Hi friends! So I’m back at blogging again, but this time I’ll be in Hong Kong. Pretty excited and nervous to be working and living abroad in Hong Kong for 2 months since this is the first time I’ve ever been to Hong Kong and I’m not as familiar with the culture, geography, etc. as compared to Korea. I’ll be interning at a startup as part of a program with 11 other people. I’m excited to get to know them~ I m not sure when/how I’ll get to uploading and sharing the photos I take so stay tune for when that happens. Also sorry that some posts will just be more vague bullet points since I’m pretty busy and exploring/workingNow let’s get onto blogging!
Day 1 (Saturday, June 23): Overwhelmed
OOTD: (on airplane) Sage Corps t-shirt, long light-wash denim, white fake Birks, (later on) white flowy top with black stripes, black shorts, white fake Birks
- Plane ride was super long, wanted to sleep but back was hurting
- Feeling super overwhelmed when I arrived since I’m unfamiliar with geography, how everything works, where to go, exchange rate, etc.
- Met up with Richard – freak out since his flight got delayed so he didn’t respond until much later
- Undecided about where to get SIM cardSuccessfully navigated back to hotel
- Went out with a group for dinner (Stephanie, Sanfeng, Richard, Edward, and Josh) at Tastu in Causeway Bay
- Wandered around, went to Sham Shui Po to check out SIM cards and decided to come back net day to check out other deals, and then finally came back to hotel
- Knocked out in the middle of talking with my roommate because of jetlag
Day 2 (Sunday, June 24): Getting Settled
OOTD: white flowy off-the shoulder top, above-the-knee denim skirt, white fake Birks
- Woke up and went to Tim Wan Ho (dim sum place well known for their BBQ pork buns) with Stephanie for lunch (got to ride the tram and figured how it works)
- Wandered around over to Causeway Bay–got classic egg waffle, went into Gentle Monster to try on some sunglasses and escape the heat with AC, walked into Fashion Walk but couldn’t find anything that suited or taste and was affordable
- Went out to Lee Garden(?) mall and still couldn’t find stuff that suited our taste
- Came back to hotel to meet up with Edward, Jason, and Ryan to go to Sham Shui Po for SIM cards (finally got them!)
- Wandered over to Goldfish Market and say many fish, cats, and dogs
- And then Ladies Market with stalls of stuff and we all got distracted by stuff, lady tried to sell knockoff Herschel backpack for 160 and then somehow at the very end lowered to 50 HKD LOLOL
- Met up with other group to go to dinner (before they came I accidentally jammed the SIM card in when it was the wrong size and got it stuck #classicJoannemove)
- Dinner at this place that’s a market during the day and restaurant at night–drank 2 bottles of Sprite and ate salt and pepper dried squid, fish fillet of sorts, shrimp fried rice, roasted chicken (SO GOOD AND HANDS DOWN MY FAVE DISH OF THE NIGHT), beef and broccoli, mapo tofu, deep fried tofu, egg plants, cai lang (bok/choi sum)
- Went to sports bar afterwards and talked more with PJ, Sanfeng, Stephanie, and Edward
- Got back to hotel and played ERS with Richard, Stephanie, Devin, and Edward (I won! It was a pretty fast game.)
Day 3 (Monday, June 25): My Feet Are Killing Me
OOTD: white flowy sleeveless top with dark navy detail, dark navy blue dress pants, black Boy London sneakers, (later) black and white patterned one-piece swimsuit, black and white flowy shorts, white fake Birks
- Woke up early to go to Cocoon and get tour of place, did workshops on goals/fears/tips, and networking
- Lunch at the food court in the Lee Gardens mall–got yummy BBQ 4 item plate with char siu, chicken, pig trotter’s, and half of salted poached eggs (ate with Stephanie, Jamie, Devin, and Aymeric) – got to talk to Jamie about why she came to HK, what she’s doing , recommendation of places to go
- Scavenger Hunt with Jason and Devin – 73 points, did pretty well, found a mural under a bridge as I predicted, everyone seemed to work well together
- Went with Jason, Devin, Sanfeng, and Stephanie to Science Park to check it out, took forever for Uber to arrive, got to talk to Jason about student involvement on campus, showed my MLH dance video, Korean music, finally got there and left soon afterwards, ran into Edward and his mom at around the same time and they took the MTR and bus #fail
- Took the MTR back and met up with the rest of the group to head over to Victoria Peak–Uber ride with Richard, Willy, Stephanie, Devin and Jason
- Got up to the top and it was super crowded, but still able to take good pictures and videos of the skyline and lights during the day and night
- Headed to Ichiran to eat ramen–yummy! It was the eat ramen in your own cubicle style
- Got home and showered and attempted to blog, wrote down bullet points (FEET ARE KILLING ME, WALKED SO MUCH TODAY)
Day 4 (Tuesday, June 26): Strengthening Friendships
OOTD: pink halter top, black shorts, black sneakers
- Woke up early once again and headed over to InvestHK–speaker was awesome and presentation was aesthetic (I thoroughly enjoyed)
- Headed over to TST and walked around enjoying the greenery and view of the waterfront
- Headed over to Central/Hong Kong station and we split up to go eat lunch–went with Stephanie, Devin, Jason, and Edward over to Yung Kee and got confused about ordering from a cheaper menu which was takeaway versus sit down–eventually I ordered rice with steamed chicken and orange juice (of course), super yummy and I love that the orange juice came in a plastic bag. So convenient.
