Happy Anniversary...TO ME! Yay. So I was sitting on the bus, wondering what day it was, when I realized that I have been here one month today. It's so crazy! I'm really sad that it is already over. But that's OK, 8 months more. And I'm so pumped for them. I'm excited for now. So yeah. Let me give a review about what has happened the first month:
I have learned...
how to get around Hong Kong (some of it)
I have learned how to use my map book
how to function w/o a lot of personal space
how to fit in by not saying anything
how to walk like I know what I'm doing and where I'm going
how to balance when I'm on a train
how to...ah heck. I have learned so many things that I can't finish this list. I usually love lists, but at this moment, I'm sick of them. I need to go to bed. Anywhoo...the most of this first month has been learning about this place, people, transition, and myself. So yeah. Good ol' HK.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
My Day
So today was a very interesting day. It started out great. I hailed the bus at the right time, I ran up the escalator and actually hardly had to wait for my train. At least I thought. I got on the train, got a single seat (it was so marvelous) the sun was shining in the window, I was listening to Falling Up and reading my Bible. Just perfect. Until....
I looked out the window and saw Fanling KCR station zoom by. By the time I got out, I was only one stop away from the border of China! It was so funny. I was laughing myself! So then I got on the right train, the one headed south, and sat down to listen to more music and to do more reading. I was on a bench, and the guy standing up in front of me holding onto the pole dropped his bag and it fell by my feet. So he bent to pick it up (so I thought) and then he slouched to the floor! So I yanked the headphones out of my ears, me and the woman next to me jumped up. I grabbed his head and his shoulders so he wouldn't hit anything, and she grabbed his arm. So, the first thought in my head was that we should lay him down, obviously, that was the farthest thought from the guy you picked him up and put him on the bench. (What was he thinking???) So then we woke up, I awkardly still had my arm around his back and head! And he spoke english, so I asked him if he just fell asleep or what...apparently he had fainted, and he said he was OK. But someone had already used the intercom and alerted the driver. So the station manager came out at the next stop and whisked him away. Talk about an interesting morning commute. OH, and I tried to call my mom, but for some reason, I always forget that there's a time change when I try to call her. So I left a message at her office at 8pm at night, their time! Sorry mom!
So yeah, then I got to work, got to use the new mac and did some video editing! SWEET. Then Dori took me out to lunch at Gengko Sushi. It was crazy! So we sat at this long counter that was a rectangle and the kitchen was in the center. So then there was the conveyor belt that went around the counter with all of the food on it. It had color coded plates, so you knew how much it was. Then there was a hot water spicket every few feet and tea mix. Then there's soy sauce, wasabi (which burns your brain if you get too much on your food, by the way), and ginger. So you grab a plate, eat it, grab another one, and keep going. Then if you order something special, the waiter brings it out. I had a roll with orange crab eggs all over it. I can't believe what I ate...I don't think I know the half of it. It was good though, once I got passed what I was eating and the texture sometimes. Then we stopped at a place and got bubble tea, my fav! Jamie, it came in almond flavor! Goodbye PCC, hello St. Alp's Tea house (yes, I know that was blasphemy PM) OH, and just so you know. PM is on my "favorite people in Hong Kong list" Satisfied?
So yeah, then back to the office for a few hours, and then back to the Enns'. THen tonight me and Kristin went to see the devil wears prada. WE had fun, and we got out of the theatre (whoops, cinema) before the trains shut down! And that was my day. And now I must go to bed.
