Hello, hello! I come bearing more updates, but this time from mountainous, beachy, farm life! I arrived to Sai Kung on a stormy Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by the family hosting me with lots and lots of dim sum, none of which was vegan, but all of which was delicious. Yes, I am confessing now, that my almost 7, maybe 8 years of vegetarianism/veganism has been, very promptly, thrown out the window. Rice noodles dressed with sauce and beef, dumplings stuffed with shrimp, Chinese broccoli resting in oyster sauce, and deep fried octopus tentacles, all washed down with herbal brown tea. My diet is still very much not eating meat when I cook and avoiding as much as possible when I eat out because I honestly don't really enjoy it much anymore, but not saying no when it's the only option/is offered to me.
My first week in Sai Kung consisted of me taking 2 days to figure out which switches turned on the outlets and hot water, cooking for the first time in weeks, walking 5 minutes to the beach in the morning, basking in the comfort of privacy and solitude I did not get at my hostel in the city, staring out the window onto abundant mountain views from my bedroom window, and so so so so much rain.
View from my bedroom window
Confessions of a farmfluencer
The arrangement of my 5 weeks here was a simple agreement between gentlemen, 5 hours of 'work', 5 days a week with 2 days off, in exchange for accommodation. My work here has been mostly creating content to advertise the community farm, and occasionally assisting with tasks on the farm. When explaining this arrangement to a friend they said "ohhhh so you're a farmfluencer rn." I just wanted to share because I thought this was hilarious, as I've never heard that term before and if it does not exist yet, then we are coining it right here and now! The content I am creating is very "old school", mostly writing about local flora and fauna, notable places in the community, writing about how climate change is effecting the area, and community members. It allows me to be constantly taking pictures of and identifying trees, plants and critters I see out and about which has been pretty fun.
Onto the farming part! This has been an incredibly refreshing experience for me. Honestly, thank God, because as some of you may already know, earlier this year my first professional farming experience was nothing short of emotionally taxing, draining, and perhaps even traumatizing. Which inspired the title for this post. I recently saw an Instagram reel where the person said "what didn't work out for me, really worked out for me," and I----. Speechless. On my first day at the farm, the main person I work with and I connected over Vandana Shiva, in which I knew it would be a good relationship. He tells me about all different types of plants around the farm, his research into various Indigenous growing methods, his agroecology dreams, and every plant growing around the farm. I got to see a Soursop tree for the first time and the leaves smelled like *candy.* Sadly, I only got to work with him once, but I am
accepting all unexpected things, cancelled plans, and rainy days as not necessarily a "bad" thing. It is what it is and what it is meant to be!
Despite only have tiny 4L painters buckets, a 1 ft spearhead shovel and a 2 ft flat head shovel to work with, I mainly preoccupied my time on the farm with creating a soil mixture that may allow for better drainage, tending to pepper seedlings, and setting up a new raised bed for experimental pepper growing, and occasional cleaning and maintenance. I haven't been able to farm as much as I hoped due to very intense storming here. Although not a particularly great show in my opinion, Episode 5 of the show Expats gets across the level of storming that happens here pretty well. I have also learned in my research for my daily tasks the science behind storming as a climate change issue-- inclement climate accelerates the natural rain cycle-- and I'm now...... somehow more terrified than before, which I never think is possible??? Farming life/work exchange life has not been what I expected, partly something I knew before coming to stay here, but I'm overall happy to have had the opportunity to finally do it after hearing about it for so long!
Me and my mini shovel
Your unemployed friend on a Tuesday, or....
A restaurant in town that sells "hot" food, with a lot of dishes being Hunanese inspired
Outside of fulfilling the duties of my work exchange, here's a quick recap of what I've been up to:
-Going on hikes to peaks, to the beach, & to viewpoints; I am actually very anti-solo hiking because of safety mostly, but have had to break this rule because to not hike at all makes me sad. Luckily, most trails still have internet access and Google maps is actually very accurate even in more remote areas. Hiking here is truly a testament of strength, the shear heat alone has been so difficult to persevere through, but what's a good hike without a little bit of regret and anger creeping up miles in... right? One hike I was on was supposed to be a 2.5 hour loop, but ended up being a 6 hr loop, due to a detour and getting slightly lost, where I quite literally almost ran into a monkey, and also what I'm pretty sure now was a King Cobra, and very unexpectedly found myself in a nice beach town. I have learned that most insects here seem to be able to fly, even if you wouldn't think they do. It is cool to be on a trail and look up to see various flying critters passing by each other and between both sides of the forest like it's a busy highway crossing. It is terrifying when they fly at you and you have never seen that insect in your entire life
-My most recent obsession has been making flavored soda waters. Very basic, but I did not know the pleasure of such a beverage until someone I met made one for me and I was like wow this is nothing short of INCREDIBLE. And they don't require the extra sugar of actual soda, which I find to be too much most of the time. As those of you who have seen me ordering boba have horrifyingly witnessed, I am a big fan of a zero sugar drink.
