I am getting so excited now!! It is such a joy to be able to look forward to another
holiday just two months after I have already had another holiday. I always looked forward to the weekends and holidays when I was a student, now I look forward to them more than anything. I know that I have said this a few times but now I can totally sympathise with my teachers, understanding how much work they had to put in to make sure that we behaved in class and that we learnt something.
This last week has been a fairly quiet with the break of noise and excitement on Wednesday. On Monday I realised that I really was in Hong Kong. I know that sounds really cheesy, you're all saying 'well you've known you were in Hong Kong for the last six months'. What I mean is that there are times when I am in Hong Kong, when I am constantly reminded that I am in Hong Kong and in Asia rather than in Europe. This incident came as I went to get lunch on Monday lunchtime. I grabbed a box of salad from 7/11 and when I went to the counter to pay for it, I was asked (through use of hand language) if I wanted something to use to eat it. I nodded, naturally thinking that I was going to be given a fork. Imagine my surprise then, I really shouldn't have been though, when I was handed a pair of chopsticks...
On Tuesday, after a particularly long day, Lucy and I decided to treat ourselves. One of the things that I have to treat myself rather once every few months (like once every three or four months at the least) is a box of pancake mix. I use Betty Crocker because..well it's Betty Crocker, is there any other explanation needed? So we grabbed some chocolate and procceded to melt it, cooking a good deal of mini pancakes. And then, in true full immersion into the culture around us style, we proceeded to use chopsticks to dip them in the chocolate and then eat them. Admittedly it was more amusing to try than actually successful but it was a great time to relax in each other's company.
On Wednesday, Chris had organised a group to go to the races. The races at Happy Valley are extremely well known throughout Hong Kong and huge crowds swarmed to the arena on the island on Wednesday, as they do every week. After having a bit of trouble trying to find the meeting point, Lucy and I joined the group and we made our way to Happy Valley. I, slightly ashamedly, have to admit to breaking my lack of ever eating Subway and had my first sandwich. Despite all that had been said about it, I really enjoyed the meal and it was full of flavour, meat and vegetables I hasten to add.
The atmosphere in the area was electric. I had never seen so many Westerners in one place in Hong Kong, it felt both very homely and very strange all at the same time. We managed to find some seats and had a good place to view the races which happened every half an hour. We got a chance to bet and while I only placed bets on two horses, just to get the experience and have a shot at winning any money, only Chris was successful. Apparently this was to be expected as every time he has been to the races, he has won the most amount of money. There was no pressure to spend money and it was most certainly the electrifying and infectious atmosphere that was the best part of the night.
On Thursday Lucy and I met up with Katie to head to our Plus Group. A Plus Group is a part of The Vine and the idea is that a group of people from the same area meet up to eat, discuss the previous week's talk and pray for each other. We went to a friend's house in Goldcoast and while not everyone was there, there was still a good group of us. We were treated to chilli con carne and then some gorgeous homemade cheesecake. It was a delicious combo and then we watched the first installment of a series called The Truth Project, looking at what is truth and how we can find it in the Bible. While I didn't agree with everything that was said in the video, it made for an interesting watch and the company was wonderful and a great use of a Thursday evening.
The rest of the week was fairly peaceful in comparison. We heard an awesome talk from one of the pastors, Mark Nam, on Sunday about relationships which was really interesting, aiming at the difficult listeners of those in relationships AND those not in.
I look forward to seeing what March will bring now that we are in the third month of the year.
Until next time,
Batkinson x
Cantonese word of the week: pronunciation - ho yam; translation - drink
Quote of the week: 'No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.' - John Keating from Dead Poets Society
Prayer points:
- sleep, more sleep!! I'm struggling at times to get much sleep
- for more control over some of my classes
No comments:
Post a Comment