I'm Back! 我返嚟啦 !

我返嚟啦 ! After an incredibly not brief hiatus, I’ve decided it’s time to get back to egg tart land. While I’ve still been enjoying egg tarts, I have not been documenting my snacks nor my Cantonese learning. I must assure any readers that are left (or who may stumble across this humble blog post), I have not given up on Cantonese. 

In fact, I’ve spent a few years away from Hong Kong! I’ve had a lot of good time with my family in the US. I had a few qualms about living in Utah  猶他州 jau4taa1 zau1 when moving back. Would I be able to get my favorite vinegar there? Could I find egg tarts there? What about barbecue pork? I was not sure if there would be any Cantonese speakers in Utah or how my Cantonese would fare away from the Fragrant Harbour. 

I am very pleased to report that Salt Lake City 鹽湖城 jim4wu4 sing4 does have my favorite vinegar! There were several large Asian markets scattered around the city, one not too far from my place. A Hong Kong-style bakery was in the same strip mall as my work! They had created a mango sago pomelo drink from the original 楊枝甘露 joeng4zi1 gam1lou6. I hate to say it, but I think I like their version slightly more than its more traditional counterpart. Very addicting!

As for Cantonese speakers, I found some! I followed a Cantonese teacher/youtuber (Miss Winnie), and it turns out she is also based in Salt Lake City. We became friends, so it was great having someone to chat with in Cantonese. Periodically, I ran into Canto people around the city. Of course there were some at the Asian market. The guy who ran the siu mei stand was from Guangdong but had lived in Hong Kong for a while. We talked about life in Hong Kong, and he gave me some free barbecue pork. I chatted with a group of Canto speakers at Costco and later a Hong Kong mother and her daughter at a bubble tea shop. There were other sightings, like at the DMV. But I decided few people would want to be bothered at the DMV, so I left them alone. 

On the language side, my Cantonese has definitely suffered from disuse, but I haven’t lost as much as I had feared. I’m a little slow on the draw in more specific situations, like the first time I went to church after being back. My brain was registering a few seconds too slowly on most of the words. But I think it is catching back up. 

On the bright side, my reading is a bit better than before. I kept up my usual flashcards, Cantonese Bible reading, and tv show studying (I went through a ViuTV dating show, 35+ Love), so I think my reading is the best it’s ever been. Which is pretty good when you're starting from zero. But if you pit me against a fifth grader, probably not that good. 

I hope that after triumphantly returning to the 852, my Cantonese will suddenly become light years better! Just by breathing in the humid air and hearing uncles yell at each other in the street, my fluency will increase exponentially. Let’s see. And even if it doesn’t, at least there will be egg tarts on every corner. 

Let the journey continue!