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| Very, very sad. |
It’s strange, because now, all of the things I feel were
holding me back from feeling like I “really live here” have been
completed. I have signed a lease
for my apartment for a year with the option to stay until 2014, have a bank
account, have started making friends, and really feel like I’ve settled into my
life here. Of course, to most Hong
Kongers, I’m still the newbie, but I don’t feel new anymore for the most
part.
After the craziness of Thanksgiving, which I can say was the
saddest day I can remember having in quite some time, things had to look
up. One of my definite highlights
of the past week was going to the apartment of my sweet friend and fellow lover
of Downton Abbey, Katie, to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and eat
pancakes on Friday morning. We
have a standing date on Thursdays to watch Downton Abbey together, but since it
is now sadly finished for the season, we have concocted other reasons to hang
out, which I love, because she is awesome.
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| But things got better after the parade. |
If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know
that the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade is an integral part of my Thanksgiving
experience each year, much to the chagrin of my friends and family members. I
truly can’t get going on Thanksgiving Day unless I watch the parade, so imagine
my delight when I found out that Katie also loves the parade. I recorded it on Sara’s DVR, we hooked
up their TV to my laptop and were able to watch it via Slingbox. That moment was worth the $99 I paid
for my Slingbox prior to leaving the US.
Neither one of us was in a great mood when I arrived, but by the time
the parade was over and Santa had arrived, our spirits were both on the up and
up. One thing I love about living
in Hong Kong is the sheer number of other people who are in the exact same boat
as me (and can commiserate).
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| Crazy amazing spread at Thanksgiving dinner #3 |
This weekend was perhaps one of the best that I’ve had since
arriving in Hong Kong. On Saturday
night, we were invited to a Thanksgiving Dinner at one of our church member’s
houses. I thought, okay, hey, just
another Thanksgiving dinner, right?
No. Not at all, in fact. This was a Thanksgiving FEAST in a way
that I have scarcely experienced in my lifetime (and every single person in my
family cooks for Thanksgiving, so that is saying something). And, there were probably 50 people
there. Or more. It was actually an insanely joyful
time. It felt the most like my
family’s Thanksgiving out of any of the ones I attended, probably because there
were a million people around and I knew everyone there quite well.
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| And yes, I did a lot of eating |
I will take a moment as an aside to say that I truly love our
church members. The parents of the
students in our program are top notch in every way. They are truly good,
generous, amazing people and I am so blessed by them. Many people encouraged me to take pictures of the food to
send to my parents “just so they knew I was being taken care of”, took time to
sit and chat with me, ask how I’m settling in, and at the end of the night, one
family detoured 15 minutes out of their way to drop me off at my apartment,
though I could have walked from their house. So, mom, know that I’m being taken care of!
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| Causeway Bay from Lawrence's roof |
And finally, on Sunday night, on a very impromptu decision,
I headed over to Causeway Bay (one metro stop away from me) to hang out with
some friends from the Young Adult ministry I attend. I was very happy when I arrived and found three of my most
favorite people waiting. Daniel,
Lawrence and Kenny are all solid guys – guys who love Jesus and are just a lot
of fun to hang out with. A couple
of our other friends were in and out during the night, but for the majority of
the time, it was the four of us.
The night went by so quickly – before I knew it, the boys had attempted
to teach me Texas Hold Em, we watched Looper, talked about everything from
economics to New Zealand, watched a snowboarding documentary, and concluded
with a visit to Lawrence’s rooftop.
As Kenny and I walked back to Wan Chai, I realized that I have been
craving those kind of nights here.
Hong Kong is busy and crazy and I often come home from work , eat and go
to sleep, literally, and repeat for days on end. And it’s crazy!
I need to take more time to hang out and get to know people better here.
Last but not least, It’s Christmas here. Even the grocery store is has changed
from its normal music to Christmas music.
AND the happiest thing I have to report is that it is COOL here. I woke up today, saw that it was 62
degrees outside and did a little jig in my room. I can truly say that the weather here is the one and only
thing that consistently bums me out, so this new turn in the temperatures really
has me happy. It is overcast and
gray, which also reminds me of Denmark, so it’s a win-win. I hear tomorrow we’ll even be in the
fifties! I might not know what to do with myself.
-Til next time,
The Adventurer
-Til next time,
The Adventurer
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| Chinglish o' the day |
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