I mean... look at this view. I spent half a year taking this view and city for granted. Did you know that of all of Hong Kong land, around 75% is countryside? That is not obvious from the picturesque city skyline and images of the dense population that typically circulate online.

Then you take the subway and end up in places like this!

These are photos from the famous Dragon's Back hike to Shek O beach. I could detail the trail but there are many resources out there online on how to get to the trail head from Central. 5 years ago, Andrew and I first did this hike with a group of our new uni friends who we had only known for a few weeks at that point.

Flashbacks, anyone? 

It's time for reflection but I don't know where to begin. I've finally mustered some energy and motivation to put this blog together now that my extreme jet lag is starting to wear away. My body has been waking up at 4 pm Los Angeles time thinking that it is 7 am Hong Kong time.  

How do I describe my 6 month experience with anything but a whirlwind? From meeting new friends from all over the world to taking international business courses and learning exceptional amounts of so many different cultures, this is a semester I will never regret and never forget. 

I met most of my great friends on a hike to Victoria Peak and they became the people I traveled with time after time...starting with the Philippines and ending with Thailand over the course of the semester.  Over this time, I realized how ignorant I was to outside cultures and while I initially blamed this on the educational system with which I was brought up, it really came down to my own minimal self-exposure to the world.  I'm so very happy to say that I've learned an enormous amount about myself, life, travel, and what it means to care for others.

I returned home a few days ago feeling ready to return to the reality of productive college student existence and ready to spend quality time with my little brother who I missed the most.  It is nice to escape the humidity of Hong Kong and rejoice in the beauty of my temperate LA but while I feel so different and changed, everything back home has remained the same. I cannot say I didn't expect this as I did but it is just peculiar to finally be here and witness it in action.

Cheers to the amazing KZhang and new local and mainland friends :)
@ South Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market, wealthy HK celebrity housing. The higher the floor, the fewer the poor.

'Murrcans, Strayans, Brits, Kiwis, Taiwanese, Canucks, Chileans, Etc