Thanksgiving in HK

The title of this post is a bit misleading because it implies that my day consisted of something Thanksgiving-y, which, aside form very briefly explaining the Pilgrims and Native Americans to one of my students, it had very little to do with the holiday. I spent most of the day in teacher-mode, teaching two classes, grading papers, getting my Chinese visa in order, etc. My flatmates and our program director capped off the day at an Italian restaurant. As my dad said, Italian food in China on Thanksgiving. Makes perfect sense, right?

However, I did get one small taste of American Thanksgiving. Today, when I ravenously ran to the canteen for a quick lunch between classes, I spotted a "pumpkin pie" in the display case for sale. I decided, in the spirit of the holiday, to indulge in the American classic, even though I have eaten maybe one piece of pumpkin pie in my entire life prior to today.

Delicious, no?

Well, I'll admit the pie did not exactly strike the same chords as real pumpkin pie (as you can tell from the picture, I think they were closer to capturing the color of pumpkin pie than the flavor, and if the pale orange of the pie is any indication...). However, it was a nice piece of pseudo-nostalgia.

Hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving! Hook 'em Horns! And Yale, I still can't believe you went for it on 4th and 22...

These are a few of my favorite things

Today, I had a marathon shopping spree with my flatmates, as we all went after our various prey: for me, more (necessary) winter wear, for Ally, a suit for medical school interviews, and for Annie, an evening dress for the New Asia College 60th Anniversary Banquet next weekend. It was exhausting but fruitful nonetheless.

However, my favorite part of the day was my brief stop at the Landmark Hotel Atrium, which currently is featuring an installation by Preston Bailey, one of the most admired and talented wedding planners in the States (and someone whom I dream of working with someday). It was absolutely lovely. Unfortunately I was not able to stay for very long and see all of the details as much as I wanted, but I hope to return again soon. I had never had the opportunity to see a top designer's work in person, so it was a good reminder of just how talented they are and how hard I will have to work if I want to be a top wedding planner someday as well.

Unfortunately I just had my phone camera, so it's a bit fuzzy, but hopefully you can tell how pretty it is!

Brrrr!

I never thought I would say this, but it is cold here in Hong Kong! It may sound silly to say this, coming from a girl who has lived in New Haven for the past four years, but this cold weather is absolutely abysmal. First of all, nowhere in Hong Kong has heating, or at least the type of heating we're used to in the States. I have a little space heated/mini-plug-in radiator in my room, and that's enough to keep my room bearable, but anywhere else is terrible! There is no refuge from the cold. This means that for the past five days, since this cold snap hit HK, I have been a hermit, not wanting to leave my room, go outside, go out, or anything, because I don't want to subject myself to the cold. Not even my kitchen or living room. I have a bad feeling about the implications of this weather on my social life, if it is supposed to be like this for the next three months! Secondly, because we live on top of a mountain overlooking a bay, we gets lots of gusty winds, making it about 5-10 degrees colder up here than down below the mountain (as well as more central areas of the city). Lastly, because I did not expect the cold to be so invasive, I did not bring an adequate supply of winter wear to Hong Kong. I'm hoping a trip this weekend to raid the sweater/coat rack and winter accessories wall at H&M will fix this problem. So wish me luck in my quest to get warm!

A big, long update on my trip to Mainland China is on its way, as soon as I get a break from grading! Hope everyone is well!

Jenny