mid-exchange update

So according to the records, this is only the third post of the year from me.  I have been intending/hoping to post some more because of this whole exchange experience, but I guess I have been busy/lazy (pick a word).  Eventually the pressing need to post became so much that I couldn’t sleep, which explains why I am writing this at 11:55pm hk time :p

In case you were wondering how I am, I am good :)  I have settled in to life at hong kong uni, and hong kong in general I think.  I can’t say exactly how different it all feels, because I think I’m just one of those people who for the most part accept my surroundings.  However, for the most part it isn’t too different to Melbourne: uni five days a week, roughly 1 hour commute to and from, taking subjects different to most of my friends, and having dinner cooked by a family member.

There are distinct differences though, with food being the primary point of difference.  As I have said before, it is, by Melbourne standards, ridiculously cheap.  Now instead of bringing sandwiches from home, I buy lunch for about $20HKD ($3 aussie?), which can get you a decent char siu (pork) and soy sauce chicken with rice.  Pearl milk tea is only about $12HKD.  

As you probably know, I went with a group of friends to mainland China during reading week (mid sem break).  In short, it was incredible.  There were the classical tourist attractions, like the Bund in Shanghai, West lake in Hangzhou, Yellow Mountain in Tunxi, and the Forbidden City and Great Wall in Beijing.  Then there are the more…unorthodox experiences, such as getting surrounded by about 30 taxi drivers upon entering Hangzhou, the 28.5 hour train ride from Beijing to Shenzhen (was half an hour ahead of schedule!!), watching all the local girls go crazy over a certain Australian friend, storming out of the snack bar of the most famous peking duck restaurant in Beijing and the best one of all, the three hour train ride from Shanghai to Hangzhou with no seats.  Hopefully I will have the time to elaborate more on these in later posts!

If you asked me a week or two back whether I miss Melbourne, I probably would have answered ‘not really’ or perhaps the more polite ‘a little’.  To be honest I haven’t given it a massive amount of thought.  Not that I do not think about you individuals; you can be assured I think of a lot of you a fair bit!  I’m talking about the whole ‘Melbourne in general’ thing.  However, last week, Wednesday afternoon to be exact, when I was studying for a test I just found out was that evening, I did something I had not done in two months: I listened to Australian radio.

I was streaming it from the internet, and while enjoying the new music, it really hit me how far away from Melbourne I was.  I remember looking up and around, at the HKU library with its massive numbers of HK locals speaking Cantonese, and a smattering of international exchange students and thinking of how different to home everything was.  All the while, Fifi was swooning over her dates with Jules’ mates and I heard distinctly Australian advertisements, transporting me across Asia back to  drives to and from work, soccer training, futsal matches and weekend trips to box hill with the family.  Even just writing that sentence stirred up some nostalgia.  I suspect when the time approaches for my return to Melbourne the feeling will be much stronger.

It is probably the same for me with regards to soccer.  At the moment I’m not too fussed about not playing regularly, but last week when I organised a casual 5v5 session I was ridiculously excited from the day I booked to the day we played.  Admittedly this only spanned one day, but I do not remember having that kind of excitement since…the last time I played a proper match.  When I return to competitive matches I’m sure that excitement will return again.

For now though, I’ll just enjoy life as it is.  While occasionally I wish or dream of having this or that, if you asked me if I could become/live the life of whoever I want, I would pick myself.  Every single time.  As some would say, ‘surely someone has a better life than you’.  However, these things are subjective, and in my opinion, the overall combination of what I have is pretty good.  The above also applies more specifically to my exchange.  I am not getting the experience as advertised in the brochure.  I am not living in a country I have never/rarely been before, or living by myself, or learning a completely new language.  I have not been racking up local and international friends, or getting completely new cultural experiences every day, or partying and getting wasted every weekend.  Do I care?  Not one bit.  I came to get my own experience, to write another chapter in my own story.  I don’t think the brochure will argue with that.