USA

I went back to Texas last week to see family. It was very Texan. I started saying “y’all” and remembered how to use the word “fixin” to mean “about to” or “preparing for”. I saw a fox while running, had no trouble breathing because the air was so much cleaner, saw all the cousins on my maternal side. I ran 60 minutes on a trail next to a lake and felt fantastic when I got back. I drove four hours from Dallas to Houston and stopped at a buffet with bbq beef and fried okra and pie. I had a disagreement with a man at passport control when he asked, “how long have you lived in China?” and I took issue with his assertion that I live in China. I ate barbeque, cajun food, mexican food, and biscuits and gravy. I saw a couple of friends, old and new, at an outdoor sports bar during a football game (American football). I learned that college football and NFL have slightly different rules, and I felt slightly bad for being more familiar with football (soccer) than with football (American). I went into a Target and was amazed by the scale; I could see the entire store at once and it was the size of a football field (it doesn’t matter which).

Having moved around some in my life, I usually tell people I am from Texas. It’s recognizable, and it’s true: I lived there for 10 years of my life, longer than anywhere else by 6. My normal lack of accent throws them off though, and the fact that I haven’t done much there in my adult life hampers my awareness of the culture (I have never gone out on 6th street despite living in Austin for 10 years). However, the fact that I went back to Texas for family makes me feel validated in my choice of answer to the dreaded question, “where are you from?”

Now I am back in Hong Kong. I went running and had trouble breathing; I cooked food at home; I had cheap and delicious asian food; I went back to work and caught up (almost) on all I had to do. I realized it was the longest I had been out of this city in over a year, and it was a little over a week (I lost 2 or three days to travel). Now I’m back, and getting logistics taken care of. I’m full of fun.

While I was gone I also had a review posted on SassyHK about a great manicure place in Central, check it out if you’re interested in getting mani-pedis.