Hello for the last time! I did NOT expect to get so incredibly behind on this blog, but we made it here in the end, now a clean one month after the official end of the program!

After leaving Hong Kong, I spent about two weeks fooling around in Korea with friends and family, flew back to Michigan, and am now settling back into life in Ann Arbor I sure did miss my dog U ´ᴥ` U and thankfully a lot of my graduating (graduated…!) friends have decided to stay in A2 for the summer, so I’ve had time to say my goodbyes 🥹

The moment I landed in DTW, the whole semester felt so behind me, like it was just a dream. I think the sight of the HKUST walkways will be in my mind forever…

But without further ado, let me finally answer the questions I made in my week 0 post (that I said I would answer as I could each week, which I soon realized was a stupid plan)

so how's the learning Cantonese thing going? → you absolutely do not need to know Cantonese to get around; I certainly learned nothing 😅A couple friends took intro Cantonese courses while they were here and I think that’s a great option if you’re interested in learning! Otherwise, Google Translate + English will get you by just fine :)

how's the dorm? → Honestly? mediocre. I’m pretty sure all of HKUST’s exchange promotional materials show the newer halls, which are very nice, but the rest of them are just alright. Most important things to remember are to KEEP YOUR WINDOWS CLOSED if screens aren’t provided (heard too many horror stories about various bugs getting inside) and do NOT skimp on using the A/C – the slight cost is more than justified by the fact that it will keep you sane

do you end up hanging out with more fellow exchange students? (vs local students) → Personally, almost exclusively exchange students from English-speaking countries. Exchange students tend to be on good terms regardless of their country, but over time everyone does gravitate towards others with the same first language. An interesting thing I’ve heard is that even among non-exchange students, the Chinese speakers (I don’t know if they differentiate between local HK and mainland) and non-Chinese-speaking students (international full-time + local HKers that aren’t ethnically Chinese) self-segregate. As a result, many of my fellow exchange students and I have been able to befriend some local non-Chinese or international students, but probably it’s hard to become close to the Chinese speakers unless you can speak it yourself? TLDR: only exchange for me, but this is most likely due to language barrier rather than cultural differences/other

can you get away with wearing long sleeves and/or pants? → Jan-March: yes, recommend at least a light jacket for nighttime April - June: absolutely not. the humidity becomes so oppressive that all you’ll want is to stay inside. Make sure to bring your umbrella ☔

how broke are you what does your spending look like? → For my own sake, I will not try to find out how much I spent (all I know is that it was significantly more than I expected). Make your budget sheet ASAP and be VERY generous with it – eating out, weekend trips, and going clubbing are the expenses that I underestimated the most…;

do you like the classes? → I remember I was looking forward to the small class sizes, but there’s definitely not as much emphasis on student-professor relationships as at UMich. My honest advice is not to expect any sort of awakening of academic passion ^_^ As long as you attend class in moderation, do the homework, and reasonably grind for exams, you shouldn’t have trouble passing, and that’s honestly the best academic outcome you can get!

misc recommendations + tips

pack light + bring empty bags, or be prepared to buy new ones (you’ll probably accumulate enough stuff while abroad to fill at least one checked bag…!)

push yourself to be social, especially in the first weeks! even if the first few people you meet don’t end up being your for-lifers, you surely won’t regret having an abundance of friends to invite on trips, outings, or even just study breaks

highly recommend having a small stockpile of food and drinks in your room, since McDonald's and 7/11 are the only things open past ~9pm

…try not to get sick!

was it worth it?

Without a doubt.

I came to Hong Kong to take a step back from life, and it worked! A new environment can be stressful, but at the same time it can be a fresh start. Thanks to the last semester of making new and meaningful connections, going on spontaneous adventures, and reinventing myself into something closer to the person I want to be (whoever that is), I’m coming back to normal life ready to face the mundane. And that alone makes this study abroad so meaningful to me…!

Thank you so much for reading, everyone! And thank you, Hong Kong! (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

(5/3 - 5/23) (continuing the dump of three weeks…)

I don't know why I never mentioned this before, but HKUST has (what I think is) a student organization called SPARK, which aims to bring together locals, international, and exchange students. I don’t really know if it succeeds in doing this, but it does host a variety of fun events every month, most of which are free to attend given you register in advance.

