Lori and I have
been in Hong Kong for three weeks now.
We have had a whirl wind past 6 months, in a good way, but nonetheless
it has been a massive transition. We’ve
been on more planes and in more time zones than I can completely remember. We actually had spring ahead in Minnesota in
March and fall back in New Zealand in April.
With all that said, we are finally here and really enjoying it.
One thing I’ve
learned in the past several months is how adaptable we can be as humans. Your body self adjusts to different time
zones, various climates, food varieties and to your overall surroundings. One seems to find a way to make it work. When I’m in Bangalore, the flow of life is a
bit slower, in a good way. Yet the
senses are often on an overload. In
Minneapolis, things are a bit faster, but life tends to have more of a
comfortable equilibrium. So far, I’ve
found Hong Kong to be fast. People
walking down the street fast, talking fast, eating fast, there is a high energy
and a speed to life here. They have a
determined mindset and appear to be a culture of hard work, long hours and
focused thought.
What is amazing
to me is that there are such differences in people and places throughout the world,
but we all seem to strive for similar things: a nice home, family and friends,
meaningful work, connectivity to a community - something bigger than ourselves. There are and always will be things that make
us different: language, thought process, approach. But there is so much that makes us the same:
love, care, recognition, connections.
The beauty is mixing these together.
Whether this is in a work setting or in life, there is so much that
people from different backgrounds can learn from each other, teach one other
and share to enrich our experiences.
We had a
cultural training the other day as part of our transition as we continue to be immersed
in the local culture. One thing that
stuck me was a comment from our trainer. She said, “When I first started cultural
training, I used to focus on the differences in people and cultures, now I
actual focus more on the similarities”.
I’m going to
make an early prediction on the time Lori, Dosh and I spend in Hong Kong. We will thoroughly enjoy our time here, embrace
the differences and similarities of the people and experiences we encounter, and enjoy
this adventure. But we will be excited
for the return home. It’s important to
have a place to call home and we are lucky and blessed with the home we have in
Minneapolis. This includes the physical
house on 3732 24th Ave S; but more importantly the people that make up our family,
friends and community of support. Thanks
for the love from miles away, it is felt.
 |
| An outstanding team at Target India, it was sad to leave this group of friends! |
 |
| Goodbye Guitar Cake |
 |
| Hong Kong City Skyline |
 |
| The Nature of Hong Kong |
 |
| New Food to Discover - BBQ Pork Buns! |
