Happy New Year!

Ok, I know. I'm terrible at updating. It's been almost 6 months and no word from me. So, to rectify this let me give a brief synopsis of what I've been up to since my last post. After Macao my group went to Beijing where we stayed 5 days and had an amazing time. I climbed the Great Wall, saw the Forbidden City, and ate Peking Duck. Then we came back for the first semester of school. The school year was filled with long nights of studying, meeting new people, and having tons of fun around Hong Kong. In November, I went to Thailand for 4 days and had an awesome vacation with friends. We sunbathed, got massages and manicures, swam in the Indian Ocean, ate some of the best food I've ever had, and got an opportunity to see the local culture. I would definitely recommend Thailand for anyone who likes to travel. It was a beautiful country filled with kind people and a rich history and culture. After returning from Thailand, I had Thanksgiving dinner with my IBCE classmates and started taking my final exams. With God's grace, I passed all of my classes. Then I returned home for winter break and had a relaxing time with family and friends.

Now, I've been back in Hong Kong for a week and I have started to reflect on how my perception of the world has changed. Going back to the States felt like an out of body experience part of the time and I didn't know how to feel about it. Of course, I was happy to be home and there were many things that I missed about the US. My family, friends, being able to drive myself places, the convenience of knowing where everything is, and the comfort of my favorite foods. But I also found myself missing things about Hong Kong a lot more then I though I would. I missed the city, the hustle and bustle, the world culture, and the freedom.

Perhaps the oddest experience in returning to the States was staying at USC for a few days with some friends. I was on the same campus, staying in the same dorm with the same people as freshman year. It was great to be able to reconnect with people at school, but at the same time I felt as if I did not belong there. Even my friends told me that I didn't exactly look like I went to the school anymore. It's bittersweet how quickly a person can adjust to their environment. I know this time next year I'll be more comfortable in Columbia than I will be in Hong Kong. I guess it's good I learn how to adapt now.

I've also come to realize that I most definitely will live abroad for a few years sometime after graduation. I never noticed just how closed off from the world the United States is. It seems that in other countries, it is common to see people from a range of different cultures and countries coming and going, each leaving a mark of the city they inhabited for that period of time. This doesn't seem to happen in the States. Sure, it's a melting pot, but most everyone adopts an American culture. I need to live in a global city.

This revelation does not mean, however, that when I returned I found Hong Kong to be utopia. My diet has once again shrunk because of my food options here, people stare at me when I'm walking around, and the city is way too crowded. Actually, I believe that it is more crowded now than when I left. Every time I try to take the subway, I'm literally jammed into the car, hoping that don't suffocate from the mass of bodies around me. My theory is that the city is crowded because a lot of people have come for Chinese New Year which is on the 23rd of this month. Maybe the city will be less hectic in February.

The topic of Chinese New Year brings me to my last point. During this holiday, I am escaping the city of Hong Kong (which has 7 million people) to an even larger city (of 13 million). However, this gives me the opportunity to live with a friend's family and experience a traditional new year. It also allows me to practice Mandarin seeing as how her parents do not speak English. I'm very excited to see how then turns out. Pray for me as I make my trip to and from China. God bless and Happy New Year!