-Snacks however? Bring on the sugar. During the week I mostly stay in town where I love to walk about old Sai Kung and regularly buy these mini coconut cupcake looking sweets that are only $1HKD?!?! A few weeks in I started adding the walnut cookies to my order, which are the perfect amount of crunchiness to counteract the fluffiness of the mini cakes. The lady there now knows my order as soon as she sees me LOL.
-Island sightseeing! I did not know before I came that Sai Kung is known for its many islands. Many are accessible by ferry. One day I rented a kayak to see the smaller ones, in which I remembered the childlike joy I experience while kayaking.
-Sitting on the pier, occasionally reading, but mostly watching vendors, people, and birds free flying in loops.
-Eating the best tofu I've ever had. I took a day trip into the city for this homemade tofu shop that was recommended to me and now I will eternally be thinking about this tofu, the homemade soy milk, the congee. Hands down the best meal I've had here, and dare I say top 10 ever. Picture at the end of this post!
- Getting sick for a whole week because I think all the traveling finally caught up to my stomach.
-Seeing the Hong Kong film, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which I actually loved even though it's an action movie (it is actually so much more than that.) Would highly, highly recommend it!
-Grocery shopping at the local wet market, which is usually the highlight of my week to be honest (second floor is where all the produce is.) Local vendors, abundant fruits and vegetables, affordable prices, dried goods, and all relatively zero waste. All the things I love in one place! Going to the market has reminded me of how much I love grocery shopping. When I lived in the Bay my roommates and I would literally take "field trips" to different grocery stores and farmers markets with difference "features" in different cities (shout out to Mandela Grocery Cooperative, Berkeley Bowl, Rainbow Co-Op, & the Campbell Farmers Market.) I totally forgot about this because grocery shopping in NYC always feels like a chore that requires much more energy than I usually have. Nonetheless, nothing like the freshest most affordable produce in town to give one their daily dose of serotonin. They also remind me of home, the Chinatown grocery stores I would frequent, even though these brands are more local here than in NY. Seeing Lee Kum and Lao Gan Ma on the shelves was very comforting to me. Oh-- there is also a vegetarian stall there!! But let me stop talking about this market because it truly could be a separate blog post on its own.
Little ceramic guys lined a trail I did on Sharp Island because there are many rocks that look like the famous pineapple bread known in Hong Kong
Tai Cham Koi peak! The infamous 2.5hr loop, that became 6 hrs.
Reflections; processing all the feelings, exposure therapy to being perceived, labor-the old ball and chain
-As soon as I arrived here I felt sad to leave. Not very live in the moment and be present girly of me, but I couldn't help but feel the deep grief I know will likely consume me after leaving East Asia. It will likely be a repeat of the surprisingly deep depression that consumed me after I had left Japan and Korea last year. I think it likely stems from feeling a sense of belonging or "normalcy" that I've never felt in my life before. Obviously there are differences between locals and I, just based on cultural contexts, identity, and location, but even in the little things I've found comfort where I never have before. My feet rarely dangle off chairs and benches, overhead racks for baggage are always in reach, breakfast is savory, soup is eaten even in blazing hot climates. All things that sit right in my mind, body, and spirit. Most places I have traveled to in and outside of the U.S., I have found myself in situations where it becomes clear to me how much I stick out or where people think my place is. However, when I'm traveling in East Asia I don't really experience this unless I'm outing myself, which is so so refreshing.
- This experience has allowed me to live a very slow life, which I am honestly really grateful for. The months leading up to me making the decision to long-term travel, was a whirl of unbelievable chaos, like I think I'm still in shock about it, LOL. The speed of my NYC life was accelerating before my eyes in the worst way imaginable, and I was..... spiraling to say the least. However, all this time alone with my thoughts has left me feeling pressured "to do travel right," which feels like it can only be described as not being on my phone, not taking a day to rot in bed, not listening to music, and eating out all the time instead of cooking meals. Always, always being present. Despite these feelings, I regularly have been doing many of these things I feel like I shouldn't be because I know its mostly just anxiety and pressure I'm putting on myself. But how to get to place where I don't have these thoughts/feelings/anxieties has been on my mind. It has made me think about what it really means to be present and experience or "immerse" yourself in a place. I know there is a side of a place I will likely not ever be exposed to just off the fact of passing through, not speaking local language(s) and being engulfed in a tourist/visitor bubble, even when I try to break out of this. Also, oftentimes, feeling "immersed," more times than not, is just a projection of our expectation of what is "authentic." Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this!