- Regrouped and walked over to area with mid-level escalators and went to area that used to be a prison/police station–went into hiding with Devin and Stephanie at a recreated restaurant area with AC and seats
- Went to go get ice cream and smoothies from this one place, got a yummy smoothie with raspberries and some sorbet (sorry I updated this like 2 weeks after and realized I never said what I ordered).
- Got more money from ATM as Steph tried to withdraw money and then headed back home
- Went with Devin and Steph to buy stuff from Well Come and go to money exchange (got body wash and orange juice, exchange rate at the places near North Point road were good although first place would’t accept a bill that was slightly creased)
- Chilled with Steph by the pool–so niceeeeeeeeee
- Went with the group to Causeway Bay to eat hotpot–lowkey was not satisfied despite it being pricey (I was touched when Richard got me a fishball because he knew I wasn’t getting much to eat.)
- Listened to music with Steph on the MTR–88rising’s “Midsummer Madness,” JJ Lin’s “Practice Love,” Khalil Fong’s “Taste,” Niki’s “Vintage,” Khalid’s “Location” and “OTW.”
- Headed over to Ladies Market where I once again didn’t get anything but at least got to hang out and get to know members of the cohort
- Got ditched by a few members who headed over LKF, it was only Stepahnie, PJ, Devin, Jason, Edward, and Ryan left (highlights: fuck it, imma die, PJ’s ninja/jitsu move, getting confused by Google Maps, jaywalking)
- Rode the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong Island and headed to Central MTR station and it was beautifulllllll (feeling thankful but also excited to see what the future holds, what this place will become to me and what these people will mean to me as the next 2 months go by), starting to feel the bond growing and I hope we can maintain this despite possible groups forming because of different internship locations but I BELIEVE
- Came back to hotel room to shower and when PJ came by to pay Steph money for hotpot he overhead me singing from outside. LOLOLOL
- Another super long day and I am so excited and nervous as to what tomorrow holds
- Once again, my feet are KILLING ME
Day 5 (Wednesday, June 27): First Day of Work
OOTD: white button down, dark navy blue dress pants, black Boy London sneakers
- Woke up at 6:15am, left hotel at 7:15am and successfully navigated to Science Park using Diamond Hill and 272S bus with Stephanie, Devin, Edward, and Jason
- Got pork floss samgak kimbap and tea from Circle K
- Started work–long, overwhelmed, have a lot of responsibility, am I good enough?
- Came back and stopped by Uniqlo but couldn’t find anything I really liked
- Went out to McDonald’s with Stephanie, Jason, and Devin–I ordered a McChicken and apple pie (soooooo good)
- Went with Stephanie, Devin, PJ, Richard, and Alexis to the Happy Valley Race Course–pretty hyped and lively and was happy/lucky to stand right next to the stadium so I can get real close and get some cool footage from the race
Day 6 (Thursday, June 28): Overwhelmed Pt. 2
OOTD: white sleeveless blouse with floral print, mint capris, black Boy London sneakers
- Woke up at 6:30am and left hotel at 7:30am, still got there at around 8:20/30 so we stopped by to get salmon samgak kimbap at the Japanese stall
- Another long day at work where I made some progress on work and got to discuss more about video production but I’m still overwhelmed since I worry that the production value of my video won’t live up to their expectations. It’s not like I went to film school and I know that, but still. I don’t want to disappoint. I came here with intention in growing as a storyteller so we’ll see what happens. I watched Adobe After Effect tutorials.
- Had some bombbbbbb Pork Cutlet Curry with Rice at the food court and it was only about 50HKD. It was sooooo yummy. The pork cutlet skin was crispy and crunchy and the savoriness of the curry sauce was just right.
- Went for another walk around Science Park and mannnnn the buildings are pretty and very sleek. I dig it.
- Left work a little after 6pmish since the supervisor didn’t outright say goodbye to us or tell us to leave, but my fellow intern Jason said we should bounce so we did.
- BTW listened to the new DAY6 song “Shoot Me” and it was litttttttt. I love how off-beat and raw the song is, both the melody and lyrics. I appreciate the whole concept of how harsh words can be like bullets and in the name of love and care for others, we end up taking those hits and returning only good vibes and words to the world. I really was feeling the song so I had it on repeat for a good portion of the day. Ahhhh DAY6 = love, they also looked so good for this comeback.
- For dinner, Headed off with Stephanie, Jason, Devin, Edward, and Sanfeng at a Malaysaian/Singaporean dinner about a 9 minute walk away. I believe it was called With Your Mind in English. I ordered the Seafood Laksa which was thin and thick noodles in a coconut milk mixed broth topped with tofu, fish balls, shrimp. crab, scallops, and an egg. IT WAS DELICIOUS. Today was a a day of great food. We also ended up laughing a lot throughout our meal and our group pointed out how I sometimes giggle or make faces/reactions at random times that sometimes confuses them. Hehehehe.
