In extreme temperatures golf course managers syringe their greens by spraying a little bit of water on the green, then using the evaporation of the water off the grass on the green to cool it down. I'm pretty sure God runs the weather here in Hong Kong much the same way. He's how I think it works:
During the summer months God likes to take it a bit easy. So instead of being out in the hot sun he stays in and watches the newest episode of "Guiding Light" or catches up on re-runs of "Touched by an Angel." As he gets up to refill his glass of sweet tea He sees Hong Kong is getting a bit hot. He picks up his Toro irrigation controller (seriously, would God use anything but Toro?) and turns on the sprinklers over Hong Kong for a few minutes in the afternoon to cool it down. Meanwhile, I'm going about my business mowing and all of the sudden it starts raining, and pouring. I get completely soaked before I can put on my rain gear. Then the sun comes back out, heats everything up nice and hot and you can see steam coming off the black asphalt, and on some days, coming off the greens.
The weather here is so unpredicatable. I have found out that if I want it to stop raining, all I have to do is put on my rain gear and it decides to stop. If I want it to continue to rain, I just decide against the rain gear. Sometimes it can't decide if it should rain or not so it will do something inbetween where there is water hanging in the air, but not exactly falling. Sometimes it is so humid out, the air seems to drip with water, much like God's glass of sweet tea probably drips water off the outside. Sometimes it rains hard, so hard you can't see 30 feet away from you and sometimes it won't rain for days on end.
The local weather service does a great job of giving the weather outlook. Ninety percent of the time the outlook just says "Hot with a chance of a few showers" If I had to sum up the weather that I have experienced here so far, I would put it in four categories: 1) Hot, 2) Very hot, 3)Rainy 4) Can't exactly decide to rain or not.
I really like the hot humid environment, but I have mixed feelings about the random rain showers that don't last more than 2 minutes, but are enough to soak you. I just read an article this morning about how temperatures in my home state of Iowa had overnight temps of less than 60 degrees. It was 81 degrees at 4:00am today!
I have really grown to like this heat and even the humidity and I know going back to Iowa in November is going to be a shock!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Inception
I just got home from the movie theater after watching "Inception." I really have no clue what that movie is about and I think it is the most complicated movie I have ever seen. That being said, the movie theater was quite alright.
The theater I went to is an AMC theater located in the Festival Walk Mall in Kowloon Tong. There was a surprisingly large amount of seats in the house that "Inception" was shown in, and they were nearly all sold out. The seats were reasonably comfortable, but were definitely made for a "slimmer" crowd.
There was a small concession stand, but I didn't see as many people lined up to purchase snacks as I would have expected. I saw only a handful of people with snacks and drinks walking in and out of the theater. I also found it interesting there were no "Five-Pound-Bucket-Of-Popcorn" or "2-Gallon-Extra-Caffeinated-Sugar-Enriched-Soft-Drink" for sale. In fact, the sizes of the drinks and popcorn that I did see would be considered kid's or maybe toddler sized in the US. Maybe because there was no Extra Large Popcorn bucket that comes with a free complimentary stick of butter and a prearranged visit with a cardiologist, the seats were able to accommodate the "slimmer" crowd.
The theater I went to is an AMC theater located in the Festival Walk Mall in Kowloon Tong. There was a surprisingly large amount of seats in the house that "Inception" was shown in, and they were nearly all sold out. The seats were reasonably comfortable, but were definitely made for a "slimmer" crowd.
There was a small concession stand, but I didn't see as many people lined up to purchase snacks as I would have expected. I saw only a handful of people with snacks and drinks walking in and out of the theater. I also found it interesting there were no "Five-Pound-Bucket-Of-Popcorn" or "2-Gallon-Extra-Caffeinated-Sugar-Enriched-Soft-Drink" for sale. In fact, the sizes of the drinks and popcorn that I did see would be considered kid's or maybe toddler sized in the US. Maybe because there was no Extra Large Popcorn bucket that comes with a free complimentary stick of butter and a prearranged visit with a cardiologist, the seats were able to accommodate the "slimmer" crowd.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Feeling a bit like Harry Potter
Ok, I'll admit it: I'm a big Harry Potter fan. Not to the point of carrying around a magic wand and trying to fly on a broom, but I always loved the books. I would sit around for hours upon end when I was younger and would read the Harry Potter books. When I read any book, I can allow myself to slip away in to that far off land and in my mind, I create my own world. I can envision what I think places look like, and how people look, etc. I don't mind the Harry Potter movies, but unfortunately, they took away from the 'world' that I had created in my mind, and the two didn't match up. I still prefer the way I originally thought things looked.
