Picture This

Me, at the airport on my way to Beijing

• One 14kg duffel bag with a wheelie thing
• One 7kg duffel bag
• One 7kg backpack
• One 3kg plastic bag
• One 1.5kg purse¹

Me, in my new apartment

• Assigned to a room meant for two, but no roommate
• Translation: double the closet space, my own bathroom, and a spare bed

Me, as an orientation leader

• “Wait, which subway line is the university on again?”

Me, as a returning study abroad student

• Teacher: Manda, you started last semester with a really strong Cantonese accent but had lost it by the end of the semester. But after spending winter break in Hong Kong, your accent has come back!
• Me: *demoralized*

Oh, Beijing. It’s so, so good to be back. <3

1. This was filled with electronics like my iPod as well as my wallet, which had a ton of coins, hence the weight. [↩]

Cross-posted from breakthesky.net. Please leave any comments there.