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It was an early April day when my friends and I decided to go to Mui Wo a small village on an island a little off the coast of Lantau. We had to leave really early in order to catch the bus on time to go to the island.
When we got to the island, we went to see a famous waterfall. Humorously, we found a very tiny waterfall because we forgot that it was not the rainy season and so there would not be that much water to flow from the waterfall! We did see, however, many Chinese buffalo around the fields of the people living there.
Three buffalo in a field
We also saw many different traditional houses and shops around the village. While it was a holiday and most of the stores were closed, we saw many different stores and buildings.
Front door to a village shop
We also found a small cave while exploring. It was apparently a small cave meant to bring silver up out of the ground. However, prospectors soon realized that the silver vein was not that deep and chose to stop excavating the cave.
Two friends at the mouth of the silver cave
One of the nicest things there was the beach. While it was a little bit too cold to swim, the water was very pretty and would occasionally sweep up and the mist would cool us off.
Five people and a view
Eventually we got lunch and started to tour the rest of the town. We saw a very friendly dog and were even able to pet him for a time. He really liked my friend Morgan and would nuzzle her forever if he could. We also saw a local bookstore and bought a couple books. The funniest thing about the bookstore was it being attached to a salon, so you could have your hair cut and find a good book at the same time!
Happy shiba, happy friendsSome light reading for the journey home
My friend Laya’s uncle from Belgium came to visit her this weekend. Laya invited me to have lunch with her and her uncle which was very sweet of her. Her uncle was originally born in the Ivory Coast but moved to Belgium with his wife and kids to provide further opportunities for himself and his family. We ended up going to a Lebanese place in Central which had very good reviews.
We ordered hummus, fattoush (a Lebanese salad), baba ganoush, and various kebabs. I thought all of the food was good, but I particularly liked the baba ganoush, which is an eggplant dish made into a dip like hummus. I also really liked the hummus, but I was not quite used to having ground beef as a part of the hummus so it took some getting used to.
Landscape at the top of Victoria Peak
In Central, there is a very famous series of escalators which took us from the bottom of Central to high up in the mountains. My mom told me to check it out because it is the longest series of escalators in the world. It was quite nice to see the difference between old and new Hong Kong. Central has a vast network of older cultural buildings and newer skyscrapers and businesses. However, the escalators did not take us to the true top of the mountain. We had to either take the famous tram, or the bus.
We did not know how to get up to the top, so we started walking from the top of the escalators to the tram. At some point we must’ve gotten lost along the way because we were hiking up the mountain before we eventually gave up and got a cab to the top of the mountain. At the top was one of the best views of Hong Kong, and they’ve even managed to build a small mall at the top as well. I thought it was quite funny to see a big monopoly statue as a showcase for one of their pop up shops.
While Hong Kong food is delicious, many of us wanted to have some food from back home. A few of my friends chose to make their traditional dishes from home. Since we come from many cultures, each person had a night where they would cook.
One of my friends from Italy made a recipe that was handed down by his grandmother. It was a simple tomato sauce with penne pasta and basil. We ate it with bread and a simple side dish of salad. On another day, I helped him make a quick pesto dish that we were able to eat with bread and cheese. Both of these dishes were delicious. I thought it was nice to experience the culture of places I have never been to. While the United States has many dishes from different cultures, it is not the same as experiencing the food from the home country.
I thought this was especially true when one of my friends who’s Palestinian made us hummus for the first time. She told me that each family has slightly different recipes, but common ingredients include chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice. Her family also adds ice to smooth the consistency of the hummus. It was quite an ordeal to make the hummus because we did not have a food processor on hand. So in order to make the hummus, we had to borrow a tiny blender from our floor’s RA. However, the blender was tiny and it was difficult to make the hummus without dulling the blades. In the end, while the hummus was chunkier than my friend would’ve liked, it was delicious! We even managed to find a couple pieces of flat bread to eat it with to make the meal that much more authentic.
One of our friends is in the local orchestra. A couple weeks ago, HKBU hosted a concert of difference concertos composed by Brahms and Mahler. We were invited by my friend to watch them play the flute for the concert. The concert was hosted in Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall in Tsim Sha Tsui. My friend Rebekka has played the flute for fourteen years and was very excited to play in an orchestra while she’s traveling abroad.
They played Brahm’s Violin Concerto in D & Mahler’s Symphony No.1. I personally liked Mahler’s Symphony No.1 better because the symphony felt lighter and more lively than Brahm. However, the violin soloist was very good and was even studying in Austria to play in one of the orchestras there.
