My jet lag has worn off now. My night is your morning and my morning is your future. It all seems so normal to me now – I can’t believe I have only been in Hong Kong for five days. It already seems like five months. I know my neighbourhood like I’ve lived here for years. Take me out of my neighborhood and that’s a different story. My trusty map has become a piece of me…like my house keys or lip balm, I can’t leave the house without it. But I use my map less and less – Lai Wai Fong, Tai Koo Fong – these places have meaning to me now.
The sky has been grey for the past two days, even if the skyscrapers didn’t reach upwards seemingly endless, I still wouldn’t be able to see the sky. It's considered cold here right now, but it's really just damp with a slight chill. I know cold. Canadians know cold...this is not cold.
There is a local debate about whether or not the fog is actually smog. Apparently if it is patchy it’s fog, otherwise it’s smog. I sat in a meeting yesterday morning and looked to the mountains ahead of me…patchy but yellow. Does that count as smog or fog? I’m still not sure… Many people wear masks here. Some wear them to ward off infectious diseases; others try to protect themselves from the pollution. I can feel heaviness in my lungs and I have no doubt it is caused by the exhaust fumes of the traffic and the pollution floating down from Mainland China. It's something I know I won't be able to escape, so I will just need to accept it. It makes me appreciate the pollution level in Toronto. I always thought it was bad, but pollution has new meaning to me now.
It’s difficult being out of my comfort zone. At times I thrive on it, the adrenaline pumping through my veins thrilled that everything and everyone is new to me. Other times I just feel exhausted, wanting something or someone to be familiar to me. Work is overwhelming. I see the pace that people work here and it puts my “busy” in Toronto to shame. I am quite certain that if I can succeed in the next few months I can certainly succeed anywhere in any job no matter how big it is. There is also the absence of familiar faces. However I made a new “friend” today. I felt like a little kid - so excited that someone had just asked me to go out to play. I did go out to play, with a lovely expat from London who moved here recently with her husband. I have come to the conclusion that this type of move is so much easier when you do it with a partner. While it’s exciting for me on my own, this is something I wish I could share with someone.
Hong Kong attracts an interesting group of people. They are all so transient, so unsettled and loving that life. I feel so blessed that I can have a glimpse of it,. But I don’t think it will be long term for me. For now, I am content to live in the moment and experience everything that is in front of me – a trip to Lantau to see the Big Buddha, fireworks in Victoria Harbour for Chinese New Year, a wet market dinner, a junk trip…these are all things I am looking forward to in the next couple of weeks, and all part of the Hong Kong life. Until then, I just put one foot in front of the other and make sure I have my map.
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