This month a few friends and I registered for something called the Big Bus Tour, where we got on a double decker bus that drove around HK to… I think Pok Fu Lam? The tour guide said something about this being the oldest public housing in HK! He also said he chose this location because he wanted to show a more niche spot (not his exact words LOL) that we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise, which I thought was super thoughtful <3

There was a small area on the footpath along the coast with a ton of these statues, which are apparently completely donated by the locals. I wish we had had time to learn about the background, but it was cool to look at regardless!

On the other side of the path was the ocean, and a bunch of grandpas had set up shop with chairs, food, and blasting music,  just chilling and taking leisurely swims in the water. Otherworldly aura, especially with the ‘No Swimming’ signs just a few meters away 😆I want to be like them when I’m older!

Afterwards my friends and I decided to finally go on the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, which is just a ferris wheel along the harbour. It was alright! I also finally got a bubble waffle, a Hong Kong street food staple that I had been putting off trying in favor of pineapple buns and egg tarts. I think pineapple buns are still my favorite of the three.

Lately one of my biggest concerns has been finding a nice off-campus place to study ( •̀ .̫ •́ )✧! I ended up saving a bunch of cafes on Google Maps based off of reels that claimed they were ‘study-friendly’ (like, you wouldn’t feel bad camping there for a couple hours with a laptop + maybe some charging ports available), as well as the HK central library and something called a ‘study shared space’ (i never ended up going to this but website if anyone’s interested)

On one of the days that I managed to drag myself onto the 11 minibus heading out of campus, I went to this one cafe called Elephant Grounds!

I got a french toast and iced americano (i’m trying to give this iced americano thing a try - it was drinkable when paired with the sweet toast) and honestly it was really expensive but in reality you’re paying for the right to sit and study in the cafe for a decent amount of time (i stayed over two hours, and everyone around me both had been there before me and didn’t leave when i did)

so overall not bad!

i just think it’s a little hard to switch up your study environment at UST because the limited hours usually mean you’ll be in the LC (which is fine in its own right) or in your dorm room (which I dislike doing)

tldr: imo cafe studying every now and then is worth the commute + potentially high prices (and maybe you can eat something nice while you’re out too <3)

Hong Kong Central Library seemed like a pretty good place to study too, but both my friend and I had trouble with the WiFi (critical!!!)

Last misc note: I’ve already mentioned eating sushi super often throughout the life of this blog – but lately i’ve made a super important discovery! 

super important discovery: we’ve been regulars at the chain ‘hama sushi’ but the chain ‘genki sushi’ is actually a lot more delicious though slightly pricier

(but i think it’s actually better because you end up not stuffing yourself to the brim) (more delicious as in the fish is bigger and tastes better quality, coming from someone who knows nothing about sushi quality)

there’s another popular sushi chain called ‘sushiro’, but i heard it’s not that good for the price? idk

Anyways, the past three weeks have been a cycle of goodbyes, eating sushi and instant ramen, meeting visitors, and studying + searching for study spots (the LC gets CRAZY crowded nowadays).

It’s really ending soon now!

(5/3 - 5/23) (a dump of three weeks) (gonna be a long post)

OH my god there are bugs EVERYWHERE on this campus

HKUST’s hillside architecture with its lifts and open-air walkways is very nice for getting fresh air and maximizing the beautiful view of the ocean, but it also offers very little protection from various small wildlife….

I don’t mind the abundance of sparrows around campus because I think they’re cute, but I would in fact prefer to not constantly be on the lookout for both dead and alive bugs (= roaches, beetles, grasshoppers(?)) for the entire 15 minute walk between my dorm and the main atrium of the academic building ^^

(also one of my friends lowkey got bedbugs????)

I guess that’s just what you get living in a subtropical area!(?)

