Okay. So, I just finished watching the Alps episode of Man vs. Wild (after finally seeing Snakes on a Plane for the first time - a lengthy nine month wait) and I started to think about the metaphorical applicability to my current situation. I, like Bear, will be dropped (not by parachute, however) into a world about which I know nothing. I will have to figure out how to get around, how to find food, etc. - essentially I will have to learn how to survive.

Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself. Introductions come first. Start Over.

Hi! I am Richard Romeo. It is a pleasure to meet you! My family calls me Richard; my friends call me Romeo. Take your pick. ;-D

I hail from the biggest, small town in the United States - San Antonio, Texas - population of nearly 1.9 million people. Still never heard of it? That is not surprising. We are the seventh largest city in America and are famous for the Spurs (our NBA team - of which, I, like everyone else here, am a huge fan), the Alamo (aka: the cradle of Texas liberty and the reason San Antonio is called the “Alamo City”. Go figure.), and the Riverwalk (a Civilian Conservation Corps project that left downtown looking beautiful). Probably TMI but here are a few other interesting tidbits:

1. The river (and later, the city) was named “San Antonio” twice in history by two different people almost 30 years apart. Fate, you ask? I think so.
2. Every year we hold a ten-day celebration called “Fiesta” to honor those fallen at the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. This is a huge deal! We even get school holidays for this event.
3. Chili was invented here. Awesome, I know.

I attend a little piece of paradise known as Rice University deep in the heart of Houston. When I applied to attend, I had never even been to the campus; however, something within my heart - something I have never been able to accurately articulate - pointed me to become an Owl. Granted, Rice is not perfect but I venture to say that I could never be happier anywhere else. (Or at least, we will see if that is still true after I return.) The people, the classes, the professors, the campus, and just about everything else are amazing! Quite frankly, I bleed navy and grey.

Anyway, you are probably wondering why it is I have decided to leave my place of comfort, security and enjoyment if it all seems so magnificent.

The short answer: When I first heard of studying abroad, I got a deep-seeded ache (a tug is too small to accurately describe what I felt) within my heart leading me to do so. (I always like to follow my heart because I never regret a decision I make when I do.)

The longer version: To tell the truth, it is getting pretty dull around here. I mean, I love where I live and where I go to school but the predictability of my life is at such an astonishing level that I am starting to feel stifled. I want to feel a different wind in my face. I long to stare for hours at a landscape I have never seen before and, probably never will again. I want to try new things and meet new people. I want to…I want to do something which the thrill will be so overwhelming that any repercussion would be nothing more than a minor detail.

The German language has a word “Wanderlust” which I describe as an unrelenting desire to journey everywhere and to experience everything possible. Somebody get me a doctor because I suffer from a most severe case of it. I just have to get out of here! This lack of novelty drives me up the wall. I want to get lost in somewhere new. Somewhere no one can find me just so I can find a new piece of myself, satiate my ever present desire to learn and hopefully end this relentless streak of utter boredom. I fear I must find stimulation soon otherwise I might become irreversibly numb. By going abroad, I will have the chance to experience the culture of Hong Kong, with all of its new sights, new sounds, new smells, new tastes, and new people. Hopefully, I will come away from the experience as a more whole and culturally sensitive human being while I scratch this itch for a scenery change. If I am constantly learning, I will not have time for boredom.

To all of you that I leave behind, I love you and I will miss you.

All the Best,
~Romeo~