From the sounds of the train station off in the distance in Hong Kong to the quiet suburbs of Frisco, Texas, July 19 is the day that sophomore Francesca Abundo’s life changed in an immense way.

According to Francesca, she had an ordinary life in Hong Kong for 15 years; she went to school, did her homework and talked to her friends on the daily. She lived on the “outskirts” of the city, known as the suburbs in America.

Since her parents were flight attendants, her family traveled a lot and eventually decided that moving their daughter to the U.S. was the best option for her education.

Since Hong Kong and America are different, Francesca noticed changes in here everyday life. In Hong Kong, the city and the outskirts are connected by the MCR, a form of public transportation, making everything easily accessible.

“One of the biggest changes was definitely how inaccessible everything is here,” Francesca said. “You have to drive everywhere to get places, it’s very different.”

“Another very noticeable difference were the food portions, which differed greatly than the ones in Hong Kong [by it being] so big here,” Francesca said. “Tax [and tips] are also something to get used to. In Hong Kong, we don’t pay tax unless you’re working, so at restaurants and shopping, you don’t pay any tax, [and instead of] tipping, you put money in a service jar.”

Francesca has found things that are better in Frisco than they were in Hong Kong.

“[My favorite thing about Frisco is] probably the space. At Hong Kong, most of the houses were apartments, so here [in Frisco], everything is big in comparison like the homes and the department stores,” Francesca said. “Having it bigger was a big change and I like that.”

Even though she misses her friends, family, dogs and her room the most, Francesca doesn’t see herself moving back permanently. She said, “I plan to go back to Hong Kong every six months to see my family.”