HKBU Orchestra at Concert Hall
I met lots of new people at the concert as well! It was even Colin’s birthday. He’s from Hunan and was turning 20 that day. After the concert, we gave him a small pastry and added a candle to blow out when the clock struck midnight. Since everyone was from different countries we made a video for him of all us saying “Happy Birthday” in our native language. Some of the languages included Turkish, German, Finish, and Arabic.
From left to right: Başak, Jackie, Adam, Collin, Henrik, Rebekka, Celina, Laya
A few days later my school was hosting an event. Everyone was given a ticket, and if you completed all of the challenges you won a prize. I had a lot of fun doing all of the mini games. A few games include: eating a lemon slice without grimacing, darts, and ring toss.
One of the interesting games we played was 15, 15, 20. In the game, each person chooses a number 0-20 that is a multiple of five at the same time. As they shout their number each person holds up either one, two, or no hands. If the number of total hands is equal to the number the person shouted, they would win a stamp to add to their ticket. It was actually really challenging because you couldn’t guarantee what the other person would do and could only hope for the best. In the end, I completed all of the mini games and received a bear for my prize.
Crossing the border from Cambodia to Vietnam via bus was a nerve wracking experience. The bus driver asked everyone for their passport so that they could send the passports in bulk. Looking back on it now, the trip was not as stressful as I made it out to be in my head.
Once in Vietnam, we went to get dinner and see the sights. We landed in Vietnam right before Tết or Vietnamese New Year. The whole city of Ho Chi Minh was decked out to the nines. There were Vietnamese flags of various sizes strung along balconies as well as displayed on buildings. There was a real sense of pride of the people for their country.
Night before Tết in Vietnam
At the countdown to midnight there was a fireworks display held along the river that many people attended.
Fireworks going into Tết
The following days we were able to tour the outer regions in Vietnam. One of the main places we visited was the Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda on our way to the Mekong River Delta from Hanoi. We were able to see the Laughing Budai and Guanyin at the pagoda.
These statues are a part of a larger Buddhist temple complex called the Vĩnh Tràng Temple. The Budai is known to bring people fortune and abundance with the help of his bag. Guanyin is associated with compassion. Their name is short for Guanshiyin or “the one who perceives the sounds of the world.”
Laughing Budai at Vĩnh Tràng PagodaGuanyin at a temple
On the tour, we were also able to see the Mekong River Delta, which is a large river surrounded by lush foliage which supplies much of Southern Vietnam’s agricultural nourishment. We rode in gondolas through the river. Many of the boats were pushed by women, as it is one of the main ways the women can make money for their families. We were fortunate enough to receive hats from them as well!
For Lunar New Year, many people were telling us to go abroad during the break. So that is exactly what a few of my friends and I chose to do. With much heated debate, we settled on going to Cambodia and Vietnam for a nine day trip.
We first chose to go to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capitol. We were able to see the Cambodian history museum and go to a traditional Buddhist temple over there! The temple is colloquially known as the Monkey Temple because of the local monkey population over there. Often visitors are able to hold out food to them and have the monkeys take the food from their hands.
Monkey Temple Phnom Penh, CambodiaMonkey sitting on railing of Monkey Temple Phnom Penh, Cambodia
We were also able to try many new foods while in Cambodia. One such food is the fruit called Rambutan. It is similar to eating a lychee with a fluffier outside. We also ate traditional street food. One of our friends was even able to eat a fried tarantula. We also ate traditional barbecue over there where.
We ordered a set of food for each of us and cooked it ourselves! For me personally, my favorite traditional Cambodian food is amok. Amok is a traditional steamed fish curry which is usually served with rice inside wrapped banana leaves or a coconut shell.
Family style dinner Phnom Penh, CambodiaRambutan Bus stop between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia
We then took a long bus ride to Siem Reap in Cambodia. There we were able to see Angkor Wat, the biggest religious site in the world. It was originally a Hindu memorial site honoring a king in Cambodia’s history. However, now it is a national heritage site and a museum! The temple spans over 400 acres of land with many different entrances for the different castes in Hindu society at the time. The temple was intended to worship Vishnu the Hindu god of protection and Lakshmi, his wife and goddess of wealth and success.
Along with Angkor Wat, Siem Rip has five more famous temples. My friends and I chose to attend two more. The smiley face temple, traditionally known as Bayon, showcased thousands of smiling Buddhas. We also visited the Ta Prohm Temple known for their massive Banyon trees. The temple was created by Jayavarman VII during the 12th century in dedication to his mother in the traditional Buddhist style.
