Reverse Culture Shock

Before I left the States, back in August, heck before I even left HWS last Spring, I was warned about reverse culture shock and adjusting to life once back in America. I’m glad to say that it’s been a smooth transition though.

My roommate, Yolie, and me. 

The 15-hour flight wasn’t so bad. I lucked out and had 3 seats to myself. So I was able to sprawl out and sleep for a while. I watched some movies, Going the Distance, the first hour of Inception, and then a few episodes of Glee and America’s Next Top Model.

Leaving Hong Kong

Clearing customs and picking up my luggage at JFK was easy-numerous long lines but it didn’t take too long. And then I finally saw my Mom and Nana. We grabbed sodas at the little convenience store (oh 20oz Diet Coke, how I missed you) and then lugged my suitcase and cardboard box (yep, my suitcase was overweight so I had to unpack some things at the check-in counter while the attendant constructed a box on the spot) to the car, where we head back to Massachusetts.

We broke the 5-hour trip up with a stop at Friendly’s for lunch in Connecticut and then I ended up sleeping the rest of the way home.

Jet lag wasn’t too much of a problem. I conquered it within 3 days or so. I would be fine all morning, then around 2pm I would get so exhausted and just crash. But I am now back to my normal sleeping routine.

In terms of culture shock, there have only been 3 main instances when I’ve had to stop and be like wait, “I’m in America- this isn’t how it’s done here.”

1.     When I’m running along the street, there have been numerous times when I’m like “Wait- where is the car coming from? What side of the street?” But then I figure it out and keep going.

2.     There have been numerous times when I’m brushing my teeth or washing my hands at the sink and stop and think “Wait- why is the water still running?” In my bathroom at Lingnan, the faucets were automatic, so you would turn it on and the water would run for 10-15 seconds and then turn off. You would have to keep pressing it on to keep the water running.

3.     I was eating lunch at Panera with my mom the other day and as we were getting ready to leave, I was ready to just leave my tray and walk away, figuring the employees would clean it up. Nope, that’s only in Hong Kong. Forgot I had to carry the tray over to the trash and clean it up myself.

I have been tempted to raise my hand and yell ‘mm-goi’ at restaurants to grab the waiter’s attention, but I hold back (In Hong Kong restaurants, the waiters wait for you to call them over and order, they don’t just check in on you every so often in).

I am anxious to get back to HWS and Geneva. I feel like culture shock at school will be very different since I’ll actually be doing what I was doing in Hong Kong, like going to school, rowing and such- not just working and hanging out. 

Departure

In 12 hours, I’ll be flying back to America. Eekk! I’m excited. My bags are just about packed, minus the last minute things, my ticket is printed, and my alarm is set for 4am (don’t worry- I have 3 alarms set- I will not sleep through them!). I think I’m ready.

When I booked my flight back in June, Orbitz told me my trip was 127 days and 128 nights. When I thought of it in those terms, day and night, it didn’t seem like a long time; 4 months seemed longer. And now, I can’t decide whether or not it seems like I just got here, or if I’ve been here forever. Looking back, I’ve done a lot. Thankfully I kept this blog because otherwise I am sure I wouldn’t remember half of my experiences. I completed everything that was on my “Things to Do in Hong Kong” list; I traveled to Thailand, Vietnam and Macau; explored as much of Hong Kong as possible and took 5 classes! I am very happy with my semester abroad; I was challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone; I’ve learned to appreciate America more than ever before, but I’ve also gained a respect and understanding not only of Hong Kong but of many other South Asian countries. I’ve tried so many different types of food and have learned how to cook various dishes in a microwave.

 My List

About 3 or 4 weeks ago, I started making a list of things that I would be ‘Taking’ from Hong Kong and ‘Leaving’ in Hong Kong. To share a few (it’s been much easier to decide what I’m leaving rather than taking, but that’s not really important as I am sure ‘Taking’ list will grow once I’m back in America)…

I will be taking my chopstick skills, a greater appreciation for the American education system (the Hong Kong education system is a completely different story- basically only a certain amount of students can continue on after a certain point, and each year that number gets smaller and smaller)

I will be leaving the shower technique (you go to the shower fully dressed, leave the flip flops outside the shower, strip inside the shower stall, hang your clothes over this bar or in a bag, shower, put clothes back on. At the beginning of the semester I just about died from heat stroke doing this, so to avoid this, I timed my showers so my roommate wouldn’t be in the room); the discussion procedures (class discussions are more of a Q&A session rather than ‘discussion’ and the local students rarely talk, so there wasn’t a lot of communication within the classes), and the acceptability of spitting/burping/nose picking in public (it’s just nasty. I’m sorry. I’ve been on the MTR and see people picking their nose with their fingers, no tissues, or people hacking up mucus on the street. Not my cup of tea). I will also be leaving the bugs. Literally, the bugs here have attacked me. Anytime I’m outside, I get about 4 new bug bits. My calves are covered in bug bites.

