Happy New Year!

Returning to Hong Kong this month from the US marked a bit of a symbolic shift for me. Instead of going to Hong Kong, I was coming back to Hong Kong. It was hard to return though, as my two weeks back home were as good as I could have hoped for. I saw tons of friends and experienced some of my favorite things America has to offer that Hong Kong is lacking, such as Mexican food, live rock music, and a quirky movie at an independent theater. I also came to remember how beautiful the Seattle area is, and was impressed by San Francisco and the Napa Valley, two places I haven't been to in ages. I particularly enjoyed meeting my 11-month-old cousin, Isaac Dunlap, for the first time. I can honestly, unbiasedly say that if he was in one of my classes, he would be a favorite. Not that I have any favorites or anything. 

It was nice to see that despite being so far away, my friends, family and home are just as I left them. In some ways, the last six months in HK felt like a wonderful dream that I just woke up from in my Bainbridge Island bed. It's hard to get used to only seeing my friends and family for a brief two weeks at Christmas but it certainly makes it great when I do. And thank God for Facebook and Skype for the rest of the year!

This is a transitional time in the fact that I'm starting to look at my future quite a bit more than I had a month ago. I'm staring to question where I'll be living and working/studying(?) next year, though I can say for sure it will be here in HK. Yes, I miss people and certain aspects of America, but the opportunity for great experiences in Hong Kong at this time in my life, not to mention the sluggish US economy, make it an obvious decision to stay here. You'll be kept posted on any big life changes that may take place, but in a nutshell, I'm not going anywhere. So make your plans to visit me please :)

Now that I consider myself less of a visitor and more of a Hong Kong resident, I'm probably going to write in here slightly less frequently. As might be expected, I'm starting to have less new experiences worth documenting as my time in HK continues to lengthen. Not to mention having a life that just gets busier and busier. Thank you all for continuing to read this!