Being from an island, one of the first things I did when I moved into Kennedy Town was find the ocean. Luckily I live only 5 minutes away from a pier that overlooks Kowloon. Even though you can't swim here, seeing the ocean is all I need for the moments that I feel homesick. Walking from the pier in Kennedy Town down to the aptly coined "Instagram pier" has become my favorite thing to do in Hong Kong. It doesn't hurt that the views are amazing as well!
There were a few people inside lighting incense and leaving offerings for various deities. Many of the temples I have visited in the past have seemed like tourist attractions. They were always boisterous and full, usually only allowing people to peer in while keeping most of the worshiping spaces outside. This temple was different in that there were no areas that were off limits - you could go right up to the shrines to leave incense or to pay respects. While there were aspects geared towards tourists, such as souvenirs available for purchase, it felt more like a space for people to engage in traditional practices. I hope to go back soon after learning a little more about the temple so that I can partake in some of those practices as well. Opposite to the calm of the temple was the excitement of the horse races at Happy Valley Racecourse. My family watches the triple crown of horse racing every year on TV, so I was eagerly anticipating watching horse races in person for the first time. Although I opted not to bet on any races this time around, as I did not understand how to read the odds charts and I had not done any research regarding the line up beforehand, I still had a lot of fun. I loved the atmosphere of the racecourse. Everyone was there to have a good time and no one was a bad sport, even if they ended up losing money. It was amazing seeing how large the pot would get for each race. There were multiple races with over $30 million in bets! Spending the evening at the racecourse was a highlight of my week; I'll definitely be returning soon.
I have always taken Hawaii's beaches to granted, assuming that all beaches are made the same. I think that it's hard when you grow up only knowing one type of environment to recognize how special that environment actually is. In recent years all I've wanted to do was leave Hawaii. I was so sick of living on a tiny island. It took being away for a little less than a month to realize how lucky I am to live there. I thought that I would not get homesick, but I found myself comparing everything here to home. At Big Wave Bay all I could think about was how the sand at home was more pristine, the water cleaner and clearer. If nothing else, I'm thankful that going on exchange helped me to see my home in perspective.
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I was lucky enough to have my mom and grandparents come with me to help me get settled in Hong Kong. Since they were coming too, we got to take a short family trip to other parts of Asia before I planted my roots here. We began our travels in Taiwan, a country I had never visited before! My grandpa has friends he's very close with in Taipei, so they showed us around for a few days. Of course one of our first stops was Taipei 101! Even though it was a pretty cloudy day, there were still amazing sights from the building! While Taipei is packed with buildings, it was really interesting seeing how they fit a lot of green spaces into the city. There were rooftop gardens, tons of small parks, and strips of trees planted between building or roads. It made the city seem a little less gray. Along with visiting Taipei's sites, we also went out to the countryside to eat some seafood! From Taiwan we next traveled to Hong Kong so that I could get a taste of the city. We had dinner with family members I had never met before and got a few items of business completed, like exchanging currency and visiting the place I would be staying while in school. One of the best things we got to do was visit a temple on Kowloon. My grandpa told me that his grandmother used to say that all wishes made at the temple would come true! There were a ton of people giving offerings and participating in fortune telling activities. Our next stops were Zhuhai and Macau! Zhuhai is a province in China, right across the border from Macau and just a short ferry ride away from Hong Kong. My grandpa's family use to have a village there, a few generations ago. After his great grandfather passed away, the village homes got passed down to each of his great grandfather's sons. While everyone who used to live there either moved or has passed away, some of the homes along with the rooms dedicated to our ancestors are still around today. I visited Zhuhai for the first time 8 years ago, and I was really excited to go back. Everyone says that it takes a village to raise a child - in this case it was a village for many children! Below is a photo of my ancestors who lived in the village. Zhuhai is undergoing some pretty large changes, as it will be connected to Hong Kong via a bridge as a route to Macau. Since the government and developers forsee many more people passing through Zhuhai, there's a ton of new buildings and shopping malls being constructed. Of course with construction of new things comes the destruction of old. Government surveyors are currently speaking with residents of the area our family village is in to see if they would be willing to sell their properties, since the area is old and run down. It's strange to think that the village may not exist in a few years, but I'm grateful that I got a chance to go back, pay my respects, and take photos before it is gone forever. The day after we visited the old family village, we crossed the border in Macau. Macau is fascinating because it's a mix of so many different places. Part of it looks like the other cities we visited during our trip in Asia, part looks very European because of the Portuguese influence, and part looks like Vegas! Most people go to Macau to gamble, but since I'm not old enough to do so we just went to sightsee. While we visited the extravagant casinos, my favorite part was the town square. This is where the European influence was most prominent. There were adorable buildings, cobblestone streets, and fountains! I hope that my pre-school travels are only a taste of what is to come! I can't wait to explore more of Asia!
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Emily BallBorn and raised in Aiea, HI, traveling to Hong Kong to study Human Resource Administration. Archives
January 2019
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