last night in Hong Kong...

On our last night in Hong Kong, we all went to the pier to watch the light show that is put on every night.  Before the show started, a group of us went walking around and took pictures and whatnot.  In the above picture, a lady offered to take our picture (I was grateful because usually I was the one taking the pictures..ergo, I was not in a majority of the fun group shots) and as we smiled and posed, people passing by would also stop and take pictures of us!  We made quite the scene and it was an odd feeling having strangers take pictures of us.  Anyway!  Back to the light show!  It lasted about 30 minutes and it was super cool.  Oriental music was playing on loud speakers and buildings would match the beat of the music with laser lights. What a show!  I enjoyed it and also learned some neat tricks with night shots from Brent.  Good bye Hong Kong, hello New Zealand!

sunset at the pier 

sunset at the pier

the big city...

Hong Kong is such a beautiful city and sight seeing was eye opening.  We walked A TON!  One of the guys in our group tracked our mileage with a pedometer, one day we walked 10 miles, the next we walked 12, and the next I think it was somewhere around 6.  I am so grateful for my Chacos!  They are honestly some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever had...and my feet didn't even blister (PTL)! So in the bottom picture, behind the skyscrapers, you can see Mt. Victoria, the tallest point in Hong Kong.  Like I had said earlier, there were so many mountains that I didn't even expect.  The combination of city and nature makes the city unique and bearable.  After we would have a long day of trekking about, hiking up the mountain was like coming home.  The peace would once again come over me and everything got quiet.  I loved the contrast of the two!

a trip to the zoo...

While we were exploring the city of Hong Kong, we stumbled upon a zoo and garden.  Not to sound too vain or anything, but I just really love these pictures.  A little blurb about yours truly, I love photography and it is becoming a growing passion of mine.  It kind of runs in my blood and I learn a lot about how to use my Canon Rebel t3i from my old man.  Everyone on this trip considers me one of the photographers for the trip and its a title that I carry proudly.  One of the leaders on our trip, Brent, is also a photographer and he teaches me and my friend Rachel so much about our cameras!  I am excited to see my skills progress.  While we were at the zoo, we saw that they had an exhibit for raccoons..........needless to say, we all were cracking up at the fact that they would have such an average rodent in their zoo.

the egg tart...

One of the many joys of traveling to new places is trying all the local cuisine.  It is definitely one of my favorite things about traveling, I LOVE trying new foods!  Well in Hong Kong we were able to try what is called an "egg tart".  I was a little hesitant to eat it mainly because Im not the biggest fan of eggs...but I did. NO RAGRETS!  These things are great...kinda weird...but great.  I intend to find out how they are made because they are actually pretty sweet, almost like a custard with a hint of egg.  They even served them at their KFC!  If you ever travel to Hong Kong, I suggest trying one of these little nuggets.

some of the beauty of Tao Fong Shan

some of the beauty of Tao Fong Shan

a place of peace...

As I had said before, Tao Fong Shan is a place of prayer and reflection.  I have never felt so at peace as when I was there.  Our leaders explained to us that this mountain top has been prayed over, time and time again.  I never fully understood the power of prayer until I learned this.  It is moments like this when I realize how proud I am to be a Christian and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Every evening we could see the sunset, every morning we could see the sunrise and it would all just proclaim the beauty of His hands.  In the top picture is what is called a prayer labyrinth.  All 23 of us went down with our bibles and let the Lord lead us to scriptures.  We would walk around the maze reading and praying and it was incredible.  Hearing God's word in this way was beautiful.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good. 

Sha Tin, Hong Kong

After a looooong and tiresome (but not entirely awful) 15 hour flight straight from Chicago, the PacRim 2015 team arrived in Hong Kong, our first destination.  We stayed there for three days and I was just blown away by this city.  Coming into this trip, I imagined that Hong Kong would be just a big cement jungle...a huge, dirty city filled with crime and crazyness.  I am happy to admit that I was completely wrong.  The island and mainland part is filled with gorgeous, green mountains and is surrounded by bright blue water.  While the city was bustling, it wasn't quite as packed as I had imagined it to be (thankfully).  The actual city we stayed in is called Sha Tin.  We stayed up in a mountain at a retreat called Tao Fong Shan and it was breathtaking.  The retreat is secluded from the city and a feeling of peace just envelops you as you enter the grounds.  This is a place of prayer and reflection.  The temperature was warm and it smelled like spring, it was a true oasis for us since we had just escaped from the evil clutches of winter back in Indiana.  As you can see from the pictures, we had quite the view!  The staff made us three meals a day and we would eat as a team.  Using chopsticks for the meals proved to be a bit of a challenge at first but we were able to improve our skills in just those three short days.  

my new family...

Let me introduce to you my new family for the next three months!  We are a group of 21 students along with 3 group leaders.  I have to be honest here, I did not expect our group to mesh as well as we are.  We are such a dynamic group and everyone brings something different to the table.  Discovering who these incredible people are one by one gives me a whole new appreciation for the group as a whole, and as individuals.  Watching new friendships form and seeing the group become a tight-knit family is truly a lovely experience, and not one that I am used to.  It's cliche to say, but whenever we are all together we have such a fun time exploring, taking pictures, and just making memories.  Getting one on one time with everyone is great fun also.  Coming from a very small school, it's easy to say that you know everyone...but I could not be more wrong.  I hardly knew any of these people before coming into this crazy adventure, but now I am finding out what their passions are, what makes them laugh, what they act like after a 15 hour long plane ride and three hours of sleep.  It's all very awesome!  Having this unique experience to share with 20 other people helps to get rid of any homesickness and negative feelings. We are a unit and growing stronger every day.  I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!

a little about me...

Hello and welcome to my corner, my own little space in this great, wide world!  Here is where I will share my thoughts, adventures,trials, and really whatever else I feel like sharing...it's my blog, I can do what I want.  So first, a little background on me:  my name is Hannah and I am a 21 year old that grew up in a small town.  I'm a junior at Bethel College and I am studying to be a Graphic Designer.  I love life, my family, friends, food, and God!  Now you may be wondering why a 21- year old from a small town would care to randomly start a blog...well the answer is because I am currently studying abroad and blogging is a way for me to share my stories and I won't have to tell each and every little thing twenty thousand times:) With this amazing trip, my team and I will travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, and Beijing.  So without further ado, I welcome you, and thank you for reading my corner