Hong Kong Dreaming

I'm currently on a double decker bus making its way through Hong Kong.  I am in awe of a city nestled in the mountains and sad to only be spending 48 hours in it. There is so much to do, both epic and quotidian. Only a few speak English, and the mutual dance for comprehension is one of my favorites.  Last night a woman at a restaurant informed me that the teapot on the table was actually sauce to be poured upon my dim sum. She did so by miming it. I loved her. 

Today I used google translate to ask for a bathroom and the woman totally panicked. She thought I was asking if they had a bath I could use. I love the battle to adapt. I'm fighting to urge to hide my differences, which is ridiculous because I stick out like a sore thumb. Living in New York City has calloused me to the idea of tourists, and here I am unable to hide being one.  So I breathe and enjoy the experience. 

And its beautiful. I am fascinated by the minute differences; what they sell at their Starbucks here compared to the U.S.  All the snacks in their 7/11 that have characters (both linguistic and animated) that I do not know. The flavors that like trees or types of doves seem to only grow from this region. It's like meeting your best friend's twin. 

This city is much more comfortable to me than Vietnam; its history dictates it being so. I'm still struggling to find the words to capture how this journey has changed me and what it has meant. In the meantime, I sit at the top of this bus , gazing out onto the galaxy of new, praying that I only get a little lost. 

 

(My "desk" and my "office")