Day 56

Didn't go see the Buddha this weekend.
I want to see it, but I'm a busy guy. I had work on Saturday, so after that this weekend was spent mostly relaxing and seeing friends. First, my friend Angel came from the mainland. She lives in Dongguan and came to visit with her mom. We just went to McDonald's and chilled and talked a little bit. Kevin, the exchange student who stayed with me for a week last year, had some sort of visa issue so he might come next week (the 30th) instead. Anyway, that was part 1 of 3 of catching up with people.

Eve, a friend of mine that I met in Puerto Rico, came back to Hong Kong (her hometown) last week, so we got to see each other on the weekend. We went to Mong Kok to eat street food and catch up. Mong Kok is close by where I live, and it's famous for its street food, atmosphere, and being the most crowded urban district in the world. I tried to live there when I got here, but I couldn't find a place. Anyway, going places with someone who knows what they're doing is fun because I actually get to experience more cool stuff and good food. Also, I don't have to try and communicate in Canto because I can't. In short hanging out with someone who knows the place is more culturally enriching than not. Next week I'm going to try Chop Suey, which I didn't even know was a real thing here.

That's Saturday evening. On Saturday night, another friend came from the mainland again (because Hong Kong is, in my experience, easily 3x as fun as the mainland) and we hit Lan Kwai Fong hard. On Sunday I went back to Mong Kok to eat because it was cheap and delicious. I also watched Harry Potter... seeing the last one was weird.

As of now, I only have three more weeks in Hong Kong. I still have a couple of things to do to wrap up (see day 52) my stay here, buy stuff, etc. I'm starting my last full week of work now.

Three things I wish I'd known before coming here are:
1) The language barrier. Having proficiency in Mandarin is almost useless on the streets here in Hong Kong. It's useful to do big business with manufacturers/sellers in the Mainland, but here its usage is dead in the water.
2) To make as many friends as possible. Living anywhere new is much, much better if you have friends. People that will take you around and show you things are invaluable in a city you don't know. I wish I'd realized sooner the value of going out and actively meeting people.
3) To have a plan for things you want to see and do in Hong Kong. Planning for travel is harder than it sounds; outside of logistical setup, I didn't really arrange for how to see the city or things to do on lazy Sundays.

With two and a half weeks to go here it's almost the end. I'm excited to go for the wedding. I'm having a suit made, too, and I'll write about how it's going to cost me and things like that. Until then.