Last year I vowed to be with my family for Chinese New Year come 2012.  I’ve missed it the past two years  since  coming out to Hong Kong in 2009, and do not want to miss out on this important family holiday.  To double-up, a very good friend is getting married the weekend before the holiday in Puerto Rico, so I planned to hit both NY and PR during this holiday.  So now we are dealing with all kinds of weather – cold wintery NY, perfectly warm PR days, and back to moderate HK temps.

Unfortunately – Grandma broke her (second) hip, and now the holidays won’t be the same with her still in recovery.  I’m glad she is doing alright, but once again, a hard reminder that I hate being so far from people that matter most to me.  So now I’ll have to plan to go back to NY once again for Chinese New Year 2013.

The symphony didn’t exactly go on a “tourist’s” tour — while they were fortunate enough to make it to Beijing and Xi’an, they also went to some rather tourist unfriendly cities (Dalian, Shenyang), some cities tourists generally skip (Shenzhen, Guangzhou), but got to see the lesser traveled Qingdao while skipping the usual must-see Shanghai.  The poor musicians were constantly being prodded into transport (whether it be a bus, train or plan), not knowing what most people were saying (China still requires some Chinese to travel, imo), rehearsing, performing, eating late and not necessarily tasty dinners (given little to no choice at that late hour), and seeing just about nothing of China.

Luckily, they did get to go on tours to the Qingdao beer factory, see the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and the Xi’an terra cotta warriors.  If Aaron saw none of those things, I’d be pretty sad for him.

Given Aaron’s visit, I decided to come back to Beijing  as a tourist for a second time (I did take a flight through Beijing June 2010 en route to NYC, but that obviously did not count).  I wondered how my tourist experience would change 5 years since my first visit, post-Olympics, post-China boom.

First difference from when I came to Beijing in 2006 on my very first China trip, it was a really hot summer, and I definitely could feel the pollution more back then.  I spent part of that time on some hardcore tours, and part of it with my younger sister who was studying abroad at Peking University for the summer.  I also spent way more time trying to haggle good deals at Pearl Market.

This time it was winter – temperatures were in the 30s (F) by day, and rather bitingly cold by night – especially when you’ve been living in a sub-tropical island for the past two years!   My agenda was pretty simple for this long weekend – check out some of the contemporary art everyone’s been raving about in recent years, properly tour a hutong (in ’06 I only accidentally wandered through one and thought a tour would be rudely invasive), see Aaron’s performance and hang out with him as much as possible, including his organized Great Wall and Forbidden City tour.   Additionally, I wanted to catch up with my friend Spencer, whom I was staying with again.

I accomplished all of the above except for the hutong tour — unfortunately New Year’s Eve did me in for the day, so I just had to rest up til the concert. Upon arrival, I enjoyed lunch with Spencer, and then set off for the 798 art district, where former warehouses, many constructed from bricks imported from East Germany and designed to withstand 7.0 earthquakes had been converted into studios, galleries, coffeeshops, and boutiques, to support a bohemian artists’ community.

I heard it was already gentrifying to a certain extent, but I thought I may as well check this area out first before seeing the more cutting-edge  Caochangdi.  I must say 798 should be a must visit for those who have a bit more time than a normal Beijing visit allows (if a first time visitor).  It is such a unique enclave that really made me think.  Plus, I did enjoy the art.

The coffeeshop where I took a rest was not quite as charming or restful as one I’d find in NY, but it was nice to just be there for some reason.  The shops have some unique items, so worth having a look, and definitely interesting to check out the UCCA – Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, the first of its kind funded almost 100% by one eccentric German contemporary Chinese art lover.

For New Year’s, Spencer invited me to join his friend Mitz, who was hosting a private party at his soon-to-be-opened bar, akin to his other bars in NYC – B Flat and its predecessor, Angel Share, which I loved when I was in NY.  He and his wife were very gracious and kind, and I liked the low-key atmosphere of just chilling with some champagne.  Many of the guests were Japanese ex-pats, and some could not speak English, so I had to resort to Mandarin to communicate.  Though I don’t prefer speaking in Chinese to English, it felt pretty comfortable to express myself, which is nice.

The next day, as I said, I found the New Year’s champagne had caught up to me, so I ended up in bed all day long til Aaron’s concert.  The concert was at the Beijing Concert Hall.  I wasn’t sure how to translate that, but managed to explain it to the cabbie.  I really enjoyed the music, even if Aaron kept stressing how amateur the symphony was.  I loved the classic American songs they chose – the West Side Story medley, Aaron Copeland’s Hoe-down, Stars and Stripes Forever — it made me feel nostalgic and patriotic.

Afterwards, Aaron and I snuck off to some local restaurant that opened late for dinner, since it seemed many of the post-concert meals weren’t terribly good.  We ordered lots of food for little money, enjoying some foods I’d never had before — a flaky bread, akin to the punched out naan from Singapore, but way more buttery and this thing that was like a combination of a dumpling and a scallion pancake smashed into one!  Very tasty.