In the first Harry Potter book, Harry finds out he is a wizard, and not an ordinary person ('muggle' is the wizard word for that.) As Harry finds out he is going to be going to Hogwarts, the wizard school, he has to go shopping in wizard stores. The book does a great job of talking about his first experience in this strange, foreign land, and how Harry must learn to use wizard money and purchase strange books and foods. This is exactly how I first felt when I began shopping here in Hong Kong.
The first time I went to the ATM and got money out, it felt so strange so see these unusual sized bills. It was so foreign for me to walk through the store looking at all these products that had writing on them in Chinese. It was difficult for me to pay for something and to use coins as I wasn't sure which coin was worth how much, and the lady behind the cash register actually just reached in to my handful of coins and grabbed what was needed instead of waiting for me to figure it out.
As I have mentioned earlier, the exchange rate is 7.78 HK dollars to 1.00 US dollar, so when I see prices in the store, I still have to think about how much it is actually costing me. It still seems weird when I pay 6 dollars for a coke, or I go out to eat and a meal is about $75 depending on the restaurant.
The money here is actually very easy to use, once you figure it all out. In fact, it is even easier to use than US money I believe. The largest bill (which is not included in the picture below) is a $1,000 note. They are fairly hard to come by and aren't really popular as there have been some counter fitting problems with the bill. The $1,000 note is the largest of all the cash bills. The bill size decrease with lower values. The other notes pictured below are $500, $100, $50, $20, and $10.
The coins are more similar to US coins as they vary in size. The smallest coin is 10 cents, and it is a very small, round coin. The next is the 20 cent coin which is small, but with a wavy edge on it. Next is a 50 cent coin which is larger than the 10 cent coin, smooth sides, but with groves on it, like a quarter in the US. The $1 coin is about the same size as a quarter and has smooth edges, with groves, but is larger than the 50 cent piece. The two dollar coin is a large coin with wavy edges. I think $5 and $10 coins are the most unique. The $5 is the size of a quarter, but feels like you have taken three quarters and glued them together, one of top of the other. It has a discernible ridge in the middle of of the edges. The $10 coin is actually smaller than the $5, but has a copper colored center, with a silver surround, and on the edge it has alternating areas of grooved and smooth.
I said this money is easier to use than US money because everybody can use this money, even the blind. One of my favorite movies is called Ray, and it is about the life of Ray Charles (for those of you who don't know, he was a blind jazz and blues piano player.) In the movie, there is a scene where someone is paying Ray for a gig he just played, and is counting out his pay verbally as if laying down $5 bills, but he is actually laying down $1 bills. Since all the US money is the same size, Ray can't tell his he is being cheated or not. Now that I have been using HK money, I find it very unique that I can tell the size of the currency just by feeling it, and not having to see it. If the US had money in various sizes, Ray wouldn't have had the problem he did in the movie.
In the first Harry Potter book, Harry finds out he is a wizard, and not an ordinary person ('muggle' is the wizard word for that.) As Harry finds out he is going to be going to Hogwarts, the wizard school, he has to go shopping in wizard stores. The book does a great job of talking about his first experience in this strange, foreign land, and how Harry must learn to use wizard money and purchase strange books and foods. This is exactly how I first felt when I began shopping here in Hong Kong.
The first time I went to the ATM and got money out, it felt so strange so see these unusual sized bills. It was so foreign for me to walk through the store looking at all these products that had writing on them in Chinese. It was difficult for me to pay for something and to use coins as I wasn't sure which coin was worth how much, and the lady behind the cash register actually just reached in to my handful of coins and grabbed what was needed instead of waiting for me to figure it out.
As I have mentioned earlier, the exchange rate is 7.78 HK dollars to 1.00 US dollar, so when I see prices in the store, I still have to think about how much it is actually costing me. It still seems weird when I pay 6 dollars for a coke, or I go out to eat and a meal is about $75 depending on the restaurant.
The money here is actually very easy to use, once you figure it all out. In fact, it is even easier to use than US money I believe. The largest bill (which is not included in the picture below) is a $1,000 note. They are fairly hard to come by and aren't really popular as there have been some counter fitting problems with the bill. The $1,000 note is the largest of all the cash bills. The bill size decrease with lower values. The other notes pictured below are $500, $100, $50, $20, and $10.