The bathroom and showers

There are many things though that I wish I could take: the MTR system (literally, it can get you anywhere in Hong Kong; it’s so easy, accessible and cheap. I will surely miss it.), the money (sure, the exchange rate was great, but the smallest bill they use is $10, they have a $1, $2, and $5 coin, as well as $0.10, $0.20 and $0.50 coin. Things only cost $7.90 or $8.00, not $7.99 or $7.49, it’s so much easier to deal with money without having to worry about those little cents). I wish I could take some of the food back (dim sum, this green bean and minced meat meal, the fruit desert I wrote about earlier, all so delicious and can’t be found in the States). The final thing I wish I could take is the cleanliness of Hong Kong (I am pretty sure the cleaning people collect the trash on our floor at least 4 times a day; everyday, there is a lady sweeping the leaves off the path to our hostel; the elevator and escalator handrails are disinfected at least 4 times a day. It’s crazy, but it’s so clean).

Packing...

It’s been a great semester and I am thankful for every moment over the past 4 months.

Also, I'll leave you with a comparision of the weather here in HK, Hull and Geneva...

I am going to freeze.

The Peak at Night

Monday night was Anna, Lex and Tim’s last night in Hong Kong so we, along with Ryan and YoYo decided to check out the Peak at night and grab dinner in SoHo. We left campus a little before 5 and took the MTR to Hong Kong station, where we grabbed a bus that took us to the Peak. Unfortunately, we got stuck in rush hour traffic and it took a good hour for the bus to get to the top, but it was a fun experience. 

 When we finally got to the top, we got a little lost, since the bus dropped us off in a different location, and we ended up getting separated from Tim, Ryan and YoYo. Anna, Lex and I finally made it into the Peak Terrace, where all the shops are and wandered around for a while. We stuck around to check out the light show at 8pm, but we were on the wrong side of Victoria Harbor to actually see it. So we headed to SoHo for dinner. We grabbed dinner at Jasper’s, a restaurant that had a variety of dishes- from Italian and Mexican! 

We then headed back to campus, and reminisced on our past semester. Once we got back to campus, we said our good-byes, since Anna and Lex both left Tuesday morning (it is now Tuesday night, Hong Kong time).

The Beginning of the End: Temple Street

Saturday night, I joined Lex, Anna, Kat and Kat’s mom for dinner at Temple Street. Temple Street is famous for its night market, so we decided to grab dinner before strolling through the market. While Ladies Market in Mongkok is mainly for women, as it’s mostly clothes, scarves, etc., Temple Street is the “men’s Market” and focuses on electronics, cds, videogames etc. It had a few vendors selling souvenirs and t-shirts, but not nearly as many as Mongkok. The market at Temple Street opens around 4pm and stays open until around midnight; we were there between 7 and 10pm and it wasn’t too busy, which was nice- there was actually room to walk around! 

 The entrance to Temple Street

We grabbed dinner at a restaurant on a side street. At these types of restaurants, patrons eat outside at small tables and on little stools. We shared a few dishes- sweet and sour shrimp, broccoli, some sort of noodles and veggie spring rolls. It was delicious! I will definitely miss the classic Cantonese/street food!

 Kat, Anna, Lex and I at dinner! (Lex's photo!)

We said goodbye to Kat before heading back to campus, since she was staying with her Mom and heading to India on Tuesday we wouldn’t see her again before leaving for the States. Although it was sad, we all know that since we all live relatively close this wasn’t the last time we’d see each other. We’re already planning a reunion in the future!

Walking Around Yuen Long

After taking a quick trip to an organization in Yuen Long earlier this semester for one of my classes, I’ve always wanted to go back and wander around. It seemed like such an interesting place, filled with people and activity. So Sunday afternoon, when I had nothing to do, I decided to take a stroll around Yuen Long.

This is what I found:

 

A few  fruit vendor.

Multiple meat vendors. Yep, the meat is hanging and customers just point to the piece they want and the seller puts it in a plastic bag and continues with the sale.

A bakery.

And I didn't take any pictures, but there were SO MANY people. And I was the only Westerner I saw, so of course everybody was staring at me since I stuck out like a sore thumb. Oh well. I'm glad I had the chance to go back and explore Yuen Long on my own.

Hong Kong Wetland Park

Saturday, Lex, Anna, Tim, YoYo and I explored the Hong Kong Wetland Park, just outside of Tin Shui Wai. A short ride away on the Light Rail, the Wetland Park was one of those places that is surrounded by skyscrapers but inside, it’s a completely different world. 

The Wetland is a popular sport for bird watching, and we were able to see a variety of birds. Signs told us that there were Herons in the area, but I didn’t see any. :-(

If you look really close you can see a little white bird in the middle

The Wetland Park had numerous paths that weaved in and out of different areas and habitats, allowing us to see quiet a variety of things.

We met a girl from St. Olaf’s College who is currently studying abroad- she’s on a five month program that started off in Geneva, Switzerland, continued on to Cairo, Turkey, India, Hong Kong, and will finish with Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul! We all enjoyed talking with her and exchanged our perspectives as well as various ins and outs of Hong Kong.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

After what seemed like FOREVER, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, was finally released in Hong Kong this past week. Lex, Kat, Ryan and I got tickets for a 10:45 showing on Thursday morning at Pacific Place (where we saw Eat, Pray, Love, earlier this semester).

The theater was filled with Westerners- we were actually sitting next to a group of 10-12 year old American girls who were fighting over their seats. It was so weird to actually understand other people’s conversations.

For those who haven’t seen the movie, I won’t go into details. But I will say I really enjoyed the movie as a whole and am glad I waited to see it in a theater. And I cannot wait until July to see the second part!