As I mentioned in an earlier blog, when I first came to Hong Kong I was extremely overwhelmed. My first day, I was the only one that had already arrived in my six person apartment. I was lonely and did not know what to do with myself. I think this is quite common when you travel to some place that is so foreign to you. Eventually though, you adjust and adapt to your environment. This blog is all about how I adapted to certain circumstances that seemed really bad at first before I conquered these challenges. I think the growth from overcoming these challenges is one of the most rewarding aspects of study abroad.
The first of these took place on the first day and carried on throughout the first week. When I first arrived I wanted to sign into the wifi and when I lifted the router a lizard crawled out. I was so freaked out since I was so unaccustomed to seeing lizards indoors. They are quite common here and are completely harmless, which I did not know at the time. Additionally, the season for lizards is mostly during the summer so they are out of sight most of the fall and spring semesters. I also had a cockroach in my room which absolutely petrified me. Cockroach season also ends in August and although it was pretty gross, all I had to do was spray a repellent which the building office purchased for me in my room once and then I never saw a cockroach in my apartment again.
Being alone with no true responsibilities was a weird sensation. I could not get the wifi to work either so I truly did not know what to do with myself. I sat outside for a while just taking in the Hong Kong experience and while this was lonely, it would end up being one of my only times that I felt that way. Since that point I have made a myriad of friends from all different cultures and places. I have friends in classes, friends in my building and room, and friends from a bunch of other miscellaneous places. I even have a nice daily conversation with one of the waiters at the diner that I frequent every morning. Developing a sense of community here is inevitable and remembering this can help you get through the first few days where you may not know as many people.
My building also does not have elevators and I live on the 5th floor. This was so annoying in the first week because I was not used to it but the sooner you accept it as the way it is, the sooner you can ignore it. Now I don’t even think too much about it, plus it’s a nice bonus calf workout everyday!
Additionally, climbing up these five flights of stairs makes you sweat. Walking to campus with your backpack makes you sweat too. In fact, almost everything you do here in August and September makes you sweat. It is very humid and averages 85 to 95 degrees in these months. Similar to the stairs, it is just easier to accept the fact that most of the time you will not be 100% clean. You learn to not think about this at all because everyone else is in the same position as you and it is unavoidable. I definitely recommend not letting something silly like the weather inhibit you from doing things you want to do, like dancing at the clubs, playing sports outside, going to the beach, or hiking.
Hong Kong tap water is also not really drinkable. People in my building who did not know this got a little sick when they tried to drink it. As a result, most restaurants boil water and serve it warm if you ask for tap water with your food. This is more inhibiting in the apartment because boiling water is extremely cumbersome in the kitchenette. Luckily bottled water is available everywhere and is pretty cheap too! Typically, my roomies and I just keep a supply of bottled water in the fridge for whoever needs it. Other than having to purchase it and bring it upstairs it really makes no difference to me.
My building also did not have quite enough storage space for my liking since I have a lot of clothes (I like to have lots of options!). To deal with this I used some ingenuity and folded things strategically to make more space and hung some things on hangers that I did not plan on hanging. I also made a quick trip to Ikea and purchased two plastic sliding drawers that I stuck on my desk. I left some clothes in my suitcases as well, which were placed underneath my desk and then I strategically timed laundry each week so that my drawers would never be completely filled. With a little ingenuity you can truly make any place feel homey and create enough space to store everything you have.
Finally, you have to know going in that lots of the brands you have known your whole life will not be here. When I am craving candy, I settle for cadbury (which I love now). When I want some Polland Spring water I simply go to 7/11 and purchase a Bonaqua water bottle. Shower gel and shampoo are also slightly different here, as my favorite brand Nivea is not available, but I have learned some new brands that I like and feel comfortable using.
I want to be clear that while lots of these things may appear to be negative they are completely manageable. I am simply telling you these things so that if you decide to come to Hong Kong you can be even better prepared than I was. These are just a few small prices to pay to live in this beautiful exciting city that I love so much. These challenges helped me grow as a person and getting past them allowed me to take in Hong Kong the way I wanted too.
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