- To piggy back on the previous thought, I am currently living a life that I suppose could be considered anti-climatic at times, but that I don't feel absolutely exhausted by. Being able to live more in agreement with my body, waking up early without an alarm, AND still getting 9 hours of sleep every night has been such a beautiful peace & piece of my life. Can this type of peace be realistic in the confines of having to eventually return to a 40 hr work week? I would love to know. It is crazy to think on top of a 40 hr work week, I also have to remember to pay bills, cook meals, socialize with friends, do things that nourish me like read and volunteer, have alone time, commute to and from places, do laundry, clean the apartment and the list goes on and on. When I do all these things now, minus the 40 hr work week, my day is practically coming to a close once I finish all of them. Life is already labor, why must more be added on top of it. (We know why, but ya know.)
- Now that I have this blog going I have been STRESSED about posting any hot takes or thoughts because as many of you know, I try my best to not be perceived. However, at the top of every year I give the upcoming year a theme. Shout-out to my asam baddie year, also the year I got a shag haircut (2021), "year of hobbies" (2023) and "break my soul" year (2022, renamed at the end of the year,) where I quit like 4 or 5 jobs in 1 year because Beyoncé didn't have to tell me TWICE. This year's theme I decided would be my "standing in my power year." I am ready to start more intentionally claiming confidence in the things I do know and have done/experienced and asserting myself in ways I have not felt comfortable with in the past and still struggle to feel comfortable doing. But we are doing it REGARDLESS. At my previous job I received feedback that when I'm describing how I feel about situations, sometimes I discount myself at the end by saying "but I don't know." This has been something I also noticed in the past year or so I was regularly doing. Oh to be socialized as a woman, whewwwwwwww. Anyway, I feel like I am constantly learning that to live is to be perceived, as much as that notion makes me feel deeply uncomfortable and I hate it. This blog, even though started as a way to stay connected to people while I'm far away, is helping me confront some of these things. I started reading an anthology on Asian American history, where I learned that all published narratives written about Chinese people in the U.S. lacked primary sources in their publications until the late 1900's, even though Chinese people have been in the U. S. since the 1800s. Reading this especially after the reflection I shared and felt anxiety about in my last post felt really affirming, like I can know what I'm talking about and I have been doing the research and experiencing the effects. Not to say everything that I put out into the world will be affirmed which I am also okay with and learning how to navigate conflict in this regard. I am interested to hear how others cope with being perceived and building confidence in a way that's a little more perceptive than just saying "I'm that girl" (no shade.) Kindly forward all thoughts to me :,)
- The loneliness that overcame me during this part of my trip, reminded me of one of the many reasons why I've never really been into solo travel. But here we are doing it anyways for the bit! I don't think it's necessarily a "bad" thing, it just is what it is. Alone time has never been a difficult thing for me as an introvert, but 5 straight weeks of little genuine in person interaction with anyone has been,,, interesting. Recently a friend of mine just had a big life event which made me realize how much I miss experiencing everyday life with the people who I've built relationships with. To be expected I suppose, such is life. This first part of my travels has been a big reminder of how in love I am with all my friends, and those who have been regularly keeping in touch!
In Conclusion
I am now sadly leaving and onto the next part of my journey. I think a lot about whether or not I'll have the opportunity to return to Hong Kong, and what that would be like, how it will look then. The people here say Hong Kong is constantly changing, businesses always moving in and out, and new buildings being added to the skyline. If I ever visit again it likely won't be the same. But, when I think of Sai Kung, I'll always think of the songs of birds at the kitchen window, on the pier, on the farm and in the mountains. And when I think of my time in the city, I'll think of light but robust noodle soups and steamy claypot rice in 90 degree weather. Thank you for reading my run on sentences, until next time!
Also just a quick update I should've mentioned earlier, for those that have my phone number it is disabled, but I am available via email, Instagram, or Whatsapp. A plug to please (continue to) hit my line! Every time I see a familiar name show up on my phone it brings a genuine smile on my face and a metaphorical tear to my eye.
Also, also, I am very into finding somewhere I can remotely volunteer in the U.S. I guess, but open to anywhere. If anyone knows of any groups/organizations please send me your recommendations!! Thank you in advance <3
Tofu puff and Soy Cake from Kung Wo Beancurd Factory, wow just wow. Felt a very deep sadness once I had finished it... and then ordered more to-go.
