The End of an Era, the Beginning of the Next

Sunday May 30

Seventeen hours alone with just your music and the seat in front of you is a good time to reflect and think.  Thankfully, my flight back to the US, which I am currently in the 13th hour of, has provided me with such a scenario.

Without going into any detail about my trip in May, it was amazing in every aspect, and ultimately life-changing in my views on the world and the way I want to live my life.  As seems to always be the case, the people make the situation great, and aside from some of the actual sights, meeting a lot of interesting and different people along the way, and meeting up with my friends Kathryn Sparks, Mike Wu, Niclas Bladfalt and Neehar Garg, made this trip what it was.

I’ve also had a lot of time (on planes, trains and autorickshaws) to think about where I want my life to go, and how I see myself as a person.  I know that traveling will always be a part of my inner passion in life – the so-called travel bug.  However, I have seen and met people who have not let it express itself for many years, becoming complacent and comfortable in their jobs, and sacrificing that love for a normal, tied-down life.  I’ve also met people, young and old, who flout that style, and work, just as a means for traveling.  Somewhere in the middle is the type of life I want.  I also feel the need to slow down.  Why should I necessarily rush into a job after next year? Why not take a year to do something meaningful and exciting – there will always be work to be done afterwards.  I hope that in the thick of next year I can keep that desire in focus, and have the courage to make a decision based on that, going against the grain.

It is hard to express how much I have learned about others and myself throughout the last five months. The whole notion and value of cultural exchange has become so clear to me. Just knowing so many people from so many different places from around the US, to Europe to China and more, gives me a different viewpoint on things.  The world is a pretty small place, and we definitely share more commonalities with one another than differences. Learning is about trying and doing.  I’m proud that I forced myself to jump head-first into nearly every opportunity I could get my hands on, something that I find easily takes a backseat in the normal routine at WashU.  From eating duck blood and squid to jumping off a 750-foot tower to traveling with people from 6 different countries around SE Asia – I have absolutely no regrets.

No matter how fast these five months have gone for me – clearly the whole time flies when you’re having fun thing applies – looking back I am astounded at how much I have done, from building and developing lasting and meaningful relationships, to exploring new academic subjects, and of course, an unseemly amount of sightseeing and partying.

I am so grateful to the friends I have made here, and who have single-handedly defined my experience in Hong Kong. If you’re reading this, you were probably one of them, so thank you for that! While we may live thousands of miles apart, we all shared this common, incredible experience of jumping into and starting a new life in a culture very different from our own, with new people, new language and new food. I believe that this experience will forever tie us together.  I hope that I was able to leave a mark on your experience as you have on mine, and I am confident that we will reunite some time soon, be it in Europe or the US, or better yet, somewhere else in the world to travel!

The plane is about to land at Newark Liberty Airport, and my return to the US is quickly becoming a reality. Quick funny story – the pilot got on the PA system to announce that we’d be arriving soon and that those on the left side of the plane would get a wonderful view of the New York skyline and Manhattan.  Then he said, “and for those of you on the right side, you will get the chance to see, um, a lot of New Jersey…. so… sorry about that”. I laughed out loud. 

It has always seemed like such a faraway date, something I didn’t have to deal with, May 30^th – five months, then four, then 2, then 5 weeks, then 2 weeks, a week, tomorrow. But now, it is time to return and embark on my life with a new mindset.  I aim to keep my current, new perspective and thinking intact, and I want to think of things as pre-HK and post-HK in terms of how I interact with myself, others and my decisions.  Hopefully, the strong pull back to a routine and the old way of doing things will not be strong enough.

While I’m not happy to leave Hong Kong, the people there, and the lifestyle I was immersed in, I am definitely excited for what is to come.  I will be working this summer in CT, living at home in NY (anyone who’s around: we should connect at some point).  I’ve already planned a couple trips to see friends and am looking forward to the easy life of summertime before heading back to WashU.  It hasn’t hit me that I’m a senior, and I don’t expect or want it to for a while. However, I do know that next year is just going to be outrageous. Reuniting with all my friends, getting back into the comfort of my University, at the top of my game, challenging myself academically, socially and in regards to my future will be an exciting time.

As for my blog, as much as I often procrastinated writing posts, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I have never kept any type of journal or diary before, and this was definitely great for me in terms of chronicling my thoughts and experiences, while also providing anyone who was interested a peak into what life is like in the perfect situation. I am already planning to do some traveling next summer with Michael Chen after graduating, so if I don’t continue a blog throughout the year, you can look forward to another installment next summer.

Finally, I want to thank all of you who kept up with, commented on, and talked to me about my blog.  If you weren’t reading it, I wouldn’t enjoy writing it as much.  Knowing who has been reading it let me enjoy writing to that audience so much – from my family, friends at home, friends abroad and friends in Hong Kong.

For those of you who made it this far, congratulations as always, and as a sweet spot at the end, I’ve decided to do a list of superlatives.  People have been asking me, what’s your favorite country, favorite this, worst that, and I thought it was worth getting down on paper and giving some final touristy thoughts, so here goes:

My favorite / the best of List…

…Country – China

(From one of my first weeks in HK, out to my first hot pot dinner)

(On the Great Wall - one of the coolest experiences ever)

…Food – pad Thai (Thailand)

(Undescribably good... though I tried)

…People – Filipinos

(Always with friendly and sometimes too friendly locals)

...Activity - Macau Tower Bungee Jump

 (Without question the most crazy thing I've ever done in my life...and the video here to prove it)

…Man-made site – Temples at Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

(One of the most unique areas I got the chance to see)

…Natural site – formations in Yangshou (China)

(Sandwiched between the worst travel experiences ever, the most eye-catching and powerful natural sites in China)

…Museum – Shanghai Museum (China)

(Simply outstanding)

…Mode of transportation – Jeepney (Philippines)

(You'll never forget you first time.....on a jeepney of course)

…Tuk-tuks – Cambodia

(Phnom Penh was one of the most under-rated cities I saw)

…Beach – Virgen Island (Philippines)

(As I put it earlier, this was more incredible that your greatest imagination)

…Women – Thailand (but you gotta watch out for those ladyboys!)

…Alcohol – Tanduay Rum (Philippines)

(...the cause of many "memories" from my 21st birthday)

…Nightlife – Full Moon Party (Thailand)

(And to think this was just a weekend getaway.... madness)

…Currency – PHP (Philippines)

(Crazily, this wasn't near enough to cover our bill...good thing for some friendly Brits)

…City in China – Shanghai

(Great balance of metropolitan, traditional, Chinese and Western)

…City to be a tourist – Beijing

(Too much to see, too little time)

…Subway/metro system – MTR (Hong Kong)

(The location of way too many great times, with great people)

And with that, my wheels have just touched down, and I am back in truly the greatest country on the planet. When they announced: “Welcome to Newark’s Liberty International Airport where the local time is 1:55pm”, I got major chills.

I guess that after five months, I am ready to be back home.