Hong Kong

I'm going to miss so many things about Hong Kong. The spectacular views walking back to the dorms. The cheap, delicious food. How efficient the MTR was. Being able to meet up with a group of friends in five minutes' time and go out to explore the city. How many amazing things there were to experience. In the span of six weeks I met some really cool people and did some really sweet things. I've hiked to an elusive waterfall and cliff jumped. I've ridden a speedboat to a pier in the middle of nowhere. I've stayed up all night to watch the sun rise over the mountains. I've seen tens of thousands of Buddhas, eaten a ridiculous amount of sushi, and learned a bartender's life story. I'm so glad and so lucky I got to go on this exchange. I would do it again a hundred times over - maybe minus the actual classes.

Taipei

My roommate in Hong Kong, Colleen, and I decided to book a trip to Taiwan on a whim. We had literally known each other for two days. I packed and flew to Singapore for a weekend. I flew back to Hong Kong, unpacked, repacked, and then we flew to Taipei the next morning. Three days of extreme heat, countless trips on the MRT, sharing a bed. I'm glad we booked that trip. The thing I immediately loved about Taipei was how gritty it looked on the bus ride from the airport. It was still clean and safe, but there was still that feeling of being a little run down. I don't know what it is about that kind of city. I guess it just feels honest.