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.

Vietnam: Day 2 Cu Chi Tunnels

Thursday, we signed up for a half-day tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, the famous tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Located about 70kms outside of Ho Chi Minh City, it took about two hours to get to the tunnels. I was amazed by the drive though, it seemed to take forever to get out of the city but then all of a sudden we were surrounded by nature.

(Sidenote: Vietnamese rely on their car/bike horns rather than their blinkers. Motorbikes seriously just weave in and out of traffic. It’s insane but I loved it.)

When we arrived at the tunnels, we were taken to an ‘underground’ room- it was a huge square hole, around 10-12 feet deep, and contained a diagram of a tunnel as well a map of the surrounding area. The tunnels that we used during the war were over 200km long and connect Cambodia and Vietnam, which was how the Viet Cong got their supplies. In addition, the Viet Cong lived in these tunnels for months on end. There were 3 or 4 different levels of the tunnels, a well for water and some tunnels that connected to the Saigon River.

Map of the surrounding area- HCMC is in the bottom right corner, Cu Chi Tunnels are in the red area, Cambodia is in the top left corner. 

Tunnel Diagram. You can see the water well on the left side, the Saigon River on the right, various bunkers in the middle of the picture (1st level of tunnels) and various connecting tunnels throughout the rest of the ground.

Throughout the tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, we were able to see and experience different techniques used by the Viet Cong. Some included manholes, various traps and camouflage things. There was also a shooting range that allowed tourists to use some of the guns used during the war, but I opted out of that.

Guns that we used during the war. You could try them out in the shooting range. Sorry the picture isn't too clear. 

Before leaving, we were able to go through a tunnel. Although this tunnel had been made larger for tourists, it was still extremely small. I have no idea how people lived in them for so long. Our group started off heading down one by one, following the local guide but we slowly got spread out- you would have never known though since our voices carried and it sounded like people were right in front of you even when they were a good 30 feet ahead of you. I took a video of my experience in the tunnel, but it’s mainly dark and then towards the end Kat and I were taking each other’s picture so my camera was being handed around, but just for kicks…

Inside the tunnel!

After we got out of the tunnel, we made our way back to Ho Chi Minh City. We went back to the Ben Thanh Market and got some souvenirs and gifts before heading back to our hostel. We grabbed a quick dinner at a restaurant nearby, nothing too exciting. And then packed up and got ready to leave for Hanoi on Friday. 

And here are some pictures of the hostel we stayed at...

My Bags are Packed and I'm Ready to go...

So I'm just about all set to go- surprisingly a good 24+ hours before my plane takes off- just a few last minute things, mainly insulin, but then I'm off! I leave tomorrow (Monday, Aug 16) for New York City, where my mom and I will stay the night at my Nana's house and then head to JFK airport on Long Island for my flight Tuesday afternoon. 

       Packing for four months was a struggle to say the least. Luckily, I'm only packing for 1, maybe 2 seasons. The weather in Hong Kong is about 90 degrees in August and only gets down to 50-60 in December so I only had to pack light clothes- I have no idea how I would have packed if I were going to somewhere cold. And just thinking about my suitcase, I probably have too many shirts and shoes; oh well, too late now. I did my best to combine my diabetes supplies- my mom and I managed to fit 16 boxes of strips into just 5 boxes! But the 16 vials of insulin will be in my carry-on bag in a sweet little cooler.
       In addition, My carry-on bags are packed with things for the plane- a book, sudoku puzzles, and word searches, along with my iPod, journal and other fun things that will hopefully keep me entertained for a 16 hours plane ride.