Traveling To Hong Kong

I hope you're ready, because this post is gonna be a long one.

For the first time in my life, I am traveling alone, by plane, with no clue as to what I am to do when I arrive at my destinations. I’m worried that I’ll misplace something. I’ll get delayed. I won’t check in or out properly. This is one of those moments when you feel simply clueless, and at a disadvantage because of it. I was extremely nervous. There is no one to depend on. No one to keep me going in the right direction. But somehow I can’t help but see this as an opportunity to learn, to experience something new.

It’s not often people get the chance to do something like this, and so if you can, you should jump at these opportunities. Take them on. Challenge them. Don’t be afraid. Be excited. Being nervous doesn’t make you a coward. Just slow down a bit. Take time to breathe. You can never know how things will work out if you don’t at least try. Take a chance.

I don’t think anyone who has never been in a plane can ever understand how surreal it feels, looking down on the earth and wondering just how big those fields are. Seeing the clouds from above them rather than below them. You begin to see what people mean when they say the cars on the ground look like ants. And then you don’t see them at all! When we first took off, I had tried to find familiar places in Alexandria, LA, but from the air, everything looks entirely different.

One thing I didn’t enjoy all that much was my stop at Dallas Once I got off the plane, I had to find out which gate I needed to be at. Then I looked for food. I got a cookie. Figured there would be a better food selection in Los Angeles. And, of course, there was the waiting. Waiting for my boarding group number to be called. I’m always scared I won’t hear it. Luckily, though, it’s hard not to notice them calling numbers and membership titles. First class. Gold. Platinum. Group this. Group that.

On the Dallas to Los Angeles flight, I met two new people, one from Australia, the other from New Zealand, both having recently attended an educational/university-related conference. Pretty interesting. We were pretty chatty at first, but as expected, it died down when the place was in the air, and we all started doing our own thing, whether it be reading, typing, or listening to music (and looking out the window at the fluffy clouds below).

I don’t know how to truly describe the feeling I got when I saw the lightning light up the dark clouds off to the plane’s side. Being this close to something with such natural power. . . . It’s amazing! The sunset in the distance looks like cotton coated in the bright vibrant colors of lava, its glow extending far beyond its fingers to either side of us. The world below is dark blue, mysterious in anonymity of the place, with the clouds a light, misty blanket. It’s just so beautiful. And then all of a sudden there’s a mass of lights down there, as we pass over one of many cities.

As the darkness grew, I couldn’t help but really start to miss everyone back home. Mom and Dad. My family and friends. And especially Adam. It males me wish I could’ve gotten just one more hug. Just one more embrace. It’s hard leaving the people you love, leaving behind everything familiar, but I guess you just have to have courage. Tie a knot in the rope while you’re at the top, and hold on.

In Los Angeles, I went through more security, got food, and waiting. Hearing everyone else speak another language can be a little daunting. I only saw maybe three possibly American people. It’s just like sitting with any other people, except that when they are all different from you, you kind of can’t help but look and listen. I wonder if they feel the same way in the same situation.

The plane ride from Los Angeles to Hong Kong was so long. (Nearly 14 hours, to be frank.) I got no sleep, and my eyes hurt so terribly as a result. Otherwise, at least the plane had free entertainment. Games, movies, TV shows. Even The Walking Dead, which is a series I recently got into, thanks to Adam. I can now say that without friends, and possibly even with, riding on a place for that long is a miserable experience. (If you can fall asleep easily, it wouldn’t be so miserable. I just couldn’t sleep at all.) Serious jet lag time!

The guy checking my passport and visa in Hong Kong kind of scared me. He said something about the passport and, apparently, my visa. I told him I didn’t understand what he was saying, and he said something to the effect of: I am speaking English. How do you not understand? I very nearly cried. After that was finally squared away, I was lucky enough to have some guys help me figure out what to do and where to go. They even lent me a phone for a sec to call my friend who was supposed to be meeting me at the airport. Couldn’t understand their accents all that well either, but they were at least nice.

One of the first things I noticed was how expensive everything appeared, but I quickly reminded myself of the difference in currency. Can you imagine seeing a hamburger at BK costing $20? Overall, my meal cost $50, which is actually around $6.50 in U.S. dollars. I really need to download a converter on my iPod. . . . My friend found me, and we took a bus, then a minibus, and then walked the rest of the way. It was all a bundle of confusion for me, especially later when we went to the market. Let’s just say I grabbed American snacks, because I couldn’t understand a single thing on the packages and was way too tired to figure things out, even with a translator.

I got a new SIM card for my phone (meaning I have a new number, which will return to my original one once I return to the States). For those of you who’d like to have my new number in case of emergencies only, send me a Facebook message or email me at hmoore2@my.centenary.edu. I have a Lingnan email, but I probably won’t be using it for anything but stuff related to school. I also got plug adapters, thanks to my buddy who went and got them for me. Anywho, that’s all for now. I may post more within the next day or two, but this is what I have written so far!