ZzzzzzZzzzzz
I looked out the window and saw Fanling KCR station zoom by. By the time I got out, I was only one stop away from the border of China! It was so funny. I was laughing myself! So then I got on the right train, the one headed south, and sat down to listen to more music and to do more reading. I was on a bench, and the guy standing up in front of me holding onto the pole dropped his bag and it fell by my feet. So he bent to pick it up (so I thought) and then he slouched to the floor! So I yanked the headphones out of my ears, me and the woman next to me jumped up. I grabbed his head and his shoulders so he wouldn't hit anything, and she grabbed his arm. So, the first thought in my head was that we should lay him down, obviously, that was the farthest thought from the guy you picked him up and put him on the bench. (What was he thinking???) So then we woke up, I awkardly still had my arm around his back and head! And he spoke english, so I asked him if he just fell asleep or what...apparently he had fainted, and he said he was OK. But someone had already used the intercom and alerted the driver. So the station manager came out at the next stop and whisked him away. Talk about an interesting morning commute. OH, and I tried to call my mom, but for some reason, I always forget that there's a time change when I try to call her. So I left a message at her office at 8pm at night, their time! Sorry mom!
So yeah, then I got to work, got to use the new mac and did some video editing! SWEET. Then Dori took me out to lunch at Gengko Sushi. It was crazy! So we sat at this long counter that was a rectangle and the kitchen was in the center. So then there was the conveyor belt that went around the counter with all of the food on it. It had color coded plates, so you knew how much it was. Then there was a hot water spicket every few feet and tea mix. Then there's soy sauce, wasabi (which burns your brain if you get too much on your food, by the way), and ginger. So you grab a plate, eat it, grab another one, and keep going. Then if you order something special, the waiter brings it out. I had a roll with orange crab eggs all over it. I can't believe what I ate...I don't think I know the half of it. It was good though, once I got passed what I was eating and the texture sometimes. Then we stopped at a place and got bubble tea, my fav! Jamie, it came in almond flavor! Goodbye PCC, hello St. Alp's Tea house (yes, I know that was blasphemy PM) OH, and just so you know. PM is on my "favorite people in Hong Kong list" Satisfied?
So yeah, then back to the office for a few hours, and then back to the Enns'. THen tonight me and Kristin went to see the devil wears prada. WE had fun, and we got out of the theatre (whoops, cinema) before the trains shut down! And that was my day. And now I must go to bed.
ZzzzzzZzzzzz
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
This Place
This Place, makes me feel alone, and so alive
This place, is where opposites meet, and try to be friends
This place, is where life quickens up, and slows down
This Place, is where I am.
The People, are so different from me
The People, are so friendly, and sometimes harsh
The People are who I'm here to be with, and the ones that intimidate me the most
The People, they are who I am with.
This Time, it will go by so quickly
This Time, I try to use it as best I can
This Time, I will live in the present, not the future, or the past
This Time, is the only time I'll have.
This People
This Place
This Water
His Grace
And this time, this time
I will not live silent
PS: If you read this before, and now find that it is different, it is because I have decided to put it to music, and added the last part as a chorus!
This place, is where opposites meet, and try to be friends
This place, is where life quickens up, and slows down
This Place, is where I am.
The People, are so different from me
The People, are so friendly, and sometimes harsh
The People are who I'm here to be with, and the ones that intimidate me the most
The People, they are who I am with.
This Time, it will go by so quickly
This Time, I try to use it as best I can
This Time, I will live in the present, not the future, or the past
This Time, is the only time I'll have.
This People
This Place
This Water
His Grace
And this time, this time
I will not live silent
PS: If you read this before, and now find that it is different, it is because I have decided to put it to music, and added the last part as a chorus!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Hannah's Favorite Things
Yes, we all have a little bit of oprah in us. Today I will be sharing all of my favorite things, things that I wish everyone at home could experience!
My favorite places:
Pacific Coffee
7/11
The office
my room
the KCR station (JUST KIDDING)
Thai Basil restaurant
Star Ferry
My favorite times:
walking home late at night from the bus stop
bumming in my room
Mondays, and exploring Hong Kong
talking with Brett when I get home
Playing our favorite songs loudly in the office for Dori
Talking w/ Dori
when I breathe unpolluted air
seeing the mountains
seeing the ocean and the jungles
the KCR when it's not crowded
talking to Lori when I first wake up
cranking up the a.c. and putting on a hoody
walking by the bakery and smelling the good bread
walking by open air markets
walking by the harbour
sitting by the harbour at night reading
babysitting Isabella
Yeah, so I'm tired yet again, so my list really isn't complete. So yeah. Today was our first night of (r)evolve...it actually went pretty good. I was happy with how comfortable the kids were, still not chatty, but comfortable. we aim to make them even more comfortable, and to give them an environment to relax (they don't know how here) and learn and hang out w/ their friends. So yeah. This weekend is really busy, what with Revolve starting, AWANA, youth playing for worship, and the church family day at the park. So yeah. Pray for me if you think about it.
