My old life

Some days I miss my old life more than other days.  All things familiar, all things that hold some memory or value to it. 

I caught up with an old friend through facebook this week.  It was such a thrill to be connected with her.  To hear her story and her successes the last 15 years.  Yes, it’s been that long since I lived in Melbourne Australia. I left in 1994 to go to Sydney and in 1997 I left for America. She shared what she had been up to.  Her highlights, her achievements and her new life.  I guess in many ways I’ve done the same, I’ve had highlights, achievements and a new life but a part of me still misses the familiar.

I miss the pubs, the mates stories, the Aussie humour.  Aussie’s know how to spin a yarn and tease a mate to the point of tears of joy!  If you were to do the same in some other place it’s thought rude, or just odd.

I miss the familiar.  I still can’t get used to the fact that school starts in September.  September is when the footy ends not the start of school.  Mate give me a break.  And even though I love to burn a wood fire at Christmas I prefer the choice of slapping a raw prawn on the barbie! I love the fact I can talk in rhyming slang or drop a word that my mates totally get, rather than having to explain it to some new cobber I’ve got to know.  I cringe when someone says ‘you have an accent’.  My dry Aussie humour will reply with “and you don’t?”.  Fair crack of whip, we all have accents.

So yes at times I lament and wish for my old life where all things were familiar, where food is how I know it to be.  Where Corn Syrup is the number one first ingredient.  Where Vegemite is thought to be a normal first food.  Where you can give a child to sip a beer without being worried you’ll get a law suit.  Where you can go to a pub and cook your own steak.  Where Fish and chips are on every ones mind Friday night.  Where pies are served at a football game.

I’ve lived with revolving door friends but in America I tend to live with friends that never invite you to there home for dinner, where your a novelty, where you have to work with them to be a friend.  Friendships here are an odd thing sigh…

Yes some days my old life seems more normal.  As or perhaps it’s about

Diet Daze (days!)

It seems here in Hong Kong that after a while if you are anything larger than an Australian Size 12 in clothing (US 14) you have to give into “diet duty”.

 

The petite Asian figure does not require large sizes on sale in stores here. Even up market fashion houses like Escada or Ralf Lauren don’t seem to cater for the larger size.  A friend of mine was visiting from overseas and she was trying to purchase something in a European 44 – 14 Australian – at Escada.  They had only one outfit that was her size but clearly not her colour.  So even these upmarket fashion stores do not cater for the tourist, let alone a larger size Asian.

 

Believe me not all Asian women come in a size 6 or 8 – it’s a myth.  Some days I see women larger than me and I feel like asking them: “Hey where did you get those jeans?”  The answer is they probably do like I do, buy overseas or go to a tailor across the border in Shenzen.

 

But after nearly 4 years of being over my pre-babies weight I decided to do a sensible diet.  So I chose one of those more sensible systems and low and behold 16 weeks later I am much lighter in weight.  I can now even go into a local store and look for something in MY size.  I don’t have attendants saying to me “we don’t have anything for you” or ‘we don’t stock your size’ and glare. In fact I’m happy to report one attendant offered me a ‘SMALL’ the other day.  You feel like kissing them.

 

Once I decided to try a diet that had a reputation.  I found that just about everyone else I knew on Hong Kong Island was also doing the diet.  That’s the nature of living in a relatively small community.  Though 7 million people live here the expats ‘hang together’ – so those wanting to loose a few pounds were there too.

 

The fall out from this diet was that my helper has also lost weight but she feels she’s lost enough now and as a result has no incentive to continue the program.  I on the other hand want to loose a few more pounds and insist we still eat as per the diet.  Every now and again she tried to ’sneak’ in a non-diet dinner.  It’s rather cute and humorous but I can assure you if I gain weight – it won’t be.  My husband is keen to loose weight.  He said well put me on it too.  I’ve told him he won’t like it.  Hardly any butter, none of the cheese he loves, drops that after dinner drink and very few sweets.  Time will tell if he can do what I have done.

 

Anyway this was the perfect place to take on a diet, hand the cookbook to the domestic helper and tell her to deal with it – not so daunting and having to wonder what to cook each night!  Had I had to struggle with that it really would have been a diet daze!

 

With not having to worry about the dinner has meant I’ve had more time to go out and buy a new wardrobe!   Plus I’m enjoying the sales at the moment, a new experience for me in Hong Kong.  No where else in the world would a shop assistant keep her job and call a customer ‘fat’.  They’ve been known to do it here. 

 

Tongue in cheek

 

©Expat World 2008