One Month Update

Before I left the states, I was excited but also scared. A month into my travels I am happy to say I have thoroughly enjoyed each moment. I feel silly that I was so nervous about leaving home. Friends, family, and strangers have been welcoming and kind (for the most part). I am so grateful for each couch I crash on and for every interaction I have with the people I encounter along my journey. 

I just wanted to share two things I have learned thus far.

1. Live simply.

 

As some of y’all know, I have been trying to figure out how to go live in an Amish community because I think it would be fascinating to live without extraneous junk. If anyone has a hookup to an Amish community, let me know. They won’t respond to my e-mails. Ha. I haven’t found an Amish family to take me in yet, but I have had to lead a simpler life to adapt to my surroundings.

When I was traveling with the rowing team this past year, I realized that I have a ridiculous  amount of toiletries. I have lotions and pastes and gels and creams. Holy crap. When did I become so high maintenance? How much stuff does one person need?

 

I have always been a “what if” packer. What if I need it and I don’t have it? I always pack too much and end up schlepping around stuff I don’t use. It happens every time. I am sure it will happen this time too. When I was packing, I asked friends for advice. Pat told me to “pack like a boy.” To me that meant pack less stuff-just take the bare necessities. 

Kevin told me that the best advice he was given is to gather up everything you want to bring and then get rid of half of it. Then, do it again. Sure, part of me wishes that I had two huge suitcases with me filled with everything I wanted to bring. But, it has been nice to only lug around one backpack. I don’t care what I wear and it doesn’t take me long to pick an outfit considered my limited options. I am now a firm believer of the Paradox of Choice and decision fatigue. I can talk about it to no end but I’ll spare you.

I have been finding great joy in the small things like a good crust on a 菠蘿包 and having clean clothes. I love hanging my laundry on a clothesline. The simplicity of clothes drying in the sun always brings me a sense of tranquility. Yeah, it’s not as convenient as having a dryer but what’s the big rush? Just be careful not to drop anything if you are several stories up.

I appreciate when my family takes me out to nice restaurants but I will (almost) always pick a good ol’ home cooked meal over a fancy restaurant. (Morimoto’s food was pretty good. Not going to lie I might pick his food over home cookin'.) 

Ramble ramble ramble. On to the next one!

2. Spend time with family.

My stay in Hong Kong has been much different than playing tourist in any of the other cities I’ve visited. Usually when I visit a city, my goal is to immerse myself in the city and try to live like a local. Of course, I also try to hit up some of the popular touristy sites.

However, I came to Hong Kong with the sole intention of spending time with my grandmas. Everything else is gravy.

I had fun at the beautiful Kau Sai Chau driving range and going on a 30 kilometer bike ride through Hong Kong, but those won’t be my favorite memories. Yesterday, my grandma cooked us lunch and then told me stories about her childhood. The previous day when I visited my other grandma, she tightly clenched my hand while I showed her pictures of my graduation. Those are the memories I will cherish. 

Family time isn’t always fun (I had many awkwardly silent family lunches in Hong Kong), but I figure since you are stuck with these people for life, make the best of it. I wish I got to know my grandmas earlier but I am so grateful for my two weeks in Hong Kong. I am going to listen to as many stories as I can.

First Month Travel by the Numbers

Flights: 8

Hours Spent in Airports: 17

Hours Spent Flying: 25

Familiar Faces Seen: 13 (I would love this number to go up.)

      Museums Visited: 20

Three things I am grateful for: 

1.    Showers after sweaty days
My grandma doesn’t use hot water and I didn’t want her to turn it on for me so I’ve been taking cold showers. I like that you don’t have to waste time or water waiting for the water to get warm. I used to care about my shower having adequate water pressure but now I’m just glad to get a shower. A simple life is a happy life.

2.       Time with my grandmas-I love that I could eat lunch in just my skivvies. It's pretty warm here.
Grandma: Your cousin is picking us up soon. We have to get dressed. What’s wrong?

Me: I don’t want to put on my pants.
Grandma: Me either.

3.       Internet access-It’s sad that you appreciate things more once they are hard to come by. I will have consistent internet access when I get to Nanjing and will upload photos then.

祝 順心,

Kat