Around the world and back again

Well I am no longer in Eastern Europe! After a great week in Prague with the parents, and a couple days in Prague and Budapest with Kanchi Mausi and Yogita Mausi (some tales of which are not suitable for the readers of this blog...just kidding...) I packed up, said some tearful goodbyes, and headed back to good ole Georgia. Stayed just long enough to witness Shilp's graduation celebrations (congrats little sis!) and drink some sweet tea, and then went to New York to catch up with friends and take care of some business at school. Now, after a 29 hour journey (including a nine-hour nap in the Starbucks at Heathrow) I am in Hong Kong, China where humidity levels are currently at about 250%.

Hong Kong is a world away from Europe, and in my jet-lagged and culture shock-ed state I am having trouble even taking it all in. So far my initial impressions are of crowded shopping centers, huge skyskrapers, and breathtaking views of cliffs and the bay. I am staying in Repulse Bay with friends of Tilak Mama and they have the most gorgeous view from the gigantic windows in their high rise apartment...I will try to put up some pictures once i figure out my new Netbook computer.

Today was my first day at CNN International and it was exciting although a little anti-climatic. I expected reporters and anchors running around and lots of fast-talking and instantaneous "breaking news," but the truth is a little less glamorous. The office buildings are in Quarry Bay, where Time Warner owns 20 floors of a beautiful complex with more amazing views of the city skyline and great modern art and architecture. The newsroom is vast (although not as big at Atlanta's) and the reporters, cameramen, anchors, and TV and website producers are a truly international representation. I signed a contract today saying i wouldn't share any information about CNN on personal blogs, so I think i will stop there with my descriptions. The internship seems pretty exciting though, and I should be doing a good mix of research, writing, editing, video and audio feature production, and traveling with the newsteam and field reporters. I also get to produce my own special project over the next two months. Suggestions for topics are welcome! Found some great little local eatery for lunch with huge bowls of soup and noodles for dirt cheap. Hong Kong isn't turning out to be as expensive as I thought, thank goodness.

To Do List:

Find a hair straightener, pronto. Alternative: shave my head.
Learn some Cantonese
Figure out the transportation system after getting lost 2309482 times today
Track down decent coffee (the Chinese sure do like their tea)

Funny story: At lunch today they put milk in my green tea before serving it to me, with sugar on the side. According to my lonely planet guidebook the Chinese never drink milk in their tea so I can only guess they expected me as a foreigner/ethnically Indian to not know how to drink tea properly. The guy also chased me about four blocks after I "overpaid" for lunch by about $10 HKD (less than a 10% tip)

Tomorrow the rest of the Columbia students interning in Hong Kong this summer for various publications, research institutes, museums, and finance firms will arrive and we all move into housing at Hong Kong Baptist University. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to lug my stuff across two islands and the bay. Wish me luck!