Ready, Set, Hong Kong.

There are moments in life that that we define as “life changing.” Sometimes we are aware of these moments before they occur, and other times they happen unexpectedly. For me, I am acutely aware that the trip to Hong Kong on which I am about to embark will forever change and shape my life. As I reflect on my life thus far, I have encountered many challenges and have experienced many opportunities that have allowed me to grow intellectually, relationally, existentially, spiritually, etc. I expect Hong Kong to provide growth opportunities in all of these arenas.

When first telling people of my plans to study abroad in Hong Kong, I am usually then inundated with many questions regarding why I chose this as the place, out of many, to study abroad. If you know me at all, you know that making this decision was not done without much thought and calculation. So, the short answer to that question is this:

1.     I chose to go to Hong Kong because I have been to both Eastern and Western Europe and wanted a chance to experience a part of the world that was completely different.

2.     I am a business student, studying finance and economics. Studying in Hong Kong lends itself as a unique opportunity to study in the “hub” of the Asian business world. With one of the world’s busiest ports, flourishing economies, and unique style of government and free trade, Hong Kong offers me the chance to study my field from a completely fresh perspective. And I love to learn- about anything, really, but especially about business. So, Hong Kong seemed like a great place to do it.

3.     Hong Kong is warm year round and is located near the Tropic of Cancer. Aside from ski trips with my buddies, I really have zero desire to ever be cold, so this was an added bonus of studying here.

4.     As you could probably gather from point number two- Hong Kong is a happening place. It is a massive city as far as population is concerned, however, over 7 million people are confined to a space that is roughly 30 sq. miles in land area (about the size of Adams County, Indiana)- hence, the local government had to get creative with the ways in which it manages its daily operations such as traffic, public transportation, etc. I can’t wait to see this brilliant engineering at work first hand.

5.     Hong Kong is set in a great location as a hub to travel to other areas of Southeast Asia. I am about an hour train ride from Mainland China, and few hours away via plane ride from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. I can’t wait to use this as an opportunity to explore.

I could go on forever about the reasons in which I chose to study in HK, but as I post my adventures on this blog, I think the reasons will become self-evident.

I realize that trips like this are truly very rare- many never get the opportunity to embark on such journeys. Because I have been blessed with so much, including this opportunity to live in another culture for an extended period of time, I want to ensure that I do everything in my power to take the most away from the experience. In my next post, I plan to share a few of my goals for the trip. I also plan to post as much as possible in order to keep all of my friends and family updated on my adventures.

Finally, before I leave, I must say thank you. If you have made it this far in the thread, chances are that you are either a close friend or family member. I want to take the time to say thank you to all of you for your love and support throughout the years. It is because of you that trips like this are possible, because no matter where I go in the world, our friendships provide the foundation from which I build my life and grow in character. Although I may not see most of you in person for quite some time, I truly treasure and value each conversation and each chance we have to spend with one another. It is in these times that I feel at home. Home has always been about people to me. It’s never revolved around a house or a city. So thank you. Thank you, friends and family, for providing me with many homes and safe places Through your conversations, friendship, and love, you have all had major influences on my life and have shaped me for this moment- the biggest adventure I’ve ever taken. And I know you have prepared me well.

More to come…