Merel in Hong Kong!

What was the first thing you thought when you got off the plane? (bus/train/car)

Finally! I’m here! After all those years dreaming about it, I came here all by myself. A new adventure for me to begin with. Though I have to be honest with you and tell you I was quite nervous at first. But that’s part of the adventure!

What was the most shocking difference between your home country and your new country?

The humidity! You would think that you live near the coast in the Netherlands, but as soon as you arrive in Hong Kong you realise how spoiled we are. Hong Kong is basically in the middle of the sea and there is barely any wind as opposed to the Netherlands! This makes the heat that much more intense.

Did you ever feel homesick? How did you cope with this?

I’ve never really had homesickness in Hong Kong. I was just so happy to be in Asia. I have never been on this side of the earth. I was thankful for being where I was everyday. Of course I have had the need to tell people at home, but homesickness? No, that wasn’t it for sure. I knew I would regret it if I would spend too much time longing for home. I would forget how amazing this journey is and I simply did not have time for that kind of thinking.

Did you feel at home in your new country? Why (not)?

Yes! But somehow I think it’s unfair. Hong Kong has been a colony for such a long time by Great Britain. You see, hear and feel the Western world in everything they do. They even play Mozart and Strauss out loud in the underground passages. Hong Kong is independent, but they all speak very well English and you won’t feel out of place as a tourist.

Please give us tips about who to befriend when living abroad. The Russians? The Irish? The Chileans? (Honestly, we want to know some gossip about other internationals you’ve met.)

Everyone!! When you’re in a foreign country, then lots of tourists that you meet are nice. You have 1 thing in common with each other. And that is the beautiful destination that you are all in! They went on that plane with the same curiosity to explore this country like you did. The most important thing is that you stay yourself. You want to indulge yourself as much as you can into the local culture. But if you do that for too long you will lose sight of why you are here and you will get homesickness. Other cultures know you have your own ways and they will appreciate you that much more if you stay yourself!

Describe the inhabitants of the new country in three words.

Efficient. Quick. Open.

Was there a type of local food you could NOT handle?

Chicken feet. And then I am not talking about the thighs where most of the bone has already been removed. With these feet you have to watch out for their claws and you don’t hurt yourself. You feel every bone and joint that the chicken once used to move with. It’s a lot of fat, but people in Hong Kong eat it because of its collagen. They say you get a smooth skin and nice nails and hair because of it. For me… once but never again.

What did you learn from your experience abroad? Was it the loving community you liked? The cheap cocktails? The overwhelming nature? Or was the experience less helpful than expected? Details, we want details!

People say that people in Asia do EVERYTHING differently. Yes, Asians do a lot of things differently. But let’s be honest. Who goes travelling to a country in order to expect everything to be the same as they are used to at home? As long as you travel with an open mind then the change won’t have a negative effect on you. Embrace it! This is what you came for.

The nature is beautiful of course! Every time I travel I realise how boring The Netherlands is. And FLAT. Very boring. Hong and Japan. Now that’s nature. Despite that they have lots of ‘concrete jungles’, they do their best to make every park and bit of nature as big and beautiful as possible. Every place where a tree can be planted, they plant one. The Dutch can learn a lot from that, in my opinion.

In short, my experience was more than I had expected! I have met extraordinary people and I have enjoyed every moment I was there.