10 Jul I’m already dreading going home!
Hong Kong is a strange place. Marks and Spencer stands next to small Chinese restaurants selling pig feet. For breakfast I can choose between an English fry up or noodle soup. One night we went shopping through the cramped markets having souvenirs waved in our faces, the next we went to watch the horse racing.
I thought I had read and traveled enough to be prepared when I stepped off the plane, but it was still a shock standing alone with my suitcase and hearing all the Cantonese around me. After finding the Absolute Internship group, I headed straight for McDonalds and nervously counted out ten Hong Kong dollars for a coke.
The first couple of days were blurry with jetlag and culture shock, but the orientation weekend really helped me to adjust before we started work. The welcome dinner was a good chance to meet everyone as well as try (some) nice traditional Hong Kong food. After a short talk the next morning, we had the rest of the day free to explore Hong Kong. Twelve of us crowded into a tiny restaurant to try noodles, which resulted in poor chopstick use and accidentally drinking the water meant to clean them. We walked around the markets buying too much, then visited a rooftop bar to see the incredible night time views.
On Sunday we took a city tour around Hong Kong and took part in a scavenger hunt where we got to see most of the city in a day. By the end of the day I was struggling to feel my feet and we were all covered in sweat, but it was worth it to step back into the air conditioned hotel and know we’d seen the best parts of Hong Kong at once.
By the time it came to starting my internship in Hong Kong, I was feeling settled and happy here. My first day was nerve wracking, but luckily the company I work with take into account my interests and give me tasks to fit them. Today I even got to visit Hong Kong fashion week!
Hong Kong is a crazy place with far too many people. But every day has been such a different experience. I’m already dreading going home!
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