Lately the days consistently hit mid to high 80s°F with a humidity percentage often above 90%! so it’s a bit of a steam room anywhere without AC💦 which, I suppose, is why students seem to congregate in the LC (= learning commons aka second home😍)

As it’s the last couple weeks of the semester, there’s been a third wave of visitors coming to see exchange students (the first wave was during CNY break, while the second was spring break). I got to meet the parents of one of my friends, which was super fun (and also free meal <3 shoutout kamaile’s mom+dad)

^ the dessert we had afterwards – lately these kinds of traditional(?) sweets have been hitting SO hard, i really love the glutinous rice balls

As for me, I had two rounds of visitors over these three weeks! First, one of my closest friends from home + her brother came to HK for a short break from their longer trip to mainland China >.< Of course, I was so happy to see her, and even though I lowkey don’t remember what we did all day (lol) I do remember that it was a good time and a great excuse to not study ^_^

^ ft. cat on the street + my fried hair

What I also remember is ordering Viet food off FoodPanda and eating it at this one spot(?), which had an incredible view of Victoria Harbour and was surprisingly empty (given this was a weekday, but still!) I don’t think any of us three are big photoshoot people, but it would be a great place to have one if you are :)

Also went to Victoria Peak on the other side of the harbour, which is something I’ve done weirdly often in the last few weeks LOL The view never gets old!

You can get to one of the main viewpoints (Victoria Peak's Lions Pavilion on Google Maps) by taking the peak tram for ~$15USD round trip, or by hiking for a calm ( … ^_^) 1.5-ish hours. I would recommend going at night, both because I love seeing the city lights and because the view during the day can vary depending on the weather🌥️ I’ve also seen on Instagram about some spot where you can allegedly climb off the fenced trail and sit directly on the mountainside under some rock, which has the same view but feels cooler, but every time I went I either didn’t find the right spot or was just too scared to do it LOL 

A few family members visited me too! To be specific, it was the cousin whose wedding I went to back in March and her direct family (sister + parents)

We basically just chilled around campus and then went to Man Wah, this super fancy Michelin-rated Cantonese restaurant that was maybe one of the best cases of Hong Kong food I’ve had (but also quite expensive (shoutout to the cousins❤️ thank you for being employed) )

And then my cousins and i went out 😆and they met some of my friends! (shoutout to them again x2 ❤️ thanks for being awesome)

--- Of course, I’ve been doing my fair share (? or maybe less than fair) of studying. After all, it’s finals season… People are starting to leave Hong Kong, so now all of our group study sessions feel a little bittersweet, knowing that it’s the last interaction with whoever in particular before they take their last exam, and usually almost immediately their departing flight

(almost unrelated: did you notice the little teddy bear in this image :) what is it? oh, nothing, just my FRICKING AWESOME FREE HKUST MERCH….

all the exchange students can get one of these bear key chains if you fill out an easy end-of-semester survey by email! i’m not even a stuffed animal person but this guy is awesome and i like to pull him out when i’m studying for an extra dose of whimsy)

(actually unrelated: my new favorite item from 7/11 is the ritz cheese sandwich crackers. bc i love cheese. they’re lowkey crazy filling too? do they have these in the us?) (actually unrelated (x2): tried this vv cute banana shaped ice cream with a friend. was not banana flavored?)

And exams have been… exams 😁 As of the events of this post, I just have my math exam left…!

#killmenowFR

(author’s note(?????) – i originally intended to make this post cover all of these three weeks but turns out i’m more talkative than i thought (ˉ▽ˉ；)... so i guess this is dump pt. 1/2! brb i guess

tee hee☆)

(4/26 - 5/2)

Hi! For this post I want to mostly follow one of the days from this week, because it was one of my favorites in the semester so far!

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I finally(finally!!!) forced myself out of bed to have a solo outing day >.< It’s one of those things that I kept reserving for a day I would have lots of time to spare, but whenever those days actually came by, I would end up sleeping all the time away…So finally, during my 14th week in Hong Kong, I was able to overcome the sleepiness!

I took the MTR to Tsim Shau Tsui, one of the more tourist-y districts located right above Victoria Harbour (~1-1.5 hour transportation = the standard for getting anywhere from UST), and started by getting lunch at Shek Kee Wonton Noodles.

