Winter Fun aka 好凍
Hong Kong is in its finest season, in my humble opinion. Hong Kong has many charms, but the summer heat and humidity that drag on for most of the year is not one of them. Now is the season for scarves 頸巾 (geng2 gan1) and gloves 手套 (sau2 tou3)! Everyone looks nicer when wearing winter clothing. And more cuddly.
Everywhere you go, you hear people muttering to each other, "好凍 (hou2 dung3)." And although I grew up in Colorado and lived in Alaska before I moved here, I also agree, it's cold.
Now of course it's nowhere near freezing, so you might wonder why I think it's cold. My face, my usual temperature gauge, knows its not cold (it's not cold until your snot freezes in your nose), but that knowledge doesn't stop me from shivering. My body won't get with the program for some reason. But why?
One contributing factor is the buildings in Hong Kong. I don't know who makes them or who decides that buildings shouldn't have insulation, but the walls effectively radiate icy air into the room. If that is what the builders were going for, then good job, they should get a gold star. Floors are similarly frigid. While I always thought that slippers were a fun accessory in winter, now they are a necessity.
Of course, another reason is because you're just outside a lot. In Alaska, my brother had a snazzy truck with heated seats. Not only that, but he had this nifty button on his keychain that would remotely turn on the car heater so it would be nice and toasty by time you got there. That's the life. I think about that sometimes as I'm standing by my bus stop in the morning, back to the wind, waiting for the bus that is taking its sweet time coming to my stop.
And don't get me started on the sinks. None of the sinks in my life (at work or in the flats I've lived in) have hot water. Like, not at all. My tiny flat's kitchen was conveniently located next to the bathroom, so if I really needed hot water to wash a greasy pot I could just stretch the detachable shower head into the kitchen to spray out the pot. At work it's been rough recently because I type all day. After washing dishes in the ice water that comes out of our pipes, my fingers are too numb to type properly. So I have to warm them up on my neck before I can continue working.
Those are reasons, but not the main reason. After all, my house in Colorado was pretty darn cold. I remember seeing my breath at night sometimes. And although my brother had nicely heated car, my car was a beater with no heater. I would drive my scuffed, red Jeep, one hand on the steering wheel and the other warming on my neck (I developed this habit young, as you can see). When the driving hand got too icy to grip the steering wheel then I'd switch.
So yes, I get cold. And I know Hong Kong is not that. BUT. My theory is that it's the humidity that is ruining everyone's perception of reality. The humidity is what is making us think it's cold, forcing my body to shiver in a mere 50F (10C). Think about it. You know when it's the end of summer, and the air is still warm with just a hint of chill creeping in? Usually you're fine walking around in a t-shirt in shorts, but if you jump in the water and get out again, it's cuing the goosebumps. It's kind of like that here, swimming through the humid air every day. Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
One of the roommates, is simultaneously complaining about the cold and making plans to get ice cream. I'm sure that will help. She says that there's a heater in our house (we just discovered this tonight). And she's decked out in a hoodie and fuzzy socks.
This is winter in Hong Kong. And while I admit it is 好凍 despite what the thermometer tells you, it is also 好舒服 (hou2 syu1 fuk6). So comfortable! Especially when one is wrapped in a woolen scarf and cradling a hot mug of tea. It doesn't get better than that.
Everywhere you go, you hear people muttering to each other, "好凍 (hou2 dung3)." And although I grew up in Colorado and lived in Alaska before I moved here, I also agree, it's cold.
Now of course it's nowhere near freezing, so you might wonder why I think it's cold. My face, my usual temperature gauge, knows its not cold (it's not cold until your snot freezes in your nose), but that knowledge doesn't stop me from shivering. My body won't get with the program for some reason. But why?
One contributing factor is the buildings in Hong Kong. I don't know who makes them or who decides that buildings shouldn't have insulation, but the walls effectively radiate icy air into the room. If that is what the builders were going for, then good job, they should get a gold star. Floors are similarly frigid. While I always thought that slippers were a fun accessory in winter, now they are a necessity.
Of course, another reason is because you're just outside a lot. In Alaska, my brother had a snazzy truck with heated seats. Not only that, but he had this nifty button on his keychain that would remotely turn on the car heater so it would be nice and toasty by time you got there. That's the life. I think about that sometimes as I'm standing by my bus stop in the morning, back to the wind, waiting for the bus that is taking its sweet time coming to my stop.
And don't get me started on the sinks. None of the sinks in my life (at work or in the flats I've lived in) have hot water. Like, not at all. My tiny flat's kitchen was conveniently located next to the bathroom, so if I really needed hot water to wash a greasy pot I could just stretch the detachable shower head into the kitchen to spray out the pot. At work it's been rough recently because I type all day. After washing dishes in the ice water that comes out of our pipes, my fingers are too numb to type properly. So I have to warm them up on my neck before I can continue working.
Those are reasons, but not the main reason. After all, my house in Colorado was pretty darn cold. I remember seeing my breath at night sometimes. And although my brother had nicely heated car, my car was a beater with no heater. I would drive my scuffed, red Jeep, one hand on the steering wheel and the other warming on my neck (I developed this habit young, as you can see). When the driving hand got too icy to grip the steering wheel then I'd switch.
So yes, I get cold. And I know Hong Kong is not that. BUT. My theory is that it's the humidity that is ruining everyone's perception of reality. The humidity is what is making us think it's cold, forcing my body to shiver in a mere 50F (10C). Think about it. You know when it's the end of summer, and the air is still warm with just a hint of chill creeping in? Usually you're fine walking around in a t-shirt in shorts, but if you jump in the water and get out again, it's cuing the goosebumps. It's kind of like that here, swimming through the humid air every day. Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
One of the roommates, is simultaneously complaining about the cold and making plans to get ice cream. I'm sure that will help. She says that there's a heater in our house (we just discovered this tonight). And she's decked out in a hoodie and fuzzy socks.
This is winter in Hong Kong. And while I admit it is 好凍 despite what the thermometer tells you, it is also 好舒服 (hou2 syu1 fuk6). So comfortable! Especially when one is wrapped in a woolen scarf and cradling a hot mug of tea. It doesn't get better than that.
I love the winter in HK! It's quite dry and comfortable. Heaps better than the heat and humidity of summer. And summers here are so long. In our 6 years here though never recalled a stretch of 10 straight days of quite cold weather like this. This is a bit out of the ordinary. Closing schools is also a bit new. 5 days for the kids. I still need to work though :(
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am quite happy with the weather. Last year even at CNY it was still pretty hot. I remember all the flowers were wilting. Glad it's colder this year!
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