In a sense, I’d like this to be a ‘First Impressions’ kind
of post, like when I first came to Hong Kong. Obviously, this is on a much
smaller scale, but nonetheless, I live in a completely different place than I
had before.
Earlier, I explained why I chose Tai Wai as my new locale.
Most of the reasons had to do with closeness to work, but also, I wanted to
live in a quiet place that still wasn’t as isolated as my last flat was. So
far, the area has lived up to my expectations in these regards. I’ve managed to
find a bus that takes me to work in 10-15 minutes that stops 5 minutes from my
apartment. As convenient and consistent as the MTR is, I’ve found that using the bus every
morning helps me stay sane. I can have a comfortable seat, enjoy my iPod or a
book and view the scenery before starting work. The MTR is more like a crowded cattle transport in a
dark tunnel for roughly the same price and the same time interval.
Outside exit A of the MTR station (10 minutes from my flat)
lies the Tai Wai village. I haven’t explored it too much yet, but it seems that
you can find just about any daily necessities in this area. There’s a grocery
store, pharmacy, home appliance store, clinic and hundreds of other little shops.
So far, I’ve only found a couple Western restaurants as it is very local, but I
think I’ll start forcing myself to try some of the dozens of Chinese places and
try out my Cantonese chops.
Most of my time in Tai Wai has been spent in my apartment
enjoying my precious free time totally alone. I don’t know if it has to do with
my being an only child but I absolutely relish being alone for a short period;
it’s often the only way to really collect one’s thoughts. Overall, the
apartment itself has worked out fairly nicely. One annoyance has been that some
people occasionally throw trash that lands on my balcony. Being on the first
floor I’m one of the only people who has a small balcony, though it’s not quite
as attractive when littered with used tissues and cigarettes. Another problem
has been that my upstairs neighbor occasionally decides to seemingly rearrange
his/her apartment at four in the morning, making bangs and scrapes to wake me
up.
But these two problems are minor compared to the fact that
I’m quite comfortable here and have all my utilities/furniture/appliances taken
care of. Six weeks ago, I was anxious about where I would be living after
moving out of Chan Uk. I’ve now lived in seven places in my life: two on
Bainbridge Island, three in Tacoma and now, two in Hong Kong. I expect good memories
to come from this one just as the previous six provided.
The awesome door knocker on my flat |
The apartment, after three weeks of inhabitation |
The massive MTR station that serves as my gateway to the rest of Hong Kong |
The bike path and sidewalk of Chui Tin Street just outside my complex |
Tai Wai |