Well, I made it. I'm writing this from my kitchen table in Hong Kong. My plane arrived last night and I've settled into my first apartment. Housing is extremely tight in Hong Kong, so I'll be moving around throughout the summer. I'm staying at my first apartment for a week, then will move into official government housing for seven weeks, and then will be back here for my final two weeks. My first place is great. It's essentially an extended stay hotel and my room/apartment is a junior suite.
It's been raining since I arrived (the summer months are known to be extremely hot, humid and rainy), but that hasn't kept me from doing a little bit of exploring. My boss picked me up this morning and we went out for dim sum ("a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese meal that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate"). We were the only non-locals in the restaurant, which is somewhat rare in a city with so many foreigners. I did my best with chopsticks, but definitely could use some practice. After eating, we walked through some of the city's open air wet markets. People here want their food as fresh as possible, which means a lot of open-air butchering. It's going to take me a while to get used to seeing cages of live chickens next to dead ones hung up by their feet on strings. I'm no vegetarian, but I did have a hard time looking the live chickens in the eye as I walked by.
Next we walked through the beautiful Hong Kong Park. It's essentially a beautiful green paradise in the heart of the city. The park is filled with fountains, ponds, walking paths and tropical vegetation; a great contrast to its urban surroundings. After buying some basic groceries and paying over $30 (U.S) for a basic blow dryer (everything is SO expensive here), I headed back home. The agenda for the rest of my day consists of a nap and American-style barbecue with some other consulate workers. I officially start work tomorrow and will do my best to keep up on blogging :)
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| My first apartment - kitchen |
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| bedroom - the corner is all windows |
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| living room |
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| view from bedroom window |
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| open-air market |
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| the beautiful Hong Kong Park |
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| Good thing I brought an umbrella |
1 comment:
I'm glad you've been able to settle in and explore a little bit! Can't wait to hear and see more :) Miss you!!
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