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).