Saturday, July 20, 2013

As My Journey Comes to a Close...

It brings a little sting to my heart when I think about leaving Hong Kong (and Asia in general). I have truly learned so much about the world, people, and cultures and am so thankful for this amazing experience. It would not have been possible without God and my parents and my wonderful business school at UT. I knew I would be a changed person after having experienced life in China, but one can’t really anticipate how they are going to change or how another culture is going to affect them until they’ve seen it with their own eyes.  If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people are fundamentally the same everywhere. Yes, their cultures are very different, and their tendencies and customs are different, but people are people, and that’s what has made me feel close to home even all the way across the globe. Aside from the fact that not many people speak English here which has made communicating difficult at times, and living conditions and day to day life is a little different, I have often times not even felt like I’m on another continent. Undoubtedly that is due to the fact that I am living and traveling with many new friends from back home, which has given us all a little American bubble and haven. If anything has made me feel more disconnected from back home it’s probably the difference in food. America has the best food in the world! I can’t wait to have barbecue when I get home….

It’s been one month since I’ve been in America, and thinking about it now, I think of everything in more color, with life and vibrancy and freedom and happiness. I’ve always been in love with America, and Texas has my heart, and I can truly say that now I hold America, and Texas specifically, much more dear to my heart than I already did. It sounds cliché, but there is so much we take for granted, without even realizing it sometimes, because we don’t know any better or any different. The American Dream is a beautiful thing. I totally understand it now. Opportunities and freedom abound in America more than anywhere else in the world, and I am overcome with pure joy to call it my home.

The people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made through my study abroad program have shaped my experience and truly made it the time of my life. I can’t imagine how it would have been without them. I’ve made memories to last a lifetime. Never have I been more crazy, laughed so hard, slept so little, or walked so much, as I did in the past month. Even though I’m so, so happy to be boarding a plane to go home, Hong Kong and Thailand will always have a little piece of my heart. It’s a bittersweet feeling leaving it all behind, because I know I will probably never return. Live life while you can, travel while you’re young, and take everything in. Everything.

I want to close with a beautiful quote from Mary Anne Radmache that I can now identify with, more than ever before:

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”

Thank you, friends, for reading my blog and my experiences I’ve had while in Asia. I hope you’ve enjoyed it! See you soon, but in the meantime, have some BBQ and Tex Mex for me!

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