Glitter Diaries: A Hong Kong Reunion in SoCal
(I am pictured here with S, one of the first friends that I made when I lived in Hong Kong)
If you have been following my blog for a while, there is a chance that you came upon finding the glitter from my previous one, Glitter and Grey. I do not look back at my time in Hong Kong (HK) too fondly, but there were a few saving graces from being there: one, I saw my ex for who he really was -- a sick, lying, hateful and disgusting human being; two, the life experience I received while living abroad is invaluable, and something that I could never have gotten had I stayed in my hometown of Ottawa; and three, I met some really great friends, including the one pictured above.
S and I love the story of how we met. I was living down the road from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) where both my ex-fiancé and S were going attending for their respective Master's programs. Next to my flat at 63 Bonham Road (The Bonham Mansion) on Hong Kong Island near Midlevels was a McDonald's where Big Mac meals were sold for the mere amount of $3 CAD. S happened to be in that McDonald's when she overheard me struggling to order my burger without pickles. Given my inability to speak Cantonese (I am a Canadian-born Vietnamese girl), and the obvious language barrier, I unsuccessfully ordered a Big Mac without pickles. She approached me, and after some light banter, we bonded over the fact that here we were, two asian girls living in HK who could not speak a lick of Cantonese. From then on, it was a friendship that I had no idea would span over two years, thousands of miles apart, only to be reunited in her backyard of Orange County.
Going to SoCal, I knew that I could not travel all the way to the West coast without meeting up with not only one of the most amazing girls I have ever had the pleasure to call my friend, but also, she is one-half of the duo involved in my fated meeting of D years ago.
Our reunion was brief but oh-so-sweet as we reminisced about our time in Hong Kong, and caught up on the goings on in our lives since we saw each other last. Here is a post that features S during one of the first few months of my life in HK as well as some photos below featuring the duo of S and C who encouraged me to meet people the unconventional way, thus leading me to meeting D, the love of my life.
I love this - its so nice that you got to visit a friend you made while long from home! And I am so happy to hear that you are so happy in this new chapter of your life :)
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