14 Jun Hong Kong is Amazing!!
My first few days in Hong Kong have been amazing… and I’m not just saying that. My flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong was a pretty long flight, about 13.5 hours. I flew Cathay Pacific, watched Argo and the entire season of the Big Bang Theory, and had some white wine, so I was really living life. Since I arrived around 8 pm. I missed the welcome dinner and went to the hotel on my own, but it was pretty easy to find my way, and everything went pretty smoothly. I met the program director Jakub that night, and we were greeted by welcome packets with T-shirts, M&Ms, instant noodles, a folder, and a notebook—basically a necessary survival pack.
My roommate Priyal and I decided to explore the area around the hotel, but out of nowhere, it started pouring. We came back completely drenched, a little suspicious of the greeting we received from the weather in Hong Kong. The next day we had a brunch in the hotel, which was perfect because I was starving from the night before. We stalked up on fruit, green tea, aloe, sugar cane juice, and Asian gummy candy in the hotel and then headed to a meeting room nearby to hear a presentation by Jakub about Hong Kong working culture, with a brief compare/contrast between Eastern and Western working and cultural differences.
Finally, we joined each other in the evening for a tour of Hong Kong; starting with the Aberdeen market, we enjoyed an 8-course meal at the world’s largest floating restaurant Jumbo Floating Market (one of Macau magnate Stanley Ho’s big investments). We headed home around 10:30 after a view of the city at Mid-levels to get a good night rest before our first day at work. That was the plan at least, but due to my jetlag, I was up and running at 5:30 on Monday morning—literally running, as I decided to take advantage of the fitness room in the hotel.
As far as the Hong Kong internship is concerned, I was a bit nervous, but luckily, I had the other intern Henry with me, and we found the place without too much difficulty. Everyone in the office was very warm and friendly, and I felt really comfortable from the first day. The employees treated me to lunch and explained the basic corporate structure, and I got started researching social media platforms, their business models, cost structures, etc…, as well as creating a more streamlined Powerpoint of the company overview, since it can be a bit confusing. The company is going through an exciting time, and there is a lot of rebranding work that needs to be a addressed, so I think I got lucky in that its exciting and there are always projects to do.
After work, we went out to sushi and dessert to talk about our day before heading back for a good night rest before the 2nd day. I had green tea ice cream with grass jelly and sago covered in coconut milk. Jakub tried to take advantage of Hong Kong and the culinary experience by trying “hard core” foods like hot sesame paste with tofu and green tea ice cream. Given the view from work, the hotel facilities, and the great food, I was so happy I wouldn’t shut up for hours.
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