Walking down the street, there is always something that catches my eye, whether it be a sparkly necklace in a jewelry store or the glass of a skyscraper. I have noticed many things for many different reasons. Occasionally, the things I see make me realize how privileged my life is.

Nothing could compare to the feeling of shock the first time that I saw a homeless person. I was walking in a crowd of people and was unable to see ahead of me more than a foot. Suddenly, the group split into two as though they were trying to avoid something. Upon approaching the thing they were avoiding, I looked down and felt a sense of disgust, nausea, guilt and pity all at once.

I saw a person that did not have anything at all, clothed with dirty clothes that had been torn and probably not changed for several days at the least.

One of his hands was missing, and a part of his leg ended in only a stump as opposed to a foot.

He was lying face down in the middle of the walkway, convulsing like he either had a physical problem or was going through drug withdrawl. Instead of holding the container to beg for money with, it was just lying by his side. I could not take my eyes off this person.

This person that I saw was in one of the worst situations that I have seen. I found that there are many people very similar to that homeless man. They sit on the edges of the entrances and exits to certain subway stations.

Some simply become some sort of wall fixtures; others do things such as playing a musical instrument. The majority of them have some sort of physical deformity such as a missing limb. All of them have unkempt clothes and hair and look emaciated almost like they are going to wither completely away in the next few days.

On top of seeing these people on streets and walkways, I have seen them at night looking for a place to sleep. I witnessed this one particular night while I was out with my friends to have a good time and enjoy the view of Hong Kong’s skyline against a peaceful bay.

Although the view was one that I almost could not take my eyes off, I glanced around long enough to see figures lying down on benches. From where I was, it looked like they were trying to cover themselves with whatever they could find.

That night, the only people that I saw up close were a few people walking around with a slump to their shoulders and their eyes scanning the area. At first, I was scared because I was unsure what they were doing. Then, I saw them pick up cans that had been dropped on the ground and stick them into a bag.

I had gone to that particular harbor to get a view of Hong Kong. I did come home with quite a view of it, but it was not the one that I had expected to get.

The view I came home with set forth a very strong insight about my life.

I realized that I am incredibly privileged. I have the ability to better myself through education and was able to fund a trip to halfway across the world.

More than that, I came to the conclusion that I am so lucky compared to many people simply because I have a place to live and enough to eat.

The people that I have seen are by no means at every corner; however, there are enough people to make me aware of the fact that many people in the world do not have the basic necessities in life.

I hope that these images I saw stick with me enough to make me remember that I am lucky, even if the only thing I can afford is food. I came here in hopes of learning.

This is by far one of the most important things I have learned from Hong Kong.

Ariel Ringlein is a junior in management from Guthrie Center. She is in Hong Kong for the semester as part of the ISU study abroad program.