Next morning we got up early for the organized tour.  The tour guide, Tang Ke, a/k/a Tim, was great.  He could just talk forever – and not just tell you about facts on Chinese history, but tell some fascinating stories about modern Chinese life – like what the different license plate colors in Beijing mean, where the most expensive hookers in BJ worked at one time, how much it costs to send your child to a good kindergarten – even though it is a “public” school.  He really gave an interesting look into modern Beijing life.  Sometimes I cursed how interesting he was because I wanted so desperately to take a nap on the bus!

The Mutianyu section hadn’t changed much since I last visited in 2006, and this time I had a quicker ride down the luge, though some of the others complained about the stops/slowdowns due to one cowardly orchestra member.  I’d say it definitely beat going down behind the  frightened girl I ended up braking constantly for 5 years ago!

The biggest change as to the Forbidden City was that the Starbucks was removed and replaced with a tea shop! I have to admit, a part of me was a little disappointed, because it was a comedy that best reflected the emergent China to me.

After the tour, I helped some of Aaron’s orchestra-mates do some shopping at Pearl Market, and then found out where to go for a classic and perfect Peking duck.  We grabbed the subway, which beat fighting for a taxi (I did not remember it being this hard to get one last time).

At the end of our meal, which was effectively the end of the trip, Aaron’s friend thanked  me for lending my language skills, since neither the subway ride nor the spectacular dinner could be possible without me.  I felt glad to help.  It was definitely the least I could do for the warm feelings I got when listening to their music!

All in all a great way to start the new year, save the one unpleasant day.  I felt I got to see Beijing in a different way than I did 5 years ago.  Will it change much more in another 5 years?

Well I’ve done a few things.  I’ve done my laundry, cooked a few meals at home, watched DVDs, got a haircut.  What a life.  I realized that it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a long weekend at home, and it reminds me of “normal” life from back when I lived in NY.  There was no pressure to go anywhere, and holidays meant just relaxing — not racing off to see the sites and do adventure activities.  As much as I love to see and do, I realize it’s easy to forget that it’s ok to just sit and relax and just how good it is to catch up on slowing down.

It’s hard to remember that in HK where even locals tend to get out of town for most holidays due to the ease of travel here.  Also, when you don’t have family around, you tend not to want to stick around either (last year two of my sisters came to visit and we had a lot of fun).

This year it was me and one great friend in HK, and lazying around was all that was needed.  We have grand plans to go ice skating and see a movie.  I think that will be the most action that is needed.  Happy holidays everyone!

I felt defensive about the comment, being someone who speaks and enjoys Cantonese very much and personally have had very different experiences (as indicated by my post!).  Plus this was a first for me that Cantonese was considered “inferior” like Vietnamese!

And then I recently saw this posted on the CUHK CLC facebook page, which I found pretty interesting.  It’s a clip from the caller question section of an NPR program featuring learned linguist John McWhorter discussing “what is a language.”

In this clip, you will hear a caller talks about how Cantonese is quite different and even considerably more enjoyable (and this is from someone who understands both Mandarin and Cantonese).  McWhorter clarifies that Cantonese is not a dialect.

I completely agree with both sentiments.  Cantonese is in its own right a language and it really is a whole lot of fun.  I think those of us who speak multiple dialects may have a better appreciation of that. And I have met people who learned Cantonese, but not Mandarin, who also love their study.

For those of you who don’t know, lau ban (老闆) is cantonese for boss.  Transliterally it is “old boss” (where “old” is a term of respect, just like in the Chinese for teacher).  For you Mandarin speakers, it’s lao ban, and the simplified characters are 老板.

I was kind of taken aback when I’d heard it, since I usually associated lau ban with people who were older, more in charge and senior than a law firm associate (which is almost the equivalent of a lackey, though I suppose there are always lackeys beneath the lackeys!) and always male, though I guess it technically should apply to me — and apply it did that day!

But once I recovered from the initial shock (really it didn’t take that long), I felt a bit of self-satisfaction, and thought, “Hey – I’m a lou baan!”

Now I wonder when someone is going to call me a “大佬”!

I had become rather fascinated by the Filipino migrant workers in prior posts, namely here and here.   It’s actually a rather deep matter, and one can probably teach a rather interesting law school course on it (Note – must suggest it to a friend of mine who teaches).  But there was some follow-up on 2 of the 3 domestic helper cases raised in Hong Kong’s court of first instance this Fall.

Vallejos Evangeline Banao and Commissioner of Registration, HCAL124/2010 in Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance was handed down in late September, ruling that Ms. Vallejo’s arguments indeed had merit — that the denial of her permanent residency was a violation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law!

