Week 1: **Jaw Drop**

Alright, so looking at my calendar (which I haven’t really been doing at all) apparently I have been in Hong Kong for about one week! Wait a second… 1 week?? WHAT! But I have done so much already… I feel as though I have been here for a month! But not in a bad way at all! I guess because, I have never done SO many things in such a small amount of time. It’s insane. I have already met so many people from all over the world, tasted many new things, I’ve seen jaw-dropping views, I’ve gotten lost, I’ve gotten familiar with the MTR system, I’ve already been to many very cool places and I am already pretty much settled in my residence room.

Speaking of residences, I must say, I have never lived in such a small room. I haven’t had the chance to meet my roommate yet, which btw, sleeps about three feet away from where I sleep, so I have been enjoying privacy and having my own space for the time being, but things will surely change soon especially with classes starting tomorrow. But really I can’t complain about the rez room, I have a fantastic view, I’m in one of the newer buildings which has wifi unlike older builings, and I actually have more than enough room to put my stuff, which I thought was going to be the biggest problem.

I was SOOO lucky when I got to Hong Kong, Janice (another Telfer student going on exchange which I’ve met a couple times back home and now am getting to be very good friends with) has a cousin living in Hong Kong and so he actually picked us up from the airport and had us stay over the first night at his place. They were the nicest family ever, had two little cute kids and they brought me for dinner that night and breakfast the next day. I couldn’t be more greatful for their hospitality. The dinner was delicious! A great way to kick-off my 5-month stay in HK. It was an authentic chinese cuisine, and its where I tried pigeon for the first time. The pigeon was actually alright, but the rest of the food was really AMAZING. I was very impressed. For breakfast we went for Dim Sum, which is very popular in HK, and it was the first time I tried it. It was also very good, and I tried chicken feet !!!! I dont know if I would order them again, but all the other dishes we had were very good!

The first night, I had to go to Soho to get stuff Alexis left for me at his friend’s place. Luckily two guys that I had met during a campus tour were going in the same direction so I didn’t have to take the MTR alone for the first time, but once I got off at Central Station, I was on Hong Kong Island for the first time, and I was by myself, trying to find a building in a GIANT city. I couldn’t stop just being overwhelmed by how amazing it was. I have been to New York City several times, but NYC doesn’t even compare in my eyes, at that moment at least. It was so beautiful. I had to find the escalators, which are the longest escalators in the world! Yes, they have an escalator that brings you through the city! (In case you didn’t know, Hong Kong is essentially mountains..) It’s amazing, and at the time I was there, it was dark outside and they have cute Christmas lights and plants ALL along the entire escalator. It was so cute!! I felt so happy to be there even though I didn’t really know if I was going in the right direction !I have to admit, I asked about like 10 different people where to go because I was just generally completely lost the entire time!

I finally got to Soho and it was so cool because it’s a very popular spot for drinks and food after work, and since drinking in public is legal, there are people all over the sidewalks and streets drinking, and it was only 7pm. And it felt like it was midnight in Ottawa on Elgin Street where the bars are, but 10x better because it’s nice and warm, and your on a hill kind of, but in the middle of a city, which is weird but cool, and anyways, I can’t even describe it, it was just amazing. Alexis’ friend Benno invited me into his place in Soho which was on the 27th floor and the view was incredible!!!!! I couldn’t even concentrate well because I was just staring from his balcony at the city like if I had never seen a city before. Anyway… I was just the happiest girl ever!

As soon as I got back to residence that night, a bunch of exchange students were going for Hot Pot. This is when you cook different meat and vegetables etc in a soup. This was hilarious because our guides decided to order a huge bowl of intestines, lungs, snake meat, liver, etc… Two brave people (Ashley from Toronto and Blake from Australia) decided to try the lung…. I have a video of them literally gagging and spitting it out! Hahaha, I’m a little happy that the most adventurous I had that night was the frog leg and fish skin (which both were actually very good!)

On the Wednesday night, a bunch of exchange students together we went for food and then out for ladies night, which BTW, is the greatest thing ever but doesn’t even make any sense. Literally free drinks for girls. Don’t even mention paying for cover, it’s almost like that doesn’t exist for girls in Hong Kong (So far anyways). So free cover, free drinks…. is this real life? And this isn’t only on Wednesdays, its also on Thursdays! It only lasts until midnight, but it’s amazing! Because after midnight if you’re feeling thirsty still, all you have to do is walk to a 7-Eleven, which are EVERYWHERE, and get a drink (they also sell shots… WHAT??) for cheap! And because drinking in public is legal, you just drink infront of the bars and chat/chill with everyone outside. It’s great. You can just walk in any bar, dance when you want, come outside to drink, check out the next bar! The nighlife here is 10000 X better than in Ottawa. I understand now why people told me I would have more culture shock when I go back home than when I get here.

Another thing that I LOVE about HK, is that they are SO ORGANIZED!!! People wait in lines for cabs after a night out, and its actually so convenient, because the cabs know to pick people up there and you literally don’t have to struggle for a cab and the line goes fast! The metro system (MTR) is super easy and it shows exactly where you are with an interactive map on the walls of the trains, and there is designated spots to wait to get into the MTR to allow people to get out first, it’s so smart, and necessary in Hong Kong. Also on escalators, people actually stay on one side to leave room for people to walk past if they want to. It’s like a rule everyone follows. You won’t see two friends standing side-by-side blocking the way on an escalator.

On Friday, we went to Lantau Island, which is where the BIG BUDDHA is! It was really cool, we walked all the way up to see it, and then we saw some temples, and they were doing the incense and praying, it was a great experience. What I notice a lot is the mountains, I just love the mountains, people are taking pictures with the Buddha and I’m just there wanting to take pictures with the mountains behind me… Obviously I took about 100 pictures of the Buddha, cause it was crazy huge and amazing, but the mountains are so beautiful, and they are everywhere!! Even right behind my rez there is a mountain that I can hike up!

AHH I have so much more to say but now I am getting so tired (Wow it’s already 2am….) and I feel like this is already such a long post. I will have to make another one or really start shortening my stories!!! Time is so scarce I literally am ALWAYS on the go, I haven’t had ANY time to just relax.

#HongKong #Exchangestudent #Asia #ExchangeLife #Travel