God of the Desert Places February 29, 2008

The desert: A harsh, unfriendly place. Sand, rock, sand, rock. There is no water to be seen, only fleeting glimpses of oasis, cruel hallucinations fuelled by the heat. It seems to go on forever, unchanging landscape, dryness and aridity seeming to sap the life and energy from my bones. Deep weariness sets in as I trudge onwards, with hope of a way out fading. There is no way of knowing which direction I am going or how far into this barren wilderness I have walked. Even the uncertainty is mocking, I could be 5 miles from the edge of this lonely plain, or I could be 5 miles from where I started, walking in an ever repeating circle.

Insignificance roars at me from every grain of sand, as they wait unnoticed, un-stepped upon, thousand upon thousand. Am I unseen too, the only human in a hundred miles of space? I could scream and scream and nobody would hear a word.

There are moments when I consider laying down on a rock and abandoning it all. There are times when I think I have forgotten the sight of verdance, the sound of running water, the taste of fruit. These are periods when this journey seems too costly, when the horror and shock of all I have seen would tempt me to give up, suffocating me like the pervading heat of the sun.

Sometimes my anger burns at those who caused this journey, both the human contributors and the One holding the cosmic plan. Am I a victim of some twist of fate? Is this punishment for some unnamed misdemeanour I committed? Is God angry with me, leading me out here to perish on the sand?

Sometimes sadness creeps up to choke me. My landscape has changed utterly, and I grieve for the flowing streams and green grasslands. I spend long hours awake, staring up into the unyielding blackness, longing for the sights of life and spring, longing for the morning to bring some glimmer of hope, some new colour than these repetitive yellows.

Initially, the stillness frustrates me. Used to busyness and vibrancy, I want to hurry the pace. I want to know I am getting somewhere. I look for signs of progress, unable to measure anything in this anonymous landscape.

I could have been here days or weeks. And, I begin to learn that life here is to be lived day to day. Sometimes I find myself considering my future, sometimes I find myself railing at all that brought me here. I learn to take each hour as it comes, to glean the hopeful moments and to ride out the darker times. There is a valuable lesson in learning not to berate myself in either.

In the early days of this journey, I wondered whether Despondency would take over, an inevitable victor in this place of solitude. As time passes though, I begin to notice that Hope’s undercurrent does not wane. Even when the night seems bleakest, when home seems the furthest away and when my thirst seems insatiable, there is a heartbeat of security that is untouched by these circumstances. And, as I lie awake, I find myself considering the good that I believe will come out of this journey.

In the rainlessness of the desert, I have no other real choice but to keep going, to keep hoping for all that is ahead, outside of this parched, arid place. And, as I travel and wait, the Complacency that previously plagued me fades. Stripped of all other certainty, all other company, I find that dependence on my Father God is not an optional extra, but my only hope of survival. Forced to rely on his provision, I find it more satisfying than any brightly packaged supplies I could purchase for myself. He is my only comfort, the only one who sees this in totality with me, who understands the path I walk, who knows whether I am 5 miles in or 5 miles from the edge. I learn that to trust him is to grow, even when my surroundings appear barren and lifeless.

Perhaps most valuable of all, I learn that He is God of the Desert Places. He knows every metre of this vast space. He has counted every grain of sand and crafted this place to his Divine Specification. Just as my journey here was not accidental, neither will be the path I walk through this place, or the destination I reach on the other side. And, as I learn to hear His voice and recognise His presence in the Desert Places, so too will He walk with me wherever I go. Somewhere deep in myself I find myself rejoicing, for this pilgrimage has been integral in falling deeper in love with Him. It’s ironic, and I realise that all I thought would spell disaster has actually brought me deeper peace.

The truth is, I am not on the other side yet, but I have journeyed deep enough in to know with all my being, that there is some redemptive purpose in the journey. And so, I walk on in hope, keeping my eyes fixed on Him, on God of the Desert Places, and taking one step at a time. His love is new each morning. And I am not consumed.

Illfated Attempts February 29, 2008

Just to dispel any myths that working in prayer is glamorous, I thought I’d share with you the story of our Wednesday afternoon this week.

