Across the Universe - Hong Kong - Alyssa Schulte

I leave lakes, family and the friends I grew up with
 in Minnesota for Kansas City in the fall. Then
I say goodbye to Missouri, the families and friends that have invested
in my adulthood and leave for the summer. Although I might not be
saying goodbye to Hong Kong forever, the coming goodbye feels a lot
more permanent. It makes me sappy—both in the sentimental implication
of the word and because I can’t really decide if I’m sad or happy.

I’ve found that living in different locations, focusing on little
segments at a time is helpful. Doing so aids in taking advantage of
moments. For example, when I only have so much time at home, so much
time at the library and so much time at the gym, I don’t have time to
hold back in the present.

Living in little segments makes me more efficient. I think about how
my relationship with my little brother changed when I went away to
college. Grabbing a Jamba Juice with him now looks a lot more
intentional then it did when we would go after school. Back then, our
time segment looked eternally distant-now it is too short to waste.
I hear about people returning from study abroad after an amazing
adventure finding themselves depressed in coming back to life as they
knew it. Although I’m not able to speak from experience, I think part
of the disappointment comes from forgetting to take advantage of
moments in returning home. Living in old security instead of
continuing to get to know different people and becoming too
comfortable, frequenting the same places in the city. The motivation
of the end of a time segment is lost until it feels like graduation is
around the corner.

As complicated as the segmented life can be in college, I imagine I’ll
miss the motivation it offers to remain as intentional and involved in
the community as possible. I want always to be as persistent and
available in getting closer with my family as I might be in a
cross-cultural friendship overseas. I never want to be too comfortable
in my city to stop exploring streets and new venues. I never want to
be too comfortable in the Midwest to take road trips to nearby
destinations or talk to a stranger waiting in line with me.
I’m learning more and more each day that as much as I crave cultural
comfort in the United States, specifically clear skies, Chipotle and
not having to talk with five-year-old simplicity to be understood, I’m
convinced it is not comfort that makes living rich.

When I go home, there are things about Hong Kong that I’ll be so sad
to leave behind. I already miss the taste of egg balls, the coffee
dates with my great aunt’s plumber’s second cousin (because we’re both
in Asia…why shouldn’t we meet?), and a serious drop in additions to my
“cute Asian kid” iPhoto album, just to name a few major things.
But, in leaving I refuse to leave behind the risk and the voluntary
cultural discomfort that has motivated me in Hong Kong. When I say
“hello” again to William Jewell in the fall for my final senior
segment, I can’t wait to get back to the comfort of my favorite run
past the nature reserve at sunset, but in bringing a piece of Hong
Kong adventure back with me, I’ll be sure to stray from the path as
much as I can and if I’m lucky, connect with neighbors along the way.

Alyssa Schulte is studying in Kowloon Town, Hong Kong for the
semester. Schulte can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.