A pleasant surprise

After that rant in my last entry, I need to balance the scales and relate an experience that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

While waiting in the HSBC lobby, I could hear the various employees who were handling my transaction speaking with each other. They continually referred to me as 客人 "guest/customer." Not once did I hear myself referred to as 外國人 "foreigner" as is typical.

This is such an unusual occurrence that it deserved a positive blog entry.

Look, I know I'm a foreigner. I realize that I look different than 99% of the homogenous society here, and I understand that the easiest way to identify me in a crowd is to refer to me as a foreigner. But sometimes it grates on my nerves. It's as if that's the only way to describe me, as if that term sums up who I am. 

What about "That guy in the blue shirt" or "That man sitting near the window" or even "That handsome devil with the come-hither eyes"?

So, thank you HSBC employees, for recognizing that the big-nosed foreigner waiting in your lobby is more than a hirsute barbarian; he's a potential customer and fellow human being.

To me, this is what makes the world beautiful

The following is just a random video of some friends taking a road trip in Norway.

The young woman diver is Norwegian. And black. And singing along to a Korean song. Passengers include her Norwegian-speaking friends of Vietnamese and Sri Lankan descent.

The mixture of ethnicities, languages, and silly camaraderie brings the biggest smile to my face.

Note: The video cannot be embedded. However, you can click here or below to watch it on YouTube.

She (I wish I knew her name) also speaks fluent English. Her blog is at The Manifestation of Randomness.

My first Passover Seder

Last Sunday I was honored to attend my coworker Phil's gathering, which he called My Super Amazing Fantastic Awesome Happy Fun Time Seder.  It turned out to be quite an appropriate name.

He and some of his friends prepared a ton of food. Most guests also brought a bottle of wine (which would be needed as this was definitely a wine-drinking ceremony).

Each place setting also included a script which allowed all of us to take part in telling the story of the Jewish exodus and the traditions associated with Passover. 

It's always great to share a meal with good friends, and Phil is the consummate host, as evidenced by his introductory greeting:

"Feel free to participate as much or as little as possible. This is to be an egalitarian and cultural event, and I tried to make it as friendly as possible. If, however, your religious sensitivities are upset, then by all means you do not have to do any of the rituals. Enjoy!"

A truly super-amazing-awesome-fun-happy-time awaited us!

Click photos to enlarge

A lot of preparation went into this event…

 

…including lots of cooking…

 

…and lotsa matzah.

The matzah must be prepared from start to finish within 18 minutes!

But all that preparation was worth it.

The guests arrive…

Phil now explains Yachatz, the breaking of the matzah. During dinner Phil will hide one half of a matzah, called the Afikomen. After dinner, the children (or "young at heart" for our group) will hunt for the Afikomen and the winner will be given a prize.

It's now time for the second cup of wine and the Magid—the retelling of the story of the Jewish exodus.

At last, Shulchan Orech—the feast!

After dinner it's time for Tzafun—searching for the Afikomen (broken matzah).