For the first time this morning, I had to take the MTR (the underground train for those who don’t live in HK) during rush hour to work; between 8 and 9 in the morning. I’m sure I’ve taken it plenty of times before but when I was walking this morning.. an incredible rush of feelings came over me. I decided to write a text message to a friend about it and this was what I came up with: “Everyone is on a mission of their own, seeing them rush from train to train makes me wish I could read their mind and get to know their stories.”
After the relaxing slow lifestyle of Cambodia, it’s a bit shocking to finally come back to a fast-paced society like Hong Kong. But after a week of being back, I’m slowly settling and getting back in the swing of Hong Kong culture but at the same time holding back not wanting to be one of those people who rushes from place to place without slowing down and enjoying time off. It made me think back on Cambodia and the MANY times where I had nothing to do and was just relaxing at home, or relaxing at a coffee shop, not having appointments after appointments to attend to.
Millions of people in this world, and they’ve each got their own story.
That thought never fails to amaze me.
The more I try to explain to friends why I’ve been feeling the way I’ve felt this past week, the more it becomes clearer and more thoughts enter my mind. A friend was having a hard time understanding why being in my home town is difficult, and while he was questioning me- God spoke to me.
For the past 18 years, I’ve grown up in Hong Kong and I’ve been this “person” that everyone knows and we are somehow set to act a certain way. When I left for my gap year and spent a year in Cambodia, it was a new start, but not only that, God used that chance to transform me, to change me and by the very end of the year, I had found my place and without myself knowing, I was this “other person” in Cambodia. Like I said, I didn’t quite realize the change in me at the time when I was there, but now that I am back and trying to fit into my life here… I’ve realized that I’m no longer that person that everyone might expect me to be. With that being said, I’m still trying to figure out what exactly God changed in me- but that will all come in God’s time.
Before I continue blabbering, I better get to sleep.
Maybe thinking tomorrow x
Joanne Lam 