(39) Come to HK!

John and Jimmy, my floormates, are on the right. I got to know them and their friends Yandy, Tammy, and Suki (in left-to-right order) during a late night, card-playing session.

Why or why not choose Hong Kong for study abroad? As of today, I’ve been on vacation in mainland China for almost a month now. I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on a wonderful semester, and I’ll try to summarize some of my thoughts in this second-to-last episode.

Nothing’s ever perfect - there’s plenty of things I won’t miss when it comes to Hong Kong:

Unlike UMD, the dorms at City-U are separate from the academic campus. Whenever I went to class or to the library I would have to take an uphill hike back to my room. The worst was when I went grocery shopping, I’d be covered in sweat by the time I got home. Usually, a grocery run was followed by a shower and nap.

Speaking of sweat, the weather in Hong Kong was muggy and humid most of the time. I started going to class in shorts and t-shirts by the end of February. My bath towels weren’t really ever dry, and I’d bring smaller towels whenever I went on one of my excursions. If the humidity ever went under 80 percent, the city would issue a fire warning.

My room had a great view, but the window was placed right over a freeway. Late night drivers speeding by below sometimes gave me a hard time falling asleep.

Now that the not-so-great stuff is out of the way, these will make me miss Hong Kong so much:

For the most part, the City-U students were friendly and helpful. One notable example was during basketball practices, the rest of the team would discuss a play in Cantonese, and then one teammate would translate it to me in English. I was also the only exchange student in my math class of about 90 people; the professor took extra measure to repeat anything to me that he had already explained in Cantonese.

I’ll miss the chance to give back too - I already work as a tutor at UMD, so it felt natural to help some of my HK friends with engineering problems and writing formal letters and Resumes - they had to do these in English for their graduate school applications.

Hong Kong is a busy place, but there are quiet places if you know where to look. The park system here is wonderful, and there were so many beautiful vistas found in remote places such as Sai Kung and Tai O. Hiking trails ranging from short to long, and from relaxed to perilous, are there to be taken.

The Smithsonian is in our neighborhood in the States, but I think Hong Kong’s museums can compare. I’ve mentioned that they are especially geared toward educating young children. The exhibits are packed in to make best use of the limited space in Hong Kong.

Meals in Hong Kong were only average at times (I prefer spicier cooking), but the range and creativity of HK’s snacks were truly special. The egg tart is Hong Kong’s signature snack - you should also try pork buns (my favorite), “Ma La Gao” (a sort of cake, I don’t know the translation), cold tea, dried seafood, the jellies in Tai O and of course dim sum (which covers about twenty more varieties of snacks).

Wow, that was a lot to read… I think all you need to know is the overwhelming conclusion I’ve made: If you don’t mind the weather, come to HK!

Next Episode: "Ng-goi-sai”