A week in the mountains

Ok, yes, I do live in Park City, which means I'm always in the mountains, but this week I was in different mountains!  Yay for me!  +10 lifestyle points (points received for making the most out of a moment) awarded to me!

The other mountains mentioned above are called the Grand Tetons.  I'm just outside of Jackson Hole at the Teton Science School campus.  The week has been filled with lot's of fun, friends, sun, snow, sleep and even a bit of homework (Notice that caffeine wasn't mentioned in this list, I've been slightly deprived.  It was totally worth it though!)

The beautiful view of the Tetons.

Image Creds: tetontastic

I want to focus on one specific part of this week though–the people.  When I first applied and got accepted to the trip, I was so worried that I wouldn't know anyone on the trip and that I was going to be the awkward one in the corner, which seems to be a common event when I go on school trips.  I had less anxiety though when I found out that a few of my friends were going too!  My plan was to stick with them for the entire week.

That plan didn't work out too well.  I ended up meeting a lot of really cool people that I didn't know before.  I was forced to step outside of my social bubble (although I'm not socially exclusive, I promise!) and talk with people who I didn't see on a daily basis, and it ended up being better than I thought.  I now have a few more people to call friends, and that idea makes this week a whole lot better.

For readers to take away:  It's okay to feel safe with certain people–everyone does.  It's also okay to step outside your comfort zone once in a while, and the chances are it'll turn out great!

Achieving the Impossible - Finding Time for Everyone

Last week I went to the most magical place on Earth.  No, not Disneyland... a plane.  I was on this magical plane for 15 hours on my way to Hong Kong. Yes, that's China, not Japan.

So maybe the plane ride wasn't so magical, but Hong Kong was.  I used to live there, and I know all of the best places to go, however TIME travel has some of my favorite things to do there.  Although I haven't ever done a helicopter tour there, I have gone to the Peak (with one of the most beautiful views of a city on Earth) and on the Star Ferry (which I almost got a heat stroke on the first summer I lived there, but love it none the less).

On my visit back, I was able to do a lot of these things again.  Although it was amazing to be back, I found it difficult to find time for everyone.

To be honest, my dad is gone a lot, and I hadn't seen him for a few months which is why I went back.  It was so amazing to see him again and spend time with him.  However, I also had a lot of difficulty seeing everyone I wanted to, mainly for three reasons.

Reason Number 1:  

Because I hadn't seen my dad for a long time too, I wanted to spend time with him.  He also had to work so I made sure that I could see him enough.

Whether it was going out to dinner or taking the MTR (subway) around the city, hanging out with my dad was awesome.   Even though I did spend a lot of time with him, it wasn't enough.  But it's okay because he's coming back to the United States to work, so I'll get to him every weekend!


Reason Number 2:

If I'm completely honest, I have to say this: I wasn't even close to being popular back in Hong Kong, but I did have a lot of friends.  I really wanted to see them all, but since they had school Monday through Thursday, I really only had Friday and Saturday to see everyone.

Although I did get to see my closest friends, or most of them, I didn't get to see all of them simply because I didn't have enough time.   I had to pick and choose, and I'm not going to lie, it was difficult.  It's not that I wanted to see anyone more than other people, and I tried my best to see everyone or hang out with people as a group.   Even though it wasn't all my fault (see Reason Number 3), I was really disappointed I didn't see everyone.


Reason Number 3: 

So as I said in Reason Number 1, I had a lot of friends in Hong Kong.  However when I went back to visit I faced disappointment when I wanted to hang out with some of the people I thought were my closest friends.  There were several people that I messaged and emailed asking if they wanted to hang out.  It was really upsetting when I didn't get responses, however it taught me a valuable lesson about who my friends really were there, so I guess it did have a silver lining!


Overall, I had a REALLY great time in Hong Kong.  I know that I probably won't get a chance to go back for a long time, and even though thinking about that is hard, I'm thankful for the chance for me to go back.

Sumi and I were really close and she is currently at boarding school... I literally started crying when she told me that she would be in Hong Kong over Thanksgiving too!

My crazy, amazing dad and I... gotta love picture phone quality, am I right?

Some of my closest guy friends from HK, Douglas and Calum, and I. We probably walked ten miles the night we hung out but it was so amazing to see them! We're all nerds ;)

Kiki, one of my closest friends from HK and I. We both ate way too much food that day...

Louisa and I (:  She's in one of my other blog posts because she is literally my best friend.  She pushed me over (on accident, of course) when she saw me (I might have surprised her).  

Thea and I... Thea and I got a lot closer last year and she always makes me laugh!  We both love food too, which helps build relationships (:

Sherry and I were in several classes together last year and she is one of the most talented people I've ever met.  It was great to see her–especially because she ALWAYS makes me smile!

Some of the cutest kids I know!  They used to live in my old apartment building and I always spent time with them.  They're like siblings to me and I had so much fun running around with them!

The view from a tower I found while exploring Hong Kong Park.  It was a 360˚ view and was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.