Week One was full of non-stop adventure. The views pretty much say it all in these pictures as we explored Hong Kong through its history, architecture, and most importantly food. After the weekend of orienting oneself to the fast paced life of the city, Monday arrived along with our first day of classes. We did some morning exercises with the class to meet each other; not the workout kind, but walking around the campus could qualify as such. Taking class tours, group tours, and personal walks, have made me appreciate Hong Kong not only on the surface level of aesthetic and design, but on a personal level and all its people that make up the city.
To be honest since I’ve arrived, the trip has been stringing each day together as we’ve been going non-stop; so it’s nice to take time to write a post and collect oneself, or sit down at a meal with the HKU students, our own group, and the UO alumni to just appreciate simple human connection. It’s been great getting to know each person on this trip, and I hope we continue to keep in touch and maybe one day join the great UO alumni in this amazing city.
The first week was a blur in my mind, as we went non stop from place to place, morning to night. There was so much to process, but a lot that can’t be processed until after the trip really. In order to make the transition to a place like Hong Kong you kind of just have to jump in and live at its pace. Granted this was a short academic trip, so we were on the move even more so than a normal study abroad or visiting trip. I attribute most of the pace to just that, trying to see and experience as much as we could in such a short time period. This could be the best way to experience a culture such as Hong Kong; jump in quickly and learn fast. By the second week I felt more confident in my understanding of space and environment and could see myself living in a city such as this. In a lot of ways I was reminded of the larger bustling cities in the states, but they still didn’t compare to the dense non stop life of HK. Life was abundant here late into the nights, seeing even families with kids walking around in the crowds as the clocked ticked further on.
To be honest I still am not sure of how I feel about the place. I mean I love it here, the city, the people, but I feel like I still need time to truly appreciate it. It’s like watching a great movie or reading an amazing novel, sometimes it takes time to appreciate and understand the experience that you just went through. Sometimes you need to experience it a second time to really understand something more on a deeper level. That’s the way I feel about the trip right now, its been a lot, but not enough at the same time. I need time to sit and think on it, and I need to revisit Hong Kong again to really solidify my relationship with it.
