Second Week
Second week into my month-long vacation. Still continuing my near daily meetups with friends, and still enjoying the catch-ups and all the happy memories that arose. I’m grateful for the many good friends that God allowed me to cross paths with.
Despite the many social gatherings, life is still a little boring around here, especially during the day when friends are busy with their work. My month-long vacation will likely need to extend for quite some time because all the government designated quarantine hotels (DQHs) in HK are fully booked throughout the summer, so I now need to re-adjust my plan to make better use of my extended vacation.
Have been feeling a little anxious not being able to secure a DQH and not knowing exactly when my vacation will end, but knowing that it’s beyond my control, I might as well go with the flow and enjoy this unexpected long vacation. Will try my best to heed my friend’s advice to embrace the uncertainties. May God continue to guide my steps. 🙏🏻
First Week
It has been slightly over a week since I started my month-long vacation. Have been meeting and catching up with friends almost daily since I returned to Toronto, nice to see everyone happy and well. I’m grateful for friends who have been leaving messages and welcoming me back as soon as I set foot on this land that I last visited 4 years ago.
Just one week into the vacation and I’m already starting to feel bored, especially during the day when my friends are busy with their work. I think life in HK had been too hectic and stressful in the past few years that it now feels a bit uneasy to slowdow here. I’m sure I’ll find things to entertain myself eventually, and by the time I start enjoying this new relaxing lifestyle, it may already be time for me to return and readjust to the crazy life in HK again. Need to live up to my highschool’s motto and seize the day while I still can, “Carpe Diem”!
Vacation Started
After a few hectic days of finishing up my studio work, cleaning my home, and packing, I officially started my month-long Canadian vacation on June 8th.
I flew with my friend’s family of 4 who were moving back to Canada, and thanks to him, I got a free ride to the airport. Lucky for the both of us, the heavy rain didn’t start until after we arrived at the airport. Many of my friend’s family members came to bid their last farewell, the 6 and 9 yr-old kids started crying as we entered the departure area and finally realizing they will be separated from their relatives for a very long time. I imagined this to be a common scene at the HK airport nowadays.
The plane ride was long but less tiresome as I remembered. The 6-yr-old kid felt unwell during the plane’s decent at the destination. She vomited and slept as we picked up the luggages and went through the customs, a roughly 2-hr process as we estimated. After we got out of the customs, a couple of friends picked us up. We first visited my friend’s newly rented condo and unloaded the many luggages. The kids were super happy when they saw their new home and soon have forgotten their earlier tiredness and sickness.
After the first stop, my friend drove me to my sister’s place where I’ll be staying for my month-long vacation. I took a shower and slept almost immediately. Slept like a baby and didn’t wake up until 7-ish am. Jet-lag seemed to have mostly subsided the next day.
Social Deficit
Being slightly introverted on the social scale, I’m usually not too active in asking friends out. But in the past couple of weeks, I managed to organize, meet, and catch up with many friends. Many friends were just as eager to meet up and only required a little nudge from me to organize the gatherings. I guess the severe 5th pandemic wave since Feb. has left us all with a steep social deficit to fill.
Besides trying to make up for the steep social deficit, I was also hoping to see my friends before leaving for my upcoming month-long trip to Canada. I honestly don’t know when we’ll be able to meet again, so I cherished the gatherings as though they were my last. Many friends may have sensed my unusual gratefulness when we met and asked whether I’m going back to Canada for good. I kept telling them that I had bought a round-trip ticket, just that I have yet to book the 7-day quarantine hotel.
Thankful that God had allowed me to cross path with so many good friends, pray that they will stay healthy and well until I return and meet again! 🙏🏻