They only take cash but it was otherwise a very tourist-friendly restaurant, and the noodles I got were super filling and delicious for the relatively low price of $80HKD (~ $10.21USD)!

(Honestly, I’m starting to think Hong Kong prices are actually pretty high for Asia, but maybe I’m just spoiled because of Vietnam…)

and the owner gave me candy on my way out!

Because TST is super tourist-y, it’s a great place to buy souvenirs! I dropped by a store and got a couple of key chains and magnets because I realized I currently only had souvenirs from Thailand and Vietnam and not the actual place I was studying abroad in LOL

Then I finally (finally!22) went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which was honestly AMAZING… Like I said before, I think it had just been bugging me that it was something I had wanted to do for so long haha but even aside from that factor, I think it’s one of the best art museums I’ve been to (I haven’t been to many)! There was a lot of traditional(?) Chinese art, and also a lot of cool modern and abstract pieces too ❤️My favorite exhibit was one that started with a little personality test where you can get one of four ‘types’ (Adventurer/Elegant/Perfectionist/Fashionista) and had many different traditional and modern pieces that were grouped into each of the four personality types

Overall it felt like a lot of effort had been made to make art a more accessible and interesting topic for the general public! and the view from the huge ceiling-to-floor windows on each floor was a nice touch, since the museum’s located right on the harbour >.<

oh and it’s free entry by the way!

Afterwards, I met some friends at Papillon Cafe, which had been all over my Instagram explore page 

Review: 4/5 The cafe had a super cute aesthetic and the owners’ cats were sweet and a lot friendlier than the ones at the cat cafe last week! The food and drinks in all honesty were mediocre, but I think it’s still worth going at least once for the nice atmosphere 

We finished off the day by getting dinner at Hama Sushi in the East Point Mall on the way back to campus (I’ve eaten here so many times it’s embarrassing) and browsing a makeup store in the same mall (i got colored contacts for the first time!)

I realized that this was the first week that I hadn’t gone out…! I didn’t realize I was being such a partier LOL especially because back at home I’m seriously a homebody… I guess that’s just what exchange life’s like

But I think I’m at the point that I want to start spending my time here more purposefully, since there’s not much left (and not to say that I won’t be going out from now!)

It’s just that you can feel it in the air, the feeling of the semester coming to a close. My final project group for one of my classes has met for probably over 12 hours this week, and all the exchange students are starting to ask each other when their last exam is, when they’re flying out.

I don’t want it to end…!

(4/19 - 4/25)

Helloooo! i did a lot of reflecting this week

It might be because I just submitted my last assignment for a class (literally have nothing to do for it anymore except study for the final, which is in over a month), or because I was reevaluating my friendships here, but I felt reminded that I need to make the most of my time here

I still haven’t gone to the art museum, which is something I told myself I would do since week 1, and I think that’s been bugging me…

actually idk if theres much else to it haha

I got to have a deeper conversation with a friend that I met in the first week and hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to much since then, and it felt super refreshing actually! I know I’ve been saying the key to not feeling down is to not let yourself marinate in your thoughts, but getting to talk about more genuine topics for the first time in a while felt fresh.

^the friend and her fused fry (side note: do NOT eat at the American Diner on campus unless you enjoy mediocre spaghetti and consider salad to be a few sad strands of leafy greens ^_^)

And I called my roommate from home! Again, I really enjoyed having the more serious/genuine kind of conversation :) One of my biggest regrets(?) coming to Hong Kong was that I wouldn’t get to see her again because she’s graduating this semester, but thankfully it turns out she’ll stay in AA for the summer so I can see her when I come back!!

tldr I’ve allowed myself to have *some* thoughts and it feels nice

Other than that, I went to a cat cafe this week! I didn’t like it that much because all of the cats clearly didn’t favor being touched (I assume it’s like work fatigue for them), but it’s probably still worth it if you like cats enough to enjoy just being in their presence  /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\

And I watched a production of the opera (for my Enjoyment of Western Opera class project) ‘Madama Butterfly’, which was alright. I got rained on on my way to the theatre, but during the time I was waiting for the first act to finish (bc got there late😔) I got dry anyways haha

Also in Vietnam I went to a market to get these wooden clog shoes that were super cheap and literally made on the spot (you can choose your base and strap and they’ll literally staple + nail it together right there) and I really love wearing them with jeans, but they lowkey hurt my feet… I’ve been getting some crazy blisters… but the concept of casual heels has such a grip on my heart that I’m probably just gonna cope❤️

My mind has been all over the place this week and it probably shows in this post haha I’ll see you all in the next one!

