Some Thoughts ...

So this morning I went to a church called The Vine, it's across in Hong Kong Island so it takes about an hour to get there including walking. That being said, I went by myself so I had two hours of thinking/listening to music to get some good thoughts in so I decided to share them with you all!

1) I've decided that when I return to the States some habits that I pick up are going to be considered very rude. For example, because there are sooo many people everywhere and places to be, it is very common to be run over, run into, pushed, etc. and no one really thinks anything of it or says excuse me. At first it may seem that people are rude, but really it's just part of the culture! If you need to get somewhere it is sort of every man for himself and you can't apologize to everyone you run into because you would spend all day saying "sorry". That being said, I have learned to fend for myself and push if I have to get on the subway, off the subway, but I'm going to have to be careful not to take these manners back home with me :) The second "bad" habit is not opening doors or greeting people. I think this sorta goes along with the first. There are so many people that you cannot greet them all! This ends up finding its way into situations where there are few people around. The biggest time I've learned to stay quiet is in the elevator. I live on the 10th floor so I have to take the elevator whenever I'm feeling too lazy to take the stairs and at first if there was only me and a few others there I would say hello and smile. For the most part all I received in return were blank stares or looks of confusion. haha Needless to say, I no longer greet everyone i see :) Hopefully I can lose that habit when I get home as well, especially in the South because everyone will think I'm very stuck up and rude!

2) What I've come to really love and appreciate is being a minority and constantly being around people from all over the world. At first, not fitting in (looks wise or actions wise) is what made me feel very uncomfortable and want to run back home to every place and person that was familiar to me. However, I really enjoy it now! A couple nights ago I was able to go to get a Thai dinner with 2 students from Finland, a student from Austria, a student from Germany, a student from Amsterdam, and 3 from the States! It was so cool to talk about our different homes and just learn a lot about other people from around the world. After church today a group of young adults went to get lunch and this included a girl from Canada, one from England, two from Hong Kong, and one from the States. I've realized what a blessing it is to have my mind opened up to what else is out there. It's so great to not just be on vacation but to know I will be here for awhile and REALLY get a feel for the Hong Kong/Chinese culture. It's especially neat during all of the New Year festivities! So anyway, although I do still miss everyone from home terribly, I'm also excited to get to know so many new people and places. I can only imagine what it will be like to get back to the US where everyone speaks my language and isn't Asian. haha I have no doubt that will be a culture shock in itself!

To expand on the church comment, I really enjoyed the church service and the people today! I'm excited to get more plugged in there and see all that God has to teach me. I have realized I have SO many things to learn and it's great to be halfway around the world but still meeting with a fellowship of believers and seeing the Spirit at work! Well ... hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday and will talk to you soon!

with love in Christ,
Deborah