Lack of challenge and urgency takes away some of the seduction of exploration.
Coming home is a new country
Ex-expat thoughts on race: it’s my problem now
Part 1: race abroad As an expat, the problems of your nationality country are distant, and the problems of your resident country are not your fault. I saw things from afar; news in America was distant and even foreign. When I moved back to the states, one thing I knew would change is that I... Continue Reading →
Beer: brewing and drinking
In Hong Kong I had an American craft beer subscription that brought two six packs of miscellaneous American imports, mostly from the west coast or Hawaii, to my door once a month. This saved me from the monotony of cases of Carlsberg or PBR or Tsing Tao at the grocery store, and was less expensive... Continue Reading →
Winter
It is finally over. There are flowers out; our balcony garden is sprouting; I can go running in shorts and a t-shirt. The thaw started in earnest in March, but April has started to get genuinely warm. Plants, no longer terrified of the sudden surprise cold snap that could destroy their spring buds, have begun... Continue Reading →
Cars
You don't have to have a car in Chicago, but it helps. My first day in the city (and subsequent days in the city), I used public transportation to get everywhere, as I have done in every other city in which I've lived. It worked fabulously, cheaply, and with great character. The rattling trains and overground... Continue Reading →
Expectations
Over the last three years I spent 2 weeks in the USA, my country of citizenship. This meant I always received news from afar: reading news and talking to friends and family. The reality of life in the States was always remote. I didn't experience broadcast TV, the price of gas, talking with strangers or... Continue Reading →
Chinese Opera at the Sunbeam Theater
The Chinese Opera is feared, mocked, and sometimes reviled. Everyone will tell you not to go, they’ll get a look of terror in their eyes, and say, “Why?! It’s awful!” You should ignore them. If they have seen it, they have an experience you lack, and if they haven’t seen it, they are just speaking... Continue Reading →
Staycation: Grand Hyatt
I splurged last weekend, and it was completely worth it. We spent the weekend in the Grand Hyatt, and never left the building. We did a small escape from stress of work/life/relocation by heading over to the Hyatt for a staycation. This hotel happens to have a special deal for HKID holders called "8-2-8": $828 per... Continue Reading →
Beginnings
My radio silence for the recent period is largely due to a massive list of things I have to do. Currently chief among them are things related to moving. These are the first two poorly packed boxes I shall mail to our new locale. We even have tubes to transport our art collection, which recently... Continue Reading →
Rain
Martial law in Thailand and factory riots in Vietnam have left Hong Kong largely unaffected and unscathed. The only news here is rain. It rains. It has been raining for weeks. There were two weeks wherein it did not stop. This was followed by weeks when it rained at least part of every day. One... Continue Reading →
jamielynnwaters 