Was That Really 5 Months?

No words to describe the experience, or to elaborate on how weird I feel to be going home tomorrow. It just feels so unreal. I don't think it'll actually sink in until I actually land in SFO.

I know this probably won't be the last time I'll ever be in Hong Kong (though I feel ridiculously lucky to have been able to come at least twice in my relatively short lifetime), but if and when I do come back, it really won't be the same. Even though I have a lot of regrets about not taking advantage of all of the things I could've, I feel like I accomplished and did so much more than I expected to. I regret not practicing Cantonese as much as I should've, not taking finding a job/internship for overseas experience, not meeting as many locals, not experiencing something new EVERY DAY, etc...But before I got here I didn't know that I'd be able to get past my shyness/introverted nature and meet people that I actually get along with. I didn't think I'd be able to travel outside of Hong Kong/China. I know when you list it out I didn't go to that many places in terms of different countries, but I never thought I'd EVER go to Thailand or Taiwan; I feel really, REALLY lucky.

It's so different than returning home from vacation. I had a routine here. When I have free time I'll go shopping at Argyle Center in Mong Kok. I'll sit outside of Kadoorie when the weather's nice or hang out in the computer lab above Starbucks. I took the 8 or 28 green minibus to Central probably hundreds of times. I prefer the 8 though - you press a button to get off instead of calling out your stop. But even calling out a stop in Cantonese, knowing exactly where to get off, is a huge accomplishment for a foreigner. It was only for five months, but it was a new life in a different country, and that's pretty crazy for someone like me.

I have mixed feelings about leaving. It's SO SAD and I know I'll miss everything and everybody like crazy. But at the same time I miss my family and my friends and counting down my remaining hours in Hong Kong just makes me wish my flight was sooner just so I can get it over with. It's stressful to think about what I should be doing with the rest of my time here, what I can do to maximize the experience, when I know that the plane ride home is inevitable. It's hard to describe. I just know I'm sad and happy and anxious and jittery all at the same time.

So I'm spending my last afternoon here in Mong Kok, and having dinner with exchange/local friends in Causeway Bay tonight. And then I'll finish packing and go to sleep in this tiny room for the last time, to wake up at 10 and make it to the airport to catch my 2:05 flight. I'm landing in SFO at 11:35 AM some day (24th? 25th? Time travel is confusing).

AKSDFJLAKSDJFO;AIWERKADNFKLAIOWEFLKASDNMNASDKJFOAIWEJGKS. Kind of how I feel right now. See you soon. Or maybe some time in the distant future or never again, depending on who is reading this :(