The coins are more similar to US coins as they vary in size. The smallest coin is 10 cents, and it is a very small, round coin. The next is the 20 cent coin which is small, but with a wavy edge on it. Next is a 50 cent coin which is larger than the 10 cent coin, smooth sides, but with groves on it, like a quarter in the US. The $1 coin is about the same size as a quarter and has smooth edges, with groves, but is larger than the 50 cent piece. The two dollar coin is a large coin with wavy edges. I think $5 and $10 coins are the most unique. The $5 is the size of a quarter, but feels like you have taken three quarters and glued them together, one of top of the other. It has a discernible ridge in the middle of of the edges. The $10 coin is actually smaller than the $5, but has a copper colored center, with a silver surround, and on the edge it has alternating areas of grooved and smooth.
I said this money is easier to use than US money because everybody can use this money, even the blind. One of my favorite movies is called Ray, and it is about the life of Ray Charles (for those of you who don't know, he was a blind jazz and blues piano player.) In the movie, there is a scene where someone is paying Ray for a gig he just played, and is counting out his pay verbally as if laying down $5 bills, but he is actually laying down $1 bills. Since all the US money is the same size, Ray can't tell his he is being cheated or not. Now that I have been using HK money, I find it very unique that I can tell the size of the currency just by feeling it, and not having to see it. If the US had money in various sizes, Ray wouldn't have had the problem he did in the movie.
Friday, August 13, 2010
"Well, they used to have dogs, but I think they ate them...I don't see them any more"
A co-worker and I live in the same village and after we were out running errands or something (I don't remember exactly why we were in the car together) we drove through the entrance to our village. Along side the entrance is what seems to be a construction company office or something. There is a fenced in area with some heavy machinery. Anyways, as we drove past, my co-worker casually said, "Well, they used to have dogs, but I think they ate them...I don't see them any more. I used to play with them on my way to work and now they are gone." My reply, "Oh, that's too bad....WAIT! WHAT?!?!"
He went on to explain to me that dogs are sometimes eaten in the winter by Chinese people because they believe dog meat brings them warmth. I couldn't believe it, I always thought it was just something Westerners joked about, but to actually hear about it being true was mind boggling for me.
As I was looking at a bulletin board in my office building, I saw that somebody had posted a copy of a cutting from a news paper about a dog farm in China and how they raise dogs for human consumption. If I can't eat chicken feet I sure wouldn't be able to eat dog.
Recently, I have seen dogs again at the construction office and I hope they aren't feeding them out for Christmas dinner.
He went on to explain to me that dogs are sometimes eaten in the winter by Chinese people because they believe dog meat brings them warmth. I couldn't believe it, I always thought it was just something Westerners joked about, but to actually hear about it being true was mind boggling for me.
As I was looking at a bulletin board in my office building, I saw that somebody had posted a copy of a cutting from a news paper about a dog farm in China and how they raise dogs for human consumption. If I can't eat chicken feet I sure wouldn't be able to eat dog.
Recently, I have seen dogs again at the construction office and I hope they aren't feeding them out for Christmas dinner.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A Preview Of What Is Coming Up Next!
As I am nearing the end of my first list of topics, I figured I should compose a new list for two reasons: 1) It will build great anticipation for my readers, 2) It will help me remember what the heck wanted to write about.
So, here is the new list of what will be coming up next!
Feeling a bit like Harry Potter
God and His Toro Irrigation System
Lotus Cafe
Cribs - Hong Kong Style
There's a Snake in my Mower
Spiders the Size of My Hand
Drinks in Hong Kong
Dim Sum - Get Some!
Chinese Hot Pot
Wet Markets Are Not Good Places to Hide During A Rain Storm
Mong Kok Bird Market
Stanley Market
Men With Purses
Hong Kong Wetlands
This list should keep me busy writing for a few weeks longer. I have been terribly busy recently, but I will try to write more than I have been. If anybody has any questions or comments, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail, or add a comment at the bottom of any post by pressing the( "#" comments) on the last line of the post, next to my name and the post time.
So, here is the new list of what will be coming up next!
Feeling a bit like Harry Potter
God and His Toro Irrigation System
Lotus Cafe
Cribs - Hong Kong Style
There's a Snake in my Mower
Spiders the Size of My Hand
Drinks in Hong Kong
Dim Sum - Get Some!
