The adventure begins. March 1st has finally come around and it is time to move to Hong Kong for 3 months. Since finding out that I was going, the time has flown and before I knew it I was standing at Auckland International Airport. I was feeling a lot of mixed emotion, mostly a combination of excitement and fear of the unknown. Whilst trying to check in the first hiccup occurred. With only 30 minutes until bag drop closed I was told, " We can't allow you to board the flight without a return ticket." Fuck. Fast forward 20 minutes of tears, arguments with Air New Zealand staff and passing over a lot of money, I was able to board the plane. Not exactly how I pictured the start of this adventure.
See ya!
After 10 hours of flying we made it. Feeling jet lagged, sweaty and lethargic we ventured into town to meet Jacky, our Hong Kong liaison. We meet our taxi driver at the airport where we soon found out was more of a Formula One driver by his weaving skills at high speed. Once surviving the trip to Causeway Bay, our home for the next 3 months we were shown our accommodation. We are staying in a 6 story building with multiple different apartment complexes within. I am on the 4th floor. My room consists of a bed, mini fridge, microwave, desk, wardrobe and small bathroom. All I will need for 3 months. After unpacking and having a much needed shower the 5 of us met to find food. We settled for a restaurant near our new home yet found English was not widely spoken. With everyone trying to figure out what was on the menu, Lillian comes to the rescue and can speak both Cantonese and Mandarin. Very handy! I settled for my first noodle dish in Hong Kong (the first of many) which was delicious. The rest of Saturday and Sunday was spent exploring and eating our way through Causeway Bay, familiarising ourselves with the area. As Sunday night approached reality kicked in. We weren't on holiday anymore, our internship for the next 3 months was about to begin... ahh.
Monday morning. Jet lag is still very much a thing as I woke at 3.30am (8.30am NZT) wide awake and nervous for my day ahead. Going in and out of sleep it was finally time to get up and get ready. On route to work we faced our first challenge, the MTR. It took us 3 attempts to get on the train due to the volume of people. We discovered we needed to stop being 'polite' and to push your way in or else you will never get on. We finally made it to Sheung Wan where Soundbrenner is located. On our first day we meet the Hong Kong Soundbrenner team, got set up with emails and other work communication platforms. Everyone is really nice and welcoming so it should be a good work environment. With our first tasks set the week flew by and before we knew it, it was the weekend! Still trying to get our bearings we explored the island. On Saturday we took on Central area. We discovered side street markets, antique stores and temples. Surprisingly when standing on a side street I saw a familiar face... My flatmates from last years mum! Out of all places in the world this is where a bump into her. Goes to show it is a small world.
Sunday rolled around and we decided to have a look at the main part of Hong Kong and go to Mong Kok. Here we found Ladies Market. I soon discovered that I am terrible at battering. With people yelling at me and grabbing my arms it is definitely something I need to get used to! After surviving our first market experience we explored sneaker street and pet street. Here there where bags of fish hang from the outside of buildings hoping to find a new owner. Coming from New Zealand it was not a nice sight. These fish were being thrown round or in tanks to small for the volume of other fish also inside. Yet this is normal for Hong Kong. Our last stop was the bird market. From researching prior I was excited to see it but on arrival that all changed. These birds where cooped up in tiny cages, stacked on top of each other with hardly any room to move. You could see the chains around their ankles so there was no way of escape. Feeling a little disheartened we left and made our way home.
Film from week one. Go to 'film.' for more
Temple
Dim Sum
With our first week done, so far so good. Although already a little sick of noodles and adjusting to the humidity, I am so excited for the next 3 months. I will be able to meet more incredible people, eat amazing food and explore some of Asia's beauty, bring it on!