I've never considered myself to be a domestic being...a homebody, yes, at times....but generally I was quite comfortable with that home having piles of laundry and books scattered everywhere and maybe the occasional dirty dish in the sink (one thing that I've always had a hard time tolerating, however, is the dust bunny...death to all dust bunnies! Moving on....). After living for the past two years in a space that never felt like mine (and I was frequently reminded of the fact that it WASN'T mine), having a nest is now important to me. And while I don't necessarily feel like Peter's apartment is mine either, I DO find myself carving out little cozy corners that are all mine.
It is surprising to me that certain aesthetic things bother me now, like piles of random clutter, or mismatching silverware, or the random packs of sesame crackers in the living room. However, I think the biggest surprise for me now is learning that I enjoy cooking. It's never something that I have been particularly good at, or really had any sort of desire to learn how to do. Like, AT ALL. But now that I coexist with someone whose appetite is enormous (as is his appreciation for any sort of thing that I whip up in the kitchen), I find cooking to be enjoyable and relaxing, especially since Peter frequently insists on doing the cleaning afterward :).
In the past few weeks I have tackled dishes like chicken enchiladas, penne a la vodka, pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, and frosted lemon sugar cookies. This weekend Peter's brother is visiting us, and we had an amazing breakfast of challa bread that he brought us from New York City, and eggs that Peter scrambled with cheese and onion. Our "weekend coffee" ritual involves beans that we grind ourselves and put in the French press. It is potent and delicious, and I look forward to it all week.
At the moment Peter and his brother are at Trader Joe's purchasing the ingredients for pumpkin soup, curried couscous, a broccoli cheese casserole, and another batch of the frosted lemon sugar cookies that I plan on making today, right after taking a rainy afternoon run.
So while the changes that I am experiencing now are not as grandiose and ground-breaking and somehow exotic as those that I experienced in Asia, it's still nice to grow in small, unexpected, and occasionally delicious ways.
Does anyone have any recipes for me to try??
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Hong Kong
I never had the chance to write about Hong Kong, which was one of my favorite cities, and so......
Hong Kong had a very different energy than the slow buzz of Southeast Asian cities. It had tall buildings and tidy traffic and neon signs and streets free of both trash and the choking scent of burning coals cooking sidewalk satay. The locals there walked quickly down the sidewalks (in STARK contrast to Bangkok) and were snazzy dressers. The April air was chilly and damp, and the shopping there was exquisite--antiques and stones and pearls and high fashion and SHOES GALORE.
My trip was made extra special thanks to friends of Peter's who live there. E. and Peter studied abroad together in Germany, and his lovely wife and daughter wined and dined me and showed me the time of my life. We met up the first night and went to Kowloon where they snapped pictures of me by the harbor. We went out for Korean barbecue and TWO desserts--one place specialized in a flavored shaved ice that had the texture of crisp ice cream, and the other place specialized in durian pastries. They told me all about life in Hong Kong, and how a lot of the expat population had cleared out as a result of the economic downturn, as Hong Kong took a rather severe hit. I also found it interesting that if parents wanted to enroll their children in international schools (which is the trend all across Asia, for better or worse), they had to first be affiliated with a church. It was an evening of stimulating conversation and delectable food, and I was so so so happy.
My guest house was rather modest, as the cost of accommodations in Hong Kong was RIDICULOUS. It was a tiny box with a rock hard bed, but luckily I was only there to sleep. The next day I got coffee and pastries at a bakery around the corner and wrote for a few hours. Then I was off to see the city--Hollywood Road where I browsed antiques, taking the Lonely Planet walking tour to the Tao temple at the top of the hill, purchasing communist paraphinalia for Andrew, riding a Star Ferry across the harbor to Kowloon, and purchasing pearls and gemstones and aventurine dragons at the Jade Market. The public transportation was quick and clean and silent, and aside from getting drenched in the evening rain, it was the perfect day. I met up with E. and S. again that night, and they took me to an amaaaaaazing Chinese restaurant. After dinner they took me to their condo in Repulse Bay, and we picked up their delicious doll of a daughter, who taught me a new song about traffic lights (which I then taught to my preschoolers) and we talked about our favorite stories. I borrowed a warm pink trench coat from S., and their daughter wore a matching one. We went up to the Victoria lookout and saw the luminous views of the harbor at night. The buildings were works of art--their reflections forming mini-galaxies in the dark pupil of the harbor. The night was cold and misty, and I felt like a model in a photo shoot as E. took picture after picture of me with the harbor as my backdrop. We ate dessert--profiteroles and molten chocolate cake and ice cream--in a restaurant filled with fairy lights that looked like something out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The next morning I had the most delicious mango bubble tea known to man (I have officially been spoiled and bubble tea anywhere other than Rabbit Cafe in Hong Kong is inadequate), and I was off to explore Central Hong Kong. The buildings all had unique stories (including one that was dubbed the "House of 1,000 assholes" due to its windows, which resembled ship portholes), and the park in the middle of it all was a haven for people watching. I met up with E. and S. for another delicious lunch of dim sum (there was an HOUR wait for this restaurant!). I tried chicken feet and had the best pork buns ever. We then went for a drive back to Repulse Bay and visited a famous hotel with a big square cut out of it (for Feng Shui purposes), and soaked in the view of the bay. Hong Kong has a multitude of surprisingly lush green spaces, though they come with an overwhelming price tag. We then wove our way over to Stanley to visit the famous Stanley Market. I purchased some art as gifts, and marveled at the price of pearls. We stopped for treats at a local bakery and then my new friends graciously drove me to the airport.
