Reflection

Life in Hong Kong has seemed to calm down lately for me. The newness of everything is fading, and I feel that I really know this city and most of what it has to offer. It's bittersweet to think that the semester is more than halfway over, and that I'll be returning to Michigan in early January. The stress of mid-semester will end for me today, when I give my final presentation, leaving me with only a few more assignments to do before final exams. Many of the exchange students have been traveling during the past couple weeks, and their absence also contributes to the relaxed atmosphere here at Lingnan. A couple of friends, Christen from West Virginia and Lea from Paris, and I will be traveling to Singapore after exams, and from there traveling north through Kuala Lumpar and spending the holidays in Thailand. We will book the flight this week, I'm really looking forward to finalizing our trip! We will meet up with other exchange students from Lingnan in Thailand for New Years for our last hoo rah. It's strange that I probably won't see most of these people ever again, but I'll never forget them. I'm just grateful to have met so many people coming from all over the world, and to have shared our time and cultures with each other here in Hong Kong.

There are a lot of things I have learned and done in Hong Kong so far that I am proud of, and hopefully more to come. For example, I can use chopsticks! Sometimes, servers will see that I am a foreigner and ask if I would like a fork, and I always feel good saying no, I would like chopsticks. I can effortlessly navigate the MTR, the train system and main mode of transportation in Hong Kong. I've improved my bargaining skills at night markets. I've tried so many new foods, some good and some bad, but an experience nonetheless. The thing that has been my heart while I've been here is exploring and navigating the undeveloped mountains of Hong Kong. It's been my escape from the dense and at times overwhelming city, and alone or with friends, it never fails to make me feel good and re-centered. Overall, I am glad to have a sense of orientation in this city, when in the beginning I somewhat doubted that I'd ever learn how to get around.

For the rest of the semester, I would like to learn more about the culture of Hong Kong, especially relating to my field of study, Psychology and Substance Abuse and Intervention. Healthcare and medicine in Hong Kong is also a topic that greatly interests me. There is a great contrast between the western and eastern world regarding these topics, and it's one of the reasons I wanted to travel here. I will update with my findings later.

Picture Time!

 At the Peak, the most famous lookout in Hong Kong

 A local family invited us to join them at their barbecue :)

 Hike around the reservoir near Lingnan

 Monkey Mountain Hike with the girls, we easily saw around 50 wild monkeys during this trip

 Monkeyin' around

 A non-ripe banana

 Still acting like monkeys...

 This photo was taken during international day, where students represented their countries with food, games and performances. Here we are showing our love for our Turkish friend :) Photo's of the American booth to come ;)

Hong Kong Halloween!