Boxing Day

The night before we had planned to utilise the amazing rooftop and wake up early for sunrise. At 6:30 the alarm went off, it was still pitch black. Jon rolled over and muttered something, still half asleep, we unanimously agreed that we would skip sunrise and steal a couple extra minutes of sleep. We finally rose at 7:20. Sze Ji needed to be at school by 8 am and seeing that we were just around the corner we left . The house was abuzz, the mother and uncle left for their respective jobs and we said goodbye to the family and headed to school.

The kids had their routine morning exercises which we playfully partcipated in with them. After breakfast we wandered around the corner and must have walked no more than 500 metres before arriving at the Farm. This particular farm specialised in two harvests, sweet potatoes in the Winter and Dragon Fruit in the summer. Lily and gave a quick tutorial in the art of sweet potato harvesting. Hoe and mounds, dig. I can't help but feel we butchered a lot of this season's produce destroying a fair percentage of the crop. Still it was fun way to experience more local life it was nice to be in the sun. It was interesting, a lot of the group had lost interest in digging potatoes and had moved on to the photo taking and modelling. Lily continued to dig.

We arrived back covered in dirt and had another sharing session. It was interesting to hear about the different volunteer's experiences. The level of Cantonese was beyond me so Vincent was able to translate. It was a very moving experience, tears, laughter and prominent moments of silence were shared. We talked about the various distances kids had to travel to school, some leaving the house before sunrise. The different living conditions and varying levels of poverty. One thing that remained constant was the hospitality and generosity of the house holds. It spoke volumes about the simple lives that these people led and despite not having a lot to offer gave up more than was required.

Lunch was in the classroom and afterwards we joined the children during their lunch break. After 2 days interacting with the kids it was clear that they were more comfortable with us around. Punching, hitting, grabbing, hugging, jumping all over you. It was also the first time I interacted with some of the other kids outside of my group. It was obvious that there were varying levels of English, some kids getting stumped at "hello" others able to elicit my name and my age. The day was spent in the warm sun running around with the children - They would pinch and poke and run off, steal my beanie, steal my glasses.During this time, I forgot about all the troubles back home and almost lost track of where I was in my own life. It was just nice seeing the kids run around having fun.

The kids headed back to class and the School Principal addressed us and thanked us for our time and effort. He explained the kids situation and how much this simple 3 day trip would affect them. Our afternoon was spent in the classroom observing their interaction with the teachers. The final school bell sounded for the day and the kids exploded from their classrooms, most of them bee-lining for their bikes, the exit or the waiting relatives at the gates. There were a few who made straight for the bus and the group of volunteers. A small group of the volunteers headed off to one of the hospitals in Guangzhou to visit one of the students with cancer. We said our final goodbyes, photos, high fives, hugs before we finally made our way back onto the bus. The lights were turned off and almost instantly all members drifted off into sleep, it had been an exhausting trip and we started our 5 hour journey back to Hong Kong, a world with public transport, hot water and a sheltered  view of the world around us.

Christmas Day

Past Christmases have generally followed a standard recipe. That is, family and friends gathered together on Christmas Eve accompanied by an assortment of food and the traditional countdown to midnight. The clock would strike twelve, everybody would scream "Merry Christmas", open the gifts and lazily welcome in Christmas Day. The previous day was exhausting and last night's sleep was a welcome luxury, the alarm that broke my sleep was not. I honestly don't remember the last time that I have actually woken up on Christmas Day. It was a deep, re-energizing sleep that I emerged out of - Merry Christmas.

At 7:30 am we checked out of the hotel and lumbered back onto the bus that shuttled us straight to Yawen Primary school. Again we were greeted by waving kids as the bus pulled through the school gates. Pork Congee, Friends noodles and buns were served as breakfast and would serve as fuel for the morning session; I greedily ate as much as I could knowing that I would need the energy.

Today our group was in the Media Room with Millie the English Teacher. Jonathon another volunteer had prepared material and activities briefing the class about Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. The children were engaged and for a moment, I remembered what it was like to be back in primary school. Again, I  assumed the role as Lead Caroler and sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". We went through the lyrics and tried to help the children with their pronunciation. The addition of impromptu gesticulation helped and we had soon coined a dance routine to accompany the lyrics.

The difficult thing I found was communicating with the children, interaction wasn't so bad. But taking away the fundamental interaction like "Do you like singing?" or "What do you like to do?". It was challenging to gain any rapport with the children other than being that enthusiastic English Speaking Chinese guy. The next task for the children was to create a script for an on stage performance - this was to be done all in English. Mandy assisted with the directing and soon our group had a basic script. We had the narrator, played by Jimmy. Santa, played by Wendy. The three Angels: Ainne, Mary, Licy Rudoplh played by Henry. Reindeers played by Karsen, KoKo and Jacky and a invalid played by JoJo. Our story was as follows, Santa is really busy with his reindeers delivering presents and helping people that he has to employ the help of three angels to assist with his philantropy. The story ends with the three angels helping the invalid on Christmas Day. The story was the easy part, getting the kids to memorise the words and their lines was the difficult part!