From top to bottom, left to right: Başak Brozdoğan, Celina Ghnein, Tour Guide Che, Emilie Ouslati, and Taila Patterson. Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, CambodiaScenic view from the tomb at the top of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, CambodiaPhoto of Smiley Face (Bayon) Temple’s outside in Siem Reap, Cambodia.Monkey gripping onto pant leg at Smiley Face (Bayon) Temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia
A red eye to Narita and a five hour flight to land in Hong Kong near midnight the next day – it was my first time ever flying to another country by myself. With this new experience under my belt, I checked into a hotel for the night and went to campus the next day. The airport in Hong Kong is on the Lantau island whereas Hong Kong Baptist University’s campus is on the island of Kowloon.
A couple of days later we had our orientation for the exchange students. I was able to meet many new people and take a tour around the campus. After the tour was over, we broke into groups to tour the city a bit more. On this night, we chose to eat traditional Shanghainese food and drink some soup due to the chilly temperature.
A few days later, some of the people from the tour wanted to go for a hike. We chose to hike Lion’s Rock which is located near our school. One of the girls, who is on exchang for a year, was able to point out our school for us at one of the peaks.
The entire distance of Lion’s Rock is about 7 miles and a five-hour hike. However, my group only chose to do the front half of the hike and forgo the first two hours of hiking. It was such a clear day, that we were able to see almost all of the island from where we were standing. We could even see monkeys during our trip there!
About a week later it was one of our friend’s birthdays (the girl on the right). For her birthday she wanted to showcase some of her culture to us and took us to a local Lebanese restaurant. In the restaurant we had many traditional foods like hummus, fattoush, and Lebanese baklava!
I find myself recollecting all the sights and sounds and smells and tastes and feel of Hong Kong. From the dorm room that has come to feel like home, as they always do, having somewhere to come home to even in a place so far from home. To the particular beep of the Octopus card when I scan it on a bus or at the metro. To the closeness of the city and the skyscrapers all around me. To the lights and designs that light up the sides of those same buildings. To the brilliant greens of trees against a blue sky. To the comfort of a warm cup of tea, even on the hotter days at the beginning of my exchange abroad. To the sound of laughs around the table at dim sum as we struggle to divide the dim sum dishes that usually come in quantities of three, between a group of four. To the distinct rattle of a two-story bus that is somehow comforting, familiar as a moment of calm on the way to some activity, or else a companion on the ride back after a long day of delicious food and beautiful sights. To the sweet smell and taste of a custard bun or the pepper of the pepper beef dish that I discovered here. To the dazzling sunsets bright against the buildings clustered at the horizon…
It’s my last day in Hong Kong and I join my friends in going to the Tai O fishing village again, wandering around by the water and between shops, counting eight or so cats over the course of our trip. Then we take a ferry to the place where a cable car will take us to the Tian Tan Buddha. On the cable car, we realize that all four of us are to some extent intimidated by the distance between us and the ground, dangling by only a strengthened cable over water and hills on our trip to the buddha.
It turned out that the last cable car returned at 6 pm, and we only had half an hour to see the buddha and return to the cable cars. The stairs up to the buddha also closed at around 5:30, so we weren’t able to walk up to it, but we did get to see it from the bottom of the stairs.
The Tian Tan Buddha
On the way back, we ended up in a car with a see-through floor, as at the end of the day, all the cable cars were used, regardless of one’s kind of ticket (we had opted against paying the additional cost for the cable car with a clear floor). But taking the cable cars at the end of the day and being able to see the sunset over the hills in a 360, with absolutely nothing obstructing the view, blew me away.
The sunset as seen from the cable car on the ride backView through the see-through flooring of the cable car
As we approached the destination, it was getting towards dusk, and we could only see the vague outlines of trees beneath us, and then the lights of the city and the cars reflecting in the water. A last, lingering view of Hong Kong.
I just took my last final this afternoon. While I’m very glad to be done with finals after weeks of stressing over them, I’m starting to feel that the tether tying me to Hong Kong is unravelling as my time here dwindles. My roommate also returned home yesterday. I have five more days here, including today. I’m caught between missing my family and being unready to leave behind Hong Kong, the friends I’ve made here, and all the experiences and things I have known here. I’m not ready to recollect Hong Kong from the United States, to consider it as an experience gone by, knowing that I most likely will never experience anything like this study abroad again.
Nighttime view of the castle at Hong Kong Disney — I went to Disney last week
It’s starting to really feel like winter, as a couple weeks ago the temperature dropped from the upper/mid 70s to the 50s and 60s. With only air-conditioning in my room, I feel like the humid cold has settled into my bones… I’m always bundled in my three to four layers when I leave the dorm halls.