Just as some background, we’ve been looking at reviewing some of our processes recently. Stuff like admin, communication, filing… fun stuff like that. Wednesday afternoon came around and it was time to tackle communication. We’d worked all morning, and had lunch, and so we decided to have a brief ten minute blast back at our desks before hitting the review. It was at this point that our neat plans came crashing down around our ears, and chaos and catastrophe ensued!

The first signs of trouble were some unhappy noises from Friendly Boss’s desk. She was searching for a file on her computer, which, though it had been faithfully completed previously, just happened to have inconveniently dematerialised. After a futile search through the annals of the filing system, the only solution was to recreate it from scratch, as it was the deadline for it to be sent off. Not a good moment. The technological malfunction was then exacerbated, as her small computer began to have health issues, until it froze, unspeaking and immobile. In Friendly Boss’s defence, she remained calm, and did not throw either computer out of the window, a temptation which may have proved too strong for me.

On my side of the desk divide, things were equally fraught. Lots of things we seeking to distract me from my tasks, not least bored colleagues and disgruntled email correspondents. I was looking forward to the tea and chocolate which were to be integral parts of the communications review. I was also feeling quite sleepy, a fact which did not abet my ability to rise above the administrative mayhem bearing a cheery grin! 

Things continued in a similar, unfruitful vein for an hour or so. By this time we decided to abandon the communications review and retreat to a purveyor of latte and muffins in a last ditch attempt to redeem the afternoon. There was, however, one last grim moment to be had.

In order to preserve the dignity of Friendly Boss’s Sometimes Hapless Guide Dog, I will leave it to your imagination as to why we found ourselves huddled in a grimy corner near the shopping centre. I would also like to state that we were off the beaten track, we were prepared for the eventuality, and were therefore not harming or disrupting anyone. It was therefore quite bemusing as a random man started telling us off. Just to give you an idea of our crime, I quote his catchphrase: “You people are nasty innit (insert repetitive expletives here)”.  Now, I am quite a placid person, but after a few minutes of this I found myself retorting, which, though brave, proved futile.

We reached the aforementioned purveyor, finally, laughing about the litany of disaster that had befallen us in such a short period of time. Life in prayer may not be glamorous, but it certainly cannot be described as dull!!

Found in the Desert Place February 25, 2008

For the last week or so, I have been reading a really interesting book about the lives of the Desert Mothers, who, in the early years of the Christian faith, moved to the deserts in the north of Egypt and devoted themselves to a life of prayer.

I’m reading it because I have recognised the need to chill out, to stop and silence my world some more, to practice the disciplines of stillness that I know a lot about in theory but struggle with in practice.

Thinking out the desert, it struck me that we often use it as a metaphor for aridity, spiritual dryness, places of struggle and hardship in our journey. Even yesterday we sang, “Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness…”

As I’ve been reading through the book and thinking about how to implement some of the suggestions it presents, it has struck me that, for these women, the desert places were not places of dryness and despair; but of life and growth & deepening.

This led me to think some more about the place of the desert in scripture, and in my own life:

- In Exodus, the Israelites leave Eqypt to journey to the promised land. Exodus 8:27 says: “We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us.” This is supposed to be a short journey but it lasts 40 years. Later it is referred to, not as the desert but as the ‘wilderness’. This makes me think that sometimes God takes us into the desert as part of a transition, a journey from one place, experience or season; so we can spend time apart with him before entering the new things. I guess the lesson for me from the Israelites is to remain open to God’s direction in this place, to not get stuck there, thinking he has deserted me.

- The desert can be a place of miracle & provision. For the Israelites it was a place where God sent food and made his presence tangible and real. It was also a place where he spoke to them about their destiny. For us, too, the ‘in-between places’ give us an opportunity to experience having to trust in him and finding him faithful. Deuteronomy 8:15 backs this up: “He led you through the vast and dreadful  desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.”

Deuteronomy 32:10 is also good: ” In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.”

- For Elijah & David, the desert was a place of refuge from danger. David writes Psalm 63 from this location: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Ps. 63:1).