(4/14- 4/18)

Fact 1: Hong Kong is hot Fact 2: My roommate and I turn on the fan when we are in the room Fact 3: My roommate and I were both traveling (not in the room) for, presumably, several days Fact 4: Thermodynamics

I came back from Vietnam, opened the door, and I kid you not a WAVE of hot heavy humid air came billowing out of that cursed sauna of a dorm room…

⭐Fact!!! – You have to pay for A/C ^^ My roommate and I had been trying to make it work with just the little ceiling fan, but in the end, we couldn’t outlast the HK humidity :( But as it turns out, the A/C is actually pretty cheap (~ .17 USD per hour)! Honestly the rate is so low, I wish I had started using it earlier… and for anyone curious, you both buy hours and turn the AC on/off through this one website (https://w5.ab.ust.hk/njggt/app/home)

Also I went to Fusion (campus supermarket) and bought 6 instant ramens for sale, which I have been eating in place of going to the canteens just call me a master budgeter 😁

So in short, the past few days have been a hard swerve to normal(?) life – blasting the A/C, eating cup ramens, and doing homework/studying/rotting at home. 

This week’s outings:

1. classic Happy Valley + all you can eat(?) gyoza Someone in our groupchat saw a restaurant’s Instagram post promoting an all-you-can-eat gyoza deal for $13HKD (~$1.66USD). Upon arrival, we found that the promotion is real but only if you first buy a bowl of ramen (~$80HKD). The ramen was good but because of the betrayal of the gyoza deal we probably won’t go back LOLL and then we went to Happy Valley for the nth time to see the horse races

2. Ocean Park! Hong Kong has a Disneyland and something called Ocean Park, which is like an amusement park, zoo, aquarium in one (kind of like Everland in Korea?)! I heard the Disneyland was pretty small, but I did want to go to Ocean Park at least once during the semester - and this weekend I got the chance! Overall, I think it was a solid 7/10 – I think it’s technically still off season so there were a lot of sections and rides that were closed (‘being optimized’?) We did get to ride most of the rides available though, and the park was so empty the lines were really short! (However I do think the emptiness + the foggy weather gave the park a bit of a depressing atmosphere) There was also a pretty nice aquarium and various exhibits to see pandas, sharks, sea lions, monkeys etc! The monkey exhibit had a family of three, and the little one was clearly trying to show off – it was doing all of these unnecessary flips and running jumps while the parents just sat and watched LOL it also failed a couple of times LOL x2 I think the most unique part of Ocean Park was the cable car, which connects the two different sections of the park. I don’t really know if the two sections have different themes or anything, but they’re actually separated by a LOT of distance – we literally went across a mountain to get to the other side! In the picture above you can see it in the distance, and we had already come a decent way along then too..!

Also it rained SO HARD – I took this photo of the pond behind my dorm because it looked crazy (maybe a little flooding?), so yes, my duck umbrella is being put to good use yay

That’s all from this week! See you all next time o(^▽^)o

(4/5-4/13) Long time no see!

We got about a week off for midterm break, so I took the creative liberty(?) to skip a few extra days for an extended trip to Vietnam 😆

For the first five-ish days we were in Hanoi –

I was a little nervous because it was my first time staying in a hostel, but the room was actually super nice! The bunk beds were super luxury(?), with wooden walls, individual outlet and storage, and a curtain for privacy (and the bed itself was much nicer than the ones in the dorms)

^^low quality pic of high quality hostel (also super cheap btw)

We spent most of our time in Hanoi exploring Old Quarter, a super tourist-y and fun district where our hostel is located. It’s all narrow paved roads surrounded by little stores and SWARMING with people!