Matcha ice cream and mochi that I got at a matcha cafe earlier this week
But before I talk too much about that, I’m going to talk about my exams. For one of my classes, I just had a couple projects to finish. For my other classes, I had more or less traditional final exams, although they differed a bit from the type of exams that I’m used to taking back at Linfield.
The Cantonese-speaking final was like the midterm: we met with the professor and demonstrated our pronunciation ability and that we could respond to simple questions. However, for the written final, it was much more formal than exams I’m used to taking in college. We had a one-hour time slot outside of class time, in a different building than our normal class took place. Additionally, we were assigned a seat number; both classroom and seat number were posted on our school accounts. The environment reminded me of an AP exam, as we had to wait until it was exactly 1 pm to start the exam, and the exam paper had a front cover to fill out with your information.
The final for one of my literature classes was perhaps the most differently-structured exam I took. We had 24 hours outside of class to write our responses to two essay questions. We received the prompts at 6 pm on the first day of the exam, and we had until 6 pm on the next day to submit our responses.
For the next exam, we received four essay questions that we had to respond to in approximately five hundred words. We had five days to write our responses to that exam. I submitted it last night.
Today’s exam really reminded me of an AP exam. It, again, was in person, in a different classroom than the one where we had normal classes, and we were assigned seat numbers. I believe they combined our class (perhaps two different sections of the same class) with another one, as there were two professors proctoring the exam – my professor and one other. When I arrived at the exam room and saw so many people outside that I didn’t recognize, I was originally worried I had gone to the wrong building. Fortunately, that was not the case. I would estimate our class had around 25-ish students, and there were nearly sixty exam booklets set out. We had two hours to write responses to two essay questions. I haven’t had to write an essay in a timed limit since high school, so it was a little bit stressful having to do that again, but it ended up being alright. And now all my exams are over.
The delicious dinner I got at the Indian restaurant we went to. I got garlic naan, milk tea, butter chicken, and paratha.
It has come to the last week of classes. Next Tuesday is my last class, and then the rest of December, until the 22nd when I depart for home again, is dedicated to finals. No matter my initial uncertainty about studying abroad and being so far away from home and everyone and everything I have ever known, I now find myself very uncertain and melancholy at the thought of returning home, although I’m excited to see my family, friends, and cats.
As a very introverted person, I was concerned about making friends abroad, but I have found amazing friends here, with whom to laugh, to learn about and explore Hong Kong and each other’s cultures, share about our different experiences… It’s a difficult thought of making friends while abroad knowing that, at the end of the semester, everyone will go their separate ways, and that even if one keeps in contact over WhatsApp, that you might never see those friends in person again. But I suppose life takes you that way with people you meet whether or not there is a definite deadline assigned to your relationship. I know I will always treasure the experiences and friends I have made here in Hong Kong.
View from Cheung Chau, an island that my friends and I visited earlier in the semester
Change as a person is a hard thing to define as it is something that occurs in slight degrees and shifts, ups and downs, over weeks and months and years. I can’t say with certainty in what ways I have changed this last semester, but I know it has changed my perspective on life in many ways. It has changed my worldview, for one. There’s something about living on a different continent, some 7,000 miles away from home, interacting constantly with people from different places than you (although I do have a few friends who are from the U.S.), that makes the world seem so much smaller and closer.
I have been fortunate enough to travel abroad prior to coming to Hong Kong, but traveling around for a couple weeks, and mostly to visit historical sites, didn’t give me the same sense of perspective that studying abroad in Hong Kong for over three months as of now, has given me. I remember how I felt looking out the window of the bus to take me to my quarantine hotel on the day I arrived. After midnight, after my 24-ish hours of travel from Portland to Hong Kong, looking out at the lights that we passed, the bridges we passed over, the signs in English and traditional Chinese. The buildings taller than I had ever seen before; the crowdedness; the markers of a big city; the anxieties of knowing no one and nothing; being handed a bunch of papers after arriving at the quarantine hotel; and being sent to my hotel room for the next three days of quarantine.
A beautiful park near campus
Now I see the beauty of the multiplicity of buildings reaching to the sky, the lush green of the trees that are plentiful around Hong Kong, which I wouldn’t have expected in a big city (Hong Kong has more greenery than I’m used to seeing at home).
View over Hong Kong from Victoria’s Peak
I have to admit a certain uncertainty about returning home after this experience abroad. And while I plan to enjoy every second I have left in this beautiful city and culture, I’m not sure how to fit who I am now into the place of who and where I was before. This experience has certainly given me a perspective on who I want to be in life, and how to move forward.
