A Tale of Two Cities

No, I haven’t been reading Dickens. But I did borrow his title. This particular tale of two cities has nothing to do with Paris or London, rather with Florence and a place geographically a world apart from London but genetically not so far removed,  Hong Kong. This tale is about the differences I have felt between studying abroad as an undergraduate and post-graduate student.

Even in preparing for this trip to Hong Kong there was a distinctly different feeling than when I began packing my bags weeks in advance before jetting off to Italy. Then, I was full of that childlike enthusiasm and energy, a feeling that I think many of us crave and chase after in all our endeavors, especially as we get older. I remember thinking, no, daydreaming about all the adventures I would have, places I would see, delicious foods I would eat, and people I would meet. That’s not to say that I was not duly enthusiastic about heading off for Hong Kong but, having just come off an action-packed summer of interning and entertaining the idea of becoming a Houston local vis-a-vis a great friend of mine, I was a little hesitant to leave my current station, with which I was quite pleased.

Am I coming to that time in my life where I am ready to settle down? After five years of shuffling around every few months as a student, I’m ready to be employed, settled, and contributing back to society. Man, I’m getting old.

My old age is clearly a joke, which brings me to the next point. In relation to my classmates this time around, I’m quite young. I’ve gone the academic route for quite some time now whereas my classmates are of the experienced businessperson variety. This is great for me, as it gives me the opportunity to challenge myself beyond my years. This wasn’t the case the last time I was abroad. My classmates were all quite gifted, but the experience was about expanding our social skills and cultural context. I would dare to say I got the chance to shed a few years in order to become an adult while I was in Italy as Mr. Serious faded away and my more fluid, less stringent personality came through. Now my personality is quite developed and I have my goals. The theme of this trip isn’t so much about development and discovery as it is about learning skills to be put into action. I have a friend that says it’s better to be surrounded by people that give you a challenge rather than staying in the place where you’re already at the top. That’s a wise friend, and that’s what’s happening over here in this new place.

The last thing I will say came to me today while riding on the subway. After being in Hong Kong for about two weeks, I started to feel that I was not adjusting to my current situation. I was becoming increasingly eager to be back near to friends and family in the States. Like I mentioned, I was feeling quite happy with where my life was going. Compared to when I was in Italy, I was then surrounded by 50 wonderful people, all of the same age, and many of similar interests. There was no time to think of home and besides, I knew I would return to school and resume my friendships with my college friends for the next two years until graduation. Now I am in regular contact with 50 also wonderful people, but living separately and pursuing different paths with considerable intensity. And now that graduation has come and gone and my friends are dispersed across the nation and world, there is some bit of finality in knowing that the opportunity to be all one one place at one time is rather unlikely.

The old days have gone and new, different days are coming. I can accept that I’m moving on, and with that comes the realization that it is necessary and proper to be open to new friendships, both in type and person, and to an evolving relationship with my family as I become more independent. Having realized this, I’m much more comfortable with being here and I’ve overcome my first major challenge, which is building relationships and fending off isolation, which can be fairly easy to come by in summertime in Hong Kong; isolation is airconditioned. Now my mindset is: why should I be any different here than I was at home or in Italy, even though I’m here for only four months, when it comes to letting new people touch my life in each one’s unique way. I anticipate a great deal more from this experience now than I did coming into it. I’ve met and will continue to meet fascinating people, and I will gain some really valuable insights from my studies. It just reaffirms my belief that it is the people that make the place.

And to my friends at home and my family, you’re beyond irreplaceable and I look forward very much to seeing you when I return.

Thanks for reading.