Swine Flu and Monsoons...

For starters, welcome to my new blog! If you want the latest and greatest in the life of Edison Lee, you have come to the right spot. I will make good faith, best efforts to update this blog as frequently as I can with all the images, videos, life musings, stories of life threatening illnesses (exposure to H1N1 a.k.a. 'swine flu'), and so much more! I hope you all enjoy!

To brief you on my last 24-48 hours, I began my journey from Seattle to San Francisco en route to Hong Kong Saturday evening at around...let's say 6...didn't actually leave Seattle until 7 due to flight delays and arrived 2 hours later in San Francisco only to wait an additional 4.5 hours for my connecting flight to Hong Kong. One particular highlight of my otherwise exhausting travel day involved watching an older gentleman drink a bottle of Heineken with a bendy straw like it was a juice box. Besides that, I had lots of time to think and pray and catch up on correspondence...another upside to traveling.

...14 hours later, I arrived in Hong Kong. Now, imagine the warm reception (understatement of the year) I received as I disembarked from the cool, air-conditioned, even slightly nippy cabin of the aircraft whence I am greeted by an 85 degree fire-storm and 100% humidity...epic FAIL. And it wasn't yet 7 am!

Once cleared through customs along with my luggage, I took the Airport Express into Hong Kong Central Station. I met Janice, one of the missions training leaders, at the gate and she showed me the way back to the apartment I was to stay at. Along the way, I made a few peculiar observations: 1. EVERYONE had their umbrella out (not just one or two...THOUSANDS); and 2. they were all accessorized with an ever-so-chic and fashionable swine flu mask (which is like a SARs mask, but protects against swine flu...obviously), neither of which I had on me. And not only have I entered into a code-red pandemic cest-pool (right...), but the wet and moppy weather provided the perfect conditions for breeding, incubating, then releasing this viral disease into the masses! Actually, I don't have any problem with either, except that the local Hong Kong ministries we are partnering with requested that all US citizens wear masks and check their temperature everyday (with proper documentation) for a week while we are in their presence...and the rain just adds to all the humidity and makes it more difficult to breathe. Oh, and plus, I am taller than just about everyone in Hong Kong, so when they walk with their umbrellas out, the pointy tips of the umbrella poke me in the face x1000.

So enough complaining. Besides those minor two inconveniences, Hong Kong has been great. I went out with my team and we got a chance to familarize ourselves with the city. The fact that Hong Kong has an amazingly efficient transportation system made it all a cinch. Our apartment is TINY but very nice and clean...very efficient living spaces. Just further evidence that Americans have a tendency to live in excess. It's now about one in the morning, and I am dead tired. I will be sure to update you with further happenings as they arise. Goodnight from Hong Kong!

P.S. I heard a very funny story today. There is this girl from Kansas City who is here with a different ministry, and she was telling us how when she first arrived in Hong Kong, she had a slight cough. Apparently, this was mistaken for swine flu. Immediately, Hong Kong CDC type people dressed in what appeared to be moonsuits and lots of reynolds wrap came aboard the plane, escorted her out, and quarantined her for a few days while she 'recovered' from swine flu. Everyone on the plane took pictures of her as she was taken away by the moon people.