Zaijian Urumqi, Foon Ying Hong Kong!

It's official, and it's officially out in the open for public consumption (although it's mighty difficult to keep anything secret in Urumqi): we're moving to Hong Kong!

Land of expensive clothes with sewn-on fashion logos, steamy dim sum dishes in clattery restaurants, business people scuffling in between buildings of the stuffy concrete jungle like lost beheaded ants or lemmings (what an image), etc etc.. well, that's the stereotypical picture i have of HK. From a comparably semi-passive Chinese city like Urumqi to busy busy Hong Kong it will be a feast for the senses indeed.

Matt was head-hunted and offered a new job there as Regional Director of Asia-Pacific for a German renewable energy company. Job description: to start up an Asia-Pacific branch from scratch by conducting market analysis, developing a strategy to enter the renewable energy market through mergers and acquisitions, setting up good relations with government officials, and whatever else that may come along. I've been given permission to speak on his behalf and say he is very excited to be given the opportunity to start something new and harvest invaluable experience. Since there is absolutely no presence in Asia at all, it was up to us to choose a location to be based in. We were thinking HK in the back of our minds just because it is very convenient to be able to fly out to other destinations even for a long weekend, for me to go back to school and find work, for me to improve my Cantonese drastically, the fact that I have some relatives there, and the draw of a multitude of things to do which we were quickly running out of in Urumqi. And so with the go-ahead from the Germans as a good strategic place to set up office, it's off to Hong Kong we go right after our Xinjiang wedding! Couldn't ask for more perfect timing really.

What i find so interesting in this new development is the fact that I was so close to going to HK as an English teacher last year, until Urumqi finally won the debate in my head as somewhere more remote, culturally diverse and exotic. I will never ignore my gut instincts - ever! Look what has happened in the past 9 months! I'm no longer surprised at the turn of events in my life where things seem to naturally follow suite in good order, kind of like fulfilling the full circle of life that is meant to happen. Sequences of events happen at their own pace, not really quickly, but at a rate where life is never boring. And now it's time to move on, to start our new life together in a new place, meeting new people and seeking new challenges and adventures.

When my mom heard about us moving to HK, she was amused at the fact that her daughter is following in her own footsteps, completing that 'circle' analogy that we've referred to on numerous occasions. From Hong Kong, my mom moved to Canada, met my father, got married and settled in Canada. I've gone to China, met my husband, got married and am (at least for now) settling in Hong Kong.

Have been researching online about places to live in HK, things to do, see, eat, visit. All very exciting and all VERY unbelievably expensive. We just received several books in the mail today which we ordered off Amazon, one of them being "Living and Working in Hong Kong: The Complete, Practical Guide to Expatriate Life in China's Gateway". Anxious to go through it later. But it looks like we'll have to forfeit our 'grand palace' here in Urumqi, where we have 3 EXTRA bedrooms, bathrooms (+jacuzzi) in exchange for a flat the size of our current kitchen. Makes for more intimate space with the mister, which truthfully, i don't mind one bit. Despite all the giddiness and excitement of moving to a new place, it's mulitiplied tenfold because this will be our first home as newlyweds. Plans and checklists are being made. Number one on the list is, of course, air conditioning.

On another note, I saw a man peeping out of a sewer hole today, kinda like a groundhog would out of his hole checking to see if it was nice weather. I didn't notice at first, he blended in so well. Not even a minute later, I saw a woman carrying about 50 frozen vacuum-sealed hot dog weiners (!) down the street, wagging her behind as if she were some waitress carrying a tray of expensive, breakable glasses.
So bizzare. So random. So China.

Will i miss these obscure sites when in HK? Don't know, maybe, probably, although i hesitate to admit it. However i'm sure there will be more random, eccentric things that will tickle me on a day to day basis, different to the things here, but still at a highly entertaining standard. Can't wait really.