Staying Connected I also love the change in scenery. I miss home, but it’s nice to grow as a person in a different environment. Everyday you learn something different about yourself have a new revelation.
Jennifer Nicole Thompson Washington State University Pullman, Washington
What I miss about Hong Kong: There’s a joke that it takes “45 minutes to get anywhere” in LA and it’s true. It probably takes longer. I loved being able to go to the beach or into the city in less than 20 minutes. Oh…I also miss my family: I love you guys!! THE PEOPLE — both faculty and friends! I miss you all! UCLA is so big and I love getting to meet new people everyday, but I miss the community feeling sometimes. Just being able see familiar faces and high-fiving everyone. I miss the Class of 2014; we are awesome. But overall, I love UCLA and I’m so blessed to be here.
Willie Siau Occidental College Los Angeles, California What I love the most: small classes, teachers always open to discussion. Office hours are helpful, fun people (I’VE ACTUALLY MADE FRIENDS!),
best weather, studying the things that actually interest me.
Isaac Tai Brigham Young University Provo, Utah I’m here in college to get my degree and start working as soon as I can. My parents didn’t shell out thousands of dollars to see me have fun and waste this opportunity. I hope I can help them retire soon.
Julie Van Westendorp It’s definitely been an amazing feeling to be able to witness four different seasons, here in Washington. Hong Kong’s hot, hot, hot weather definitely hasn’t prepared me at all of the cold that already began in late September out here. The one thing I truly miss about Hong Kong is the fact that there’s always something to do. We have that perfect blend of city life, beach life, nature and SO MUCH FOOD! Also, seeing the protests out in Hong Kong was probably the one time I wanted to go home the most. I felt helpless being all the way over in Washington while everyone else in Hong Kong was fighting for their rights. All in all, I love it here at Wazzu where our school spirit shoots through the roof but I still miss Hong Kong like no other. (HKIS should learn a thing or two from WSU football games.) GO COUGS!
Hannah Turley University Of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia
Roy Teo
I am doing well in college and am truly loving it here in C-ville. I am experiencing my first fall, but am missing Asian food.
Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana
Ellie We
Lots more freedom in college, but a much higher sense of responsibility. Work load out of class (homework) is a lot more difficult and time consuming!
learned that with freedom comes responsibility. You no longer have anyone to rely on but yourself. If you oversleep for a class or decide to skip it, professors will not chase after you and tell you what you need to do, because they are responsible for several hundred students, if not thousands. You’ll need to bear the consequences and know what you’re in for if you mess up.
Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I love the freedom that comes with university, but I’ve
Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts Northeastern is great! I love living with my suite mates and my classes are awesome. I joined a sorority and I’m loving it, I met so many incredible new friends through that. Boston is a wonderful city filled with other college students, so it’s really easy to meet other students. Although I’m loving the US so far, I definitely miss my family and pets at home in Hong Kong and of course my friends from HKIS!
Connor Williams New York University New York City From Orient To Occident Warm breezes, winding roads, protestors and harrowing skyscrapers, Wan Chai, Char Siu and the unique and unforgettable smell of the dungeons, MTR trains, “viridescent” parks and the endless changes of what once was “Ritazza”, These are the things I miss. The hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, chilled winds and boundless potential, Stimulating lectures, bright minds and budding new sciences,
Jasper Wong University Of California, Riverside University has been quite different from what I had initially imagined. There is a lot of freedom that is given to students; and with that freedom, students set their own schedules and manage their own time. For me personally, whilst I enjoy the newfound freedom that sets university apart from high schools, I do miss the HKIS system and everyone that either attends or is a faculty member there. I hope to see everyone again soon!
Jonathan Yeung University Of Oxford Oxford, England What I’ve loved the most about college so far is the freedom and breadth that it has provided me with. My schedule is very flexible and I have free time to explore whatever I want (or procrastinate whenever I want). Learning to be independent has also been a thrilling process, as well as meeting new friends in a new environment. I miss my friends from HKIS, as well as the familiarity of HKIS. I miss that feeling of seeing my friends at school everyday, struggling through HS together. I miss the speed of everyday High School life, that feeling of running to class at the last possible moment, going to that class I love. As for HK, I miss everything, but definitely the food. Here in Oxford, food choices are very limited (comprising daily of mash potatoes mainly) The first thing I will do when I get back to Hong Kong for the holidays will be to go to Tsui Wah and have a bowl of noodles.
Libraries, endless avenues, theatre shows and bubbling students, These are the things I will, in time, miss. SUMMER 2015 DRAGONTALES
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