We had ‘Thanksgiving’. If you can call it that. Of course, Thanksgiving is about being with family, with friends. I was with friends, no doubt. They’re good people, and I enjoyed eating with them. But it was no different than any other night we go out to eat.
I know the same will be for ‘Christmas’. There will be lights, trees, music, and undoubtably food to eat with friends again. Christmas is about celebration, giving gifts to show real appreciation, and getting people together and enjoy life with each other.
Hong Kong could have most, or even all of things, but it doesn’t. There’s something to be said about tradition, something that can only be forged over years–a looking foward to a time of year where you will all come together and celebrate the fact that you can even get together, again. And there’s an added bonus; everyone else will be doing the same thing. And perhaps that’s where my Hong Kong experience falls flat on its face.
All that aside, I have to say I’m really attempting to push my memories and longing for ‘tradition’ aside. Those are harder to ignore, than say my longing for things like food you can get in America (read: In-N-Out). Those things are easy. Why miss them when I know that I can get them in a mere four weeks? I refuse to miss out on the many many great things here, just because I want something I’m going to get soon.
But Thanksgiving, Christmas? Deep things like that return to my mind here and there. I know giving it up for one year, and maybe another couple in the future, won’t kill me. But it doesn’t change the fact: I wish I could be home for these times of the year.
My return flight date is rapidly approaching. It started off slow, but as they say, in the blink of an eye, it’s December already. I won’t miss my fellow US exchange friends relatively too much. I know we can see each other in the US. But my Japanese, Korean friends, and especially my Hong Kong local friends, I’m going to miss them a ton. My floor has been so good to me. They’re good guys; they all want to know whem I’m going to come back to Hong Kong. I don’t know what to tell them. I’m sure I’ll be back, hopefully soon, probably just to visit. But I guess that’s what happens when you have friends who are far away. You’re there for each other when you can, and just look foward to the next time you see each other. Kind of like traditions, really.
