Travelling

(Adam Cheung)

We enjoyed more than two hours of sharing in this Kubrick Poetry session.  The topic of traveling lent itself to stories after stories, and personally, I learned a lot.

I learned from Apple that taking a trip on one’s own is a way of building self-confidence.  Also, in one of the pieces she read, she mentioned that when we go on a journey, it is not only about what we see, but also how we have changed.  Apple shared about her recent trips to the older cities of China and her April visit to Japan.  I actually got to know Apple as we were lining up to pass customs entering Japan.  We took the train together from the airport into the city of Tokyo.  She exuded so much confidence as a girl traveling by herself to a country she had never been before.  After seeing the pictures she took, I learned she’s a very observant photographer as well, with a keen interest to dogs on the street.

I learned from Cyrus that often much insight can be gained from visiting a country that is poorer than where we live. Cyrus said that while visiting Cambodia, he came to realize how unhappy and limited we are in Hong Kong.  He saw that those in Cambodia had so much less than we did and yet they seemed so much happier than Hong Kong people.  I found Cyrus to be a very entertaining presenter and I hope he is able to escape the rat race of Hong Kong soon.

I learned from another regular supporter that in order to enjoy our time in another country, we must put away our judgments and completely immerse in the culture of that country.  He shared about the time he lived in South America.  He said it was refreshing to see that people did not see things just in terms of money.  I was most impressed with how he said he had his money and possessions stolen in the early part of his long journey, and how he was determined to stay in South America, and eventually, he was able to not only get by, but also experienced a very meaningful trip, as he brought back humorous anecdotes and a personal scrapbook.  He also said he plans to revisit the continent for the first time since he was there more than ten years ago.

Thanks to all those who showed up and stayed for this extended version of Kubrick Poetry.  Special mention to Polly for sharing Japanese haiku, movies such as Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and the upcoming Before Midnight, and to Mok Tze Yan for returning to Kubrick with a unique book of poems that explored Hong Kong’s contemporary issues in traditional poetic structure.