the usual

in the last few days i've:

moved out of the dorm
seen a giant snake
understood prostitution a little better
encountered tons of stray cows
moved to a remote part of hk with people from Finland, England, China, New Zealand, and Ireland
slept only a couple hours each night
finished 3 papers
ate pb&j a lot
took almost no photos
contemplated the future
drank way too much tea
been emailed about two different jobs back in houston
been locked out of a flat for 4 hours
got really lost
went to mainland china for a night
got a 3 hour massage (dont be jealous, she broke my back)
prepared myself to be a victim of human trafficking (i'm fine now)
seen lots of rain
done 3 loads of dishes and cleaned a guys bathroom
ate a lot of bananas
thought about all the people quarantined in China that don't have the swine flu
dreamed of cooking




just like that, i moved from here







to here




and i'm moving again tomorrow.

perfect timing

I didn't think it possible, but it happened; I fell in love and me and Hong Kong will never be the same. And yesterday was my last day of work. It's quickly coming to an end and I'm living up the moments I have left. Well, after I write 4 more papers...

"In the end, it’s our friendships that live in the spaces between our biggest life moments. It’s our friendships that hold the divide between life and love, fear and compassion, doubt and courage. And it’s our friendships that crack open our hearts to the light within ourselves waiting to be seen, to be born." - Kelly Rae Roberts

i represent that remark

This is a sample chart from the Economist which is used as a guide to understanding currencies worldwide in relation to the BIG MAC. In America, the Big Mac costs around $3.57.

I am introduced by people here at work as "Jennifer, the American that doesn't eat McDonalds."

I'm lovin it.

Country U.S. Dollar Purchasing Power Parity

dorm

summer motto

tell me it aint so.

dear papers,

i want to thank you for allowing me to procrastinate as i approach you with great confidence and ability. i have one question for you, will you be the death of me?

sincerely yours for the next 48 hours,
jennifer in china.

p.s. i know where you live.

typhoon

A hurricane hit Hong Kong two nights ago. They rate typhoons 1,3,8,9, or 10. Makes complete sense huh? This one turned out to be a 9.


It was a beautiful night with everyone rushing to get home.

It was quite uneventful after going through Ike.

beauty from ashes

i truly thought that this blog would be about social work. turns out i like talking about myself a lot more. i wrote a 'piece' to make it up to you. its called

why i chose you social work

i see her face
i recognize myself in her
but i disclose only when necessary
so i play on her strengths

strengths the theory not the muscle
for she needs someone to listen
not a man to depend upon
not another baby at 16 years old

old she became as she entered the stairway of the school
the aching face with makeup full and bright
but with the questions of open and close ended
i see the real her, even if it takes years

years she spent feeding her grandfather
left overs
because her mother was at work
and her father was not around

around the time she failed math
but she was only in 5th grade
so why keep trying
5th grade is so young

young enough to see her mom get abused
by a man she called by his first name
not a man of example but a prisoner
needing to be released

released he was
at 58 years old
for selling cocaine
because a neighbor said it would make him feel good

good enough for who, he thought
good enough for myself
good enough for the moment
for the night

night falls and she has no electricity
because the county wouldnt accept her
she had already been helped one time before
that's when she got food stamps too

too kind when the ministry gave out cans
and school supplies
but she used them for her
not her son or daughter

daughter she once was of a mother
who died in a fire
because the apartment building
was not up to code

code of ethics we must follow
to counsel a woman such as her
with a life of complexity, pain, and fear
where to begin? what to work on first?

first, i'm here to listen
listen to you begin to unwind the last 15 years of life
life that seems to not go your way
and to bring forth beauty from ashes and maybe some new choices

g.f.

good food. good fun. good friends. good fish. good fake.

hong kong at its best.

this article

i read the new york times, chronicle, and various other news sources to keep up with the 'big' stuff going on in the world. i rarely make it through one article as i either have no idea what they are talking about, or it burdens me too deeply, or i have no interest. its very rare that i will finish a 10 page article, but this one i couldn't stop.

this article not only reminded me of my great love for life, but how we as humans have the capacity to care so deeply for others. again, heaven on earth. its not a short article but if you are curious about life, i say give it 20 minutes, maybe 30 if you read like me. i mean hey, screaming kids in the background, the pressures of facebook, or cooking for 15 people shouldn't be an excuse...

i am a vegetarian because of articles like this. im asked constantly about my belief in vegetairanism and honestly all i want to say is, "i love animals." I tend to add that i dislike suffering, i couldnt kill them myself, they produce a lot of pollution, and my heart thanks me. But the truth is, i just love them.
i love the mean ones and scary ones.
i love the snakes although i never want to touch or even look at one.
i love the ants that bite and the lions that nurse.
i love the fish that seem stupid and the dogs that provide love to hospital patients.
i love the horses that train and the bats that fly.
i love the ones that remind me of myself and the ones that i can't imagine being real.
i love that when i read the article i wept because in the end, i am just another animal trying to make it in this world.

This comment on the article sums up my thoughts.

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps more mystical concept of animals …. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man …”