A First Time for Everything

By nature of this adventure that we're on, there are undoubtedly going to be a lot of "firsts." I got to experience one on Friday, although not really of the greatest kind. I managed to lose my cell phone on a minibus. I have never done that before and the panic that ran through me when I realized what happened is something I really could do without experiencing again. Granted, it's just a phone and it's relatively easily replaceable, but the thought of having to deal with the logistics of replacing it was unexciting at best. The fact that I only had the phone for less then 4 days and this was sort of a costly mistake aggravated me even more.

Thankfully, I was going to meet some friends for coffee so they were able to help me figure out what to do. We tried calling the phone. Someone kept answering the phone and then hanging up. Clearly, someone had found the phone but honesty was the last thing on their minds. Chris tried calling the phone and got the same response. Our relocation agent, Fannie, tried as well. I thought that if someone called who could speak Cantonese, the person might be a little more honest. That was to no avail because we all got the same response. It quickly became obvious that I wasn't getting my phone back.

I needed to go to Vodafone and cancel my sim card. Sort of a pain but at least it was in the direction that I was heading after coffee. Don't worry, though. I didn't head to Vodafone until after coffee. I figured that I might as well enjoy myself. It wasn't like I was going to get my phone back. Actually, cancelling the sim card was one of the easiest things I've done here. I'm thinking I'm not the only one who has lost their phone, especially in a city that is obsessed with mobile phone. I couldn't, however, bring myself to buy a new phone at that same time. I was still holding out hope that just maybe I would get it back. What I failed to think about was that since I cancelled the lost sim card, I didn't really have a way to connect with the phone anymore. I'm not always the brightest bulb in the bunch. Needless to say, I didn't get the phone back and I ended up buying a new one on Saturday.

There have been a couple of other firsts in the last few days:

• We went to our first BBQ at a friend's house on Saturday night. The food was amazing and we had probably a little too much fun...I really haven't gotten off the couch today and feel a bit like death.

• I saw this at a butcher stand in the Wan Chai market on Thursday. I was with a group of people and none of us had seen this before. If you look on the left, you can sort of make out the jaw (teeth included) that was also there for our viewing pleasure.

I saw these cow legs/hooves at a different market. I think you're starting to get the picture - random animal parts just about everywhere.