There is someone behind you....

.... these are not words of some crazy, sociopathic, stalking serial killer..... although I'm sure they have been uttered by someone with that title..... no, these are simply friendly words of advice!

"There is someone behind you" is actually the phrase that I constantly feel like gently and calmly screaming at people here in Hong Kong.  There are 7 000 000 people in a land area 1/7th the size of Toronto. That is a lot of people, and not a hell of a lot of space.  People here seem completely immune to the laws of physics.  Due to the Law of Conservation of Matter, two pieces of matter cannot occupy the same space at the same time.  This seems logical, and simple..... and yet completely beyond everyone here.  They are consistently walking into me, and looking at me completely shocked and appalled that I actually exist, and they couldn't walk right through me as they must've originally thought. This brings me to my point...

There is ALWAYS someone behind you....

- When you are riding an escalator.... when you get to the top, do not stop to take in the incredible scenery of a MTR cement wall, please continue moving in a forward direction.  When you stop, I then trip over my own feet and stumble into you or have to be ninja-like in my movements ducking and dodging other people, as not to hit you. The reason for this is that the escalator continues to move and move people towards you.  When you stop, we are unable to stop the movement of the escalator, and hence, slam into the back of you leaving you sprawled out like a new born giraffe unable to grasp the concept of 'legs'.  Just remember, when riding an escalator, there is always someone behind you!

- When walking up stairs, actually just walking in general, there is always someone behind you.  When you insist on taking up the entire 'free' area of pedestrian flow, there is always someone behind you.  When you just have to up as much space as you can and walk at the pace of a 56K dial up modem downloading a full feature movie... there is someone behind you.   When all you need to do is take a small step to the right or left, opening up a new lane of pedestrian traffic, and you DON'T.... then the person who is behind you may simply push you over in complete disregard for your safety, and continue to walk at the a regular pace... they may.... if they weren't Canadian!

- There is ALWAYS someone behind you when you are walking and on your phone.  **note: when I say on their phone... I don't mean talking.  I mean the majority of people in Hong Kong walk while playing games or watching movies on their phone** Whilst you watch a movie or play 'pong' on your GIANT phones, you do not walk straight.  You think you walk straight, but you don't..... trust me.  There is someone behind you trying to walk straight and you... you zig and you zag. While one is trying to walk straight and therefore pass you (because while you are zigzagging, you are, of course walking extremely slow...) you make it impossible to pass (it looks like this:  ----/\/\/\/\/\/\/).  Just when one tries to predict your movement and tries zigging while expecting you to zag... you (oblivious to ANYONE around you) decide to continue on your original zig, tripping up the person behind you.... because, that's right... there is always someone behind you!!!

- One more... When you are walking anywhere outside.... sidewalk, street, market... and you and your buddy light up the most obnoxious smelling cigarettes known to man, there is someone behind you.  When you insist on walking slow enough that if you swing your hand far enough back, you'd burn the person trying to pass you, and when you insist on walking in such a way making it impossible to actually pass you.... there is someone behind you (cursing you....but from behind you).  And... when you turn and blow your smoke backwards, as not to blow it into the face of your already smoking friend... the person that is always behind you, then gets a face full of second-hand cancer.

...Believe me when I say, I could do this for hours. In one days time, I have multiple people run into me. I have multiple people simply STOP in front of me (I used to try and see the giant bottomless pit that would have to be there to make someone stop so abruptly and randomly... but to no avail).  I have multiple people walking incredibly slow (and Brian criticizes me for being a slow walker.. so if I'm calling them slow, they're REALLY slow).  And it goes on.... and I promise, because I'm the big white girl, they ALL get mad at me or glare at me when they get hit.  It's always my fault.  The biggest problem is the erratic walking. You guys just can't understand unless you come here.  You think you know where someone is  going to walk... you've been studying them for a good 10 minutes straight, observed, done mathematical calculations, ran experiments, and just when you go to make your move.... they do something completely illogical.  Remember mathematical equations can't help you here... the laws of physics don't apply.

So "there is someone behind you"... are not the words of some crazed, sociopath serial killer..... yet!

Today I was not feeling well.  I was up half the night feeling shakey and nauseous.  This morning I just felt so weak and sick that I couldn’t get out of bed.  Brian got himself all ready, and gave me a kiss, and told me to go back to sleep and get some rest.  