Notes: It was insanely hot, like consistently above 90°F, but because it was so sunny and dry it didn’t feel as oppressive as Hong Kong heat (similar to Thailand) SO MANY MOTORBIKES – seems like it’s the primary method of transportation! You can hitch a ride on Grab (Uber, but for SEA), which is often cheaper and faster than getting a car (and also way more fun ❤️)

My favorite part of Old Quarter was definitely watching a water puppet show, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was one of the only things I did on my own in Hanoi, and I was so glad I went through with it! The accompanying narration is in Vietnamese but my ticket included a little handheld translator, and anyways the show was just a series of little slapstick stories, so it was easy to understand :) Absolutely recommend this!

Another highlight is this day tour we went on - I think it was to Ninh Binh? There were several activities, but honestly I only remember the part where we got to ride these little boats that the workers rowed with their feet(!). I also bought a bunch of souvenirs and a cone hat :)

Other than that, we also visited Bat Trang Pottery Village, where there are tons of shops with so many ceramic products that it feels mass-produced, as well as Train Street, which is just a nice street of cafes/restaurants that a train passes through.

And of course I had to try egg coffee, which turned out to be coffee with a very sweet and rich custard(?) on top - it was a little too heavy for me, but that didn’t stop me from trying it several more times from different cafes LOL

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For the second half of the trip we flew to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh! >.<

(btw our flight was 7am so we had this bright idea to spend the night in the airport – do NOT do this! there were literally no overnight flights so the entire airport shut down until 5 💀they closed off almost all of the areas as well so we and the handful of other people were using up every bench possible to sleep on… it was so scuffed and NOT in a silly cute way…)

Compared to Hanoi (or at least, specifically Old Quarter), Saigon gave off more of a typical ‘city’ vibe, so the activity here was mainly shopping and related things <3

For one thing, I got my nails done again! They were pretty grown out from the last time I got them painted gold in HK but I was holding off because I heard it’s insanely cheap in Vietnam. I took advantage of the low prices by going in with a pretty intricate reference design and ended up getting exactly what I wanted for LESS THAN $20USD… (i physically can not stop myself from telling people this (it’s like when someone compliments your dress and you just have to tell them it has pockets too)) I also got some kind of keratin(???) treatment(?) done because the several days of not using conditioner -really- was not helping my already fried hair — so I guess it actually just put me back to baseline level haha

Oh! One thing unique to Saigon that I really liked was the War Remnants Museum, which has a lot of information on the impact of the Vietnam War (‘American War’ here).

It was a very eye-opening experience to see a different perspective from the rather quick coverage given in high school history classes. Most of the museum focuses on the atrocities committed by the US and GIs, especially against Vietnamese citizens. The museum has a good strategy in focusing on presenting loads of individual photos and anecdotes; I think this approach helps put in perspective the sheer magnitude of horror caused in each victim and the overwhelming number of such victims, all while preventing the instinct to think about it in terms of numbers. The exhibits are seriously horrifying, not just because of how graphic they are, but also because of how powerfully the photographed subjects’ emotions can be felt. I was especially affected by the section about Agent Orange, which was a chemical the US sprayed in Vietnam to prevent crops from growing and had the additional effect of causing serious health problems and birth defects in millions of Vietnamese people. One of the displayed photos was of a new mother in a hospital bed, crying as she looked at her conjoined twins she had just birthed. The photo was from 2006. If they had lived, her children and I would have been the same age. And there were loads of other similar cases. I highly recommend visiting this museum. As a citizen of this world and especially of the US, remembering the tragic and ugly parts of history, especially(!) the parts that are not necessarily emphasized in our own history books, is key to recognizing and preventing similar things that are happening now. 

But I digress..!

