Here is an abridged version of the mass email I sent out after my first 3 weeks in this fantastic city:
1) There is a public holiday every other week plus no need to go to the office when high level typhoons and rainstorms hit
2) Mooncakes and MSG should be avoided
3) If your company doesn't require you to work on Saturdays you are part of a privileged few
4) Karaoke is a big deal, and an even bigger deal on the mainland
5) In the absence of an oven, a rice cooker can be used
6) I can take an escalator, aka "travelator" to work. Or I can walk through a series of connecting shopping malls
7) Food is the main attraction here, and dim sum never gets old
8) It's impossible to break free of the crowds, but thank goodness elevator buttons are sanitized hourly
9) I should have brought my hiking shoes and tanning oil - trails and beaches galore
10) If I couldn't talk squash with the HK jockey club members my street cred would be lost
11) If you don't mind Cantonese subtitles, I can bring you back any dvd you want for 25 cents
12) And yes, it is hazy here, every day.
Here are some snapshots of my lovely flat and neighborhood, also known as "Soho" (short for South of Hollywood Road, creative I know).
the office: building in the right forefront. prime waterfront property
Rung in my new life in Asia with Mid-Autumn festival. New friends Meghan, Emily, Kelsey, and Adam took me to Victoria Park to see all the lanterns. This was not only an introduction to the seriousness and intensity of Chinese holidays but also my initiation into a new HK norm that I would quickly become accustomed to: no personal space. Gone are the days of taking refuge in my spacious car and the open road, welcome are the days of tiny spaces, overflowing buses and metros, and a whole city packed into an area the size of the Stanford campus. Sometimes when I step outside I am transported back to the days of college frat parties; extreme heat, oppressive humidity, and never-ending throngs of people invading your personal space (minus the STDs). Luckily, people here do have the courtesy to wear masks when they have any sort of contagious illness. There are 8 million people in this city, and it's hard not to feel it. Yet somehow the locals don't seem to realize that having a phone conversation at 10 decibel levels on the bus really does mean everyone else is listening. I have quickly learned the only way to keep my sanity in check is to just surrender to the masses and as a result have cultivated really remarkable levels of patience and speed-walking-sidewalk-crowd-maneuvering skills.
Here are some snapshots of my lovely flat and neighborhood, also known as "Soho" (short for South of Hollywood Road, creative I know).
the office: building in the right forefront. prime waterfront propertyRung in my new life in Asia with Mid-Autumn festival. New friends Meghan, Emily, Kelsey, and Adam took me to Victoria Park to see all the lanterns. This was not only an introduction to the seriousness and intensity of Chinese holidays but also my initiation into a new HK norm that I would quickly become accustomed to: no personal space. Gone are the days of taking refuge in my spacious car and the open road, welcome are the days of tiny spaces, overflowing buses and metros, and a whole city packed into an area the size of the Stanford campus. Sometimes when I step outside I am transported back to the days of college frat parties; extreme heat, oppressive humidity, and never-ending throngs of people invading your personal space (minus the STDs). Luckily, people here do have the courtesy to wear masks when they have any sort of contagious illness. There are 8 million people in this city, and it's hard not to feel it. Yet somehow the locals don't seem to realize that having a phone conversation at 10 decibel levels on the bus really does mean everyone else is listening. I have quickly learned the only way to keep my sanity in check is to just surrender to the masses and as a result have cultivated really remarkable levels of patience and speed-walking-sidewalk-crowd-maneuvering skills.
The lovely Patricia (fellow Cardinal, squasher, and HK native) has been a lifesaver and just a delight in general - HK insider, tour guide, Cantonese translator, fellow adventure buff, house party hostess, and strict anti-MSG foodie.
This photo really doesn't do justice to the stunning view from her flat at the top of the peak. The peak... probably the classiest neighborhood in town, a zip code to be proud of. If I lived up there, there would be no need to ever come down; the view is nothing short of spectacular. Especially when there are fireworks involved. We celebrated yet another public holiday, Chinese "National Day," with a lovely dinner and fireworks viewing.
It's another world up at the peak - you can't see into your neighbor's bathroom when you look out the window, the air doesn't blacken the lungs as much, crowds are non-existent, and tropical monkeys live in the trees (no not really). This view doesn't ever get old, and it's hard to fathom that it could get even more incredible...patiently waiting for my first day in HK without haze.
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