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