I was pleasantly surprised, not expecting the courts to do the “right thing” under the pressure of the increasingly reddening government, but obviously, the Government plans to appeal and worse, some politicians have sought an interpretation from Beijing (which apparently has worked before — in 1999, after the Court of Final Appeal decided mainlanders did not need special permission from the PRC to become PRs in HK, Beijing reversed!).

However, in the 2nd of what are 3 domestic workers’ residency cases, Josephine Guttierrez and her son were denied residency, on the grounds that they did not have sufficient proof of seven years’ continuous stay as required by the Immigration Department. 

So we can only see what lies ahead – but as it stands today, Ms. Vallejo and others similarly situated can become permanent residents just as any of the bankers/accountants/lawyers that come and stay in Hong Kong continuously for seven years and considering it home can.  I’ve seen a lot of negative reaction to these cases, but ultimately, this is the Basic Law of Hong Kong — it can certainly be legislated to become more restrictive some day, but no matter what law it is, it should be applied equally!

Second, it seems that it is quite customary to be paid just once a month! That may mean a hefty clink in the bank that one day a month, but it’s just one day! I loved watching my bank account grow twice a month (heck, sometimes three!).  I suppose it’s not that big of a deal, but it definitely is making me feel particularly antsy as I wait and wait… and wait for that first paycheck after not being paid for a few weeks during my in-between-jobs vacation.

I’d heard just mentioned of a mystical tea lady in the past, but never really grasped at what the tea lady did.  Now I can tell you from personal experience – the tea lady is a (hopefully nice) lady who comes around, often pushing a cart, with everyone’s drinks in their own personal mugs, just to their liking, about 3-4 times a day.  She will figure out your tastes, what you like to drink and when, and keep you hydrated all day long.

My tea lady brings me a glass of water along with my morning coffee (just milk, no sugar) first, then replenishes my water and brings me a half cup more of coffee, then comes twice more in the afternoon with water and tea.  I hear that our particular tea lady also can make HK cha chaan tang style milk tea, mochacchinos, and all sorts of amazing creations out of her little pantry.

When I told a long-time ex-pat lawyer friend of mine about my tea lady, she remarked how old school that was and how few law firms now had tea ladies.  I did a quick google search on “hong kong tea lady” and was able to find a number of job advertisements looking for tea ladies, but I wonder what types of companies still employ them.  I also saw a rather nasty blog post about someone who hated her tea lady as well as another commending another.  Based on that search, it didn’t seem that tea ladies were really a thing of the past, though they certainly seem to be unique to Hong Kong.

Every office should have a tea lady! She will keep you caffeinated and hydrated all day long.

I promise to try to write soon, so please stay tuned!

Year 2, not unlike year 1, brought in a lot of changes.  The biggest change was   my first full-time job in Hong Kong, which was also my return to full-time work  in almost two years.  I was lucky enough to join a start-up of sorts, opening the Asia branch office for a well-known New York-based litigation boutique.  It was exciting, being the first firm of its type in HK.

In the same year, I passed my qualification exams and became admitted as a HK solicitor (a topic that seems to draw in many of this blog’s readers!), which again changed my professional outlook in HK.

And personally, I’d been in a serious, long-term relationship over the course of the year,  another first for me in HK and a first for me in a long time generally!  So lots of changes!

My perspective on my purpose in HK, as well as life overall, was greatly impacted by these three things.  Going back to work, I realized how much I missed being a lawyer, oddly enough.  Being the firm’s inaugural year, there was a lot of administrative work to get through, and not necessarily as much in terms of legal work.  I was also brought on to wear a variety of hats, including a business development hat and a knowledge management hat.  It was a good way to get reacquainted with the industry, learn a few new things, and slowly remember how to do the usual law firm things — like accounting for every 6 minutes of my time.

From underneath all those hats, I yearned most to practice law again, which was the greatest lesson I took away from my year working again. Also, with my new dual qualification, I began to explore the job market in a new way.  In year 1, I was really grasping at just about anything, and was really more focused on informational interviewing and networking, but now I was able to narrow my focus with a much better idea of what I wanted.  I hope to spend some time in future posts about this experience.

This whole professional overload, while adapting socially to a very different kind of lifestyle with a new personal relationship, just spun me off in a whole new direction for year 3 of HK.  I tendered notice in September and am happy to say that I will be joining one of HK’s longer-established international law firms, well reputed in my practice area, where I am sure to put my newest qualification to good use!

For me, this is the most remarkable change — and I still cannot believe that just 2 years ago, I landed at HKG jobless, having just left an ailing US economy (which is still ailing), and am now about to join one of the best regarded firms in my practice area.   How is that? I guess those who encouraged me to stay in Hong Kong were right — it’s a place where you can take risks and do great things.  I took my chances with this brand new venture of HK, throwing myself fully into it, including efforts to get locally qualified, and I am grateful this firm decided to take its chances on me!