the end

I really dreaded writing this post, hence the delay in publishing it.

To put it in the fewest words possible, I had the time of my life on this exchange semester.


On exchange, I felt for the first time that I was physically, mentally, emotionally, even maybe spiritually, ready to leave.
To leave home, to leave Vancouver, to leave what I know because what I know is that I was ready for something new.

It's one thing for a person to look back at his life and pick out certain moments that were life-changing, it's another thing to know during that present moment that that moment will change your life. I remember lying in bed when I was in Hong Kong, Yunnan, Beijing, Philippines, Guilin, etc. that all of these moments were ones that I'll look back on and smile upon when I'm in my middle-age and beyond.

There was one night I remember, midway through my exchange semester at 3am when I was not being able to sleep that I realized that me being able to rest on my dorm bed was the culmination of mine's and others work. Here's a list of people who directly helped or who inspired me to go to HK:

Josh Gagner and Grant Klassen, who are in Australia, for inspiring me to leave home.
My dad and mum for encouraging me to explore.
Nina Aoki, from SFU Int'l, for advising me.
Prof. Michael Hayden and Prof. Darryl Cressman for writing the reference letters.
Jennifer Wu for reminding me of exchanges to HK
Karen Yip for telling me about HKBU
Alicia Doo for referring me to Karen Yip



What remains in my room in Burnaby from my exchange experience are jpg's on my laptop that are yet to be developed, old receipts from hostels in Beijing and Yunnan, gifts from friends, a rock from the Great Wall, and a head full of ..what do you call it(?)..memories.

I can go on and on about what I miss in HK, but I'll just list out the things I don't miss:
- the humidity


I loved every second of HK and I want to go back as soon as possible to see the friends who have become my family, the city that became my home, the tall buildings that housed me, the cheap alcohol that was my drink of choice, the crowds that woke me up in the morning and stayed with me till the MTR reopened, the opportunities of internships that will offer me my future career, to see Vicki.