The countdown to CNY with a minivacation away hash

Life has been mostly uneventful since my last post.  There are a few things of note.

I cut back on drinking substantially in an effort to lose weight. Over the course of 20 days I only had 2 drinks (a beer and a small glass of wine) and managed to lose the 2kilos I gained over my last vacation but cannot seem to get below 85kg. 

On January 6th I went to the bank to apply for a credit card.  I took a walk on Lianhuashan (lotus mountain) afterward. 

On January 9th I recorded a mitosis rap for my class. I wrote this rap in 2015 and haven't performed it since. I was far more appreciated by my Chinese students than it was by my US students. 

I went to Shenzhen Bay Port on January 13th to register for the e-channel.   This way I don't have to get my passport stamped every time I leave and enter China.  They had a hard time recognizing me and thought I was some kind of imposter because I had a beard in my passport photo but I had recently shaved.  It got sorted out after I showed some additional photos and my work ID.  

I am already in the process of applying for a new passport.  So I went and got a passport photo taken as well on the 13th.

Friday the 19th I broke from my typical routine and got coffee at the cafe by my gym before my workout.  Not only was the coffee wonderful but they had an adorable meerkat and kitty cat.  

On the 20th-21st I joined the Shekou Hash House Harriers for an away hash at Silver Beach with their kennel.  Below you can see photos and timelapse videos of that.  I limited my self to no more than 3 beers a day but even that seems to have been too much because despite the loads of exercise and not eating a lot I somehow gained back some weight.  The first day included a 6.5 mile long hike up a mountain on very technical trails. There was even a section that involved repelling (without a safety harness) with a rope that the hares had set up.  The second day included a much easier trek and a barbecue.  

At work things have been routine. The only major development is that I applied for the science department chair position for next year.  The position comes with a 3000USD stipend and a reduced class schedule but other additional responsibilities.  I had the interview on Thursday January 26th.  I hope that my confidence is not misplaced and that I am the strongest candidate that they have. 

Faye is worrying me a little bit.  She is depressed and not satisfied with her work life.  I do my best to encourage her, empathize, and build her up but I am not always equipped to help or even mentally able to idly listen. China, while a great climate for expat teachers, is not so friendly to local employees.  The locals make very little money by comparison, they are often overworked, and the job market is not good.  There is a heavy emphasis on familial connection and she has none.  I just hope that she can find happiness and joy in the little things and the travel opportunities that we get give her a chance to experience some fun distractions from the difficulties of life.  It is hard to explain to her that employment in the US is about the same or worse in some ways.  At least she was able to survive on her salary before she met me.  While she wasn't really able to save much, and could barely afford to travel, nobody in the US making what she makes would be able to afford basic necessities.  This is something I struggle to get her to understand, that the US is not the land of opportunities it is painted as.  Now that we have lived together since October I am hoping that, with her expenses being lower, she will be able to start saving. I worry about her wellbeing more often than she realizes.  

Our next trip starts on Feb 3rd and ends Feb 18th.  We are flying out of HK to Da Nang, then from Da Nang to Phnom Penh via Ho Chi Minh, then Phnom Penh to Colombo (Sri Lanka) via Bangkok.  We will travel around the southern end of Sri Lanka on a private tour including hiking, caves, rafting, surfing lessons, and whale watching.  We will end our trip in Krabi with long layovers in Bangkok on the from Sri Lanka and back to HK.  This trip is a week away, and while we were originally planning to go to Australia before Faye's visa was rejected, this alternative will hopefully be an awesome experience for both us.