Snap Back to Reality

Moments ago I was lying in bed, trying to get some shuteye, when a thought came crashing down on me: it's all over, eh?

It's crazy to think that just Thursday, I was sweltering under the 90% humidity and 40C heat of Vietnam; that on Friday morning, I had just taken a 300 HKD taxi ride to Terminal 2 at HKG; and that by Friday evening, I had landed in Taipei for my stopover.

So imagine waking up this Saturday morning, halfway around the world from where I've spent my past five months, feeling utterly and eerily normal, spending the day like it's any other day in the South Bay, as if I'd never left for Hong Kong at all, or at best, like I had left only yesterday. It's uncomfortable how comfortable and familiar everything is around me right now -- the parents, the relatives, the home. I was used to seeing new things everyday that normal now just seems strange. I feel like I'm back to my old self again, and I don't know if I like it.

In a way, I should move on. And be thankful things haven't changed at home. But at the same time, it would be a failure to come back from, what should be considered a life changing experience, with nothing different but some new T-shirts, shorter hair, and some nice pics to show for. What did I really learn and gain from this trip? I suppose I'll use this moment of insomnia to recap, hopefully for some closure.

On Hong Kong English and Claypot Rice

Never underestimate Hong Kong people. Especially their English skills.

A few months ago, I watched the Hong Kong episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, in which he accompanies a local food blogger to a Yau Ma Tei restaurant known for its clay pot rice, "a local winter specialty." It's referred to as comfort food among the rice-loving populace here, and that's all fine and dandy, except...

The blogger spoke in that most Hong Kong of accents, emphasizing each syllable, tone rising and falling with each break of the word, in a manner that would make Russel Peters proud. Like this: LO-co WIN-ter SPE-sul-TEE.

I pointed at the screen and laughed. I wasn't alone! Even the producers had felt compelled to add subtitles whenever he talked.

Week 1 - Summary

First, my apologies to those who have been anxiously waiting and waiting for updates on this blog (Hi, Mom!) It's been nearly a week since my last post, but these past few days have been so busy - a non-stop stream of activities, sightseeing, and socializing - that I've hardly had the chance to spend much time to myself.

I will attempt to summarize each day's activities since the last post:

Wednesday, 1/6 - Arrived at HKG on schedule. The logistics were a breeze. I was impressed how uneventfully I transported myself and my luggage to an opposite corner of the world. It made me feel smug. But in hindsight, I was definitely exhausted this first day, despite efforts to nap throughout the flight.

Sleep-deprived and completely lost in my new environment, I managed to do the following:

• Check-in to I-House 1 (Floor 9)
• Check-in to IASP @ OAL
• Meet a bunch of cool people who were hanging around in the OAL
• Go on a campus tour that left from the OAL
• Open a Hang Seng bank account
• Buy water, bananas, and toilet paper at the campus "supermarket"
• Procure an Octopus card
• Eat a chicken sandwich at a popular fast food chain inside the New World Center
• Visit Tsim Sha Tsui and Avenue of the Stars

T Minus A Few Hours

Normally, I like writing blogs or journal entries or reflective essays - whatever - in a slow and contemplative manner, huddled up in my bed late at night, with nothing else to do but to quietly reflect on a day's activities. It's a nice experience - just me alone typing away at a keyboard trying to find meaning and substance in what could otherwise be an ordinary and forgettable day. Sadly, these moments are far and few between; there's rarely ever the time to sit down, write, and well, think.

Take now, for instance: I've only three hours left before I leave for LAX, and I've still got a crapload of things left to do - print my check-in confirmation, buy notebooks and other school supplies for class, gather together important documents, and so on. When I'm actually in Hong Kong, things will likely be even more hectic and busy. My goal for this blog, then, is to find time within each day (or I suppose more realistically, each week) to capture fleeting moments of inspiration and reflection.

Right now, it's only dawned on me that I'll be entering a world completely different to what I'm used to in just a matter of hours. Wow. I have a number of goals for this semester abroad, but the biggest one on my mind right now is to just grow - academically, personally, inter-personally, however you want to call it. Come to think of it, I've actually never properly been in a new environment all by myself. This should be amazing. - MS