I was really sad to leave. I had been used to taking trips by myself, and while I certainly love traveling on my own, it was nice to be around kind, smart people who really showed off their city and took me to places where I would not have gone on my own. It was also nice to have someone taking pictures of me instead of having to ask the occasional random (and non-English-speaking) stranger. Their hospitality meant so much to me in a time when I had so many isolated moments, and struggled to find a community, and ate so many dinners alone.
It was a fabulous trip!
Hong Kong had a very different energy than the slow buzz of Southeast Asian cities. It had tall buildings and tidy traffic and neon signs and streets free of both trash and the choking scent of burning coals cooking sidewalk satay. The locals there walked quickly down the sidewalks (in STARK contrast to Bangkok) and were snazzy dressers. The April air was chilly and damp, and the shopping there was exquisite--antiques and stones and pearls and high fashion and SHOES GALORE.
My trip was made extra special thanks to friends of Peter's who live there. E. and Peter studied abroad together in Germany, and his lovely wife and daughter wined and dined me and showed me the time of my life. We met up the first night and went to Kowloon where they snapped pictures of me by the harbor. We went out for Korean barbecue and TWO desserts--one place specialized in a flavored shaved ice that had the texture of crisp ice cream, and the other place specialized in durian pastries. They told me all about life in Hong Kong, and how a lot of the expat population had cleared out as a result of the economic downturn, as Hong Kong took a rather severe hit. I also found it interesting that if parents wanted to enroll their children in international schools (which is the trend all across Asia, for better or worse), they had to first be affiliated with a church. It was an evening of stimulating conversation and delectable food, and I was so so so happy.
My guest house was rather modest, as the cost of accommodations in Hong Kong was RIDICULOUS. It was a tiny box with a rock hard bed, but luckily I was only there to sleep. The next day I got coffee and pastries at a bakery around the corner and wrote for a few hours. Then I was off to see the city--Hollywood Road where I browsed antiques, taking the Lonely Planet walking tour to the Tao temple at the top of the hill, purchasing communist paraphinalia for Andrew, riding a Star Ferry across the harbor to Kowloon, and purchasing pearls and gemstones and aventurine dragons at the Jade Market. The public transportation was quick and clean and silent, and aside from getting drenched in the evening rain, it was the perfect day. I met up with E. and S. again that night, and they took me to an amaaaaaazing Chinese restaurant. After dinner they took me to their condo in Repulse Bay, and we picked up their delicious doll of a daughter, who taught me a new song about traffic lights (which I then taught to my preschoolers) and we talked about our favorite stories. I borrowed a warm pink trench coat from S., and their daughter wore a matching one. We went up to the Victoria lookout and saw the luminous views of the harbor at night. The buildings were works of art--their reflections forming mini-galaxies in the dark pupil of the harbor. The night was cold and misty, and I felt like a model in a photo shoot as E. took picture after picture of me with the harbor as my backdrop. We ate dessert--profiteroles and molten chocolate cake and ice cream--in a restaurant filled with fairy lights that looked like something out of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The next morning I had the most delicious mango bubble tea known to man (I have officially been spoiled and bubble tea anywhere other than Rabbit Cafe in Hong Kong is inadequate), and I was off to explore Central Hong Kong. The buildings all had unique stories (including one that was dubbed the "House of 1,000 assholes" due to its windows, which resembled ship portholes), and the park in the middle of it all was a haven for people watching. I met up with E. and S. for another delicious lunch of dim sum (there was an HOUR wait for this restaurant!). I tried chicken feet and had the best pork buns ever. We then went for a drive back to Repulse Bay and visited a famous hotel with a big square cut out of it (for Feng Shui purposes), and soaked in the view of the bay. Hong Kong has a multitude of surprisingly lush green spaces, though they come with an overwhelming price tag. We then wove our way over to Stanley to visit the famous Stanley Market. I purchased some art as gifts, and marveled at the price of pearls. We stopped for treats at a local bakery and then my new friends graciously drove me to the airport.
I was really sad to leave. I had been used to taking trips by myself, and while I certainly love traveling on my own, it was nice to be around kind, smart people who really showed off their city and took me to places where I would not have gone on my own. It was also nice to have someone taking pictures of me instead of having to ask the occasional random (and non-English-speaking) stranger. Their hospitality meant so much to me in a time when I had so many isolated moments, and struggled to find a community, and ate so many dinners alone.
It was a fabulous trip!