- In Mark 1, we read about Jesus’ experiences in the desert. He is led there by the Spirit of God, this is no accidental wandering. We are told that angels attended him there, but we are not given much detail about what he does. What is described to us in more fullness is Jesus’ experiences with temptation during this time, how the devil presents him with a number of options which would seem to make his time in the desert, and his whole ministry after that a whole lot easier (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus rejects all of these temptations and stands strong. This makes me think that desert times for us are often times when we are honed spiritually, when we face some of the toughest temptations, and where the neat exterior things of our faith are stripped away and we grapple with what we truly believe.

One of the quotes that jumped out from the book I am reading is as follows: “The desert is a place of spiritual revolution, not of personal retreat. It is a place of deep encounter, not of superficial escape. It is a place of repentance, not recuperation.” (John Chryssavgis, quoted in: The Desert Mothers, Mary C Earle, Chapter 10).

All this stuff makes me continue to think that things are so often not as they seem, there is so often a bigger picture plan going on. When we are in the desert places, it can be appealing to just try and get through them as soon as possible, to keep our heads down and to keep walking, hoping the sand doesn’t burn our feet too badly.

I’m thinking that I want to slow down my pace a little though, to stop, listen and ask God what he wants to teach me even in, and especially in these desert places.
                                         

                                                                                                                                  

Twists in the Tale February 24, 2008

We visited another Salvation Army church this morning. It was a really lovely service and was great to meet so many friends there. As a church they have been working throught the book of Jonah, and today was the final one in the series for them on this subject.

We looked at the bit right at the end of the book – Jonah had finally made it to Ninevah, delivered the message God had given him, and the people had turned from their sin and repented. God decides not to smite the city after all and it looks like everything will be happy ever after.

But Jonah is unhappy about this. He complains bitterly to God, and decides he wants to die. God responds with little sympathy, his compassion is for the 120,000 people in Ninevah, and he draws Jonah’s attention to this fact. As readers we are surprised by the twist in the tale, like a Hollywood movie where we thought we’d predicted the ending, only to be shocked at the last minute.

The more I thought about it, the more I saw this as applicable to my life at the moment. Do you know what I mean about those times when, just as you thought you had it all worked out, when you seemed to have grasped where the story was going, when things were just making sense; the tables turn irrevocably?

Often these twists in the tale are uncomfortable. I know the one I am in at the moment is. It was more fun when things were clearer and more predictable.

As I have thought about this, it made me think of how often this is the case: the times we have prayed long and hard for someone to be healed and then they are not, the times we have prayed that a situation will improve and instead it escalates, those moments when we beg God to move and it seems the opposite to what we have asked happens. We can be left standing on a new page of our story, reeling from how things have changed, uncertain of where God is and where he is leading us.

It reminds me that what looks like the end of the story to our human minds is often just the start of a new phase of it. When Jesus was crucified on the cross it looked like the whole thing was over, failed, quashed. When Job lost his family and livestock, it looked as if everything of value had been taken from him. When Joseph’s brother stripped him of his robe and sold him to passing Midianite traders, it looked like the end of his life and of God’s plans for him. God sees the bigger picture and what we see as disaster and ending can often be an opportunity for something fresh and new and vibrant. These biblical twists in the tale were painful at the time and yet God was in control in each situation.

For me, today, these twists are an opportunity to go deeper in relationship with God, to be able to get to know him better, and to understand to a greater extent what it means to be adopted into his family. I can’t rationalise or understand the things that are happening, but I trust in who God says he is. I trust that he is faithful, I trust that he is present, I trust that he has my best interests at heart, and I trust that he hears me when I cry out to him.

I have to choose to remember these things, especially when the circumstances of life would scream the opposite. It’s back to those verses in Lamentations 3- I’m keeping a grip on hope, because God’s love couldn’t have run out or changed, he is faithful, he is merciful, he is all the certainty I have.

I wonder if Jonah looked back on his life and found that the twist in his tale – the redemption of Ninevah and his reaction to it, was an opportunity for growth, for new depth in his relationship with God. Or did the uncertainty and unpredictability prove too much?