- When the group got back to the hotel, I asked the group chat if anyone wanted to play ERS and no one replied. Sad face. I ended up just showering and chilling in my room while watching a Korean drama special and trying to do some more blogging. I worry that I won’t move past bullet points for all of these blog posts. I’ll try to sleep a little earlier tonight so I have more energy for tomorrow.
Day 7 (Friday, June 29): First Friday Night
OOTD: white flowy floral blouse, white mesh with turtle neck, mint capris, black Boy London sneakers, (changed into black shorts later on)
- Woke up a 7:45am and got to work at 8:40am and then got tuna and mayo samgak kimbap from the samgak kimbap place
- Another long day at work. I told Jason the difference between sushi and kimbap and explained it by saying live fish instead of raw fish so now he keeps bringing this up.
- Grabbed lunch with Jason, Dennis, some cuttlefish noodle soup with but was a little bland for my liking, but at least the fruit punch was nice. Got salmon belly samgak kimbap for later (SO YUMMY)
- Kow got us Pringles and grapes, and other snacks
- Got out of work a little late because the meeting with my boss ran a little late and now I have work over the weekend. Ughhhhhhh.
- Came back with the whole group and then I went over to Jordan station with Devin, Edward, and Jason for some street food. We ate dim sum and we got shrimp rice flour rolls (my absolute fave!), shrimp dumplings, shrimp and beef siu mai, glutinous rice with meat, rice with beef and egg, and creamy custard bun. SOOOOO GOOOOOD. We freaked out because there was a cockroach that came out of nowhere.
- We came back to the hotel and ended up going out with Stephanie, Devin, PJ, Richard, Sanfeng, and Josh to LKF. At first we went to a bar to meet up with Richard’s friend Jacky and Eric and I got bored since I don’t drink and there’s not much conversation going on.
- We then moved to a club called Play and man was it super crowded. At least the music was pretty decent and I had so much fun dancing with Stephanie.
Day 8 (Saturday, June 30): Shopping Spree
OOTD: black flowy dress with sunflower white floral print, black Boy London sneakers, (later that night) yellow floral cropped tank blouse, black mesh top, black shorts, black Boy London sneakers
- Woke up at 12ish and got ready to head over to Sage Corps networking event with Stephanie, Devin, Richard, PJ, and Josh–the aesthetic and interior of the Hive was amazingggggggg. I would want to decorate my apartment or workspace to be like that.
- We got to hear an awesome talk by Micheal Leung who was an artist/designer who’s very passionate about the agriculture scene in Hong Kong. It was shocking to know that although Hong Kong used to grow 30% of the produce consumed by the population, that number has now dropped down to 1.8% and maybe of these elderly farmers are being tricked into selling their land or are facing eviction problems. I’m so sad but also super inspired that he’s using art as a way to spread the word about this issue and making people more aware and connected to the food (specifically produce) they are consuming. #nowthatscool
- After that talk, Stephanie, Devin, and I headed off first to grab lunch so we navigated to Central station and went to the harbour area in hopes of finding the food trucks. The day was so hot and we were sweating so much as we were going around. The others joined us and then we went to some Mercedes Benz event to check out the food trucks there. I got some dumplings and fried squid that weren’t that satisfying. I also got a mint lime leaf slushie that was interesting. Stephanie, Devin, PJ, and I then headed over to Causeway Bay area to do some shopping per a suggestion from one of Stephanie’s coworkers.
- I went on a shopping spree in a store called Pull&Bear. Tbh thought stuff was a litle pricey and realized that’s just the way it is in HK. It was definitely much easier for me to find cute and cheap clothes in Korea that I really dig. I got a super cool oversized, ripped denim jacket with chalky word designs and some cropped tank blouses among other things that I think are cute.
- We had dinner at a quaint little cafe that had a tram in the middle of the restaurant which was cool/cute. I ordered instant ramen (#classic) with satay pork with a side of ham omelet and buttered toast (it was goooood, especially the ham omelet). I also got almond tea with egg (that was also quite good). We all got to share some stuff about each other and got to bond some more. I love getting to know my cohort and getting closer to one another. ❤
- We then headed back and got ready to go out again. I wore one of my new tops and Stephanie did my eyeliner for me (what an awesome roomie!). We met up with some of Richards friends and tbh I got pretty bored as we went to different places so people could pregame. By the time we got to club, I felt pretty tired, bored, and not in the mood to dance which is what I wanted to do in the first place. It also felt weird since we were going with these people I didn’t know quite well and we went to the same place as before. I guess it was kind of fun to play some games earlier but yeah I still felt out of place so mehhhhhh. I kind of thought to myself, man I’m tired and all of this feels so pointless. Thoughts to self as I people watch and try to get myself to enjoy the dancing (that didn’t really happen). I ended up taking care of my roommate for the rest of the night, and I’m glad I was able to be there for her even if I didn’t really enjoy going out because we got to look after one another.
[Something] for the Seoul 