Monday, November 9, 2009
All Good Things
Things that are rocking my world right now:
*Teaching!! I love love LOVE teaching kindergarten! My Superstars are the most delicious morsels of human beings....we're going to go far this year!
*Running. Cambridge has some lovely sidewalks littered with crunchy autumn leaves. Evening and weekend runs are heaven.
*Broccoli cheddar soup and pumpkin soup from Au Bon Pain.
*French press coffee on weekend mornings.
*Homemade pumpkin bars, recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com.
*Cranberry wine from the Three Lakes Winery in Wisconsin.
*Trader Joe's. Words cannot express how much I missed Trader Joe's while living in Bangkok!
*Fast Food Nation. I may be a bit behind the times, as this book has been around for some time....however, I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.
*My Fake Uggs from Target.
*
*Teaching!! I love love LOVE teaching kindergarten! My Superstars are the most delicious morsels of human beings....we're going to go far this year!
*Running. Cambridge has some lovely sidewalks littered with crunchy autumn leaves. Evening and weekend runs are heaven.
*Broccoli cheddar soup and pumpkin soup from Au Bon Pain.
*French press coffee on weekend mornings.
*Homemade pumpkin bars, recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com.
*Cranberry wine from the Three Lakes Winery in Wisconsin.
*Trader Joe's. Words cannot express how much I missed Trader Joe's while living in Bangkok!
*Fast Food Nation. I may be a bit behind the times, as this book has been around for some time....however, I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.
*My Fake Uggs from Target.
*
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Return
Wow....it has been over two months since I have blogged! The space here feels like it actually belongs to someone else. So much has changed since I left Asia at the end of July! I have a job that I love, Peter and I are now happily living together, and I am beginning the slow work of getting back in touch with friends and family while my brain begins to process the last two years away.
I didn't think I wanted to continue blogging after I left Asia, since, well, my life is certainly not as exciting as it was over there. I most definitely yearn for my weekend jaunts to Burma, and haggling over jade elephants in markets, and buying strings of pearls without blinking an eye, and watching sunsets at temples. My camera is taking a well-deserved vacation, and I am trying to finish writing in my journal about trips that were not fully documented before they disappear into the abyss of anything that is outside of my present thoughts, wonderings, and work.
But, well, I realized that I missed blogging. Even though there may no longer be anyone listening due to my extended absence, I feel as though I have a lot from those two years that I still need to process, still need to document, and would still love to share with others. I have also realized that I need more in my life right now than just work and sleep. Don't get me wrong....my life right now feels full and busy and peaceful, and BURSTING with people and love and new ambitions. The peace of mind that I have now would not have been possible without the hard mental and emotional work that I did in Asia, and a bit of the Buddhist peace, the appreciation for the present, and the lack of hyper-focused tunnel vision that I found there has stayed with me. However, there were also many painful events and situations over there that my brain is now feeling safe enough to work through.
When Peter and I woke up this morning and went about our delicious weekend rituals, he told me that I seemed more Zen. Less overwhelmed by life and the universe and the scrambling logistics of adapting to an entirely new living and work situation after having been immersed in such a unique and different culture for two years. I feel more Zen. I feel present and awake and thoroughly satisfied, but it has definitely been an interesting adjustment period.
And so.....in honor of it being NaBloPoMo (though I don't think I will ever put myself through that in any sort of official capacity again...sheesh...) I officially resurrect my blog.
I didn't think I wanted to continue blogging after I left Asia, since, well, my life is certainly not as exciting as it was over there. I most definitely yearn for my weekend jaunts to Burma, and haggling over jade elephants in markets, and buying strings of pearls without blinking an eye, and watching sunsets at temples. My camera is taking a well-deserved vacation, and I am trying to finish writing in my journal about trips that were not fully documented before they disappear into the abyss of anything that is outside of my present thoughts, wonderings, and work.
But, well, I realized that I missed blogging. Even though there may no longer be anyone listening due to my extended absence, I feel as though I have a lot from those two years that I still need to process, still need to document, and would still love to share with others. I have also realized that I need more in my life right now than just work and sleep. Don't get me wrong....my life right now feels full and busy and peaceful, and BURSTING with people and love and new ambitions. The peace of mind that I have now would not have been possible without the hard mental and emotional work that I did in Asia, and a bit of the Buddhist peace, the appreciation for the present, and the lack of hyper-focused tunnel vision that I found there has stayed with me. However, there were also many painful events and situations over there that my brain is now feeling safe enough to work through.
When Peter and I woke up this morning and went about our delicious weekend rituals, he told me that I seemed more Zen. Less overwhelmed by life and the universe and the scrambling logistics of adapting to an entirely new living and work situation after having been immersed in such a unique and different culture for two years. I feel more Zen. I feel present and awake and thoroughly satisfied, but it has definitely been an interesting adjustment period.
And so.....in honor of it being NaBloPoMo (though I don't think I will ever put myself through that in any sort of official capacity again...sheesh...) I officially resurrect my blog.
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