On advance toujours

I didn’t plan on neglecting this blog for so long.

From bo lo bao to baguettes

We thought we lost one of our luggages. We waited nervously, and an extra half hour later it sputtered onto the conveyor belt with luggages from the next flight.

There was an electrical problem with the RER, so we had to take the bus into Paris. We waited 15 minutes to get our tickets refunded and 40 minutes for the bus. It rained. Once we got on the metro, it took all of our energy to move our luggages up and down stairs when there were no escalators. Even so, nothing could dampen our spirits today.

Paris, à demain!

Last night Bruce’s family treated us to an elaborate seafood meal to commemorate our departure.

Different kinds of steamed fish, mantis shrimp, regular shrimp, crab, abalone..it was truly a feast, and we were grateful to have shared that meal with them.

Bruce’s family have been so good to us the entire year- we can’t even begin to express our gratitude.

On the same note, we feel so lucky to have spent our last week in Hong Kong with our best friends Ben & Lisa.

We had a lot of fun taking them to our favourite hole-in-the-walls and showing them our HK. We had given them the “Best of” food tour, making sure we ate all our favourite dishes one last time.

It’s been a hectic few days as we’ve tried to organize the apartment, 8 suitcases between the 4 of us.

They’re packing for their next adventure in Japan and us, we’ll finally be going back to Paris tomorrow.

Having some extra time this past week has allowed me to really reflect on our year in HK.

It had been a tough year, no doubt. Workload aside, it was a huge culture shock for the both of us. Even a year later, I don’t feel as if I had fully adjusted to the fast-paced, intense, consumer-driven culture. But I look back and realize that we’ve had a year of invaluable lessons. Lessons in the kitchen and lessons about the kind of people we want to be.

We leave Hong Kong with absolutely no regrets, though there’s a good possibility we won’t be back for a long time. And that’s okay.

Tomorrow, we part ways with our best friends and the city that gave us a whole year’s worth of new experiences.

Tomorrow, Paris!

Relocating

In a few hours, we will be finally be boarding our plane to Hong Kong.

I’ve gotten much better at packing, taking lots of notes from packing for France last year, but the emotions remain the same.

I’m excited and nervous, but the prevailing emotion is anxiety. I am incredibly lucky to be going with the love of my life, though the anxiety is still shared between us. I have never been to Hong Kong outside of its airport, often en-route to Vietnam.

After my year in the kitchens of France, I have a much better understanding of where I am in terms with my practical pastry skills and where I would like them to be. My craft alone is where all my interests lie and I am going to make the most of our time there.

I have no expectation for the city, though I have a lot for myself.

Getting cheeky

Bruce is an excellent cook.

I seldom tell him this directly, because on the few occasions that I do, the words trigger within him a nerve that causes his head to temporarily swell. The swelling can last for a few days, and as I am naturally concerned about his health, I try to keep his ego in check. For his own sake.

But I am defenseless against my own emotions, and it’s hard for me to contain my excitement when I eat something truly delicious.