Free.

It turns out three days after quarantine made every one of those 21 days worth it.

Feeling like the daggum Genie from Aladdin after they cut my tracker wristband off when I left the hotel. The manager of the hotel walked me out and helped me with my giant luggage (which somehow managed to be more packed than before I boarded the plane). He asked me if I was from Germany😂😂. When I walked down the hallway in the hotel I feel like I announced my presence (or soon-t0-be-absence) of the hotel thanks to me banging into every little chair and door in my sight as I tried to carry my many bags.

"Don't listen to what they say. Go see."

It's been a hot minute! I've been wanting to write but things have been so busy and go-go-go ever since I got out of quarantine. So be prepared for like three new blog posts today 😂😂

A bus picked us up from the hotel and took us to CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong), where they greeted us with a few snacks (including my new fave, a pineapple bun!!) After dropping off our bags, I joined Emily and Anna on the climb to the fourth floor. No elevator...looks like I'll have no problem getting my running-stadiums-fix! Similar to that Netflix show Emily in Paris, the first floor is technically the ground floor, so really we go up five flights of stairs. Living on the top floor is great because it means you'll see someone every time you go up or down the steps, which is always a fun time to chat and say hey. The UNC guys are on one floor, the Danish guys are on another, and same for the UNC girls and Danish girls. I'm so happy how friendly and adventurous the Danish students are!

We went for a mini campus tour, where I was reminded yet again that CUHK's campus is on a mountain. Everywhere you go is up a steep incline (Chapel Hill could never!) I love how each part of campus has a combined feeling of nature and the city. Skyscrapers all around plus several little parks here and there. I'm writing this sitting at one of my favorite spots so far. It's a little park surrounding a lake with paths, pretty flowers, and coy fish. Today it's especially busy as it's a Sunday full of touristy families taking pictures and enjoying the cooler weather. That's another thing--so far the locals think we're crazy by wearing dresses and shorts this time of year even tho for me 70 degrees and sunny is perfectly fine for a summer dress. When we go out a lot of the locals are wearing jackets, pants, and even winter coats.

Anna has a family friend who picked us up and took us to IKEA and the mall in Sha Tin. That was my first time at IKEA--as you can imagine, going from three weeks of being alone to being at IKEA in Hong Kong was quite the stimulation. You already know I tried the Swedish meatballs! Giving into their business model, naturally I wanted to buy everything and ended up with more than just bedding and cooking supplies. My favorite purchase has to be a really cute plant I got to brighten up my room. After IKEA we bought toiletries and some food from a market in the mall. Turns out huge grocery stores are definitely more of an American thing, so we might have to search harder for specific ingredients or supplies.

Once we picked up everything we needed we got our first major meal that didn't consist of the hotel's plain-rice-and-plants-vs-zombies-vegetables-and-questionable-meat vibe. I ordered some salmon with avocados and rice and got to try miso soup for the first time.

The meal was amazing, and after we left the mall we went back and got our stuff situated. We did a bunch of loads of laundry, set up our rooms (you know I got that pink duvet), and ordered food. The excited energy was peak levels! The room situation is similar to a suite, with the three of us girls in one hallway sharing a bathroom. We went the roof of the dorm, turned our phone flashlights on, and put a water bottle on top to create a nice lantern glow as we ate our dinner below the incredible nighttime city view.

That Korean bibimbop dinner was amazing, with enough food for leftovers:))

By the time I went to bed, I barely slept due to all the adrenaline.

Here I am, halfway across the world for the first time. Who would have thought?

xoxo