I LOVE TRAFFIC!

Traffic is a fun!

Traffic is easy, especially on a highway like I-95. The road is strait. The speed is low. Cars don't just appear. Cars don't cut me off. Instead, they flash their turning signals and wait until I let them through. It a good feeling to do something nice for someone ... or it's a nice feeling to ignore someone just like someone else was ignoring you all f***ing day.

Traffic is time to blast my favorite song and sing like no one is listening (because no one is) and dance like no one is watching (because the people in the other cars can’t really see me). In fact, traffic is directly related to the music on the radio. The better the song, the faster the traffic is. Traffic slows when a bad song comes on and does not speed up until I find a good one on the radio. Radio is like a flea market for information. It is full of random information that at first seems pretty useless, but after a second look you actually need it and you are excited that you found it:

- old songs
- new songs
- weather
- local news
- celebrity gossip
- jokes
- games
- contests
- funny stories
- weird anecdotes
- stupid stories

You never know what you might hear. If you ever need a conversation starter, the radio is your best bet.

Traffic is my quiet time. Sometimes to find a solution I need to "walk around with an idea" ... or "drive around with an idea". This is my time when no one will come in and distract me. It’s my time to ponder and reflect while a crawl in my car along the road.

Traffic time is bonding time. No, it won't be awkward to just there. It’s time to bond. There is like a dozen games you can play in the car if the radio does not provide a good conversation topic.

Traffic is meal time. With proper preparation, I have meals on the road. Tea in travel mug with a hot pocket or a yogurt or a sandwich makes a descent breakfast. I am one of those people who won't eat until I wake up, but getting out of bed doesn't mean that I am awake. So by the time I get out of my house, get in the car, get into the traffic, I am awake and ready to eat. (Save time and still have breakfast! Or run your errands and still have lunch.)

Do you ever look at the billboards? Do you ever analyze the marketing strategy they utilize? How about the graphic design they employ? Do ever perform statistical analysis on types of products advertised on billboards along your route?

So much to do, so little time… wait, there is always traffic.

So why Hong Kong?

Originally, I wanted to study abroad in France after reading a dozen books by Alexander Dumas. This would have been a great application of fours years of high school French as well. (I took French because of Dumas of course.)

However, I still wanted to take classes in English mainly because I lack sufficient fluency in any other language. (I am sure I can handle classes in Russian, but I wanted to go somewhere else.)

Additionally, I wanted a school with a strong Engineering program because I would need to be able to continue taking classes for my Civil Engineering degree. Taking humanities/social sciences and free electives wasn't an option for me because I satisfied these with AP credits and co-op program.

Eventually, the process of elimination led me to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

I have to add that my close friend's great study abroad experience in Japan did a lot to ease my nervousness about going to Asia as a white Russian girl from America.