Uncharacteristic

Wow! December 12th was my last post.  Who knew I could be quiet for that length of time in any setting.

I think one of the most difficult aspects of living in HK is the transient nature of the expat community. While I've met many people who have been here as expats for more than ten years, I find that most from Europe and the States have been here for less than five, with the knowledge they will move elsewhere near the end of that five year mark.

With the wrong attitude this can keep great friendships from forming. One couple who consistently have us over to their apartment for dinner will move back to the US in June, and this makes me sad. We laugh together, eat together, go to church together - and will soon live 8,000 miles apart.  We can step back from this wonderful family, or we can enjoy months of great friendship. We choose the latter.

To be honest, I didn't think much about our choice (because Jeff and I didn't really consider stepping back from a friendship due to a separation) until a sweet woman in my Bible study told us they would be moving back to the US in the summer (another friend).  She has children in middle and high school, so someone asked if her children had told their friends.  She then said the saddest thing of her daughter who hasn't told any of her friends that she is moving at the end of the school year. "If I tell now," the daughter says, "I won't have any friends the rest of the year."  I asked why, and the mom said it was because these girls realign their friends when they know someone is moving.  How awful, but I'm sure this is not the case for every girl in that school.  And, I told her that Forrest, who is a friend of this little girl, would not have that same tactic.  But, I was saddened for this child and any other who felt this way. In such a transient place it seems better to grab hold of friends and love until the moment they load the contaniner and step on the plane. I'm determined to do this for myself and to teach this to the children.

Now, to something funny!  I only have blips of insight.

Market photos - I can't say grocery store anymore because no one knows what the heck I'm talking about.  I'm at the store this week in the fish section, which is painful for the olfactory system, and I see this.  Really?  This is on ice for anyone to buy. And, there were only a few left.  And, half of these remains have more "stuffing" than the others. Does this mean the buyers are checking out the insides? I didn't ask because the language barrier with the "meat men" behind the counter is pretty high, and because I think, deep down, I don't really want to know. It's all I can do to keep Taylor from pushing on the eyes of the fish heads in the packaged section.