I mention this for two reasons.  The first is that I have been feeling very “off” for a while now.  I have felt nauseous at night, and for the past 10 days or so I have had a chest cough.  I will subtly pass over some other stomach trouble symptoms that have been haunting me.  I have been able to go to school and work and am still functional during the day, but come night, I feel like I am constantly telling Brian I don’t feel well, and curling into a ball.  It SUCKS!!!! It sucks for me to feel sick every night... but I’m not disillusioned to think that it doesn’t suck for Brian too.  I know how frustrating it is to hear someone complain about how they feel, let alone someone you care about, let alone every bloody night.  

We have somewhat come to the conclusion/hope that it is simply from living in a hotel room, having little to no room, and absolutely zero home cooked food.  Eating out every day will take a tole on anyone.  We’re not eating McDonalds every night or anything like that, last night, I just had some rice.  We have rice noodles all the time... but it is still “out” and it is still not home cooked food. On top of that, although not as unhealthy as eating out every night in Canada, it is still a diet that our bodies are not used to.  I think that Brian’s body is simply adapting better than mine.  His metabolism works better, faster and harder than mine, and therefore having such a dramatic change in foods is causing my stomach pains.  This is what we are hoping for (weird thing to hope for, I know), but in 5 weeks we move to the apartment on the school grounds.  This means home cooking for.... EVER!!! We will probably not eat out unless going out with friends, and considering we are slightly lacking in the friend area here, that will be far and few between.  

The second reason, and the more important reason, I bring this up is because of Brian.  He not only listens to me bitch and complain about it, but as I was throwing up last night, (Brian was asleep or almost asleep), he gets up, gets me some water, and comes to give me a hug.  Then this morning, I kept saying I was going to go (or I at least said it a couple times), and at one point just asked for 5 more minutes.  Brian knows me well enough that I am always the first one out of bed and getting ready first.  He knew... he knew I just needed to rest.  He knew that he had to get up, without me getting up or nagging him, or anything.  He knew that I wasn’t going to go.  He knew.  And he wasn’t mad, upset, frustrated, or anything.  He got up, got ready, and crawled onto the bed, kissed me, and told me to rest.  I know it sounds silly, but that meant the world to me.  I didn’t feel guilty for staying home, which normally I would.  

Having the support of someone like that is inexplicable.  I know that is what being in a relationship means. I know that I can be 100% myself with him.  I know that I love him more than words can describe. But to feel that support, and genuine love and caring from someone else is the most incredible feeling. Brian and I have been together for a while now, and he constantly does little things like that, that remind me how amazing he is and how amazing we are together.  

Nobody is perfect.  Brian and I have spent the last 4 months living in a 1 room hotel room together, going to and from work together, WORKING together, and pretty much spending 24 hours, 7 days a week within the bounds of 4 walls, together.  Those circumstances would be trying for ANYONE.  I’m sure I drive him crazy sometimes, and vice versa, but not only have we managed, we’ve managed extremely well.   Yes, we’re looking forward to the move, and yes, we’re excited to have a little more space, however there hasn’t even been a big fight or ‘waver’.  That’s incredible and a testimony to how incredible Brian is.  

I guess this brings me to my conclusion.  

I used to be fairly ‘nomadic’. I moved.... a lot.  I have lived in various apartments in various cities in various provinces, and even in a couple different countries (temporarily).  I have been from Vancouver to Toronto to Montreal to Hong Kong and back (and forth and back) again.  I like to claim to be independent and able. I make friends, I go out alone, I find my way around.  Having said that... I’ve done it. I’ve been to a new city of unknown.  I’ve been ‘alone’ without friends close by before.  I’ve even been to Hong Kong before (not for a long time) but I sort of ‘understood’ what to expect.  Brian is a whole different type of independent; a whole different kind of able. Without ever being outside of North America, never living outside of Ontario, he ups and leaves.  He had no idea what to expect, no one even remotely close by, and no idea what I was getting him into.  Talk about a leap of faith, talk about independent, talk about able!

A little late... but time for a bit of an update

I will start off by saying that I feel as though we should have a lot more to update you on.  Unfortunately that is not the case.  So although our lives may not be as exciting as you think they should be.... or as exciting as they actually should be, I will fill you in with the 'boring' details!

