Groovin'

I am getting into a groove with my routine. It is hard not going to work each day, but I am trying to relax and enjoy my leisurely days and let them unfold as they want. My goal is to let the job develop in its own way while applying to many to feel productive. I waiver between feeling panicked about the uncertainty of my future and chillin' in the moment. I saw a funny mantra in a Nike ad, "Things work out better when I don't give a crap." I am using it for the time being.

I like spending time at Pacific Coffee and using the internet and reading magazines. Once the apartment is secured, it will be a mad rush of shopping to acquire all the necessities. The past few days, I have been shopping for furniture, but won't purchase anything until the apartment is secured.

I told some people I would take pictures of my food, and I will start doing it. We have been getting most dinners at the local grocery store, Jusco. They have a large selection of prepared food and it is cheap. Last night I got a large container with half noodles and half vegetables. It fed me for two large dinners. This container cost $18HK or $2.30US. The noodles were fried with veges like lo mein and the 'vegetables' were a very popular green here in HK that seems like a cross between bok choy and broccoli rabe. The ones I got at Jusco were sauteed with garlic. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised by the cost of things; cheaper than anticipated.

Foreigner

Today I had my first 'foreigner' moment. I was shopping in a store that was similar to Bath & Body Works. I smelled a small glass bottle of fragrance and the sales gal asked to help me, which is fairly typical in Hong Kong since there are so many service people. So the sales gal sprayed the fragrance on a test strip for me, and I sniffed again then remarked how much I liked it. Next I sprayed the fragrance on my wrists which evoked a horrified reaction from the gal. She proceeded to tell me it was not perfume but airfreshener!!!

Sad

I drafted this thought while waiting to board my plane on Wednesday, September 5:

The past few days have been very sad and I am grieving for everything that 'was' including dear sweet Olive. The emotional process of this move has been far more taxing than I would have predicted. I am full of positive aniticiaption for my/our future, but it is hard to say good bye to everything and everyone that was familiar and homey.

On my way

The house is packed, locked and loaded. The movers were excellent and it seems like all my worries were for naught. We have shipped 1,026 pounds of stuff via air to Hong Kong, which really wasn't much stuff--some closes, dishes, few books, hobby stuff, and our small coffee table. We both packed a huge amount of stuff to take on the plane. Now that the move is complete, I am excited to begin the new adventure since this door is swinging closed. I took some pictures of our moving experience, but the camera went with Erik, so I'll have to post them next week.

One of my goals for the blog is to experience the food in Asia and make note of the differences to US food. My first experience was at the hotel (in the US) when I saw a Chinese man eating a breakfast of oatmeal topped with jalapenos and scallions. It was unsweetened oatmeal and my guess is that he was trying to create a congee type dish. I haven't had congee yet, but am eager to try it. I think it is like a savory cream of wheat but made from rice.

I will try to post several times a week once I am in Hong Kong on September 7.

Homeless

Lesson number one in the fickle nature of the Chinese: the landlord of apartment 63B decided to sell the unit at the last minute, so now we are homeless. The plan is to move into temporary housing until we can look at other places. Our top choice is still Harbourside.

My emotions have been raw. The transitional state is difficult, especially when my home doesn't feel like my home since it is in the disarray that is packing. Only two more weeks until we are homeless on both continents.

Harbourside

Below are pictures of the apartment we have chosen. It is called Harbourside and is on the western coast of Kowloon. None of the pictures are of the actual unit we have requested. The one we want has dark wood floors, is on the 67th floor, and has no furniture. We were drawn to the modern decor of the building and unit. Also, we are in a very convenient location, just above the train station. There is a very large building (ICC) being constructed next to Harbourside and should be complete in 6-12 months. There will be a large shopping mall/complex in this building which will be ideal. There are three bedrooms and two baths and a very small kitchen with no oven, which is Chinese style. You can see our view is excellent looking onto Hong Kong Island with the IFC building in the middle of our view. We can't wait to see it at night. (I edited the post to remove the pics for space.)

Harbourside Pictures