Hong Kong adventures

While Rosie Shepherd was admiring the snow during her year abroad in Norway (see her post of 4 July), Jordan Stock headed for warmer climes. Read on for his impressions of his year in east Asia: It has now been nearly one year since I left the refuge of Southampton to travel to about as far as you can get on the other side of the world, Hong Kong. I can only sum up the year with one word: Wow.

View over Hong Kong from Kowloon peak

I had always known I had wanted to go on a year abroad before I applied for my course at Southampton, and it almost felt like my entire university experience was building up to it (Iā€™d be lying if I wasnā€™t still trying to pretend that final year doesnā€™t exist . . . ). But I had never envisioned myself in Asia for my year abroad, even less so in Hong Kong, a place which at first, I didnā€™t know much about. I had applied for a place in America too, but in the end chose Hong Kong as it seemed more of a ā€˜jump in the deep endā€™ and in some ways that was true. Luckily for me, though, I quite liked that feeling and any presumptions or fears quickly disappeared upon arrival.

waterfall leap
A visual representation of my ā€˜jump in the deep endā€™. (Get it?)

Hong Kong is actually a very small place, not much bigger really than the size of London, and is situated on the coast of South China. I think most peopleā€™s perceptions of the city are that of only a ā€˜metropolisā€™ or ā€˜concrete jungleā€™ and so I think they might be skeptical about spending a year there. However, donā€™t believe everything you see on the internet – Hong Kong has some of the most magnificent beaches, mountains, hikes, lakes, temples and waterfalls I have ever seen.

Donā€™t get me wrong, the concrete jungle element still exists, but I actually think this only makes for an extremely dynamic contrast between the cityscape and the surrounding nature (and seriously good picture opportunities). Plus, it makes for – yes I am biased! – the best skyline in the world.

Hong Kong skyline

Hong Kong can best be described as a thorough mix of western and eastern culture, which has a lot to do with it being a British colony up until the late 90ā€™s. This mix is probably one of the most notable things about the city and it helped make it feel like my home almost as soon as I arrived. The city is also probably the most international place I have ever been, and even though, yes, being a white British citizen in Hong Kong certainly puts me in the minority (95% of the population is of Asian origin), I have never felt more welcomed, accepted and at peace in my life, which actually I think says a lot.

800m above sea level, still about 100m to the top
Sunset view from the top ā€“ more than worth the hike

In terms of university life in Hong Kong (itā€™s easy to forget that I was actually there to study), I studied at The University of Hong Kong – which taught in English – and it was there I met some incredible people from all over the world. I think it is actually the most international university in the world and thatā€™s quite amazing for such a small city. I also got the chance to study some music modules that focused more on Asian music, particularly contemporary Asian music, such as K-pop, J-pop etc. and Iā€™d be lying if this wasnā€™t the most interesting and exciting aspect of contemporary world music Iā€™d ever learnt about (take note Southampton, a module next year on Asian popular music please!)

One of the many incredible feats of architecture around Hong Kong ā€“ Chi Lin Nunnery

When I left for Hong Kong last August, I felt all manner of emotions but I wasnā€™t quite sure how well they would all settle in my head when I arrived. However, they did – more than I could ever have expected – and it opened my brain to an essentially completely new world that I was to call my home for a year, filled with so many incredible people, places, food, culture, weather and most importantly, memories. Hong Kong, if you’re reading this, Iā€™ll be back soon, this time hopefully for good!