Kathy Tam

Be Adapted

My day off is my party time. I can do anything that I want to do to make myself happy. In Hong Kong, people always work very hard and are busy. They work as a machine and never feel they need a break. They work nine hours a day and six days a week; sometimes they ever spend their day off to work nonpaid overtime. I have always cherished my day off since I realized some people who had overworked were killed by depression. When I lived in Hong Kong, I used to spend my day off hanging out with my singing buddies in a private karaoke room. Sometimes, my cousins and I would spend a day searching for some local street-side snacks. Also, going to bookshops and libraries to find my interesting books was one of my important activities during my day off. However, everything has changed since I moved to Chicago. My favorite activities no longer appear on my day off.

            Karaoke used to be the best way for me to keep a good relationship with my friends and family because I could release my stress. Small private karaoke rooms are very popular in Hong Kong, and people can find them anywhere. Hanging out with friends in this private space made me feel comfortable and relaxed. We used to sing, dance, and drink like crazy idiots because we did not have to worry about bothering others. After I moved to Chicago, karaoke disappeared from my life. Chicago has a few karaoke places nearby Chinatown, but they are more like restaurants than karaoke places. Some restaurants have an open space and set up the karaoke equipment for people who want to sing while they are dining. This open space makes me feel uncomfortable and nervous, so I cannot enjoy it. In addition, karaoke is affordable in Hong Kong. I remember when I was in high school, I always went to karaoke place with my classmates during our lunch break because we just paid around $30 - 40 HKD (about $5 USD) for two hours, and this included lunch with a non-alcohol drink. However, with $5 USD in Chicago, I just can order an appetizer. Karaoke is expensive in Chicago because it is uncommon, and food and drinks are expensive. In my new life in Chicago, I am not be able to go to karaoke anymore; however, I can have my karaoke party by myself at home with my favorite music while I do my housework on my day off. 

Just like karaoke can raise my happy hormones, food can calm my bad emotions. When I was hungry and felt guilty to have a feast at the middle of night, the Hong Kong style street-side snacks stalls were the best choice for me. Those street-side snacks stalls are very convenient. They usually close after 2 am, but some of them stay open 24 hours. Like Dunkin Donut and Starbucks in Chicago, people can find street-side snacks stalls anywhere in Hong Kong. Therefore, my cousins and I enjoyed spending time looking for different kinds of local snacks at different locations. Imagine walking on the street, and suddenly smell some hot, spicy, sweet, and sour full filling in the air, then delicious snacks are waving at the corner. How amazing it is. Unfortunately, I can rarely find the Hong Kong style snacks in Chicago’s Chinatown. Although some restaurants sell some Hong Kong style snacks, they will disappear quickly, and I will no longer have my snacks anymore. Furthermore, Hong Kong street-side snacks stalls sell traditional snacks, such as curry fish ball, deep fried stinky tofu, and spring field pizza. Chicago has similar Hong Kong style snack, but the taste is very different. For example, Chicago has curry fish ball, but the curry source is sweeter, and the texture of the fish ball is not very elastic because the ingredients are different. Even though the snacks are not always available and do not match the Hong Kong style, they still can satisfy my desire when I miss them. Also, Chicago has different kinds of food from different countries, so looking for those delicious food now will be my new activity during my day off.

Beside karaoke and Hong Kong snacks, I love reading because it can broaden my mind. Going to the bookshops and libraries had been my favorite activity in my day off before I moved to Chicago. In Hong Kong, I always went to Mong Kok which has small and quiet bookshops, and I could find the latest books. They always update their supply of the new books, so they could easily satisfy my reading desire. It is hard to find or buy Chinese books in Chicago bookshops, and even in Chicago libraries, I just find some old Chinese books. A year after I moved to Chicago, I remember how Hong Kong bookshops helped me to purchase overseas books. Some of the overseas books are not sold in Hong Kong, so bookshops will help readers purchase books from other countries and ship to their bookshops without charging readers an extra fee. As a result, I tried to buy the Chinese books online from other counties and ship to Chicago. Unfortunately, it is hard because most of the online bookshops do not sell overseas or charge a huge amount for shipping. Since I started studying English in the City Colleges, my English has improved. Therefore, my reading habit can continue in my new life, just in different language.

Everything seems to have changed after I moved to Chicago, but my day off party will never be over. Although I still miss my lovely karaoke buddies, my delicious Hong Kong style snacks, and my favorite books, life is moving on, so I need to find other ways to continue my party. Now that I have lived in Chicago for five years, I fell in love with yoga and always go to the yoga class on my day off. I hang out with my friends and look for different kind of food, but sometimes I still go to Chinatown for Asian food. I am trying to read more and more books in English, so I can improve my language skills. My party is still going on, just everything has changed.