Being from the small, and let's face it, unknown country of Honduras for a large part of my life, my vision of the world was mostly through movies, pictures, books and news. I was always curious of different cultures and countries and, as much as I read about them or saw them in a screen or picture, it was all just ideas in my head. As a teenager my summer travels would be to near countries like Nicaragua, since both my parents are from there, Guatemala, Panama, and then to the USA. They have a different culture and language, sure, but it is nothing I was not used to.
It wasn't until my summer vacation going to senior year that I got to experience one of my life-long dreams. For some reason or another I have an obsession with Ireland, its maybe the green barren hills and the windy cliffs, or maybe its just the accent and the plaid, who knows? The point is I was going. And from the moment I arrived everything was better than expected. I then went to London, Paris, Barcelona. Places imbued with so much history, and a distinctive culture of their own. I was enamored by every single thing.
Europe is great and everything, don't take me wrong. Things are different, but in a way almost always recognizable. Asia is a whole different story. I was given the chance to take a semester abroad in none other than Hong Kong. I was there for three months but I still consider it my second home. It's just the best city on earth (although I have yet to visit many more), its a cosmopolitan center, with skyscrapers surrounded by tropical green mountains, and you have the ocean right in front of you. The people are nice, the food is fantastic and the aesthetic made by pastel building and neon lights is every chromophile's dream! What is not to like. Everything is not only entirely new and different, you just feel like your discovering the world all over again and that you were blind to so many things out of ignorance. Philippines, Singapore, Macau, Beijing, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar. Every country I visited was a whole new language, culture and scenery to explore and admire. I am not exaggerating when I'm saying I was awe-struck an average of 16 hours a day. I take it back, I was not discovering the world since these countries and the people have been here for centuries before I even arrived here, it was more like the world was discovering me. It was showing off all it had to offer, and the best part of it I still have so much more to discover. I can't wait!!! oh ... but let's not forget #freehongkong
You can browse through some of the photographs I took during my trip to Asia. Enjoy!
- Veronica Arguello
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