-^-for posterity-^-

well, at least i know i'm not at home anymore.

hong kong airport. what a crazy place. it's a little after six in the morning and i'm at a free internet cafe staring out of a huge bay window at some moutians. the sun has turned all the clouds pink and the air inside the building is cool and clean. i'm not from here but am doing my best to fit in.

the flight from philly to los angeles was 5.5 hours and the flight from la to hong kong was a dreary 14. on my first flight, i sat next to a classic california girl. she was about 50, wrinkles, fake-bake tan and lipstick that burned the eyes it was so bright. she talked to me and told me what a wonderful thing i was doing. she was one of those people that always finds a way to turn what the other person is saying around so that it focuses on them. for instance: "i studied international business" "oh, wow, my niece got her masters degree in international finance and now she works for disney and it's a great job. that's neat. my other nephew worked internationaly too" thanks. she also had a dog in a bag with her. it must have been pretty drugged up cause it didn't move for the whole flight. "oh, he loves to fly" i'm sure he does. who wouldn't like to be trapped in a small bag with airholes underneath of a seat for six hours?

the next flight pitted me next to a small lady who spoke no english. there is nothing to tell about her except she smiled and i smiled back and it was great.

this airport is incredible. there are signs everywhere telling everyone what they should and should not be doing. there is a fire exit sign with some chinese characters and a picture. i would have had no idea what it was except it is a picture of a man running with his hands above his head away from some flames. i couldn't stop laughing.

i'm off to hanoi in a couple of hours and i really don't have any idea what to expect. i go through stages: excited/hesitant/nervouse/normal/excited... i wonder what the future will hold. i wonder what i will learn. i wonder who i will meet.

enjoy the mystery of the world. it's a crazy place if you let it be.