale lol.

If anything tho, i haven't even explored 1/3rd of the city yet. With more field trips to come, i hope to meet more students from other programs and see more of the rawness of the city. Lots of first times i will be experiencing during this trip, oh, which includes my first time to a legit bar lol. I'll save that story for another time....ahahaha

Ok, ciao.