It's been ages since my last update. Basically, I headed back to the states in late July. I spent over a month in Canada, which was very fun and relaxing. And I was very happy to be back in time to witness the wedding ceremony of my two wonderful friends :-)
Adjusting back to North American life was difficult in many ways. My ability to speak fluent English was definitely impaired after spending so much time with native Chinese speakers. I also had trouble adjusting to the higher cost of living and the lack of palm trees and tropical flowers.
However, it was great to reconnect with family and friends. And I got to meet my adorable niece who was born on Canada Day, '05. I try my best to stay in touch with everyone but there is no substitute for seeing people in person and being a part of the daily lives. I also enjoyed the cleaner air and water as well as yummy food like veggie burritos and NYC pizza :-)
By some crazy twist of fate and good luck, I was invited to stay with a friend who lives in Maui, Hawaii and was offered some work there. So of course I have to say yes to this new opportunity for adventure :-) I arrived yesterday and wow, Maui is truly a paradise.
Right now, I am living 4000 ft up on the side of the dormant Haleakala volcano. Words can't describe how beautiful it is here. I get to see so many stars at night. The weather gets pretty chilly at this elevation this time of year but the lowest it gets here during winter is like 40-45 F. And like the homes in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, there is no indoor heating.
This afternoon, my friend and I went to a beach- this one only a 20 min drive away. The sands were fine, white and clean. And the Pacific Ocean was a beautiful bluish-green and also very clear. It was very hot and sunny at the beach and the water temperature was quite warm. The beach was not crowded at all and parking was easily found and free.
It was wonderful to be in the water. I don't swim well but to just step foot in the water, letting the tides pull me and have the waves crash to where I become waist deep in water was fun. And to see another island and a volcano on the horizon felt very magical to me.
Afterwards, we ate some mahi burgers (dolphin fish) which was very fresh and delicious.
There are so many cool birds and trees here. So many things I would like to take pictures of but my camera was broken my last week in Shenzhen. Hopefully, I can get a new camera soon. I am really happy so far to be here. It feels very dreamlike, I can hardly believe I live in a place so beautiful and peaceful.