Allow me to explain...

I think it's important for everyone to know how abrupt all of this is and was and continues to be.  Moving to Hong Kong, that is.

Back in mid December I found out I was officially going to move to Hong Kong.  The day I got the green light from the company I'm interning at was the same day I booked my flights and told my work I was leaving.  

Two weeks later Christmas came and went and five days after that I was on a plane to Mexico to celebrate the new year with my boyfriend and his family.  It's hard to believe the picture below was taken a little over a week ago.

I had 36 hours in between getting back from Mexico and leaving for China.

My friends (my wonderful, loyal, incredible, amazing friends) gathered for dinner at City Vu Wednesday night to see me off.  We went through a few bottles of wine, ate delicious flat breads and exchanged stories from our Christmas vacations and NYE.  The closure was good for me, I'm going to miss these people.

My luggage was obnoxious and Delta only allowed me to check two bags for free.  I ended up carrying two bags on- the tennis bag and Vera Bradley.  I broke a sweat as I navigated the airport and wrestled my baggage all day long.  Never again.  I'll leave clothes behind before I do that again.

I spent my first Saturday night in Hong Kong fighting jet lag and eating take out Thai food on my own.  I downloaded the newest Modern Family and Revenge episodes from iTunes and almost forgot I was in a foreign country.

My dad and I spent the next day exploring Hong Kong.

From top left: My dad and I waiting for the bus that goes into Central.  Top right: double decker buses in Hong Kong are the coolest.  If that makes me the ultimate tourist than so be it, I will never not enjoy riding on the second level.  Bottom right: We were trying to locate my work place on the map so I would know where to go on Monday.  I felt like I was back in middle school mapping the route from my locker to all my classrooms.  But trust me, it was necessary.  Bottom left: This picture is irrelevant to the rest of my day, but I got a manicure the day after I landed and wanted proof that this actually happened.  It must have been the jet lag that made me do it, I never paint my nails.  However, I think I like it.

We got a bit lost and turned around throughout the day.  The detours were worth it.

I took this picture while we were still lost, and as it turns out I walk past this view every day on my way to work.  The cartoons serve as a good reference point so I know I'm going the right way.

The Chinese New Year is right around the corner and this year is the year of the dragon- can you tell?

A Patagonia store lies right underneath my office building, which would be a lot more tempting if it were cold here.

This poster greeted me when I peeked into my office building.  So appropriate.   
Although my move to Hong Kong seemed abrupt, my decision for coming here wasn't.  At the beginning of August, when I started to pursue this internship in Hong Kong, my dad gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me as I decided to come out here.  He told me not to be afraid to take risks.  "You're young," he said, "this is the time in your life when you can afford to take risks."  So, here I am.