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| In Hong Kong with Jen now. We're off to Xi'an tomorrow then back to China home in about three days. Can't wait to get back. Hong Kong has been a good time of great eats and ecclectic sightseeing. Most people don't know this, but "yum cha" is the accurate term for the eating experience that involves dim sum-type foods. I've missed cantonese cuisine, so being here has been good for the soul. But what makes this cooler is getting to share it with Jen. 
Maria told us that taking the Star Ferry across the harbor was a must-do. 
Beautiful night view, no? 
The longest escalator in the world is kind of a misnomer in that it's not one continuous strip, but it was cool to be able to say we were on it. The best part? Krispy Kreme greeted us halfway up.  
JEN (after ordering a plate of scallops): This is where you tell me you don't actually like scallops, isn't it? ME: Naw, I like all seafoods. JEN: You like all seafoods? Even sea cucumber? ME: Uh huh. JEN: Is sea cucumber a plant or an animal? Not great pictures, but this is the best we could do when night fell on Cheung Chau island. Major props to Jen for eating strange foods with me (e.g. clams with "eyes", jellyfish, duck tongues, etc.). Before dinner I saw a guy tightrope-walk his way over several boats to retrieve a soccerball. I thought it looked cool, so I scampered onto the floating box he used as a ferry. It teetered a lot in the water and Jen was giving me reproving looks, so I scampered back. Sadly, we neglected to take pix in the dim sum restaurant. Dim sum brings fond memories to mind. I recently lost my grandmother (the last grandparent I had). Memories of Popo include family gatherings every few weeks when we'd "yum cha" together. She lived and loved and was surrounded by family when she took her last breath. I'll miss you, Popo. See you soon. 
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| People familiar with Singapore are rolling their eyes right now, but for those who aren't in the know, that's what it's called. Apparently people get fined for everything here. There are t-shirts that list all the things you can get fined for. Thankfully, me and friends Jen and Maria have not had to fork over any money for fines. But everything else here in Expensive with a capital "E".
Haven't xanga-ed in a while, so I thought I'd post some pictures while I could. I'm leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow, so blogging and picture-posting might soon be out of the question...again. I've been away from home for more than a month now. It'll be good to head back. Here's a glimpse of what I've been up to.
I took classes for a couple of weeks, during which I got to enjoy awesome non-Chinese-food meals with awesome friends. Seriously, there needs to be a list of "awesome people to meet" so I can get to them faster. =)
I'm not wild about temples, but this proves I actually was in Thailand (for you doubters out there). My friend Lydia says "temple" in Thai is "wat." There's a piece of cultural info for ya. I just watched Juno recently. Loved it, despite it's morally dubious message. I hope the surly attitude isn't coming across too strongly.
Friend Pabon did a concert. I've mentioned her before. Here's a pic of the groupies, complete with manager, background dancers, opening act, mental counselor and the Bleistein bouncer. Yes, we were weird enough to get t-shirts made for the event.
A pic of me looking at the "fine" city. It's pretty impressive in its urban glory, no?
Try not to be too jealous of my trip to the best zoo ever!
Peace out. =) | | |
| You gotta love the strange text messages Chinese students send. Take this one for example (written exactly as it was received):
"If you found yourself in a dark room?walls around you are red and blood comes from every where!Don't be scared.! Youa re in my heart.:)"
Um...aw, thanks... | | |
| In Durham now. Wow, my sister's starting her career as a Blue Devil. It's so strange to think of her as all grown up, kicking her adult life into gear. The fam had dinner with her roommate's family, and I noticed a few things: 1) having siblings is one of life's greatest blessings, 2) Taiwanese-Filipina-American families aren't as rare as I thought, 3) key lime tart should definitely be eaten AFTER the mango-blueberry mousse has been tried. I'm gonna miss my siblings, but the thought of having both sisters out of the house is gonna give my bro a chance to experience only-child-dom. *shrug* At least someone's happy. =) Man, this summer has been weird for me. I'm still reluctant to say I've experienced reverse culture shock, but breaking back into "home" habits has been challenging. Time management skills elude me. I loved the familiarity of home. It was lacking a handle on my own life changes that gave me trouble. My friend Chris agrees being away from home sends personal growth in an offshoot that home peeps might not completely understand. Hectic as things were, I wasn't able to reflect much on this past year (not as much as I wished, anyway). There were times I felt frustratedly misunderstood. Perhaps if I had understood how my desires had shifted, how my motivations had morphed, I would've been able to explain myself better to home peeps. At other times, though, I've felt so delighted and at ease in my "natural habitat" that I wonder how I could have left. I'm heading off to Beijing in a couple of days...at the end of a couple of weeks of crazy itineraries. Leaving feels a bit guilty because there's always more to be done at home, more people to hang out with, more activities to do at favorite haunts. But it's about time to go back. I'm ready. And now that we're getting my sister settled into her new life, there's a good amount of closure. | | |
| I'm so happy to be back in the states. Seeing familiar faces, doing everyday life activities is so good for me. Don't think I've experienced too much reverse culture shock yet, but I'm still getting over jetlag so I might be hazily stumbling through it without even knowing. Or...I might live in a community that's so Chinese and so much is the same that culture shock won't even be an issue. Greeting the dear uncles and aunties at Sunday club, the most common follow-up sentence to "oh, you're back!" was "ni shai hei le"...which means, "you've gotten really black (tanned)". I guess I was just so happy no one forgot I was gone that I didn't stop to ask whether "black" was a compliment.
Got to attend my friend Peter's wedding. It was so beautiful. On top of finally seeing his fiance in person, I got to see a whole bunch of old friends. People change so much so quickly. It's a wonder anyone can keep track of it all. Facial hair appears and disappears, friends' kids become huge overnight, there are subtle shifts in the way people carry themselves or the way they talk that tell you something's different...but then you hear them laugh or feel the sincerity with which they hug you and you realize a lot is still the same.
Chicago will always have a special place in my heart. Touching down yesterday and seeing the skyline in the distance made me smile big...if not for the deep-dish pizza, the jazz or the sophisticated urban culture, then for the people who've touched my soul and for the memories they've woven into my life.
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