Let's see, what other random story can I tell...
Well, Ok, apparently I'm a stalker. So I have gone into this music store in Treasure World several times to look at their sweet keyboards. So yeah, everytime I go there, there is this one guy there that works there. I notice him b/c he has diff. hair, and he always plays the pianos and he is super sweet at it. He probably plays like every instrument. I've seen him on the drums too. So yeah. I feel like I see him all the time. He probably thinks I'm stalking him. Then tonight, I was on the bus, and I saw him walking on the sidewalk w/ some people. It was so funny. HK is so big, and yet you can see the same people so many times. Well, that's about it. Oh yeah. I tried a new snack today. It's called Pocky, it's a japanese treat. It is super skinny pretzels. Actually, not pretzels, biscuits, and they are covered with a super thin layer of chocolate or other marvelous flavors. It's the perfect snack, they are so small, they aren't too bad for you, and the chocolate isn't super thick. There goes another 1/8 of my suitcase space, along with Healthworks bottled tea. YUM!
My favorite places:
Pacific Coffee
7/11
The office
my room
the KCR station (JUST KIDDING)
Thai Basil restaurant
Star Ferry
My favorite times:
walking home late at night from the bus stop
bumming in my room
Mondays, and exploring Hong Kong
talking with Brett when I get home
Playing our favorite songs loudly in the office for Dori
Talking w/ Dori
when I breathe unpolluted air
seeing the mountains
seeing the ocean and the jungles
the KCR when it's not crowded
talking to Lori when I first wake up
cranking up the a.c. and putting on a hoody
walking by the bakery and smelling the good bread
walking by open air markets
walking by the harbour
sitting by the harbour at night reading
babysitting Isabella
Yeah, so I'm tired yet again, so my list really isn't complete. So yeah. Today was our first night of (r)evolve...it actually went pretty good. I was happy with how comfortable the kids were, still not chatty, but comfortable. we aim to make them even more comfortable, and to give them an environment to relax (they don't know how here) and learn and hang out w/ their friends. So yeah. This weekend is really busy, what with Revolve starting, AWANA, youth playing for worship, and the church family day at the park. So yeah. Pray for me if you think about it.
Let's see, what other random story can I tell...
Well, Ok, apparently I'm a stalker. So I have gone into this music store in Treasure World several times to look at their sweet keyboards. So yeah, everytime I go there, there is this one guy there that works there. I notice him b/c he has diff. hair, and he always plays the pianos and he is super sweet at it. He probably plays like every instrument. I've seen him on the drums too. So yeah. I feel like I see him all the time. He probably thinks I'm stalking him. Then tonight, I was on the bus, and I saw him walking on the sidewalk w/ some people. It was so funny. HK is so big, and yet you can see the same people so many times. Well, that's about it. Oh yeah. I tried a new snack today. It's called Pocky, it's a japanese treat. It is super skinny pretzels. Actually, not pretzels, biscuits, and they are covered with a super thin layer of chocolate or other marvelous flavors. It's the perfect snack, they are so small, they aren't too bad for you, and the chocolate isn't super thick. There goes another 1/8 of my suitcase space, along with Healthworks bottled tea. YUM!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Randomness
Today was one of those days. The kind where the blond roots show through. I was basically ridiculous all day long. Here's some of my random thoughts:
I am looking for sweet rubber boots. They have some cute ones here, and oh so practical
I bought Isabella the cutest rubber boots EVER
Despite the design, 7/11 umbrellas are the best
I need to get one
I need to work on my pronunciation of Whampoa so PM doesn't make fun of me all the time.