Proceeding lunch all the groups were pulled into the large room were each group was randomly called out to perform their skit. There was a nervous energy in the air and with 10 minutes to go, not all the members in our group could remember their lines. The group went up and performed, it was shakey and the kids were constantly hiding behind each other as not to be in the public eye, some of the kids handled it better than others. At the end each child was presented with a certificate. We also gave them an opportunity to get them  write cards for us. I recevied a handful of gifts, with most messages written in Chinese the underlying message being "Learn some Chinese, ya bloody Gringo". The afternoon we spent cleaning up the classrooms and meeting the members of our home stay groups.

The sun set over the playground casting an evening tinge over the school. With it the air became cooler as the kids made home either by foot or bicycle. The child whose family we stayed with was Sze Ji, a grade four student. She was nervously waiting for us at the front of the school gates and I'm sure the site of five grown males would have been intimidating. The school had nominated some of the kids to be foster homes for the volunteers with of course the permission of the parents. Sze Ji, out of all the kids lived the closest to the school and after a short 10 minute walk we were at her house. Her Grandmother and brother were waiting for her at the front of her house.

First thoughts, the home was massive! A garage, at least 5 bedrooms, 2 kitchens, a massive rooftop and plenty of space. It was a liberating sight especially given the meager quarters that I call home in Hong Kong. Despite the size it had a desolate feel to it, perhaps I'm just used to the furnishings and fixtures commonly found in western dwellings.

We were invited in and the mother asked if we would like to stay for dinner. Stay for dinner? There had obviously been some mis communication, we weren't only staying for dinner, we were staying the night! Despite the family only just finding out, their hospitality was supreme. Food was served and the mother rode out to buy extra Chicken for us to eat. We learned that the father lived away from home in one of the factories of the major cities to help support his young family. A banquet was served and I couldn't help but feel that the food that was served was not a regular feature on the dinner table. Fish, Chicken, Tofu, Beans it was a feast.

Immediately after dinner, we presented the family with gifts. This included an assortment of stationery, games and trinkets. Vincent, one of the members helped Sze Ji with her Homework, while Jon taught the brother and cousin the rules of "Snakes and Ladders". Both Derek and Michael sat and chat with the mother. I, well I was preoccupied, deliberating the best way to drop a deuce in rural China. The situation was as such, it was a squatter system bathroom, there was no toilet paper and I really needed to go. Suffice to say, 40 minutes later I emerged from the stall with a better knowledge of the challenges faced when using a squatter toilet.

The grandmother prepared our beds while the auntie boiled water for us to shower. None of us showered that night and we all retired early. It was cold, real cold. We were given a spare room, there was no mattress and my sleeping bag barely kept me warm, thank goodness for that extra blanket that we were given. The sky is incredibly clear and I've not seen so many stars in my life, I contemplate life here in rural China wondering if it's something I could get used to.

Tick tock.

Who would have thought that being unemployed required full time attention. It has been a busy last few weeks. My interim time fillers of Yoga, Gym and Cantonese Lessons has been put on halt. I find it hard to catch my breath and despite not having a daily routine I find myself constantly busy. I have been helping my previous employee setup a Hong Kong client and in between part time work have been studying and attending interviews.

The weather here hasn't been so obliging. 'Amber Rain' warnings and high humidity makes wearing a suit uncomfortable and guarantees perspiration immediately leaving any air-conditioned area. That being said, I haven't been completely deprived of spare time and have finally started watching The Wire - I'll be in Baltimore if anybody needs me!

What do you do when you're free?

The main differences between moving to London and moving to Hong Kong is that there's less expectations; both internally and externally. Externally there appears to be less concern from friends back home, not to say this is a bad thing. In fact the constant harp of "Have you found a job?" and "What have you been doing in your free time?" frequent my facebook and email account far less since making the move to Asia. It's not that they don't care, I suppose they know I've experienced it all before so it will ultimately work out in the end. Honestly, I prefer it that way.

Internally I feel less pressured to find a job, not to say that I'm not looking but if I were to look back at this period when I was in London. I remember entertaining the idea of working at a pub or KFC. This time 'round I know what to expect and am quietly confident. It doesn't hurt that I'm staying with two of my closest mates who have been nothing short of accommodating and encouraging.

With the job market slow I've become used to the unemployed routine. Unemployed routine? We know what you do in your spare time I hear you say? However, this routine is slightly different to the domesticated London Routine - I've made a conscious effort to make the most of Hong Kong away from the career. I mean, I might as well make the most of being overseas.

Yoga, at PURE Fitness

Studying, at the City Hall Library

Cantonese Lessons, at Wanchai

Eating, so much

Traveling, when I can ...