Overdue Celebrations

It's difficult to verbalize what the last few weeks have felt like. I've found some wonderful job opportunities and been incredibly uplifted by the positive interaction and feedback from my recent interviews and networking. On the other hand, I'm totally stressed out by the seemingly limitless options that lie beyond my final day of employment this month.

The wires of Bangkok. Hazardous and beautiful.

There are the moments when I wonder why I'm leaving the land of $8 massages, fresh tropical fruits and easy access to exotic weekend getaways. Truthfully, I wouldn't leave this place if my loved ones were closer or if there were more job options outside of teaching available. In terms of lifestyle, it's a dream to live in Bangkok and I wouldn't trade the time we've lived here for anything. 

Tim, Sam's hockey team's sponsor,
drinking from the championship cup.
They won the league!

Mandarin Roast Duck:
a midweek dinner date with Sam and Beini.

But it certainly hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies over here either. I know I've said this before during our time in Thailand, but especially as the stress of our impending jolt back into the Western world intensifies, there have been several lows to match the highs. I'm lucky to have my #1 fan by my side through it all to keep me sane and give me lots of hugs while we discuss the pros and cons of going to grad school in Germany, finding work on the West Coast or opening a hostel/bar in a beach town in Central/South America.

$1 pad thai on Bangkok's tourist haven, Khao San Road.

It's still fun to come here as a resident -
it feels like a different city from the one I live in.

Sorry to say I don't have any definitive answers to the inevitable 'So, what will you do next?' But I'm excited to enjoy the last month we have here before coming back to visit so many people that we love in the USA and seeing where we go from there. Thanks for sharing the journey with me, wherever you are. Now, time to celebrate!

Our 2nd Annual Mega 5s Tournament

This weekend was the annual Mega 5s hockey tournament in Hong Kong. Sam arrived on Wednesday to coach his Bangkok Warriors team in the Youth Division and I landed on Friday to catch him play in the Adult division with a team called the Tokyo Canadians (picture several Japanese adult men, most of whom attended boarding school or exchange programs in the US/Canada and one half Japanese/half Russian man with lots of energy).

Have you ever noticed the beauty of stacked airport trolleys?

Looking up from my seat in the waiting area.

My flight ended up being quite delayed Friday night but I had a fine time at the airport with my $10USD courtesy coupon from the airline (hah!) and my camera. It doesn't take much to keep me entertained, I guess.

Tonkatsu sandwich:
so unhealthy and delicious.
Perfect airport food.

I ended up arriving at our hotel at 5am Saturday and caught a few hours of beauty rest before waking up for Sam's 9:30am game. Only then did I realize the extreme tininess of our hotel room. Even if I did have a picture, it wouldn't fully convey the unbelievably cramped but well-utilized space we had reserved for $60USD/night. Hong Kong has always impressed me with its efficient use of space and this room was a particularly excellent example. Picture a Hong Kong double bed (yes, it's its own size and smaller than a standard Ikea one) wedged into a perfectly carved nook on the left, a 10-inch aisle between the edge of the bed and the opposite wall to the bathroom and a tiny desk/refrigerator nook on the right side of the room at the head of the bed (just enough to make you feel like you had space while laying your head down for the night).

Typical HK buildings.

After drowsily shuffling around the room (one of us had to sit on the bed so the other could walk past), we took a few slices of stale bread from the breakfast buffet and made our way to the rink. Located on the 10th floor of the Mega Box mall on the Kowloon side (opposite side of harbour from Central downtown districts), this hockey rink has the most beautiful backdrop I've ever seen for the sport.

The mall parking lot turned into a hockey locker room.

Upper level view through the net.

Scoreboard before the game: Tokyo v Abu Dhabi.

There's my guy! Red jersey, blue shorts, yellow socks.

Lovely view of the harbour behind the bench.

I got to watch Sam score a beautiful goal in the Saturday morning game and we stayed afterward to drink beer, chat and people-watch. These international hockey tournaments in Asia attract a very interesting crowd, so it's endlessly enjoyable to just sit back and observe the happenings around the rink. Following a day of hockey and a much-needed nap, we went to meet Sam's Tokyo teammates around 9pm for a night out on the town.

The streets in the main bar area,
Lan Kwai Fong a.k.a. LKF. PACKED!

Remember the hills of HK?
My legs sure do!

Out with Toni, our friend and former roomie in HK,
and one of the Tokyo players behind.

A trip to Hong Kong wouldn't be complete without having some of my favorite foods. First up - Paisano's New York style pizza. We don't have any pizza by the slice places quite like this in Bangkok and it was such a treat to get a taste of this simple deliciousness. 

One of my favorite HK sights.

Speaking of delicious: xiao long bao (soupy pork dumplings) are also an important item for any itinerary in Hong Kong. We squeezed ours in at the airport on Sunday along with some chili oil wontons and soup. While I'm not the biggest fan of some traditional Hong Kong foods, there are some absolute standouts and these are at the top for me.

Xiao long bao - YUM.

Now that I'm finished drooling, here are some photos from my quick adventures around town.

Seen in Central, Hong Kong.

Sundays in HK:
domestic helpers take to public spaces to gather with friends.
On rainy days, they find what shelter is available.

My view from the double decker public bus.
My favorite way to get around.

Oddly comforting, homey feeling to see Chinese characters.

And of course, no trip to China is complete without taking note of the signs. First, baby formula. In case this news didn't make it across the globe, there is a serious issue in HK of people smuggling baby powder across the border into mainland China where consumers aren't confident in domestic formula brands.

Warning about baby formula quantities.

Now for a classic sign. Directed towards mainlanders who are generally accustomed to squat toilets, these signs are found in many tourist places throughout HK. This one brought to you by the mall that hosted the hockey tournament. Yes, malls are tourist destinations, especially in Asia.

That brings me to the end of our trip, where Hong Kong Airlines didn't really redeem itself in the timely departure category (though they were only 2 hours late this time, instead of 3.5). They did, however, do us a wonderful favor of upgrading us to business class - without us even asking! Before we knew about the upgrade (given to us as we walked through the gate to the plane), I took some more airport photos to pass the time while reflecting on a whirlwind, fun trip back to one of my favorite cities in the world!

Glow from the setting sun hits the terminal.

A beautiful take-off over the hills.

Looking up.

What I've Been Told Lately

Here's an account of some notable things I've heard lately alongside some mostly non-related photos for your viewing pleasure and happy hearts (scroll down).

Walking into a massage shop to see if they are open, Sam and I are told that it is a 'gentleman only' spa. These spas are certainly not an uncommon thing here in Bangkok, but we usually don't walk into them!

The 1 time I brought my phone out on our island trip.

The principal comes into my classroom at 11am Friday May 1: 'Have you heard from Maddy?' No, I hadn't. She is one of our teachers who was due to be in school 2.5 hours ago. Turns out to have been a fairly common, runaway after payday (April 30) with literally ZERO communication to anyone at our school. We know she's safe though because she's uploading pictures of her current island vacation to Instagram.

My new TA, Miu (pronounced 'mew'), with our students.

While wearing my signature anti-sweat guard (a Rosie the Riveter inspired bandana), my student Liam points to me and says, "rabbit." Oh, children. So direct.

End-of-the-day hugs from my munchkins.