Hong Kong Day 54: My Last Hours in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Day 53 continuted:
After the “adventure” we walked back to lok fu. Oh wait, before that I gave the boys gifts I had made. I gave most of the boys who came picture frames with a photo of them with me or them with me and a group. I hope it was ok with them and I hope that they know they can take the photo out and replace it with any picture they want. Of course sean’s picture was the best =) but that is because he is sooooooo handsome =P anywho, I also made them cds from music I like. I hope they like them. I made one that was the same for each of them and then I made a cd specific to what I thought that friend would like. If I remember I will post the list on my livejournal. Oh and some of the boys got me gifts too. Kinnex and pui got me a nice soccer jersey with “manda” written on the back and #9. isn’t that sooo nice. And sean got me a cute little magnetic photo frame which of course I will have to put a photo of the two of us!! and he wrote me a lovely little farewell note. Jayson after the bbq stayed up late and drew a wonderfully delightful caricature of me playing soccer. It was done so well that I think I will frame it and hang it on my wall. I will post of photo of it later, it is amazing and better than what you can pay 50 dollars for at an amusement park. So that was very awesome indeed.

Anyways then we went to lok fu. Kinnex told me that he, Pui, and basketball girl wanted to go to my hotel and hang out with me and help me pack, but that the other guys would probably go home. He said that a few of them would go to the airport but the others would not and so I would have to say goodbye to them then. Up until now, I had been pretty composed, but I couldn’t really say much to the group and just started to cry. I didn’t want them to see my tears so I just said goodbye or waved or did both –I cant really remember--- and started walking back to my hotel. Basketball girl ran up and gave me tissues. I tried to compose myself but I was very sad. Kinnex and pui came up to see how I was doing and then I noticed that all the other guys were following us. I asked kinnex what they were doing and he said that they were walking me to my hotel with them. Hehe how nice and cute. So we made it back to the hotel and I showed some of them my hotel room –just to peek in because it was soo messy because I was halfway packed. Then I was able to be composed enough to say goodbye and give hugs…although they were rather awkward hugs because I do not think that hugging is a normal goodbye response in hk. Maybe I am wrong though. Dennis made me feel so good because instead of me having to initiate the hug, he came to me to give me a hug. That made me feel not as weird and definitely did my heart good. Once everyone left, it was just me, pui, kinnex and bball girl. Oh and Chelsea and andrea were in my room too so bball girl got to meet them. And she wanted to take a photo with any American she saw. Even when I knocked on mike’s door to tell him that I would not be taking a taxi with him, she asked to take a photo with him. It was very adorable. Chelsea liked her too because she seemed so outgoing and friendly. After a while though, they left so that I could really get some packing done. I was up until 3am packing and somehow got all my suitcases to close. Now that was a miracle!! Then I tried to sleep, but I could not sleep very well because I was nervous about the flight and saying goodbye to my friends the next day.