When I look back at the unexpected twists in my own life, I want to be able to recognise that these caused me to throw myself more onto God’s love and to rely more completely on his Salvation. Romans 8:28 promises that God uses everything for good for those who love him. That is sometimes difficult to grasp, but he has proved it in the past and I remain sure that this time will be no different.

Adjusting February 20, 2008

This is my favourite holiday photo. It was taken on the beach at Shek O, and I love the sense of fun and adventure it reminds me of.

I have been wondering what to write about for days. Obviously I made it home, we skimmed over the Plateau of Tibet and zoomed accross Siberia. It was an amazing sight. I saw the lights of St Petersburg from 37,000 feet and it got dark twice. I sat next to a Christian who was lovely. The airport was run by a Christian who had felt a call from God to set it up. They played ‘Shine Jesus Shine’ as we landed at Gatwick. All of those things are noteworthy.

Also noteworthy, for me, has been the total lack of normality I have experienced over the last few days. I have been falling asleep at the wrong moments and waking up too early. I have been reduced to tears by the silliest things (including watching ‘National Treasure’ at the cinema – random). I have sat at my desk feeling utterly displaced and wondering how I am ever going to get any work done. To top it all I have ended up on antibiotics!

I have wondered whether I should ever go on holiday again. relaxing was great, but the after effects have been far from comfortable!

The more I have pondered these things, the more it has been making me think that this is often my response to the good things God does in my life. For a moment I am happy, I enjoy them, I am grateful. Then when the dust settles a bit and it’s all less glittery; I find myself struggling to adjust, flirting with ingratitude, harbouring quiet complaint. Too often I can be like the Israelites, rescued from slavery in Egypt, only to whinge that things were better there.

The only way to get through the post-holiday readjustment has been, and will be to ride it out. To trust that the joy and wonder and adventure of the trip is worth some feelings of unsettledness now.

In the same way, when I am grappling with the magnitude of some of the things God has done, and the affect these have on my day to day life, I need to remember that He has my best interests at heart, that He uses all things for good, and that He is just so much wider than me.

I have so many stories from my time away, I feel like I could write and write about the colours, the smells, the views and the senses; the lessons I learnt, and the moments of clarity that happened while I was in Hong Kong. When I think back over the last couple of weeks my heart swells with thankfulness that I had the opportunity to experience these things.

It is true, also, that however harsh the readjustment has felt, there are still exciting things to be discovered here, and important lessons to learn. Now that I am a bit more awake, I feel more able to enjoy these!

Postcard from Hong Kong 6 February 14, 2008

Wednesday dawned misty and cloudy. We got up and headed to Lantau, which the South-Western Island of Hong Kong. E got a cable car up to the tiny village of Ngong Ping. I think this pic adequately shows how terrifyingly high it was!! 

Ngong Ping was nestled in the mountains, its main claim to fame being that it is directly below a huge statue of Buddha. The others all went to see that while I stayed down in the village. It was really full of tourists but it was still very interesting to explore. After the others returned we tried some traditional chinese tea served in a proper tea house. It was very nice

After Ngong Ping we caught a coach which careered down the mountain to the tiny(er) village of Tai O. Here is one of the only places left in hk where they have houses on stilts. We looked at these for ages and wandered around the tiny authentic fish market. We bartered for some local crafts, including shrimp paste!! The village was very small and deprived and was such a stark contrast from all the riches of hk we have seen.

After Tai O we got on another coach. This journey really was scary. It took 50ish minutes and we crossed the whole Island, which was very up and down in altitude. There were cows randomly walking in the road and some steep drops. So it was no time to doze off. When we reached Mui Wo on the eastern coast of the Island we caught a ferry which took us back to central hk.

In the evening we went to a market and then home!

Today we went into central Hong Kong again and visited some more markets – we saw goldfish and birds and lots of flowers. We also visited the science museum. This afternoon we caught a traditional ‘junk’ around the harbour, which was a unique experience. This evening we went and sang Karaoke for hours. So it has been a good last day here!

