I still remember that taxi ride from Hong Kong International Airport as if it happened yesterday: the humidity in the air, fishing boats in the sea, green hills and palm trees, my initial panic over driving on the wrong side of the road, the Tsing Ma Bridge, and then suddenly – concrete, glass and steel that seemed to reach the skies. This was the concrete jungle I had seen in glossy travel magazines and it would be my home for the next five months.
My decision to go on an exchange programme offered by the university stemmed from an urge to do something out of my comfort zone, something that would challenge 16 years of complacent Nordic lifestyle and conventions, and hopefully change my almost cynical view on the future job market as well. It was time for an adventure and I knew without any hesitation that Hong Kong was where I needed to go. Looking back, I wonder if the defining moment was packing my life’s possessions into a single suitcase or signing my application form to get nominated for the University of Hong Kong, but I had encouraging family and friends throughout the whole process, and dreams of Hong Kong’s warm weather, busy streets of people and fragrant food beckoned me almost every night.
So how do I even begin to describe those five months by the sea? How do I explain the initial frustration, the overwhelming amount of information spewing from all directions, the lament when you realise there is simply too much to eat, and the tears of relief when against all odds, you ended up with the best roommates you could possibly ask for? Someone at the beginning of our orientation week told us that while it is important to read books, it is even more important to read life – it is only when we find ourselves in unfamiliar situations, facing new challenges, that we push our boundaries beyond what we could imagine, in anticipation of the next chapters of our lives. So while I did have a ridiculously expensive drink (according to Hong Kong standards; in Finland that would be considered normal) in the highest bar in the world, saw too little of Seoul, Taipei and Singapore, and fell in love with so many aspects of Hong Kong that sometimes my heart aches and my mouth salivates looking at photos, it was during my moments of doubt that I truly learned more about myself.
For me, Hong Kong is no longer just a black square on a map or the backdrop of a western blockbuster. It’s been almost five months since I last walked down Sassoon Road and opened the blue door to my dorm, and memories I swore I’d hold onto forever are beginning to fade away. But I do remember dipping my toes in the South China Sea in late January, speeding through the dazzling Hong Kong night in a minibus and being more alone than I’ve ever been before in my life, yet never actually feeling lonely because of the wonderful people I met along the way and those waiting back home. People take away different things from their exchange, but they always return changed in one way or another. And perhaps it is only when you’re once more in the comfort of your familiar old room, having put away all your trinkets and treasures, that you really begin to appreciate all that you’ve done and experienced, and how different the world suddenly appears. So don’t hesitate, go on and send that application, take that first step and see for yourself what the world has to offer. And if you’re lucky, you might just discover what you could offer the world in return.
For more information on international exchange programmes and internships, check out Flamma. Here is also the page for the application deadlines (coming up soon are: Australia (AEN), United States of America (MAUI), and Nordic universities (North2North).