【明報專訊】It isn't easy to adapt to a new city, a new country, a new culture or a new (host) family. Before I came to Hong Kong, I had tried hard to figure out how hard that could be. However, to me it turned out to be ''the end of the world''! I was already very homesick the moment I arrived in Hong Kong!
People around me all encouraged me. They said, ''If you can get over this, you can overcome any difficulty.'' That moment I started to look at the bright side of life in Hong Kong. I made new friends at AFS and in school. I have come to realise how great Hong Kong is compared with my 'boring', small hometown in the Netherlands.
Field hockey is my favourite sport and there is a Dutch field hockey club in Hong Kong. So I bought all field hockey stuff I needed and played in orange, which is the national colour of the Netherlands. Unfortunately, one day I got my bag stolen while training. My belongings, including my passport, visa, wallet and phone, were gone. I was very sad and depressed! It took me more than two months to get everything back. But I became stronger through such experiences! There are lots of things I want to do in Hong Kong and I am grateful to everybody who has helped me to get over my homesickness.
Now I can say I am really proud of what I have achieved so far. Going on exchange will change you in a way you never think possible. AFS organizes lots of activities, which will help you (especially at the beginning) meet people who will be your friends for the rest of your life. I recommend that everybody who is interested in going on exchange do so. You will never regret it. It may be hard sometimes, but life is a mixture of sunshine and rain. So, if you have got an opportunity to do so, don't miss it!
text: Pien Meijerink (an AFS exchange student from the Netherlands in Hong Kong now)
■Be a host family! Please visit www.afs.hk or call 2802 0383 for further information.
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