Meanwhile, bak in Hong Kong....

I’ve been working hard, or pretending to work really hard, at the YMCA. I was so surprised to discover that the YMCA is actually very prestigious in HK—very unlike the homeless-person haven it’s known for being in Cali. I get to run around in a different cute suit every day (I’ve bought NINE suits since I’ve been here) and interview people and generally act like I actually have a real job.

Funny story about my second day at work: We get free lunch every day at the cafeteria (which they call the “canteen”—makes me feel like I’m in the army or something) but we have to use our ID card to scan in at this machine a the front of the lunch line. When people scan in, it makes this pleasant ringing sound, so you’d assume if you weren’t authorized it would make a pleasant beeping noise to indicate that. Oh how wrong I was—I was at the front of the lunch line and scanned my ID card, which apparently wasn’t registered correctly, and instead of a small buzz or other unobtrusive noise, this huge, loud booming voice comes on that says “EXCUSE ME, BUT YOU ARE NOT AUTORIZED TO EAT HERE. PLEASE OBTAIN THE PROPER CLEARANCE AND COME BACK LATER” or something like that…and then repeats itself in Chinese! Omg the while lunch line broke out laughing at my ass and I was so mortified.

Drunken escapades of Karen episode #236:
I left at noon Saturday for a boat trip. Met some interesting people and got swash-bucklingly drunk on countless beers and wine (not a good idea to mix, I know) and ended up drunk-swimming in the open shark-infested ocean to an inflatable boat thing that was tied to the main boat. Hung out there for most of the afternoon…the best part was when it started pouring, it was amazing floating in the ocean while thousands of raindrops cascade all around you. The aftermath was rather ignoble, as I don’t even remember how I got home and I am told that I started banging on Lisa and Sweta’s door shouting “I lost my key!” when in fact I had not lost my key…anyway they found me later passed out in my room (yes, passed out drunk at 7pm) with just a towel on so they dressed me and put me in bed and took compromising pictures (you gotta love friends) and then woke me up at 8pm to go drinking.

Sunday, I went hiking at Lamma island, a beautiful place with the most random little shops in alleyways that played Goa music and made me feel like I was somehow in Europe again.

Sherry arrives in exactly 10 days, and I can’t wait to see her!!!