By Maya Haziza
When I first decided to travel abroad and live in Hong Kong for the next 5 months, the question that I got from my friends and family time and time again was “why?” Why did I decide to travel to China over any other destination in the world? My response was simple, “I decided to travel to the place that scared me the most.” As funny as that may seem to some people, it is completely true. I realized that I had never had the chance to study the most populated, developing, and bustling economy and country in the world – China. 1.4 billion people. 663 cities. 200 individual dialects.
Most people will tell you about the culture shock that sets in when travelling to a new country, but you never truly understand it until you feel it for yourself. The most difficult aspect of my transition to Hong Kong was the diet. As a vegetarian I found it difficult to transition into a culture that incorporates meat into almost every meal of the day. Slowly, but surely – I learned that the culture and city changes for no one. I learned to embrace the uniqueness of the tastes and preferences in Hong Kong and in China at large.
One of the reasons I chose to study with SU Hong Kong is because of the amazing opportunity to travel to mainland China for the first two weeks. This was truly one of the best ways to dive into the Chinese culture and learn about its past, present, and future. The lectures were in hotel conference rooms, but the real learning happened in the cities we wandered. The first city we visited was Xian, the ancient capital of China. As someone who appreciates art history, I was in awe of the Terracotta Warrior Army museum. Through learning about the first emperor of China, I understood the grandeur of the Terracotta Warriors protecting their ruler’s mausoleum. The next city we visited was the current capital of China, Beijing. Our group travelled through Tiannamen Square, The Forbidden City, and most importantly The Great Wall of China. My visit to the Great Wall of China was by far my favorite day in all of mainland China because of the beauty of this ancient and massive structure. This was also the only day where I saw a clear blue sky in China. The first few weeks in China, I wore a face mask to guard myself against the PM 2.5 air quality – an experience that led to my learning of Chinese environmental challenges. Lastly, my visit to Shanghai was filled with exposure to the mixture of western European influence on an Asian society.
My experiences in mainland China are only the beginning of my discoveries and study of the past and future of China. Xian - its past. Beijing – its present. Shanghai – its future. I’ll never forget the random strangers who came up to to take a photo together (many of which had never seen Westerners), the distinct smells and tastes of authentic Chinese food, and the times where a smile or hand shake made up for the language barrier. I am now finally back in my apartment in Hung Hom, Kowloon – a place that I now call, home.