People (Part III)

Continuing my Boston adventures:

Hong Kongers (!)

On my first day, after I settled in at the house, I went to get some groceries for the week. While also enjoying a nice evening walk on my way to the store, I spotted a small Chinese (take-out) restaurant! It should be no surprise, but I told myself that I could get dinner there at the end of the week if I worked hard during the week. After a productive week, I went to the restaurant on Friday (the same day I met the senior adult at Dunkin' Donut and the Christian at Harvard from my previous post) and got one of my favorite dishes.  As a great bonus, the two guys I chatted with there spoke Cantonese (my native language)! They asked me if I was a student there, as if saying they would take care of my nutritional needs (or occasional Chinese food cravings) if I were. It was the type of conversation that one could only have if you were originally from the same place but were living far away from home in a different culture for one reason or another. I told them I was only there short-term so it was my first and last visit in quite some time. My take-out box was packed solidly, and my food was made to order with no MSG. It was easily some of the best Chinese food I had had in the country.

A grandmother

On my last day, I arrived at the airport early and had a chance to eat lunch (more like brunch) before my flight. While eating, I noticed a lady ordering food with presumably her husband and young granddaughter. Just as I thought it was nice for the grandparents to be spending quality time with their grandchild, the lady turned around and I saw her face. It was not a happy grandmother face. It was not because she was sad, but because her face has been so surgically changed that she could not smile. The plastic and stern look on her face was simply too obvious. I kept imagining how beautiful she had to be before the procedure(s).

I also met some wonderful people at Harvard who helped me with my research. It was great to spend time on this beautiful campus and to visit Boston a bit.