New Country. Same Old Mess.

I may be living in a different country, but I'm still the same old mess I was back in the US. Why, just last week I managed to show half of the East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station my arse. How did this happen? Well, I'm still not completely sure, but somehow my dress rode up and got stuck between my waist and my purse. The only thing that alerted me to the problem were the snickers of little Hong Kong girls... who were probably 35 year old Hong Kong women (deciphering age here is next to impossible). Oh well... I pulled my dress down and carried on walking home.


By now I think everyone is beginning to grasp my hatred for the stupid squatty potties, but I may have found something even more bizarre. I visited a factory in Dongguan last week, and they insisted on taking me out for "the spicy food" for lunch. I made it through the meal without crying this time, but I still consumed mass quantities of tea... and maybe a couple glasses of beer (hey, it's the ONLY thing that will cool your mouth down). Upon my arrival back at the factory, I had to "go." I said a small prayer that when I opened up the stall door there would be a beautiful real toilet waiting there for me. Nope. Squatty. I opened the next stall to find something even more annoying... a real toilet WITH THE SEAT REMOVED. What? WHY?? Thinking this would be the better option, I gave it a go. Well, I'll just say that it wasn't easier and leave it at that... also, I'll probably be carrying a change of clothes with me into mainland from now on.


Aside from a few "Bass Blunders" here and there, everything is going great. I'm learning a lot about sourcing, production and doing business with the Chinese. Of course, I'm also having some fun along the way.


Thursday night is ladies night at many bars around Hong Kong. So, Thursdays are now spent with some nice gals from geoexpat. It's something I really look forward to each week, and not just because of the free drinks. 


This past weekend I went to the Hong Kong International Art Fair with my new amigo Tim. There were some really great pieces, but I think we agreed that this was one of our favorites...

Sunday night I went to a BBQ on Lamma Island, one of Hong Kong's outlying Islands. It was really nice to be away from the hustle and bustle for a few hours. The island is beautiful, and it was great to see an abundance of plants and trees again.

Beach on Lamma Island

Sunset. Pay no attention to that power station in the distance...

No grills or propane tanks here. Lighting the BBQ Boy Scout style.

The feast, including roasted marshmallows :)

While the BBQ was great, I'm really starting to miss a few of my Atlanta staples. I'm desperately craving some Mexican food. Apparently there are a few places with tacos around here, so I'm going in search of those this week, but if anyone wants to mail me some La Parilla that would be fantastic. Chick-fil-a sweet tea is another one on the list. I broke down and made a pitcher of sweet tea last night, but it just wasn't the same. Finally, I could really go for some Williamson Bros. BBQ... mmmmm...

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I managed to squeeze a few hot dog-esque sausages on that grill and slathered them with good 'ole American yellow mustard in celebration.

Blind Dating for Friends

Attempting to make friends here has been quite similar to going on blind dates.

Before I came to Hong Kong I began following an expatriate website to get the scoop on the city. The site is actually how I managed to find my apartment. It's a great resource for just about anything. From finding great restaurants to finding tickets to the Justin Bieber concert last night, it really has everything.


An area of the site that I've become very interested in are the socializing forums. In this area you can start groups about activities you enjoy and other people can join them. From there you set up social events, and voila, instant friends.


Last week I saw a posting from a woman named Betina asking if anyone would like to grab drinks. Since I hadn't done anything remotely social since everyone from work left, I thought, "what the hell, I'll give it a go." We messaged back and forth, exchanged numbers and agreed to meet up Saturday night.


At this point, I was so excited to get out and do something that I decided I should have a back up just in case plan A fell through. So, I began reading the forums again and found another woman, named Brandy, looking to get drinks Saturday night. Once again, we exchanged numbers and said we'd meet up Saturday.


I heard from Betina early Saturday evening. We decided to meet at 10:00 PM at Lan Kwai Fong, an area of HK with lots of bars and restaurants. So, I go dressed, hopped in a cab and headed over to Hong Kong Island. 


By the way, I'm pretty sure this is one of the bravest things I've ever done. I mean, Betina could have been a 65 year old crazy lady... or worse, a 65 year old crazy man pretending to be a woman.


Lucky for me, she was neither. Betina is in her early 30's and originally from Copenhagen, Denmark. She works for a popular European active wear brand, and manages their office in China. She's really lovely.

Around midnight I heard from the other expatriate, Brandy. She ended up meeting up with us at the bar along with her friend Natalie. Brandy and Natalie are both teachers, and originally from Canada. I didn't have the "friend at first sight" feeling that I had with Betina. Something about these girls seemed off.


Moments after sitting down, Brandy got up and disappeared into the street. Weird. She came back to the table about 10 minutes later. Immediately after returning, she excused herself and Natalie, saying they needed to use the restroom and would be back soon. Uh, red flag. I'm going to guess they were doing coke, but I'm sure there are even crazier drugs here that I've never even heard of.


We decided these probably weren't girls we wanted to spend more time with, so we left.


We ended the night at a little wine bar sharing some small plates. Turns out she has a love for food too. Win.


I got a another message from Betina yesterday telling me she had read about a whole group of expats getting together for dinner. I decided it would be a great opportunity to meet more new people, so I printed out directions, hopped on the MTR and headed off to dinner with 15 potential new friends.


There were folks from New Zealand, Belgium, the UK, Canada, Australia and a couple other Americans as well. Everyone was so nice. I can't express to you how amazing it is to have a conversation that isn't in broken English.

Best of all, I already have plans for tonight! I'm going to a birthday party at an art gallery in SoHo. How posh.

crotchless baby pants and other mainland oddities

Over the last few days I've been traveling in and out of mainland China quite a bit. Every time I'm there I see more and more things that make me go, "why the face?" So, for your reading pleasure, may I present...

The Oddities of Mainland China
  
1. Mainland China Smells Like Stale Urine  


Ok, so the whole of mainland China doesn't smell that bad, but pretty much every public building reeks of uncleaned bathroom. Leading to my next oddity...

2. The Squatty Potty

They're everywhere, and most of the time they're your only option. While the squatting can be uncomfortable, to say the least, the worst part is the odor. If you get within 10 feet of the bathroom, the scent of stale urine permeates the air. Needless to say, I avoid liquids when I go to mainland. 

3. Crotchless Baby Pants

Once a child can walk, they're stripped of their pampers and begin to wear crotchless pants. From what I can gather, this is so children are trained at an early age to use the squatty potty. Oh, but these little ones don't need a potty... they go just about anywhere. The sidewalk, a street, a public park, or my personal favorite, the floor of the train station.

4. Men Have LOOOOONG Fingernails

We're talking witch-like nails people. I'm beginning to wonder if there is some sort of superstition that says, "the longer your nails are, the wealthier you will be." Regardless, they're terrifying. I keep waiting for one of these men to look at me and say "I'm going to get you my pretty, and your Longchamp bag too."

Well, it's back to mainland for me tomorrow. I know you're all really jealous. Anyone need a baby shower gift? I'd be happy to pick up some crotchless baby pants for you.