Postcard from Hong Kong 5 February 12, 2008

The last two days have been packed with activity, after the relative chilledness of last week. Zoe’s two friends came armed with a list of stuff they wanted to do, so we have been merrily wading through that.

Yesterday we travelled over to Hong Kong Island, to meet one of the other gap year students for lunch. Matt is very cool and shared my penchant for random facts, so it was fab to meet a kindred. He was darting off to catch a plane to the Phillipines though, so it was a brief meeting. We had lunch in the IFC (International Finance Centre), which is a cool high tower overlooking the harbour. We ate bbq pork and roast goose with rice, which was extremely tasty. After the meal we went into one of the really posh hotels because said friends wanted to enquire about the price of a meal there. It was very swanky so we all felt a little out of place!!

After this, we jumped on one of the tall Island trams to Hong Kong Park. This is like a green oasis in the middle of all the high tech concrete and metal towers, so we appreciated the change in scenery. We walked through slowly, taking photos in the fountains and wandering through an aviary.

The park wound uphill swiftly, so we made our way up to catch the tram up to the top of the peak (one of the highest points in hk). It is 0.9 miles high, and the tram was near vertical on the 8 minute journey up. They crammed loads of people onto it, so it was a little scary, but a fab experience. We were right at the back, so gravity meant we were pretty much pressed against the back window. The drop was terrifying and all our ears popped but the view was astounding. At the top we mooched around some of the gift shops, drank coffee and then went up to the Peak tower where there is a viewing station over all the buildings below. It was dark by this time, so the skyline looked amazing. I was speechless.

After this, we caught a bus back down into the Central area. The Symphony of Lights was just beginning so lasers danced above our heads as we queued to catch the ferry back accross to the mainland. It was a little dizzying to be in a boat, after being up so high and descending quickly in a somewhat death-defying bus ride, but it was definitely a good view point. We grabbed some tea and then wandered along the harbour front and saw the Avenue of the Stars.

This morning we all managed to sleep in (we still wonder how both alarm clocks failed!!), but it was nice to have a relaxed morning. We then took the train and bus to a place called Shek O, on the South-East coast of HK Island. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but as the bus wound through the mountains and down towards the tiny village, we knew we were not going to be dissapointed. The view was lovely. The sea turquoise-blue, the sand pale white and the area quiet and unspoilt.

We alighted from the bus and walked onto the beach. I really cannot describe how lovely it was. We paddled in the sea a little before realising we were all hungry. We found a small chinese place and ordered different dishes to share between us. We had rice with octopus, squid, prawn, mussel (and other unidentifyable fish); Beef & onions in bbq sauce; rice with pork and egg; and oyster noodles in soup. The four of us delighted in trying the different fayre and it was the nicest meal I’ve had out here. The little old owner of the restaurant was really friendly too, so we had our photo taken with him!

After lunch it was back to the (breathtaking) beach. This time there was more opportunity for paddling, so I dumped my coat and bag and headed for the sea. It was 17 degrees on the beach, but the sea water was so cold it initially felt chilling to the bone. I soon acclimatised though, and was quickly up to my knees. I spent a good couple of hours just wandering up and down the shoreline by myself just thinking, praying, picking up shells and paddling around. It was lovely to be able to spend time doing that, and at the end of it I felt invigorated, relazed, refreshed and inspired.

The only bad point about the beach experience was the squat toilets there. I won’t go into detail but we were not very amused!!

After Shek O we got the bus back to Central and wandered around. The others wanted to visit a temple but it was shut. We bartered for some pretty bracelets and then went to see the ‘mid-level escalators’. These were, surprisingly, escalators, but we had never seen them so big or long before.

We then headed back to Kowloon, where the others wanted to buy suits. (There are loads of tailors here and they make you a really good, really cheap suit in 72 hours). We loved the tailors shop – it had over 20,000 different fabrics and smelt lovely – a mixture of fabric and polish.

After this the others went to find some tea and I went to find a supermarket. I was very proud that I managed to navigate there and back on my own, and find the items that we needed. I love visiting foreign supermarkets as I think they give a unique view of what life is really like somewhere, I am always intrigued by the different products and brands and labels.

