LAFAYETTE TODAY
Megan Zaroda ’07 (lower right) and her new friends at Lingnan University in Hong Kong enjoy the Symphony of Lights at Victoria Harbor.
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Letter from Hong Kong
“The fantasy of something different—of living independently in a foreign country where I neither knew the language nor the customs—was alluring,” wrote Megan Zaroda ’07 this spring from Hong Kong, where the political communication major studied at Lingnan University.
“[T]he places, the events, the
people I’ve enjoyed most are often those moments which are not captured on film, but are indelibly impressed in my mind. It is learning tai chi from a kung fu master on the
roof of his apartment that overlooks the harbor. Playing badminton
with my roommate’s father, with whom I cannot even converse. Reading a European travelogue on a rock in the middle of the South China Sea. Savoring a cup of mango gelato while sitting on the ferry pier watching the other gwailos (“foreign devils”) exasperatingly point at
pocket maps. . . .
“It’s true that one’s best learning experience is not in the classroom, but in the culture; yet like any student abroad, my time is split between raw exploration and formal education.
I spend 15 hours a week learning about contemporary Chinese government, the historical western perspective on China, Asian authors who write in English, international ethics, and Putonghua—the most common dialect of Chinese Mandarin. Learning Chinese is unlike any other language I’ve attempted. . . .
“I intend to return to this place
one day, to work among the people who have taught me how to use chopsticks, how to navigate the
public transportation, how to
bargain in a foreign language.
Yet whether I spend my career
years in Hong Kong or New York
or even Easton, I’ve realized that
life is much more fascinating when seen from a different perspective.
So, too, the world. It is much
more welcoming when approached with optimistic curiosity.”
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