I am back in the US, seeing everyone for the holidays, and missing HK and the people I met/know there. I am currently in Stillwater, OK (home of Oklahoma State University). Last night we went to Kyoto, the only (as far as I know) Japanese restaurant in town. Our waitress turned out to be from HK, so I got to talk to her about how much I missed it, how bored I was here, how spread out everything is, how hard it is to get anywhere, and everything else I'm not liking about being home. Unfortunately, she has been away from HK for about 2 years and doesn't miss it too terribly much.
To be honest, I also don't miss the city horribly. It's more that I miss the people so much and don't like it here. On a scale of -10 to 10, I have about a -5 or -6 feeling about being back home or maybe just this part of the country in general, maybe a 4 to 6 feeling about HK, and an 8 or 9 for the people in HK or that I met there. Sure, I'm glad to see the people back home, but I am seeing them about as much as I ever do. There's also the realization that many of the people here I will always be able to see and will continue to see for many years, though it be sporadicly. Many of the people I met in HK I may never see again, or may only see in passing, fleeting, shallow instances.
I think the difference may be that I have had plenty of time with the people at home to develop lasting relationships and for us to really get to know each other; with the people that I met in HK, I have only had enough time to scratch the surface, to get an idea of what might have been or how much I would have enjoyed getting to know them better, and letting them get to know me. Perhaps I will move to HK to work, but even then, the students from HKU are spreading out to their respective cities. No matter where I move to live and work in the future, I will never be able to connect meaningfully with all of them; it is a geographic impossibility. That is probably the hardest part for me. People and relationships are very important to me, though I guess that sounds trite; I am sure almost anyone would say the same thing if they were asked or were thinking about it.
I'm really not sure what to do about it, or if there is anything I can do. I've been thinking about it a little, tangentially, lately. I believe this is going to be one of the important issues I need to solve or address in the next few months, before I determine what I'm going to do with the next few years of my life; that is really still completely open and unclear. Feel free to discuss and help shape the future of Britt ;)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Home again
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
Well, we are geographically far apart but we're still connected, no? It's kind of an art to keep up friendships from afar, but it's not impossible.
well, let me know your flight no., date and time, i'll pick u up from the airport, enuff said :)
oh and btw, i left u sms before u left but perhaps ur phone is off or ur sim card money is used up *shrugs*
Jill: That's part of my point. I had, what, three years to get to know you? It's possible to maintain a friendship with that kind of background. With only 4 months, it's a lot harder.
Albert: I don't think I got the SMS, but I might have been too drunk to remember ;)
Hey Britt. Long time, no talk to/see/etc... :P Miss you terribly, and could possibly serve to prove your point of friendships and connections being hard to keep intact when distance is a key issue. However, a lot of other circumstances have been present in my life to put distance in relationships that isn't really there, as well. Since Kent's been gone, I think I've seen Marcus 3 times - that includes the funeral. I still hold you dear to me, and think we'd be more in touch if either of us had time.
I can tell you that I've also met a lot of new people in what I'm doing now. I have friends everywhere, and my very closest (you'd think would be the one here) but is in Germany.
I think following your heart and what you truly want/need for yourself is key. What follows is all part of how we learn and grow and shape the things in our life.
*hugs* Hope all is well and continues to be so.
Post a Comment