… Though the Hong Kong authorities are exponentially more concerned about the H1N1 influenza, it’s actually the Boston area that seems to be really getting it.
They even stopped our plane for forty minutes at the gate going in to Hong Kong because a kid had the flu.
I just figured out this morning that there is a commute route that does not involve having to walk uphill at any point.
The Good:
1. Despite all my stresses, all my major trips have been quite smooth. The Hong Kong public transportation system is basically amazing. The only time there was any confusion at all was when some of the buses in Causeway Bay were diverted to allow for a 6/4 protest (1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre).
2. My office is quite casual. This means I don’t ever really have to wear my blazer. This is important because I’m already having trouble with the humidity and I’m told that we ain’t seen nothing yet in terms of Hong Kong summer weather.
The Bad:
1. Though my travel anxiety in terms of transportation has been more or less dealt with (miraculous! considering it’s me and the main reason why I never really went clubbing in London was because the bus system… confused me… despite it all being in plain English) my language anxieties (which then relate to my ability to order food at all but the most international-chain-like of places) are still there. Thusly, I am possibly the only foreigner in all of Hong Kong who can manage to be malnourished.
2. The mattresses here are the hardest I have ever slept on. So far, I am still so jetlagged that it doesn’t really matter either way. My dad assures me it’s worse than Taiwan and I’ve slept on some darn hard mattresses there. I might find in a day or two that I’m no longer tired enough to sleep on it, which will quickly present a problem.
3. I fear I might be constantly dehydrated because I’m not sure if I want to drink the tap water. Plus I’ve been drinking out of bottles, which are considerably harder to chug the way I do with glasses of water.
And the Ugly:
1. In relation to the first good point, I did not actually know what the 6/4 protest was about until my dad explained it to me later. I could not read enough Chinese to read their signs and I only know of the massacre by year. Oops, Chinese history + politics student fail moment.
2. I really need a new makeup routine. Particularly because commuting to work involves walking UP the Mid-Levels Central Escalator while it is still running down in the morning for commuters, my face is basically melting off by the time I get to work. I’m not brave enough to go in without makeup though I honestly might look worse with than without.
