Reminisce: The High School Years, Hong Kong

I like to reflect upon my time abroad, both in the United States and Hong Kong. High school was definitely a memorable period in my life and it was made all the more unforgettable due the fact it was spent overseas. In 2009, I began my freshman year of high school in the United States. In 2012, I moved to a new school in Hong Kong and graduated in 2014. In my late 20’s, it’s nice to occasionally reminisce about my teenage years. More specifically, it’s nice to be reminded about Hong Kong, a place that I hold dear to my heart.

Harrow Hong Kong

I moved to Hong Kong in September 2012, where I was to begin my studies at the newly opened Harrow International School Hong Kong. I would part of the first graduating class. Boarding school as usual, though it would be much closer to home. During breaks, it would only be a two-hour flight. To me, it was an improvement from the 22 total hours of flight time between New York and Bangkok.

As we leave the city and head out for the school, I notice that the campus is unusually far out. I’d never heard of the New Territories of Hong Kong, let alone Tuen Mun. But these would become names I would eventually come to memorize. It’s almost 45 minutes before the taxi cab finally arrives at the school. The campus is surprisingly an amazing sight to behold. Unlike my previous school, it’s got a modern look to it. But then again, it had just completed construction. I’m even more impressed when we get to the residential halls. Airconditioned rooms! To say the least, it was a stark contrast to what I had in the United States: two people per room, no airconditioning, and communal bathrooms. I would’ve happily called my new living quarters a five-star hotel. I suppose those were the benefits of being a senior.

In short, high school in Hong Kong got off to a good start. I was taking four AS classes that year: Math, Further Math, Economics, and Physics. Looking back, I had absolutely no business taking Physics. I enjoyed Economics the most because the teacher was a fun guy. In reality, I was a subpar student in the British curriculum. Coming from the US, I hadn’t even been an AP student. So when I came into British system in Hong Kong, it was the equivalent of getting thrown to the sharks. I’m not proud of my academics in high school but they did not influence who I’ve become, so I can look past them all.

The Chloe Chronicles

Now, my favorite topic: love life. At that point, at just 17 years old, I had given up on relationships. Here’s the thing, I was a loner and an introvert. How could I have possibly thought I would get a girlfriend with my demeanor and attitude, right? I was, however, proven wrong during senior orientation. Now, aside from my dorm neighbor Clarence, I had also befriended two of my Economics classmates: Crystal and Kristy. They were actually a trio that was complete with another girl Chloe. At the orientation, Chloe seemed to take an interest in me. Or rather, she was extra friendly with me. I took this well and from that day on, Clarence and I became friends with the CCK trio.

Over the weeks, Chloe and I grew closer, despite not being in any of each other’s classes. However, I like to think Clarence and I were close with CCK. Eventually, on November 2012, Chloe invited all of us to her birthday party. To me, it was great not only because I would be attending a social gathering but also because I would be leaving the dorm. Unfortunately, I never made it to the party due to a medical mishap. An epileptic seizure forced me to spend the night at a nearby hospital for observation.

When I woke up the next morning, apart from a phone call from Clarence checking on me, the first message I got was from Chloe. She asked what happened and how I was feeling. I hope she was genuinely worried for me at the time. At the time, it really felt like she was. And seeing those messages made me smile. I know I was caught in what may have been a life-threatening situation but the concern she showed afterwards really warmed my heart.

Despite missing the party, I was discharged in time to catch up with the crew at a shopping mall. There, I got to talking about my fondness for dogs with Chloe. She revealed that she too was a dog lover and owned one as well. I then talked about how I lost my dog a few years prior. That was when she pulled a move I didn’t quite expect. She pulled me in for a consoling hug. Unsure of what to do, I decided to reciprocate the gesture and wrapped my arms around her as well. Not going to lie, I really felt my heartbeat pick up the pace in that moment. I will never know for sure but I often pinpoint this moment as when I developed feelings beyond friendship toward her.

In the following days, Chloe and I continued to frequently converse through WhatsApp. In all my life, I don’t think I’ve texted someone so often before or since. I was beginning to reevaluate my friendship with her. By now, I was slowly realizing that I liked her. At dinner, I made it a point to sit directly across from her so I could look at her. And afterwards, we would walk together and talk until we had to go up to our dorms for roll call. The entire time, I had no idea what she was thinking.

Things began to unravel one Wednesday night. It was November 21, 2012, the entire dorm was watching “The Other Guys” but I couldn’t be bothered to join. Instead, I was preoccupied with conversing with Chloe on WhatsApp. Things were going the usual direction until she sent me a hint in the form of Black Veil Brides’ “Rebel Love Song”. Being me, I didn’t get this first hint. And we continued conversing. Then she texted a set of words that caught me off guard, “I want to know how you feel about me.” I was dumbstruck, speechless. This was a situation I’d never been in. At first, I tell her that I’d been having feelings beyond friendship toward her. She responds with not wanting to be friends anymore. This is when I start to freak out. In a panic, I sought out help from my other dorm neighbor Ilkay. He calmly instructs me on how to respond and well… Chloe and I became official that night. Thanks, Ilkay.