Chinese Hot Pot
Wet Markets Are Not Good Places to Hide During A Rain Storm
Mong Kok Bird Market
Stanley Market
Men With Purses
Hong Kong Wetlands
This list should keep me busy writing for a few weeks longer. I have been terribly busy recently, but I will try to write more than I have been. If anybody has any questions or comments, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail, or add a comment at the bottom of any post by pressing the( "#" comments) on the last line of the post, next to my name and the post time.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Chickens Feet and Pig Knuckles
The Chinese cuisine is....different... to say the least. Back in the USA I'm a big fan of Applebee's, Pizza Ranch, and McDonalds. Needless to say, I had to make a big change in my diet when I came here. I have been adapting quite well and have only had two times so far (in two months) where I have felt sick from the food. I'm open to trying new things, but will not go as far as eating chickens feet or pig knuckle.
My first experience with seeing someone eat chicken feet was on a Saturday during lunch. A bunch of co-workers and I went to our normal place to eat lunch and the place we eat serves all sorts of food. I can get a hotdog or breakfast sandwich type deal if I want, but I normally go for Chinese food. I can not remember what I ordered that day, but one of my co-workers just had a hankering for chicken feet. They were served in a soup type dish and looked absolutely disgusting to me. They were fully equipped with toenails and all. The meat must have been tough and chewy as he really had to work hard to get the meat off the skinny bones. I had a really hard time finishing my lunch that day, and am almost getting sick thinking about it...time to move on.
Pig knuckle seems like a fairly common piece of meat to have in soup type dish as well. It is essentially the entire lower part of a pig leg with hooves still attached. It looks like a terribly gristle filled piece of meat and appears unpleasant to try and eat as well. I don't know what it is about me, but I just don't want to be eating the meat off of the same appendage the animal spent its entire life walking around, pounding the ground with.
I've gotten a bit better about not being surprised as much by food and I don't flinch quite as much when duck soup gets brought to a table; (Duck soup = entire cooked duck, head and all, in a soup.) The local people here are fantastic about dealing with bones in their food and can put a whole, bone filled piece of meat in their mouth, mash it around, and spit out the bones picked clean. It is also proper here to spit out bones right on the table and should never be placed back on your plate, nor should you waste the time to gracefully spit it in to a napkin and casually hide beside your plate. I normally stray away from stuff that has bones in it because it is very hard for me to chew the meat off of the bones without seeming to waste a bunch of meat.
Maybe being able to pick meat off the bones in my mouth will come with time as an added accomplishment to me eating Chinese food, but I'm satisfied with meeting my first goal here: mastering chopsticks.
My first experience with seeing someone eat chicken feet was on a Saturday during lunch. A bunch of co-workers and I went to our normal place to eat lunch and the place we eat serves all sorts of food. I can get a hotdog or breakfast sandwich type deal if I want, but I normally go for Chinese food. I can not remember what I ordered that day, but one of my co-workers just had a hankering for chicken feet. They were served in a soup type dish and looked absolutely disgusting to me. They were fully equipped with toenails and all. The meat must have been tough and chewy as he really had to work hard to get the meat off the skinny bones. I had a really hard time finishing my lunch that day, and am almost getting sick thinking about it...time to move on.
Pig knuckle seems like a fairly common piece of meat to have in soup type dish as well. It is essentially the entire lower part of a pig leg with hooves still attached. It looks like a terribly gristle filled piece of meat and appears unpleasant to try and eat as well. I don't know what it is about me, but I just don't want to be eating the meat off of the same appendage the animal spent its entire life walking around, pounding the ground with.
I've gotten a bit better about not being surprised as much by food and I don't flinch quite as much when duck soup gets brought to a table; (Duck soup = entire cooked duck, head and all, in a soup.) The local people here are fantastic about dealing with bones in their food and can put a whole, bone filled piece of meat in their mouth, mash it around, and spit out the bones picked clean. It is also proper here to spit out bones right on the table and should never be placed back on your plate, nor should you waste the time to gracefully spit it in to a napkin and casually hide beside your plate. I normally stray away from stuff that has bones in it because it is very hard for me to chew the meat off of the bones without seeming to waste a bunch of meat.
Maybe being able to pick meat off the bones in my mouth will come with time as an added accomplishment to me eating Chinese food, but I'm satisfied with meeting my first goal here: mastering chopsticks.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Best Smelling Place in Hong Kong (That I've Found So Far)
Recently I talked about a town that smelled horrible and about some bad pollution that I have seen while in Hong Kong. Coincidentally, the place that I have found to smell the best and be one of the most beautiful, is in the same town!
