Sleep in or go to my photography class in Hong Kong?  Believe it or not, this was a difficult choice to make last Sunday morning as I laid in my warm bed on a chilly morning.

The night before, I had this great foot rub at a place called Medu. I have heard raves about it, but never went.  I ended up going with a couple of friends of mine and it was completely relaxing.  So getting up in the morning just wasn’t ideal.  As I boarded the 7:45am ferry though, my motivation began to quickly rise. For me, there is something about Hong Kong that is so invigorating.

Now most people that know me would probably describe me as independent and I would probably agree.  But I don’t know if it’s the language, the lack of familiarity, but I have been a bit of a baby when it comes to traveling around China on my own.  So I knew it was time to take the leap and put on my big girl pants.  It was the first time I had to navigate the MTR (HK subway) all myself.

So off I went and believe it or not, I made it and I was even a little early.  I was so glad I went.  I learned a lot about photos and light.  The subtlety of the effects with different lighting was very surprising to me.  It was fascinating how just a few adjustments can have such an impact visually.  The other great part about the day was the other two students in the class.

Part of the reason I want to live abroad is to experience different cultures and meet new people.  I am very blessed with my family and friends that I have now.  I just want to expand that part of my life and I don’t know, live in the world and hear peoples’ stories.  What I have learned so far is you just never know about people.  Like the lighting with photography, there is this potential for wonderful surprises.

These two particular people both live in Hong Kong, one is an attorney and the other is a PhD candidate.  Besides photography, we discussed politics, movies, and even Twilight.  The PhD candidate was Team Jacob as was the lawyer’s wife. I know, right?  But I will still give them a chance.  It was thoroughly enjoyable and dinners have already been planned.

Next week, I am off Thailand – Bangkok and then Phuket. I am really looking forward to this trip although I haven’t even thought about packing.  Below are a couple of photos from class – enjoy!

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