First Impressions: Hong Kong

Leaving Again

After getting home from Europe and spending two weeks seeing my family and visiting my friends, the time for me to go to Hong Kong drew nearer and nearer. I was excited for the trip, but I left the USA without the same anticipation that I had when I had left for Ireland. I realized that I had become much more confident in myself and I felt as if getting to Hong Kong would just be another country, and another cultural opportunity for me to experience.

Before boarding my 20-hour flight I was once again alone in the JFK International airport in New York. I had to wait a few hours, so I decided to watch a film on my laptop. Partway through the movie I noticed a flash of color in my peripheral vision—fireworks. There I was, on the Forth of July, with the New York City fireworks so close, yet I couldn’t really admire their majesty. The window in the airport separated me from them. The glare of the indoor lights blurred the display. I felt as if the situation was almost an oddly perfect image of what my life has been like for more than half a year. Everything that had happened in the United States, my country, I had to witness from behind the glass of a computer or television screen. There, once again, I was separated. As the plane took off, I admired the miniature bursts of light that appeared all over the landscape, behind the glass of the plane’s window.

First Impressions

The plane ride was exhausting; I tried very hard to sleep and to begin to adjust to the 12-hour time difference that I would experience in Hong Kong. It was clear to me that I was about to see a big change of culture from the moment I stepped on the plane. Everyone around my seat was Asian and the women sitting next to me did not speak any English.

I arrived at the airport and got together my bags before making a plan to get to the University where I would be spending the next month. I purchased a public transportation card and got plenty of maps. Boarding my first bus, I had to point to my desired destination on a map in order to communicate with the bus driver, as he didn’t speak English either. I transferred to the metro and I quickly discovered that I was the only Caucasian on the subway. I became more sensitive to this fact and it was strange for me to experience. I had never before been in such a situation.

Meanwhile, the weather of Hong Kong was also unlike a climate that I had ever been in. The humidity and heat hits you like a ton of bricks and the air feels much more dense than what I was used to.  I was thankful for the air-conditioned bus and subway car.

After getting settled and moved into my new home, I got a hold of my friend in Hong Kong. Her name was Coni and she too studied abroad in Coleraine with me and we became friends. Coni showed me around the city and introduced me to authentic Asian cuisine. I tried it all, including something Coni called “the ligament of cow.”

Work

I am in Hong Kong working as a summer Resident Assistant for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. My job is to supervise the resident-students in the program as well as plan daily activities for them.  I worked for the same program last summer as well on a site in Hawaii, but this year is much different. All of my students are in fact Asian, and for many, English is their second language. Sometimes it is hard to communicate so I have to remember to communicate my messages concisely and effectively. Also, working with the University is sometimes a challenge because many of the workers do not speak English. Something as simple as ordering food can be so much more difficult. Luckily, my students help me every now and again.

For now, I am preparing to explore more of Hong Kong and to learn more about this new culture. I learn more each day.

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