How was it?
by Unknown
I get asked "How was studying abroad?" almost everyday. There is so much to say that it's hard to phrase it into a few sentences when catching up with a friend in between classes. I usually just say that it was like a four month long vacation and it was a lot of fun, but that barely even beings to scratch the surface of what it was like.
Studying abroad no matter where you go will be such a huge departure from the familiar daily cycle. I've been to Hong Kong twice for a few days each and loved the energy of the city so I decided to study there. Being able to live in a place for an extended amount of time is such a different experience than traveling there. Hong Kong is an amazing city with almost anything you may want within a stones throw. Everything from delicious restaurants to breathtaking hiking trails are packed into a tiny area. Being able to settle in and live the day to day life opens up doors to places that tourist would never even dream of. I've explored the back alleys of old neighborhoods surrounded by towering skyscrapers and eaten at local family run restaurants on the streets. Waiting at a bus station and observing life is something that could never happen as a tourist. I got to intimately learn the city and what makes it tick. Hong Kong has become a second home to me.
The location and energy of the city is besides the point. The real experience of studying abroad lies in the people that you meet from all over the world and from all walks of life. Being able to discover a new city with people that are equally curious and adventurous is a once in a life time experience. There was never a dull moment because everything was fresh and exciting. Everyone was always down to do anything. I've met people from more countries than I can even count from Europe, Asia, North America and beyond. Everyone I met as an exchange student came from a different background from my own and had something to offer from their culture. There are many drunken nights that I recall and many that I can't with these people that I will never forget. Studying abroad is more about the people than the place.
When living in Asia's world city wasn't enough, all of China and Southeast Asia was a short hop away. The traveling component of studying abroad is another one of those once in a lifetime experiences. I took weekend trips to Macau, the new gambling capital on the planet. Weekend trips to post flood Bangkok for Muay Thai fights. I took the worlds fastest bullet trains to Zhangjiajie China, aka the Avatar Mountains for a weekend. I went on a week long trip to Northern China with nothing more than a one way ticket to Beijing and my backpack. I hiked the Great Wall, enjoyed tea in the emperor's Forbidden City, and tasted scorpion in the night markets. I took trains and buses to ancient two thousand year old walled cities in Pingyao, Shaolin Monasteries and pagoda forests in Dengfung, and saw thousands of terracotta soldiers in Xi'an. I also took a two week trip through Southeast Asia starting in Singapore. I traveled Singapore with my stomach guiding the way. I didn't hit the touristy attractions, I hopped from hawker center to hawker center sampling the multicultural food. I took buses through Malaysia. I went to the top of the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, hiked through mossy forests above the clouds in the Cameron Highlands, and ate my way though Malaysia's food capital, Penang. From Malaysia I flew over to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. I got a chance to float down the Mekong and shoot an M60 in the Cu Chi Tunnels. From there it was a bus ride to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where I went to the gut wrenching death camps where the Khmer Rouge killed millions of innocent people. I got to explore the stunning ruins of the Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem reap by bike. All good things come to an end and there's no better place to end a trip than on an island in Thailand. Relaxed in a beach side bungalow on Koh Chang and kayaked in crystal clear water. These are all my travels in a nutshell.
Studying abroad is so much more than what the name implies. I came across a quote written on the wall of a hostel in Beijing that has resonated with me. "Never let school stand in the way of your education!" I find a lot of truth in this because I've learned so much about the world and about myself that would have been impossible to learn in school. I've learned to embrace opportunities and got to do things that I would have never done otherwise. To all those that are on the fence about studying abroad, embrace the opportunity, you won't regret it. If anyone wants to hear more just shoot me a message. I'd love to share my experiences.
