A Life Less Ordinary

It has been extremely hot these last few days. Everyone here changes outfits a lot during the day. It’s like being a middle school girl, having to change clothes, but this is out of necessity. The alternative is looking like you just swam in Victoria Harbor with your clothes on. There are a lot of refreshing things I’ve seen and experienced here though and I thought I’d share some of them with you.

Air conditioning is refreshing. When walking down any of the main streets here, we often split up to stand on the stoops of various 7-11′s and other stores blasting air out their fronts. It’s a great way to both develop a sniffle and avoid heat stroke. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t I suppose.

Good deals are refreshing. Rachel and I went to the Ladies, Temple Street and Jade markets last night. I got a new Oakley wallet for HK$80 (Abou US$10). The lady first wanted HK$180, but I said 70. We honed our bargaining skills in China, so this lady didn’t really know who she was dealing with. She told me no way. I kept at $70. At $90, she told me this was her favorite wallet. She almost stroked it, bizarre. I could appreciate good taste though. I eventually got to my target of $70, but she had been so nice and a decently good salesperson, so I gave her $10 from my change. She smiled.

People from home are refreshing. I talk to members of my family fairly regularly during the week. They have proven very useful in helping me make decisions about Hong Kong, experiences I should make and chance I should take. Families are always a point of moderation, cooling your jets when needed, lighting fires when necessary.

In depth conversations are refreshing. I didn’t go out last night. I didn’t go out the night before. I didn’t go out this entire weekend. I couldn’t be happier with those decisions, instead I created a great bond with my neighbor Jessica talking about everything under the sun. She is the first good Latina friend I can say I have. She brought new perspectives on what its like to be a Latina accountancy student in upstate New York. I provided her with knowledge about being a mid-western politico in a big city. She said I was refreshing for being an Obama supporter. I gave her a hug when she praised Joe Biden.

It isn’t really every until I sit to think that I realize I don’t give people enough credit. As a collective whole, my abroad-mates have moved past many of the lines that are necessarily drawn during the beginnings of any long endeavor. I hung out with people this weekend I haven’t really talked to since the beginning of our trip. Now that’s refreshing.