As I stopped to take a picture, I heard a voice from behind me say "Pretty, isn't it?" I agreed, and the small middle-aged woman to whom the voice belonged pointed up and said "That's Venus, the evening star. Someone wrote a song about it...Mozart, I think?" I thought for a moment and it occurred to me that she was wrong. "I believe it was Holst," I answered. Her face broke out into a large grin as she said "Oh, yes! You're right." After that, we went our separate ways, but I just think it's always interesting when what's commonly regarded as useless trivia comes in handy.
Other than that, nothing else too interesting happened last night. To be honest, not much happened during class today either--the exception to that being a rather pitiful attempt to reenact scenes from "Titanic" in Chinese. I was "Rose," and it would have been hilarious if I (and "Jack") could ever stop laughing. The good news is I learned how to say "iceberg" in Chinese, which I doubt will be very useful in Hong Kong. Still, you never know. It's bingshan, by the way.
After class, I stopped by Lady Ho Tung Hall to see if I had any mail. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting anything, but I'm trying to make it a habit to check every Friday. Y'all definitely proved me wrong! I actually had 2 letters, and I was so giddy I had to refrain from ripping them open on the spot. I didn't take a good look at them until later because I had another errand to run and little time to do it.
I stopped by the souvenir counter and finally purchased some lovely CUHK T-shirts. The ladies at the counter asked me if I was from Holland. When I said no, they asked if I was German. Bemused, I said no again, and told them that I was from America. According to the one who spoke English, they had thought I was from that part of Europe because of my hair color. Interestingly, people usually ask me if I'm from somewhere in Europe instead of America. I'm at a loss as to why, but perhaps it's because Americans look so different from each other (except that we all wear jeans, T-shirts, and flip flops).
Anyway, I bought 3 shirts: one for me, one for Mom, and one for Sarah. I wanted to buy one for Dad but I had doubts about whether the 2X would really fit and it was the largest size I could find. I hope that the ones I got will fit because I had only myself to compare with. Sarah, I got you the smallest size I could find--a "small"--but it might still be a little big on you because the "small" also fits me, though it's not as loose as the T-shirts I brought from home. This picture will give you an idea of what the shirts look like:
The picture is of my shirt, but the other 2 have the same logo. However, Mom, yours is lavender and, Sarah, yours is baby blue. I wanted to get you a lavender one, but they didn't have any small ones.
Not long after that, I came back to the dorm to excitedly open my letters. Firstly, let me just say thank you to everyone who's supporting me here in Hong Kong. Whether or not it's a big deal to you, it's huge for me. All the emails, skype calls and, yes, letters really mean everything! I wish that I could repay everybody for all their concerns and love, but for now let's suffice it to say that I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life.
Papa, I opened your letter first, and I'm so happy that you can read my blog on your own computer. I know you and Meme said you'd miss me even more when I wasn't just a few hours' drive away, but just to let you know I miss y'all too. I might be allergic to her, but I even miss Dutchy. I pinned the photo you sent me on my bulletin board so I can see it every day!
Kim, I also got your letter. I about died laughing at the timing since I had just sent you that random "thinking about you" message. I loved your card, and you'll definitely be the first one to know when I find the right guy with the right cats, be it here or anywhere else. You're still my favorite room-mate (don't tell the others). ;)
And, finally, here's a shout-out to Mrs. Redmond! I'm glad you like the blog, but let me know before you book that trip to China, OK? You can be my dim sum buddy.
I intended to end things right there, but while I was writing my blog I finally caught a glimpse of what has been a long-awaited typhoon. Earlier this week we thought we might have to miss class on Friday because a humongous typhoon was heading straight for Hong Kong...zao gao! Thankfully, the worst seems to have missed us, but I understand Hainan Island's getting it pretty badly. For those of you who are curious, you can check out the typhoon warning signals at this website: http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm. Classes and work are canceled if a No. 8 warning is issued. In the meantime, here's some video footage of what we actually did get:
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