After spending almost an entire semester anticipating my trip to Shenzhen, China, the moment finally came on May 19th to pack up and head out. Stuffing six weeks worth of stuff into one huge suitcase was no easy task!
I flew from Bush International Airport to Seoul with a 16-hour delay and then to Hong Kong. In Korea, if you have a long layover, you can go for a free tour that lasts anywhere from 1-5 hours, depending on which one you choose. Unfortunately, in my excited craze I forgot to check the times for the tours, and didn’t realize until it was too late that I landed when the last tour ended. Woe is me.
That didn’t stop me from exploring, however! I ended up going to Dongdameun in Seoul, which was filled with cheap goods and amazing food.
Once I arrived in Hong Kong, I had to take the ferry to Shenzhen. Although there was some difficulty getting my luggage and torrential rain, I arrived to Shenzhen on May 21st.
The next day was Induction Day, where I was able to meet the rest of the participants from my university, UT Austin. From the get go I could tell we were a quirky bunch!
The next weekend, some of us decided to climb Wongta Mountain (no one thought to check the weather forecast, despite Shenzhen being in the midst of its rainy season).
Unfortunately once got to Wongta Mountain, the rain started. Instead of starting the climb, we found ourselves in a cozy coffee shop in the village right beneath the mountain. Some of us drank, while others flinched at the thunder. We were essentially stranded, but in light of being optimistic of this new adventure, we bonded, sang, and took selfies.
The owner of the coffee shop recommended a good Sichuan restaurant a few steps ahead, and we ended up having lunch there. When the rain died down, we decided to give the climb a try.
As we went farther up, the rain got worse. We met a kind lady who was willing to take us to the entrance of the climb. As we got closer she told us not to go on, and we decided to turn back. Most of us were already drenched and the rain was only getting heavier.
Surprisingly, the next day was sunny and there was no indication that the day before had been thundering. We decided to go to the Window of the World and it was a great experience!
Until next time!
–Zahra
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