Some assorted notes because I have too much to say, none of which is related or necessary (❤️):

^^ pink church - apparently a big tourist thing (because it’s a pink church, duh(?)) that i did not make plans for but literally happened to walk by on the street

^^ grab motorbikes again

^^ We went to a matcha pop-up (EXTREMELY indulgent matcha lattes with large, dense toppings of ice cream and/or banana pudding etc) and a dog and a cat came up to me and my friend respectively! thought it was super cute because it reflected our personalities so well 🥺

Bui Vien Walking Street - lots of clubs and bars! Kind of interesting to see the difference in nightlife culture – compared to HK or US, clubs here are more about having tables and bottles and less on dancing. Instead, there are hired girls and guys (mostly girls) who dance on an elevated stage (they also dance on outdoor stages to attract people) → not really my cup of tea :(

And of course, I ate SO much food, both in Hanoi and Saigon :) I really love how vegetables are used so much!!! I especially had pho as many times as I possibly could – pho is such a top tier dish it’s still good in the sweltering heat! 

On our last night, I found this random place near our airbnb and ended up eating two bowls of this noodle soup dish! (so good….) The lady laughed when I ordered the second one and also when she handed me the receipt LOLL

Closing thoughts: What a week!!! I really enjoyed this trip a lot — the approach my friends and I ended up adopting of moving around mostly individually, but with meet-ups back at the hostel/airbnb and for certain activities, worked so well for me ❤️I feel like I got to thoroughly enjoy Vietnam by getting a good mix of relaxing, wandering, and doing activities! I’m so happy I got to come (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) P.S. I will miss the food…

Thanks for reading all this! I’ll be back ASAP with the next post…

Welcome back! This week had a bit of an odd feel to it because it was right after midterms and right before the midterm/spring break :0

Midterm results came out frighteningly quickly, and they were NOT pretty – I aced IEDA and opera wasn’t bad, but I got around 50% on both ML and Math 💀💀💀I heard lots of conflicting things about whether they curve grades here or not, so I guess I’m doomed to a constant (but low) level of fear…

^^random: char siu bao from 7/11 -- i'm really warming up (lol) to the hot food items there!

On a different note, now that the semester is officially halfway through, I feel a new surge of motivation to make the most out of my time here! I realized I still haven’t had the chance to explore Hong Kong by myself (aside from that one time over a month ago when I had to downsize my helixes), which is something I definitely want to do (and do often!). And at the same time, I do also think I should put a little more effort into my studies, especially after what I just said about the curve that may or may not exist. Work harder + play harder, huh…?

This week I worked on my group project for opera! I think the last time I did a group project in general was freshman year, so I was honestly pretty excited coming into it ( •̀ .̫ •́ )✧ Um. But turns out that the rest of my group didn’t feel the same (which I guess is understandable, especially for an elective class) so it ended up being me having to nag everyone into meeting and doing their part, which is arguably also a classic group project experience LOL

Also I finished my project team stuff! (or at least the most crucial things) I’m really glad because it’s been consistently giving me some stress 🥲At my last meeting I had said I would get it done by this upcoming Wednesday only to realize by then I would already be in Vietnam (have I mentioned that I’m going to Vietnam for the break…?), so I just sucked it up and grinded it out ( •̀ ω •́ )✧ congrats to myself!

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The highlight of this week was definitely Friday, when a few friends and I went to a jazz pub!! I honestly have such limited experience with live music, even though I love it, so I was really happy to get this chance :)

It did seem to be more of a touristy/expat thing (I mean, I’m actually completely assuming based on people’s appearances) but there’s nothing wrong with that – after all, it’s not like we’re locals either LOL but if there are any opportunities to hear local bands of any genre play, I would love to check those out too !

Ohh and also checked out a beach nearby campus! Allegedly a 40 minute bus ride, but the driver was speeding so much we made it in 15 LMAO It was definitely a lot better than the one on campus – still small but not nearly as much litter, and there was a decent setup of a store, bathrooms/showers, etc too! I bet it would have been a lot nicer if the sun was out

Generally, I finally feel like I somewhat know the people I’ve met here. I guess it might be a characteristic of study abroad programs, but the majority of the time I spent with friends has been doing an activity of some sort together, which I believe is an equally valuable but different nature of friend I had back home. But lately I think I’ve slowed down enough to have actual conversations with a few people, and it feels so good haha

Human connection is nice, who knew? I think I’ve started to miss my friends and family, but again I’m very set on not giving myself time to contemplate… 

Well - here’s to another half-semester with Hong Kong! See you all next time in Vietnam >.<