It is going to be a long trip. I am writing this first blog post from my first flight–Caracas to Miami–of three that I have to take in order to get to Hong Kong. Tomorrow morning I will flight from Miami to Dallas, and finally, tomorrow afternoon, Dallas to Hong Kong in the longest commercial flight in the world, which takes more than 17 hours! But I am more than happy to do this trip as I am sure that an amazing experience awaits for me, and I am very excited to be able to share this new life adventure with you.
Since I came to Northeastern–three years ago–I knew that eventually I would go abroad for an exchange semester. I have always loved traveling and it did not take me long in my life to realize that traveling is the best way to learn about other cultures. Studying abroad allows exchange students to learn not only from classes but also from everything around; just by living in a new place there is something new to learn every day. It really fascinates me going somewhere that I have never been before, from the first day I arrive into Hong Kong whatever I see will be something I have never seen before in my life.
“Hong Kong!?” “Why are you going so far!?” These are common questions I received while I was having my winter break in Caracas just before starting my trip. Northeastern University has exchange programs with universities across the entire world. It took me a couple months of research and analysis to finally decide that Hong Kong would be the best fit for my exchange experience. Out of all the universities in the world I could have gone, I decided Hong Kong first of all because the University of Hong Kong is a very well-known university. In the different world university rankings I have read it is considered to be the second best university in all Asia. This was a key factor. I want to have the best academic education I can and The University of Hong Kong seems like the best place where I can empower my intellectual knowledge. The second reason why I chose Hong Kong was because of its location in the world. From Hong Kong I will be able to travel to different South East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia and Cambodia at accessible prices and with short duration flights. During my exchange experience, travelling will be my priority: I will travel as much as possible. The third main reason why I chose Hong Kong is because it is a place that I have never been before but that calls my attention enormously. I have read a lot about China and Hong Kong and I am an admirer of its vast history. It amazes me to finally go and live for an entire semester in a place that I have thought about it so much.
Staying in Boston would have been way easier for me. At my cozy apartment with my own room, close to the university, my own food, my friends, a known language, etc. But my growth opportunities would have been limited to my professors and classes; I wanted more than that. I do not have any type of fear of going to Hong Kong, but it is clear that I am leaving my comfort zone to challenge myself. It has been in these types of experiences–out of the comfort zone–and in difficult times that I have learned and grew the most in my life. I am sure that Hong Kong will not be the exception.
That being said, I am looking forward to have the most enriched semester of my life. I hope to learn from classes but also by living in a completely strange place to me and from my travels across South East Asia. It will definitely be a busy semester. The university has a reputation of being difficult, I will have to find a Co-op for next July while abroad, I will be constantly traveling and I will need to keep you updated on my abroad experience every week. So I will have to balance my life in order to be successful in all my activities. Time management will be the biggest challenge I will face during this semester. But as I know this experience can be life changer I am extremely happy to start this new program and while doing so, narrating it to you every week.
