This weekend, I've traveled to a LOT of places. My favorite place would have to be MongKok. When I went at night, it was pretty congested with people, cars, and shops - lots of shops. This may be the area that doesn't sleep, similar to Times Square at night. Everything in the shops were also more affordable, when compared to Central. Aside from shopping centers, I also came across a dessert chain called "Hui Lau Shan" that seems to be well-known in Hong Kong. I've been to this dessert shop every day for the past 3 days. :D (Pics in Slideshow)
Wherever I go in HK, I can't help but to compare it to New York. I really miss exploring the city but also knowing exactly where I'm going for good food/dessert. It's very different for me in HK. Getting lost seems to be the norm now. Although it leaves me feeling uneasy, I'm slowly learning to adjust and accept it. Walking around MongKok has been one of the most difficult tasks for me. Because of the number of shops located everywhere, every turn and street looks the same. Without street signs, I may have never found the station to go back to my dorm in Kowloon Tong. Maybe that's why it's called "exploring" - no directions nor definite location. Even though I've been using "OpenRice" which is like Yelp for HK, I'm still pretty lost because there's no internet on my HK phone T-T. I find myself searching for 7/11 on every corner because there's free Wifi most of the time.
The portion sizes in restaurants here are MUCH bigger than dishes in NYC. One lunch meal here is equivalent to the amount of food I may eat for breakfast & lunch, & sometimes even dinner.
Today, I was also able to meet up with a relative that I've only heard about from my parents. He was super nice to bring me to tourist attractions and explain the history of HK to me. It turns out that the government has to fill lands in order to expand it's usable space. I've also heard a lot of stories about how people in Mainland may try to cheat people's money. Needless to say, I'm paranoid now. I had planned to travel to Mainland on my own to visit relatives, but now I'm definitely going with a relative from HK.
Tomorrow marks the first day of classes. Like all other "First Days," my stomach is full of butterflies! I'm worried that I won't understand the lecture, worried that I'll be the awkward one/ outlier, worried that I'll get lost. But I really hope it's only my imagination that's making me feel uncomfortable. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
For now, good night.
Aug 31, 2014 - 11:50PM
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