I want to go to a traditional chinese tea ceremony
I wonder where I'll go exploring on Monday
Monday is my day off
I can't wait for it
Weeks seem to go by so much quicker here
is it the 6 day workweek?
Or the pollution?
who knows
mangoes are so good here
Brett is going to beat his new wakeboarding game
I wish I knew how to wakeboard
I wish I could carve wood
I wish my blogs were more interesting
That's about it. I'm going to bed now! Goodbye....sorry this is so boring, I'll probably delete it in a few days
I am looking for sweet rubber boots. They have some cute ones here, and oh so practical
I bought Isabella the cutest rubber boots EVER
Despite the design, 7/11 umbrellas are the best
I need to get one
I need to work on my pronunciation of Whampoa so PM doesn't make fun of me all the time.
I want to go to a traditional chinese tea ceremony
I wonder where I'll go exploring on Monday
Monday is my day off
I can't wait for it
Weeks seem to go by so much quicker here
is it the 6 day workweek?
Or the pollution?
who knows
mangoes are so good here
Brett is going to beat his new wakeboarding game
I wish I knew how to wakeboard
I wish I could carve wood
I wish my blogs were more interesting
That's about it. I'm going to bed now! Goodbye....sorry this is so boring, I'll probably delete it in a few days
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Untitled or "My senses are overloaded with what's below everyday"
Ok, I am feeling really random tonight, and tired, but I'm not gonna go to bed. So I thought I'd share some more experiences in HK with you. Here are some things that my 5+ senses experience every day!
I see....
mountains
jungle
ocean (polluted)
old men in speedos
really cute babies
tall buildings everywhere
neon lights
the train
the bus
people everywhere
traffic
the wishing tree
the map (when I get lost)
the rain
boats
tall buildings across the harbour
chinese writing everywhere
bad hair
Good hair(mostly bad though)
Trendy outfits (sometimes good)
A lot of Chinese people!
Just to name a few
I hear....
Chinese (mandarin)
Chinese (cantonese)
Togolo
English w/ everyform of accent imaginable
the train
the bus
my cell phone
everyone else's cell phone
canto pop
more rain
my alarm 5 times each morning
horns honking
Just to name a few
I taste.....
Pollution
Pacific Coffee
Curry
bread from the bakery
mangoes
noodles
rice
my favorite Panda cookies
Milk (it tastes different here) not in a good way
Lori's baked goods (the mom of the family I live with, she is great at baking...I'm gonna get fat)
Water (I love it here!)
Just to name a few
I smell...
Myself, when it's hot
myself, when it rains (yeah, the rain isn't pure here)
Hong Kong (it's a distinct smell..sometimes good, sometimes bad, mostly in between)
exhaust
other people
lot's of perfume when I walk past stores
the jungle
the city
the mountains
the harbour
weird bad smell when I take a shortcut through a certain alley
Pacific coffee
The office
Lori's cooking
Isabella (babies smell so good! most of the time!)
Just to name a few
I touch....
my umbrella
other people when I bump up against them
food
every escalator handle
my octopus card
the handles on the KCR (train) and the buses
The Enns' dogs
the buttons on the lifts
my computer
Mike's computer
the church's computer
the Enns'computer (mine isn't working so well!)
My cell phone
Just to name a few
Well, I thoes are all the senses I could think of, I know I don't have a 6th sense, but maybe a 7th or 8th... I'll let ya know!
PS: hi Liam
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Apple Crispy
Hello friends, people who randomly read my blog, etc...
