5th Post

Hey everyone, we've had an awesome last couple of days. First, I had a really great experience while playing a game of basketball. I really have wanted to meet some new people, so I decided to wander down the public basketball court. I was the tallest, whitest, most awkward looking guy out there. Also, I obviously didn't speak the language. I was immediately greeted by an elderly man who spoke very good English. He introduced himself and asked the locals to allow me to play in their game. He negotiated the terms of my being there, and then I was allowed to join the game.
The atmosphere around the courts was really interesting; young men were playing and old men from the community sat around and socialized. The entire area was such a cool cultural experience. Due to the small size of most homes, men tend to congregate in the local parks to watch basketball and various sports and spend time with their friends. Anyway, the games were great and everyone was very kind towards me. Later I asked the older man who helped me what he did for a living and why he spoke English so well. He said he had been to America and that he had been a professor at UCLA.
Three days later, Becca, SB, and I went to McDonald's for a late night treat and we met my friend again. Although this time, we realized that he was not a teacher, rather he was homeless.... This man had helped me for absolutely no reason. I actually had asked him to watch my things while I played. After the game he gave me pointers on my jumper and he didn't want anything from me other than the promise that I would return to play. I cannot believe that a man of such great need had been so open and willing to help me when he recognized that I needed a guiding hand. I think that this is such a cool story and I wanted to share it with you.
We were lucky to have a friend-of-a-friend take us around the local "TST" area (Tsim Sha Tsui is the surrounding neighborhood) on Friday night. Vanessa was born in Hong Kong, went to boarding school in the UK, did her undergrad at Penn State and married an American she met while working in Chicago. Work has brought her back to Hong Kong, so she was able to show us some great "hotspots" on the Kowloon side of the city. She led us down Temple Street and showed us the local markets and outdoor restaurants-- wish we could show you the huge LIVE prawns (still squirming!) they were serving! Then she took us to a swanky skyscraper spot--Aqua. The panoramic views of the city were amazing and the atmosphere inside was very posh and modern.
Well the past two days have been really tough... We've explored a few new local beaches! SB and I were stressed because we couldn't decide if we should head for the local shore or an outlying island. We decided to head to a local place called 'Shek O' beach. The beach is a little local coastal village. The setting was gorgeous. Rolling mountains drifted right into the ocean, which made for an amazing backdrop for the afternoon sun set.The best part was that the beach is only about 45 min from our house.
Well this week is a big one; school starts Tuesday. Finally we will have a routine and get a chance to really settle down. So we will tell yall how it goes!