Hong Kong!

So, I received the result last week. Sadly, I was not accepted into the HK Academy for Performing Arts Master of Music program. But I'm not discouraged! I know that I will end up back in Hong Kong someday. It is only a matter of time.

I absolutely love HK. For those who do not know, I was in HK in Fall 2008 studying abroad. It is such a wonderful and amazing place. I feel like it is unfortunate that everybody only wants to go and visit places in Europe, like France, Italy, and Spain. While I have no doubt that all of these places are absolutely wonderful and beautiful in their own special ways, I don't think people should be so quick to rule out Hong Kong as a tourist destination.

For starters, the national languages are Chinese (Cantonese, to be specific, not Mandarin, as on mainland China... but that's a whole other subject) and English. Everyone is required to learn Cantonese and English growing up. Therefore, even if you can't really hold conversations with everyone that you meet, most of the people in HK generally know English. This adds to the fact that it is extremely easy to get around. (Lost? Just ask somebody on the street how to get somewhere!)

There are taxis and public buses EVERYWHERE. Likewise, the MTR, the subway system that travels all over the HK region, is an EXTREMELY convenient way of getting where you need to go. The trains come through about every 1 and a half to 3 minutes (if you've ever taken the DC metro, you know how amazing that is). Likewise, all of the lines run on their own tracks, as opposed to multiple lines running on the same tracks. Meaning that each line has its own designated stops. Or, to make it easier to understand, you don't have to go to the station and wait for trains that you don't need in order to catch your train. You simply need to find your train's area of the station, and wait a couple minutes for the next one to come through.

INCREDIBLY convenient. (You know what I mean, DC metro riders.) And worse comes to worst, you can pretty much walk anywhere else if you can't get there by MTR.

The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Wherever you are, you're guaranteed to not be too far from some bay or body of water. I would love to go to a rooftop or high patio area or something and just look out at the city at night. The way the city looks all lit up at night, plus the way it reflects on the water... it's absolutely beautiful, and extremely romantic. Great for a date... ;)

I could probably go on and on about how and why I love Hong Kong, and why I think everybody should give it a chance, but I'd be going on all night. Plus, half the fun is finding out for yourself, right? I met some absolutely amazing people there and had some incredibly wonderful experiences there. Basically I just wanna say that people shouldn't be so quick to rule out an area like Hong Kong. It's really an amazing place! And if you have any questions, or would like to know more about it, or talk to me, feel free to comment, e-mail, or IM me sometime! I'm always willing to share what I know! :)