Macau people like to say that life here is very slow, especially compared to Hong Kong. And Hong Kong people say that same - that Macau is slow, the people are very laid back, etc. To an extent that's true - lunch is usually from 1 - 2, the working day extends into the early evening, and dinner time is between 7 - 8. The Portuguese influence, I guess. But "Macau people" and "Macanese" are actually two different things - "Macau people" = Chinese who grew up in Macau, "Macanese" = Macau people of Portuguese descent who may or may not have Portuguese surnames and speak Portuguese. I was quite impressed, then, that Coca-Cola put out "Macanese" coke bottles, since (to me), it's quite obscure! You go, little laid-back Macau!
After Christmas holiday, I found this Christmas card stuck to my office door. In case you can't tell, it's all hand-drawn. My peer tutors left it for me, and it was a sweet and welcome surprise. Thanks, Henry and Ginny!
Waiting for the bus one night on my way to the Venetian for shopping. The old Macau and the new Macau. You can see the lights of a local casino in my neighborhood, the money exchange (always conveniently located to the casinos), and the pillars of the new light rail system that is being built in Macau. It will connect the border gate with China to the Cotai strip, where all the mega-casinos are being the built. The word is that the rail will later connect with the one in Zhuhai so that Macau will be more connected to mainland China. There's also a bridge being built between Macau and Hong Kong, so I suppose 10 years in the future, I won't even recognize this place.
The temple across from the bus stop, Jockey club in the background.
Shopping for springtime sales, just before the Chinese New Year. The Venetian had these sculptures of the zodiac animals around for the fun of it. Here's my zodiac - "gou" = dog.
A birthday celebration at Bible Study - Violet and Ashley.
Then a hotpot party at our apartment. James arrived early, so we put him to work!
Macau life, Macau friends - Esther, Violet, James, Renbo, Emily, Chelsea, Venus, Tina, Baobao, and Ashley.
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