well, tonight I am at my new "home". Right now I am listening to the to boys playing Good Charlotte. Reminds me of Luke and makes me wanna dance. (For those who know me, I can't) So yeah. Anywhoo. Now I am in Tai Po (I hope that's the right name. I can't ever remember). I am enjoying it so far, and they remind me of my family. Dinners are always together (yes mom, other people do that too) and very neat house. 2 dogs, which are big, and I like them. Smelly and big, my kind of dog. Oh, they are the Enns. Art and Lori, Justin (in college in Canadia), Brett 11 grade, Kristin, one year younger than me, and Caleb, grade 5. So yeah. I think I'm going to like it here. Oh, ok, so I went to Disney Land HK on Monday. A guy from the church hooked me and the ROse's up with free tickets. It was sweet. Actually, the park was ridiculously small, and so was the castle...it's near the airport, so they couldn't have a big castle. We had fun though. It was so funny, I got a pix with Goofy, and then I went to throw my water bottle in the garbage, and I couldn't figure out where the slot was...so Goofy walked up and opened it for me. Gorsh, did I feel dumb. That's OK though. Last night was my last night at Laguna Verde, so me and Melissa went out for dinner and roamed the mall, then went home and washed Memiors of a Geisha. Good times. Oh, I am now officially addicted, to Hello Panda cookies. They are sweet Milk filled cookies. Oh so yummy. I've decided that 1/4 of one of my suitcases coming home is dedicated to Hello Panda boxes. Yes. today was rainy and there was thunder. We spent the day at a school hanging out with kids and such. It was great. Im feeling very ADD right now, so I'm sorry if this isn't flowing and I'm leaving out important details. So I was just reading Melissa's blog, and her's is so poetic and flowy, so yeah, mine isn't. Sorry. Oh, PM, if you're reading this, I will blog about my reading soon...or eventually. Goodnight Hong Kong...and goodmorning for all you in the states!
My Random Thoughts About HK:
-I like the city
-I wish there were more stars
-my favorite place in HK is by the harbour at night
-there are way too many couples cuddling by the harbor at night
-HK smells funny, not bad, funny
-Jasmine is one of my favorite smells ever
-i love Hello Panda cookies
-even though Koala cookies are more expensive, Panda is Better
-i need to brush my teeth
-i need to go to bed
-i am so glad I'm not at school
-i'm addicted to my comp
-maybe i should marry my comp
-it's 8:51pm and i'm pooped
-will God ever call me to a country I don't want to go to? (see Jonah)
-jonah was the only prophet to bring a message to a people other than the israelites
-oh man, i need to work on my sunday school lesson
-i need to get off this comp
-goodbye
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Ginger Beer
I am sitting in the comfy chair, drinking my new favorite beverage, Ginger Beer (a new Zealand twist on Root Beer), and IMing with a new friend. Good times in HK.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
I'm addicted
Ok, well, the only reason that I am writing, is b/c I want to go to bed, but feel like I need to participate in some winding down activities. I have realized today that I am addicted to communcation. When I first started thinking about this, I was thinking, internet, etc. I am always on it: When I get to work, I'm connected, and probably check my mail every 15 min. (this might also have to do with the fact that everyone in the states is just getting on and ready to IM b/c it's their evening) Then, when I run errands, or stop at Pacific Coffee (lovingly known as PCC) I check it at their comps. Then when I'm home, yep, thank God for wireless! But yeah, as I've been thinking, I always am wanting to communicate, only when I'm really in a zone, do I not do it consciously. Por example: as I walk to work everymorning...I try to communicate that I am part of this place, I belong in Hong Kong (and thankfully, no one can tell that I'm basically white): I walk faster (I'm usually running late), I have my shades on as I walk along the sunny harbor (cool), I am usually dressed business casual (emphasis on business, b/c that's what everyone does here), and I have my sweet metro shoulder bag with one handle (thanks mom). So yeah. I'm always communicating. I love to. Knowing that I am made that way...I just marvel at the potential for communcating with God. Now to reach that....
Goodnight!
Goodnight!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Hello, I'm still alive!
Hey everyone! I'm here, still alive, and loving it. It's getting late here, so I'm not going to share a lot of stories....but if you want to go to this link, you can view some pictures of what's been going on. I'm sorry that I haven't e-mailed anyone...my computer was on the fritz and so I couldn't use the internet at home...so now I have it and this weekend, I'll try to update ya'll. I still covet the prayers, so keep em coming! Adios http://nwc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007415&l=6b328&id=110900918
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