After successfully reuniting with the others, we headed home. It has been a lovely couple of days and it is really odd to think that I only have two full days left here!

Postcard from Hong Kong 4 February 10, 2008

Yesterday shall be fixed in my memory forever as the day of shopping centre exploration. We started at Time Square, which was is on Hong Kong Island itself. It had 13 floors, and was filled with many many expensive designer shops. So that was a lot of window shopping! It was a great photo opportunity from the 13th floor though, I don’t think I’ve ever felt height-sick in a shoping centre before!!

After this we got a cool tram to another shopping centre. I was excited by the tram. It cost the equivalent of 13p, was made of wood and was very old and narrow. It took quite a while to get us to the other centre, but it was worth it! Much more fun that a bus or a modern tram.

The next shopping centre was called Pacific Place, and was amazing inside, gleaming and spacious and with fantastic displays. We also encountered the world’s friendliest cash point, which wished us a good day when Zoe withdrew cash from it! After lunch we looked in more shops, and wandered some more.

After we watched the sun go down over the harbour and took many pictures, we headed to the third shopping centre of the day. It was cool, undeground and seemed to go back for miles.

We headed home eventually and spent the evening in the flat. I started to read ‘Bleak House’ by Charles Dickens, and am loving it so far -very descriptive and rich in vocabulary. I had to read outloud because everyone else was singing songs from ‘high school musical’, a fact which perturbed me greatly. In the end I gave up reading and joined Zoe in colouring some mosaic patterns she’d bought earlier. The switch from Bleak House to colouring in amused me. We stayed up till about 3am doing that.

Today we woke up quite late and then headed to the airport to meet Zoe’s other 2 friends who are staying this week. We took them back to Yuen Long so they could drop off theit stuff, then we headed back into town for some tea. We headed to Zoe’s church, which is a western/anglican church. It was so so lovely to be in church, to be worshipping God and to meet with others in fellowship. It was like a breath of fresh air, an infusion of oxygen in a polluted atmosphere. I liked it very much.

After church we wandered around for ages in the night markets in central hk. There was loads of stalls and loads of people.  was good to mooch around and look at all the different things, as well as dodgy people who wanted to tell us our fortunes!! After this it was time for home, and an evening spent writing and drinking hot chocolate – bliss!

Postcard from Hong Kong 3 February 8, 2008

After the excitement of going to Ocean Park on Tuesday, I spent half of Wednesday sleeping it off. Zoe was a little bemused about me sleeping in till 11.30, but I enjoyed it lots!! When I finally surfaced (which was only because Zoe, being somewhat fed up as she woke up at 7am, began making noise!), we went into Yuen Long, which is Zoe’s town. A lot of shops were closed due to the Chinese New Year celebrations, but some were open.

We wandered around for a bit, had some yummy steak for lunch, looked in some groovy shops and generally mooched. When Zoe was exhausted by my inexhaustible ability to peruse, we went home. That evening, we decided to go bowling with a couple of the guys that live here. So we all got ready, jumped on the train and headed to a lovely place called Tuen Mun. Once we got there, we were sad to find the bowling alley shut. All were flummoxed by this, and stood there at a loss for what to do next. In the end we decided to go back to Zoe’s and play Cranium. I was great at the word rounds, but shocking at the action ones (having never played charades in my life!).

Yesterday we stayed at home in the morning and then headed into Kowloon, with the intention of visiting Kowloon Park. We got a little distracted on the way by some trees that were decorated for new year. Further distracted we went to Festival Walk, which is another huuuge shopping centre. More walking around randomly buying nothing, but I spent three hours being excited about stationery and kitchen utensils and jewellery. We also had some fab chinese food.

Yesterday evening we stood for two hours waiting for the chinese new year parade. We got there so early so we could have front row seats, and it was definitely worth it. The parade went on for two hours, there were coloured floats, lights, dancing and marching. It was a real spectacle and we took hundreds of photos. I had also never seen or been in a crowd like that.