A couple weekends ago I made a trip down to the Mong Kok Flower Market to get some plants for my bare apartment. I took the train down and had to follow a few signs out of the station to begin finding my way, and as soon as I got on street level, it wasn't hard to find. I just walked the opposite way of all the people who were carrying fresh cut flowers and other plants.
The flower market is a few blocks long full of vendors selling all sorts of fresh cut flowers, flower arrangements, and many live plants. Orchids were abundant to buy in this market as well as bonsai trees, palms, pitcher plants, and other strange looking plants I had never seen before. Orchids in full bloom were quite cheap starting at about $6.50 USD and going up to as much as $32.00+ USD.
Some strange looking plant.
Orchid store where I bought some of my orchids from.
Neat colored cut flowers.
Very interesting store with lots of statues and figurines.
A couple weekends ago I made a trip down to the Mong Kok Flower Market to get some plants for my bare apartment. I took the train down and had to follow a few signs out of the station to begin finding my way, and as soon as I got on street level, it wasn't hard to find. I just walked the opposite way of all the people who were carrying fresh cut flowers and other plants.
The flower market is a few blocks long full of vendors selling all sorts of fresh cut flowers, flower arrangements, and many live plants. Orchids were abundant to buy in this market as well as bonsai trees, palms, pitcher plants, and other strange looking plants I had never seen before. Orchids in full bloom were quite cheap starting at about $6.50 USD and going up to as much as $32.00+ USD.
I picked up a few orchids and a water plant for myself but decided to take a taxi back to my house as I didn't want to damage them on the train. So far, I have not killed them which is quite an accomplishment for me. Below are a few pictures from the Flower Market:
Flower Market from above.
Some strange looking plant.
Orchid store where I bought some of my orchids from.
Neat colored cut flowers.
Very interesting store with lots of statues and figurines.Monday, August 2, 2010
Not Only Can You Smell It, You Can See It -- Pollution!!!
Sometimes people say, "You don't know what you have until it is gone." I never realized how precious clean air, clear blue country skies, and fresh drinking water was until I didn't always have it.
When growing up in the country, I was never around any areas of big pollution. I never could smell the air, unless the wind was out of just the right direction and I could maybe catch a whiff of my neighbors cattle operation. If the weather was clear it seemed like you could always see for miles upon miles. Our water came either from city water, or out of a well, and I never had a problem drinking straight out of the water faucet on the side of our house.
Shenzen, China is a ten minute drive away from where I live, so I'm guessing it can't be farther than 2-3 miles. At my work, there is an area you can go to that gives you a great vantage point to be able to see in to China. However, there are times when you can't see that far due to smog. The poor visibility could also be attributed to the extremely high humidity, but I believe the major contributor is pollution. I can also tell when the air is contaminated by how my eyes feel. I always wear contacts and there are some days that I have to take them out as soon as I get home because the air has affected them. Some people at work also comment on it affecting their eyes as well. There are times when you almost feel like you're getting a cold with puffy eyes and a stuffed up nose, but I believe it is related to the levels of pollution in the air. The acid rain has a huge effect on buildings and vehicles here. It causes things to look dingy and worn out, even though they may be very new buildings. The rain does help clean out the air and after a good, long, hard rain, you can see in to China quite easily.
I didn't realize certain parts of Hong Kong had a smell until I went to a bigger town than the one I live near. There were people everywhere, cars everywhere, food vendors and restaurants everywhere. All of this was on the streets surrounded by high buildings. The tall buildings cut down air flow so the air becomes stagnant and that, mixed with everything else can create quite a smell. I can't even fully describe what it smelled like, but I'll give it my best: It was a mixture of stale water, rancid food, dirty clothing, musty shoes, exhaust, and maybe what the trash dumpster at McDonalds smells like. I think that is about as close to describing what I smelled on that day as I can get. I'm not even going to go in to my experience in a public toilet in this town....ugh!
I've heard many conflicting stories about the drinking water here in HK. Some people say it is very safe to drink, others say it isn't. I do know that shortly after I got here I was drinking it, and eating local food and I was not feeling well at all. I don't know if something in the food got to me, or if something in the water got to me, but I didn't feel well. I told some friends I was drinking the water and they were surprised I was not in the hospital, so now I boil all my water. It is somewhat time consuming to always be boiling and bottling pots of water, but I'm OK with it as long as I don't get sick again. At work we have "Culligan" type machines and also bottled water available which is very nice as I drink about 2 gallons a day it seems.
