Back to the Homeland: Hong Kong!

About a week before my parents came to China, I decided I really wanted to go to Hong Kong. I was planning on going alone over the summer, but who better to return to the motherland with than the people I used to live there with. Plus, I wouldn’t be seeing them again for another few months and I had the time, so why not? When I met my family in Hong Kong, they picked me up from the airport express in Central and we went straight to dim sum at City Hall, where we had LITERALLY the best chao siu bao EVER. We then took the tram to Causeway Bay, walked around Times Square, and ended the evening at an Egyptian restaurant by the escalator. The food was really good and owner gave us all a free round of drinks and dessert, so needless to say we enjoyed ourselves. It’s crazy the things we recall from childhood. I don’t remember spending a lot of time in that area, so it wasn’t too familiar, but there were other things that gave my nostalgia a run for its money. For instance, when Jake and I got into the cab and immediately were greeted by the familiar scent of a Hong Kong taxi. Memory is weird, man.

The next day was more of a blast from the past because we visited the JCC and Ohel Leah Synagogue, where I spent most of my Hong Kong childhood. Everything was exactly the same, although I seemed to remember everything being a lot bigger (my mom claims it’s just because I was a lot smaller…). Walking into the synagogue felt so familiar and brought back memories, from singing songs on the steps of the bimah to standing under my dad’s tallit as he chanted the Kohen aliyah on Rosh Hashanah.

 

 

After the JCC, we went to Stanley Market. While we were shopping, I glanced up and noticed that my cousin Charlie was standing right next to my dad, but neither of them had realized. We knew they were coming to Hong Kong, but this was a total coincidence. So naturally, we all had lunch together on the Stanley Market pier where my dad and I split fish and chips. That night, we met up with our closest family friends for Shabbat dinner. It was so nice to see them, although I wish my friend had been there. 

My last full day in Hong Kong started back at Ohel Leah for Saturday morning services. My dad was thrilled because he was the only Kohen (besides me and Jake) and got to do the Kohen and Levi alliyot, and then my dad and Jake got to do the Birkat Hacohanim (blessing over the congregation). After Kiddush, we went to the Peak and walked around a path with beautiful views of Hong Kong harbor. Then, we took the double decker bus to Repulse Bay, the beach near where we used to live in South Bay. That was quite the blast from the past.

Flashback to when I arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday morning and I happened to glance out the window and make eye contact with a girl in the bus next to our taxi. After a double take, we realized we knew each other from elementary school. We haven’t made contact in over 10 years, despite being Facebook friends, so I messaged her and we made plans to meet up. It turned out she was going out to celebrate another childhood friend’s birthday, so Jake and I met up with them in Lan Kwai Feng. It was a crazy coincidence but I’m so glad I got to meet up with them and see what life would have been like had I stayed in Hong Kong longer.

  I really loved getting to spend over a week with my family, and Hong Kong was my highlight. It was definitely bittersweet to see the places that used to be such a big part of my life, but I am so grateful for the experience because I know it truly influenced who I have become.