Well, I'm back in Hong Kong after a long and glorious trip to the mother land. My time at home was wonderful beyond words. Though living abroad and traveling throughout Asia is amazing, seeing and spending time with family and old friends is pretty much unbeatable.
My mood upon returning to Hong Kong was much different than that of when I first departed for the country two years ago. Back then I was excited for the new adventure ahead of me. This time, I felt more reflective. Hong Kong is no longer as shiny and new as it once was, which made me consider questions of why I was returning and whether or not I should be in the States with my family. After several weeks on the beaches of Cape Cod and a very long trip (over 30 hours plus lost baggage) back to Asia by myself I resolved that Hong Kong is where I should be.
Justin is obviously a major cause for why I live here and him being in Hong Kong is reason enough for me to stay. However, there is more to my living here than him. Hong Kong offers a window on a part of the world that is rapidly changing and developing by the day. Asia is such an incredibly exciting place with so much to offer. I couldn't stand to be away from it right now! I still have lots of traveling to do--Cambodia, Japan, the Koreas, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Laos, southern Vietnam, Nepal, India, Mongolia--and I'm just not ready to throw in the towel yet.
I've struggled a lot with questions about my "career" and when I should suck it up and get on the fast track to success. The more I think about it though, the more I realize world travel is what is most important to me. Hopefully, my experiences abroad will one day lead to my dream job and lots of money. If they don't at least I got to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it and enjoyed every minute. Who knows if I'd be making loads of money in New York if I was there right now? Chances are I probably wouldn't be. I'll find time for making money later. Right now it is all about the experiences and continuing to learn.
Here's to Asia Round 2!
