It’s fairly common to hear people say that living abroad is a completely different experience from what you expect before you go – and that that is one of the reasons that the experience is so great. After six months abroad, I agree because things went totally different than planned. By mid-November I suddenly found myself at a university in a city of seven million inhabitants that was in an utter state of emergency. Then, my second semester here had to be cut short due to the coronavirus. Despite all that, I would pick Hong Kong again in a second.

On the one hand, the past months have flown by, and yet, on the other hand, I have experienced enough to fill the pages of an entire trilogy: hundreds of encounters and political discussions, frustration and anger, new languages, culinary discoveries, and way too many premature goodbyes. I only got in half the amount of actual coursework I had planned on taking.

It is still hard to put into words what this city and what the one and a half semesters at Chinese University have given me. Everything pales in comparison to the intensity of the events that have befallen the city. I would like to set aside dramatic talk and clichés about how unpredictable things can be from one moment to the next, and instead say that it is the people here who will stick in my memory.

What began as a group of 600 international students, ended with 40 of us. The others were just as stubborn as me and wanted to stay in Hong Kong for as long as possible despite recommendations to the contrary. The city, whose residents faced one stress test after the next for months, nevertheless (or perhaps precisely because of their reaction) is the most fascinating place I have ever called home.

Alongside the breathtaking natural beauty, the winding labyrinths of skyscrapers, and sidewalk restaurants with Michelin star ratings, I experienced a city with impressive political determination and a wealth of strategic ideas. But I also experienced the pain of a young generation looking at a future with little hope. Without wanting to sound disrespectful, I must admit that I am glad I was in Hong Kong at this moment in time because I will never forget the city’s fighting spirit.

As much as I wish all of my former fellow students plenty of strength and energy as the situation continues, I have strong doubts myself about the chances of finding a democratic solution to the conflict, which is still dragging on even though media outlets in the West seem to have forgotten all about it. Solidarity is all I have to offer Hong Kong as a token of farewell, since I do have the option of “simply” leaving. See you again soon!