When I was in the USA, I was never a huge environmentalist or "tree-huger extremist" and never thought anything bad about using 10 plastic shopping bags to carry out my groceries from Wal-Mart, but since I have come here and seen all the pollution, it has really opened my eyes up to really striving to do my part in taking care of the world. In my line of work, we can potentially have a huge impact (good or bad) on the environment, so I have been reading and educating myself on ways to make a positive impact on the environment. Also, in my daily life I have made some changes too: I use recyclable shopping bags (a habit started by my neighbor who does the same as well, plus they charge you to use plastic bags at the store,) I re-use my water bottles (heck of a lot cheaper than buying new ones and throwing them all away), and I recycle any extra plastic bottles or aluminum cans I may have. In my line of work, I have become very conscientious of chemical use, and am always searching for ways to either decrease the use, or to be able to use it more effectively.
I am looking forward to coming home to clean air, drinking water out of the tap, and not being able to smell my town. I'm not looking forward to how cold and dry it will be once I get home. Oh well, I guess you can't have it all!
When growing up in the country, I was never around any areas of big pollution. I never could smell the air, unless the wind was out of just the right direction and I could maybe catch a whiff of my neighbors cattle operation. If the weather was clear it seemed like you could always see for miles upon miles. Our water came either from city water, or out of a well, and I never had a problem drinking straight out of the water faucet on the side of our house.
Shenzen, China is a ten minute drive away from where I live, so I'm guessing it can't be farther than 2-3 miles. At my work, there is an area you can go to that gives you a great vantage point to be able to see in to China. However, there are times when you can't see that far due to smog. The poor visibility could also be attributed to the extremely high humidity, but I believe the major contributor is pollution. I can also tell when the air is contaminated by how my eyes feel. I always wear contacts and there are some days that I have to take them out as soon as I get home because the air has affected them. Some people at work also comment on it affecting their eyes as well. There are times when you almost feel like you're getting a cold with puffy eyes and a stuffed up nose, but I believe it is related to the levels of pollution in the air. The acid rain has a huge effect on buildings and vehicles here. It causes things to look dingy and worn out, even though they may be very new buildings. The rain does help clean out the air and after a good, long, hard rain, you can see in to China quite easily.
I didn't realize certain parts of Hong Kong had a smell until I went to a bigger town than the one I live near. There were people everywhere, cars everywhere, food vendors and restaurants everywhere. All of this was on the streets surrounded by high buildings. The tall buildings cut down air flow so the air becomes stagnant and that, mixed with everything else can create quite a smell. I can't even fully describe what it smelled like, but I'll give it my best: It was a mixture of stale water, rancid food, dirty clothing, musty shoes, exhaust, and maybe what the trash dumpster at McDonalds smells like. I think that is about as close to describing what I smelled on that day as I can get. I'm not even going to go in to my experience in a public toilet in this town....ugh!
I've heard many conflicting stories about the drinking water here in HK. Some people say it is very safe to drink, others say it isn't. I do know that shortly after I got here I was drinking it, and eating local food and I was not feeling well at all. I don't know if something in the food got to me, or if something in the water got to me, but I didn't feel well. I told some friends I was drinking the water and they were surprised I was not in the hospital, so now I boil all my water. It is somewhat time consuming to always be boiling and bottling pots of water, but I'm OK with it as long as I don't get sick again. At work we have "Culligan" type machines and also bottled water available which is very nice as I drink about 2 gallons a day it seems.
When I was in the USA, I was never a huge environmentalist or "tree-huger extremist" and never thought anything bad about using 10 plastic shopping bags to carry out my groceries from Wal-Mart, but since I have come here and seen all the pollution, it has really opened my eyes up to really striving to do my part in taking care of the world. In my line of work, we can potentially have a huge impact (good or bad) on the environment, so I have been reading and educating myself on ways to make a positive impact on the environment. Also, in my daily life I have made some changes too: I use recyclable shopping bags (a habit started by my neighbor who does the same as well, plus they charge you to use plastic bags at the store,) I re-use my water bottles (heck of a lot cheaper than buying new ones and throwing them all away), and I recycle any extra plastic bottles or aluminum cans I may have. In my line of work, I have become very conscientious of chemical use, and am always searching for ways to either decrease the use, or to be able to use it more effectively.
I am looking forward to coming home to clean air, drinking water out of the tap, and not being able to smell my town. I'm not looking forward to how cold and dry it will be once I get home. Oh well, I guess you can't have it all!
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