Today we got up slowly and headed back to Tuen Mun. We wandered around a very confusing and disorientating shopping centre before abandoning it because it was too busy/cramped. We jumped onto a tram thing and headed to the Ferry Pier at Tuen Mun. You could get a ferry to Macau from there but we thought that maybe a bad plan. It was nice to be by the seaside, although the water was pretty polluted. Zoe tells me you could see the another Island from there and the airport, but it was too misty with pollution to see anything. We did see wild cats eating from tiny catfood tins though, which was cute, and I did get to walk on the sand which was great.

After Tuen Mun, we headed back to Kowloon and went to a chinese restaurant. I created chaos by requesting cutlery instead of chopsticks. It was a nice meal though. Then we fought our way through marauding crowds and went and stood by the harbour. For the second night running we had to stand there for 2 hours, and for the second night running I got to marvel as it grew darker and the twinkling lights of the famous Hong Kong skyline were slowly switched on. We experimented with our cameras, nattered about life, and smiled as people jostled and argued around us. At 8pm, the lights behind us dimmed and the fireworks began.

The fireworks were cool, not very long but quite good. The crowds were huge though, even larger than the previous evening. After the fireworks were done, Zoe and I walked along the harbour front, having heard rumours of craziness on the tube system. Then we headed back to the bus stop and rode back to Yuen Long.

Tomorrow is saturday, I can’t believe I’ve been here almost a week already. I’m having an excellent time and am loving seeing all the new places. It’s great to be the one being led too, Zoe is an excellent guide.

Postcard from Hong Kong 2 February 5, 2008

Well, I’ve been here a couple of days now, the rigours of jetlag are fading and I am starting to feel almost human again. I still find it strange to not be able to understand anyone on the tube, and still spend too long working out what time it is in England, but on the whole I am feeling happy and settled.

Yesterday we ended up in some contrasting places – the market at Mong Kok was long and narrow, dirty and busy. Traders stood at the entrance to every stall, calling, “Missy, missy, copy watch or bag? Hello?”. Sometimes they would grab your sleeve, often it was hard to keep walking (even though there was no way I was going to buy a copy anything!). Perusing the goods was challenging, with the same incessant attempts to get us to stop, to look, to buy things. I learnt how to barter, haggling the price of a bag down to four pounds, and a purse to three. I also learnt that I am bad at just ignoring people, at walking away from the people trying to thrust stuff into our hands. I couldn’t not reply when they said hello… hmm.

There were very few tourists there, but it was packed, and there was a very definite sense that the people were making money to survive, that it was hard going, with little reward.

After Mong Kok, we travelled to Tsim Sha Tsui, in Kowloon. Here we went to Harbor City, which is a massive shopping centre with three floors, overlooking the harbour and the famous HK skyline. It was an incredibly salubrious place, with expensive designer stores, jewellers glittering with riches, gleaming polished floors and an atmosphere of privilege and money. It was absolutely and utterly different than Mong Kok. We wandered round a bit, couldn’t really afford to buy anything and I was a bit awed by the place. We sat in Starbucks for a while though, then took a walk down to the harbour front, where I marvelled at all the different buildings.

Today we went to Ocean Park, which is like a theme park/zoo place. The rides were great – rollercoasters and the like. It reminded me of the importance of having times of pure fun in my life, and also reminded me that I hadn’t been to a theme park in almost five years! I was a little terrified on some of the rides, but they were very good. We also saw some wonderful creatures – Pandas (beautiful, cute and curious), Jellyfish (lit up in in colours, intricate and intriguing), Dolphins (comedic and intelligent), All kinds of fish (breathtaking – especially the stingrays), and sea turtles (which I especially loved).

So it’s been a lovely couple of days. Coupled with the exploring, there have been many moments of just kicking back and relaxing, which I really needed. Last night we just chilled out with a dvd, tonight we are just hanging out and writing. So that’s been great too.

I guess there are a lot of things to be learned in new places, lots of insights that I can pull out of this time already, but for now it is enough to say that I am having a lovely time, that I am very grateful for this opportunity, and that I am looking forward to the days ahead.