I didn't blow away!

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Greetings from the land of the typhoon! I am here to report that I survived just fine and didn't blow or get swept away.

Yesterday the winds were picking up and it was rainy. The logo in the upper right corner of the TV was that of a typhoon, but it wasn't a color that caused me worry. Everyone kept telling me that we would have a big storm, a typhoon, and maybe there would be no school the next day. "Yeah, right," I thought. I've heard that before; in Minnesota we always had hopes for a snow day or a day off because of the cold, but we always had school anyway.

I did some research online to find out about the typhoon. Of course, all the western web sites just said it would rain and be windy, which was far from helpful. That didn't tell me when the typhoon would make landfall on the mainland.

I finally found information on some Hong Kong websites. I found out two bits of vital information:
1. The current storm was a category 8, which is significant. The highest is 10. But oddly, after 8, it drops down to 3, skipping 4-7. Everyone is advised to stay indoors and away from windows.
2. T8's are also serious enough that people should stay away from shore line and refrain from water sports.
There goes my plan to try out for the International Jetskiing Team today.

I went to bed last night with rain pounding the pavement and the wind rattling my windows. I was snug as a bug and not the least big concerned. And even if this WAS a typhoon, for once I wasn't traveling the next day, and I didn't care.

I awoke this morning to silence. I dragged myself out of bed. (On Tuesdays I start late and tend to sleep in, so I was not in the mood to be awake any earlier than necessary.) There were no yelling army men next door. There were no cars and no bikes at school. School was canceled. And of course, I couldn't fall asleep again.

Roy and I went for brunch around 11am. First we visited a tea shop that he frequents with Anthony. I'm pleased because I have been rationing my tea since last year. Yes, I realize this is the land of (plen)tea, but a reputable seller is hard to come by. Now I have one and can guzzle tea to my heart's content. (My tea intake exceeds my coffee intake by far this year.) I'm also in the market for a tea set to take back to the US with me eventually. Having a relationship with a merchant (and Anthony to help) should make it easier to get a good price.

We ate at our usual Muslim noodle shop and headed back to school. It was nap time and I had studying to do this afternoon because I start Chinese tomorrow! En route I noticed the trees that were down. None of them were damaged, they just came unearthed. I guess all the rain saturated the ground so much that it just couldn't hold them in anymore.

I sat back and waited for the next wave of storm I had been promised. And then the sun poked out. I'm still waiting.

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Comments

[Cynthia]

Mmm...windy tea
Glad to hear you didn't get blown away, or swept away by a tsunami! Though, finding a good tea shop is almost as noteworthy...lol. Good tea, very critical. The Muslim noodle shop is causing me a little bit of noodle envy here in the land of questionable pasta salad, so be sure to eat extra for those of us who are noodle deprived! :)