Greetings from Hong Kong!

Okay, so I promised I’d update my blog sooner or later. I’m not going to lie, but I’ve been avoiding it because I’m terrible at maintaining a blog when I’m overseas. Nonetheless, I’ll give it another go! Thank you whoever you are for caring enough to read this!

I’ve been doing extremely well with writing in the journal that Eunice gave me. So, I’ll take what I’ve written so far and make it more concise (sort of)

Wed, 7/14

I'm on a planeeee (this is actually the plane I flew on)

Today is the start of a new chapter in my life.. I am currently on a plane (Cathay Pacific) and on my way to Hong Kong. Two years ago, during my sophomore summer, I was flying to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was the first time I traveled without one of my two parents. Here I am again, but this time, I am without a guardian or a companion. I am flying solo and so far, it’s been a mixed bag of emotions. I’m undoubtedly excited about what path God/whatever higher being has placed before me, but anxious and a bit nervous. SO many things seem uncertain, but I can only work hard, believe, and make the best of whatever experiences I come across. One of my favorite things to do while traveling is having the time for self-reflection. I have another 6 1/2 hours on the plane and so far, I’ve watched 2 movies that made me cry and think of my family, especially my dad. Thinking back to 1994 and our immigration to the States, I really can’t express my gratitude for all that my parents have been through. The first movie was Confucius (Kongzi) with Chow Yan-Fat. It was about the Chinese scholar, philosopher, and educator. He led a difficult life as he lived during a time of war, corruption, and turmoil (not surprising for Chinese history). My dad’s philosophy abot a lot of things seem to come from Kongzi. It is fascinating that one man can have such a long impact on an entire civilization. Yet, in the film, it appears the life of Kongzi was dominated by a period of exile from the Lu kingdom, where he once served as the Minister of Law. The periods where Kongzi suffered reminded me of my dad because he is a man of civility, honesty, and righteous. Sometimes I wonder if people like him are ahead of his time. Kongzi was told similar things by politicians and his disciples. I wonder if human nature has changed at all from then till now. How many leaders are genuinely self-less, opened, and/or compassionate? How many of us can carry out these tasks/behaviors/attitudes when the time calls for it? Watching this movie made me happy in a way because it reminded me why I love and study Chinese history, culture, and philosophy. It reminds me why I’m in Hong Kong (why I’m going to Beijing). I can only hope that my experiences will make me a more knowledgeable and cultured person. I am also reminded that I’m only allowed to be here because of my loving and supportive parents and family. The HK film “Echoes of the Rainbow” (歲月神偷) gave me a glimpse of HK’s situation in the 1960s. My parents went through a lot at that time as well. I really cherish my family and whenever I look around, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have them in my life. With that said, I already miss them dearly. While I’m gone, I pray for their happiness, health, and safety. Also, I HIGHLY recommend both films. They’re both very well made and produced.

Friday, 7/16

McDonald's small hot premium coffee

I just bought a cup of McDonald’s “premium” roasted coffee for $9.80 HK. That’s over $1.00 USD for a small cup of coffee. That’s ALMOST as expensive as Starbucks. I guess this is what Mason meant when he said that HK is extremely commercialized (and becoming more so). 5th uncle/aunt’s flat is located in Siu Sai Wan (Island Resort). Since it’s on the 53rd floor, it has an amazing view. The location is a bit inconvenient, but it’s a quieter part of the island. I took a lot of pictures already because I’ve been wandering around downstairs at the Island Resort [mini] Mall. It’s not very big, but has the basic necessities. Anything beats sitting upstairs by myself in the heat. I’m not sure if I’m self-conscious or not, but people have definitely been giving me funny looks. (I was at McDonalds when I wrote this). I might be imagining it, but I think it’s strange to people because I’m pretty dark, but clearly not of Southeast/South Asian descent. 5th Uncle made a comment about it last night. He said that people who aren’t light-skinned are typically Filipino or Indonesian maids/nannies. I find it pretty interesting that this system of using nannies is so popular here in Hong Kong. I myself had a Filipino maid when growing up. I called her Yaya (her real name is Merlie) and she was pretty much my surrogate mother. I loved hanging out with her. People mistook me for her daughter quite a few times. I wish I kept better in touch with her, but she’s back in the Philippines now. Anyway, one of the luxuries of being in America is that I don’t get stared at for having a chest. However, that is not the case here. I have to extra cautious with what I wear. I really do not appreciate/like the attention, but there’s really nothing that can be done.

Some things that I’ve noticed that are different in the States:

1) My aunt rarely cooks. They always eat out because they both come back pretty late. They cook once a week and it’s mainly 5th uncle who is the cook.
2) They don’t have a garbage can in each room. There’s only one and it’s in the kitchen. It’s also 1/4 of the one at home. They flush a lot of things down the toilet that shouldn’t be flushed. (Emily would be throwing an environmental shit fit right now).
3) There is almost no food in the house. Whereas we have cup noodles, noodle packets, nuts, bananas, oranges, and beef jerky among other things, they literally had ONE baguette…except it’s half gone because I ate 4 slices for breakfast and lunch.

The weather is humid, but not too hot. It was cloudy, but now it’s sunny again. One thing I’m noticing at Mcdonalds is that people are kind of lazy. They leave their trays and expect the cleaning lady to pick it up. The garbage can is RIGHT THERE, but people do it everywhere, not just Mcdonalds. I’m getting bitten my mosquito bites and leaving because they’re swelling.

I need to update about Lantau Island and seeing Mason, but I hope the 2 day update makes up for my lack of writing! I hope you’re doing well back at home, whoever you may be !