Hong Kong Day 54: My last few hours in Hong Kong
I woke up at 6:45am because I was going to meet some of my friends to go to the airport at 7:30. (if I had not done this, and just taken the taxi with mike, I would not have had to leave until 9:45, but this was definitely worth waking up and going with my friends to the airport –and it was so incredibly nice of them to do this for me!!) I finished up the last bit of my packing. And was surprised when ives stopped by my hotel at like 7am to say goodbye. That was nice of him, a little strange and unexpected, but nice. Anyways I said goodbye to Chelsea. I was really thankful that she was my roommate and partner in work. She was so nice and I enjoyed spending 8 weeks with her and I did not even get sick of her!! =) and I dont think she got too sick of me either –at least not a lot I hope!! =P anyways Jayson, Cindy, Kinnex, Pui, Sean, and even Dennis (!!) all came to my hotel to take me to the airport. And Henry met us at the airport. I was soo shocked by how many wanted to come and it was so nice!! And they were soo incredible tired too. I was impressed that they came! We took the bus and they helped me roll my suitcases. We got on the Expo bus and it only cost 18 hk dollars. If I had taken the taxi with mike it would have been around 300 hk dollars!! So I saved dr. fairweather some money!! We got to the airport around 9am and then had breakfast. It was my last meal in hong kong –at least until I go back (hopefully!). It was some scrambled egg and sausage thing which was not too bad. And I had my last hong kong cup of tea. Oh how I will miss having all the tea that they give you in hong kong!! Anyways after that we just sat around and waited until I had to leave for the terminal. I was able to choke back most of my tears even when I was standing in line to get my ticket. It was funny because as I was standing in the United line, my friends were making a big show about comforting sean –acting like he was soo distraught, etc. it was very funny to me!! =) –actually it still makes me laugh now. after that we walked around a bit and I picked up some name tags for Dr. DeLong that he had asked me to get for him at the airport. And then it was time to say good bye.
As we were walking to where I would leave them, pui kept telling me that he was so upset –as was I! Then it was time to say goodbye. There was no holding back my tears this time. It was very sorrowful and they cried too. They cried for me!! That made me feel glad that I meant something to them, but it also broke my heart because I did not want them to be sad and also because I was sad for my loss. I think I felt more upset than them perhaps because as I think kinnex told me before, by leaving I lose many friends and each of them only lose me. I agree with him, although I have no way of knowing. It was very sad. Kinnex didn’t cry when I was there but I heard he did later. Only sean did not cry. He is sooo strong =P or just does not like me that much. I will pretend it is the first option. I gave them all hugs…they were good hugs too. And it was so sad to walk away from them behind the walls knowing that I may never ever see them again. Although I really hope I will see them. I am going to save my money so that I can go back hopefully and see them. But anyways I go to the airplane and we boarded and everything went smoothly –well mostly. Mike and I rearranged our seats so we could sit next to each other, not that it mattered that much since I just tried to sleep the whole ride –no wonder too since I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep the night before! It was hard to sleep though because there were two kids behind me that kept kicking my seat =/ but overall, the flight was just as expected. LONG and BORING, but I managed and slept during most of it. So that was good. It was nice to have mike to chat with a little and for him to help me put my ridiculously large backpack up in the overhead bin.

Anyways I got back and it was easy to find Benjamin and my parents and it was soooooo goood to see them. On our way back to my house, we stopped at Chipotle (http://www.chipotle.com/) because I had been craving it when I was in HK. I think this is because there are not many Mexican restaurants in hk, and although I am not a huge fan of Mexican, I do love the burrito I like to get at Chipotle!! I am still a little jet lagged because I get so tired in the evenings and midafternoons, but I think I am doing well. I have enjoyed going to see Pirates of the Caribbean and going to church and the duneland health center and of course eating at dairy queen. I especially loved driving my little car again!! YIPPEEEE!! But it is strange to be back. I am happy to be back and it almost seems as though I have not even left and that hong kong was all just a lovely dream with some mathematic nightmares =P but I still cry sometimes because I miss my friends. But at least I still have msn to talk to them with. Anyways I am soo beat right now I need to go to sleep so goodnight all.
Here are photos of me eating a delicious burrito of chicken, corn, cheese, rice, and beans...I know it may not look that good, but it is amazingly yummy!

This will be my last official post for this blog. I will start another one that will not be as specific as this. You can email me or IM me or msn me and ask me what the new address is. But for all of you who read this, I apologize for my “long windedness” and the rambling I did. Words cannot describe my feelings about this trip, but I tried. But to you who have read this faithfully or even not so faithfully, I thank you and hope you have gotten to see a glimpse of the amazing experiences that I had in hong kong. I really loved it and I cannot believe that I almost didn’t go!! Thank you for all of you who encouraged me to take this exciting trip!! And a special thanks to all my hong kong friends who befriended me and showed me so much kindness when I deserved none of it. Without you, my trip would not have been as amazing. Thank you so much. I love you all and will never forget you or our time together this summer.

-Amanda Marie Harsy
July 26, 2006 1:30am