We have been in Hong Kong for about 4 months now.  Now that doesn't sound like a long time, and in the giant scheme of things, isn't a long time.  However, when it comes to living in a new place, across the WORLD from everyone and everything you know, and working full time, it is a decent "control group" of time.  I feel as though I can comment, judge, and speak my observations about Hong Kong after giving it about 4 months. It's not as though I'm trying to understand the whole city in 3 days.

For the most part, things are good.  Brian and I, although STILL in the hotel room, are settling in.  Brian has been bored over the weekend lately (me as well, but spending a couple hours at Starbucks usually helps in getting me out of the house)... We used to go out with our friend Yolande every weekend.  Lately, due to family obligations, she has been unable to join us on random outings.  So, Brian has become restless.  This weekend, he realized that being able to play his playstation might help cure some of this boredom.  How, is slightly beyond me, but it works for him.  So...

He pulled his PS3 out of the box, for the first time in 4 months.  He went to hook it up to the hotel tv.  The hotel tv is extremely old, and flickers.  We thought that it might just be the 'cable' that flickered... it wasn't. It's the TV that is set on giving us both epileptic seizures (which is hard considering neither of us is actually epileptic). However, the playstation didn't work anyways upon hookup.  So then... Brian put his mind to getting a new tv.  Now normally, this would be a ridiculous idea considering we're moving to the apartment in 6 weeks and there is a large, perfectly good tv there.  However, this was an exception.  We can use the tv in the apartment bedroom, when we move.  We can play blue rays on it, and can even hook it up to the computer if we want to watch a tv show from the internet on it.

Although it could still be considered redundant, it was going to make Brian happy.  We hadn't watched a tv nor had he played video games for 4 months.  He went on a mission looking for a tv.  Within minutes he had found a couple that work.  After a few texts back and forth, he had verbally bought a 26" tv that we could pick up on Sunday.

There is an escalator in Hong Kong that goes from Central station to the mid-levels. It is the longest escalator in the world at 900m.  We missed it.  We, instead, followed our map, finding the most 'direct' route.  I'm pretty sure it was the most direct route as it was practically straight up.  We climbed stairs after stairs, hiked up steep hills, and just when you think it MIGHT level out, you turn the corner to find another 3 flights of stairs leading up to a steeper hill.   I am not in the best shape.  I haven't made it to the gym, and not being able to cook has been killing me... I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it to the top.  It...... just........ kept....... going...........

After a good 40 minutes of 'sidewalk' climbing, we made it.  Sweaty (it was bloody hot out), and exhausted, we made it to the ex-pat's apartment.  It was beautiful.  It was large (I think at least 2 bedroom), with a big kitchen (from what I could see) and a giant living room even for Toronto standards. This was a very expensive apartment to rent by any standards let alone Hong Kong.

We picked up the tv for about $150 CAD.  It was cheap, good, big enough, and worked.  The people were super nice, and besides wanting to die getting there, all in all a successful transaction.

We made it back to the hotel, hooked it up, Brian was all excited, and, the PS3 didn't work.  We got on the mtr, and headed to Sham Shui Po.  We had looked up the Computer 'market' (don't know what else to call it), and headed inside.  It was huge, with NOWHERE to walk, and too many people and counters.  There was a mass amount of computer, video game, and lord knows what else, electronics.  Everything you might want, was in there, I'm not sure where in there, but in there.  We purchased an hdmi cable, got some useful information by a video game salesperson, and headed home.

Putting the advice to good use, changing out the hdmi cable, and my magic touch, we got it up and working.... Brian was extremely happy.  So, we have made our hotel room, slightly more like home with a PS3 and some beautiful flowers that Brian picked out for me.  6 more weeks and counting.

It's dark, but this is Brian's new tv and ps3 set up.

While we were out, Brian said to me "nothing seems to be easy. I just want something to work for once". That seems to be the overall feeling of our time here.  Everything just feels like work.  Nothing just works, and works the way it should... there is always some sort of obstacle to get over, some sort of hiccup in the plan.

Not the best pic of the flowers, but it is a big bouquet of pink roses and lilies and white.... something else.

I keep saying to myself, 6 weeks and we are in the apartment. 6 weeks and I can cook our own meals.  6 weeks and I can join the gym across the street, and have time to go.  6 weeks, and we're moving.  6 weeks and we get to go traveling.... 6 weeks everything should work they way it should work.  I know it won't, but maybe living in a real apartment, and having home cooked meals, will at least make it FEEL easier.