Some Last Minute Things

I got to hang out with this cutie

One of the greatest parts of going away is that it forces you to spend time with the people you love.  Since you won't be seeing them as often as you would when you lived stateside, you obviously make time for them.  One of the greatest things I've done in preparation for leaving was spending a few days with my parents.  Fortunately, they moved back to the city we lived in when we first moved back to Texas in 2005, Clyde.  I love this little town, I love the people my parents made friends with, and I ESPECIALLY love it because my sweet nephew lives just 15 short miles away.  I love to snuggle this babeh, kiss his sweet cheeks, and watch him do all manner of funny things.  I'm sure the next time I'm home, he'll be doing all sorts of new things.  So, these moments are especially precious.  It was great to have a couple of days hanging out with my parents, sister and brother in law.

Sending my Visa Application to HK

One of the complicated parts of moving abroad is inevitably the Visa process.  Luckily, it is completely legal and allowable to enter Hong Kong as a tourist while waiting for Visa paperwork to be processed.  This is exactly what I'll do - and I'll have to exit HK once my Visa goes through, travel somewhere else (probably a boat to Macau) then re-enter the country on my permanent working Visa.  As part of my visa application, I had to fill out about 9 pages of paperwork in order to get my visa processed.  Mostly, this included educational records, and a letter of support from each of my previous churches stating my job duties, and 6 pages of paperwork in Chinese and English.  See my previous post, The Spinster, for more info on this hilarious form.  Long story short, I finally received each letter, dutifully provided on letterhead, and sent it off to Hong Kong last Monday.  I also encountered the mythical chupacabra of the Postal Service, a nice, competent employee who actually seemed to like their job and life.  As Mary helped me fill out my envelope, it all became very real to me!  I'm moving to Hong Kong in just over eleven days!!!

What? No oven in Hong Kong?!

Last, I had a great meeting with my future boss and his family this past Wednesday.  His son goes to Rice University here in Houston, and they were in town visiting him and their other family in The Woodlands (North of Houston).  We got together at the Galleria, ate some great Mexican food, and talked about everything Hong Kong and Community Church related.  It was great to get to meet Steve and Marian and to have a face to go with the name finally!  I got to ask a lot of my questions, mostly about what I should do about banking once I get there, and got a lot of good feedback on some things I should do and expect once I move to Hong Kong.  One funny thing that I discovered is that most apartments in Hong Kong don't have ovens.  Not something I ever would have thought to ask, but it came up somehow.  I shared this info with my roommate who is a baker-extraordinaire, and this was her reaction.  She can't imagine how one would survive in an environment without an oven.  Stay tuned, everyone, I'll let you know!

Well, the final countdown is on.  I'm leaving in 10 days.  It's all becoming more real and more surreal by the moment.  I'm drowning in the little details, but incredibly excited and ready for the adventure to begin!  Til next time,

The Adventurer