After a little more texting, we started a phone call that lasted late into the night. Again, I’d never talked on the phone this long before or since. The curse was finally broken. Having thought I would be single for the rest of my life, I had finally changed my destiny. Was I overjoyed? Absolutely. I was over the moon. I was finally being appreciated as more than a friend.

It took some time for me to adjust to this new arrangement but, eventually, I grew into our new relationship. But if I could mark a turning point in our relationship, it would have to be December 1, 2012. I had left the dorm to spend the weekend afternoon with Chloe. It was a regular date consisting of lunch, a movie and then dinner. But it was what happened after that changed everything. Looking back, it sort of happened in synchronization. As I waited in line to get a taxi cab, we hugged before closing the distance between each other with a kiss. I was stunned once more but was struck by a jolt of joy. It was from then on that I became more confident in expressing myself. I began holding her hand in public with the utmost confidence, I would plant kisses on her cheek even when she didn’t ask me to, and we’d steal kisses in the various stairways of the school. Yeah, you could say the two of us were somewhat trigger-happy with our PDA. In retrospect, I sometimes cringe thinking about how we were both young and having fun. But I take back nothing.

Because after all, if it weren’t for Chloe, I probably would’ve remained a virgin until now. But she happened and life had plans for me. From my first kiss on December 1, 2012, life was going to make sure I’d lose my virginity to this girl, and she to me. At that point, we’d been dating for close to a year. We were in our final year of high school at Harrow and Chloe was celebrating her 18th birthday. Soon, she would be the legal age of consent and to celebrate this milestone, she opted to give me her virginity. On November 23, 2013, we purchased some contraceptives and booked a room at a love hotel for two hours. By now, you’re probably thinking, ‘Just like that? On her birthday?’ It’s crazy that it all happened so fast. Before we knew it, neither of us were no longer virgins.

But in retrospect, I don’t think I cherished my relationship with Chloe as much as I should have. There was so much more I could’ve done–so much more I could’ve said–but didn’t do. And just like that 19 months flew by and we were at the doorstep of graduation. I know I should’ve seen it coming but at the time I didn’t want to accept it. We were inevitably going to break up since she’d be attending college in Scotland while I’d be returning to Thailand. And as sad as it sounds, our relationship ended on rather bad terms. She pretty much told me we were over right before our graduation ceremony so the timing was less than ideal. What was meant to be a joyful day for me and my family pretty much went to hell.

Then there was the farewell party arranged by some staff where all the graduates (myself included) would attend. I don’t remember how long they’d planned it but I do recall I’d been looking forward to it before Chloe made our breakup official. So that night, I really wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. It was all made worse by the seating plan that had Chloe and I sit together. Then Mrs. Morris, our dean, had us take a photo together, probably assuming we were still dating. We were hesitant but went through with it. After the party, the whole class made plans to go out clubbing in Lan Kwai Fong, the party hub of Hong Kong, to finish out the night. Initially, I thought about going. But Chloe told it’d be better that I didn’t. And just like that, I turned away and headed straight back to my hotel while the others (including Chloe) headed for the lights of LKF. I was miserable the entire MTR (Hong Kong subway) ride back and slowly walked along the near-empty city street that led back to the hotel. The only word I could use to describe my feelings inside at the time is ‘empty’. That was it, the end of Chloe and me.

Comeback

For a time, after high school graduation, I did my best to avoid thinking about my time in Hong Kong. This was probably due to Chloe. After all, she played a big part in my experience over there. But after graduating in 2014, I would find myself returning to Hong Kong for the first time in early 2016. It was with two of my friends from college. At first, we only explored the metropolitan areas and shopping hubs; tourist attractions, if you will. But eventually, after running out of things to do, I decided to drop by at Harrow International School. While I didn’t necessarily love the place, a deep part of me missed it.

And one day, the three of us hopped in a cab and headed for Tuen Mun. Four hundred Hong Kong dollars of cab fare later, I found myself stumbling upon a familiar sight. After stepping through the gates, I got to see a number of my close friends once again. After over a year of dwelling on painful memories, I welcomed the pleasant company that I so missed after graduating from Harrow. And I was reminded that my time here wasn’t all bad. I visited the dorms, the dining hall and took a walk around the soccer field, seeing a number of familiar faces in the process. All in all, it felt good to be back.

That night, I decided to walk the same city streets that I took when I was turned away from the afterparty the night of my graduation. The experience itself was bittersweet but left a smile on my face. I then realized that perhaps reliving that painful experience was a good thing. Because then I could also find the good in things that I originally thought were all bad.

And since then, every time I’ve visited Hong Kong, I try and find a time to walk the streets at night simply doing nothing. Just because every once in a while, it’s good to reminisce on certain things. Even if they’ve long come to pass.