a whirlwind of events

I'm back! The reason for my ridiculously long absence is due to a whirlwind of events that took place the last few weeks. Drama, tears, heartache...

Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic HAHA. This post is going to be a heartfelt record of everything's that has transpired since my last entry and here's a warning before you continue reading - it's going to be wordy!

: - >

OK! Where shall I begin? Ahh, after I was reveling in my quaintly scenic surroundings (see prev post), a week passed by and one day while my flatmate and I were preparing to go out for lunch on a Saturday, our landlord popped out of nowhere and told us that since we've paid the rent for this month, we can move out after that.

Because I was tying my shoelaces outside the house, I couldn't quite hear what she was saying and thus dismissed what she said as some random complaint. It was only when my flatmate and I was outside the house that I came to the understanding that we were officially kicked out.

It definitely doesn't sound good, but that's the truth as it is.

At first, I wasn't worried. In fact, it felt so surreal that I couldn't come around to the gravity of the situation. It was barely our first few weeks in the month and I thought we had plenty of time to start looking for houses. We have friends here in HK from church and given their connections, they should be able to get us a nice place soon right?

That was my childish and overly optimistic thinking.

Thinking back, while I had faith in God that He will bring us through, I felt invincible. As conceited as that sounds, I think every teenager has that mindset in one way or another. The world will bend for us, and there's no problem that cannot be solved. Experiences in life really prove the contrary and I realize now why adults have so many hesitations and worries before jumping into something.

But again, back to my story. You're probably thinking why our landlord would kick us out right? Here's a little background information: Our landlord is a Clean freak. I'm not insinuating that being one is a bad thing, but I must emphasize that she has to do things the neat and tidy way and everything MUST be in place.

What that really means is, after using the toilet, we have to wipe the basin countertop and the mirror clean. No single drop of water should be seen. After bathing, the toilet floor must also be mopped so that it would be kept dry as much as possible. We can't really throw our rubbish in the dustbin in the house cos she finds it a hassle to keep emptying it. Since our rent covers only our room, we are only supposed to be in our room. Lingering in the common area is considered trespassing (and I'm not joking about this!). The list goes on.

Perhaps after 2 months, she finds it unbearable and thus, eventually leds to the climax when she ordered us to set up camp somewhere else.

As I have mentioned, I wasn't the least bit worried at first. As the days wore on tho, when I started looking at the Classifieds and asking friends to help us look around, I realised how tedious and difficult house hunting was. Especially in Hong Kong, where apartments are generally much smaller than singapore and more expensive.

My flatmate and I went to this apartment in Wanchai and although it was cheap (even cheaper than our current rent), we had to bunk in with 2 other females in a tiny room and there were guys living in the apartment so that's basically out. My dad's mandate was that we could not live with guys so that's a definite no...

The next one we found was a little more tricky. It was this 1-room apartment in Wanchai too (which was near our workplace) and according to the photos that the owner sent us, it looks like like a showroom - not the unattainable kind, but the nice, cosy type that makes you feel you were made for the house. Ok I am not making sense LOL. Just know that the furnishings looks gorgeous compared to our present living conditions.

Our desperation to settle our lodging led us to hurried negotiations with the landlord (named Aaron Walters) who apparently was in West Africa for business. His wife and kids were in the UK and because they left Hong Kong in a hurry, the key to the apartment was still with them. We managed to persuade him to lower the rent and he even generously waived the half a month's rent for us! We, of course were elated. We couldn't believe anyone could be so kind and helpful and understanding so when he told us to send over half a month's rent in order for them to courier us the key and have a look at it, we didn't even think twice. Sure, we had thought that this might be a scam but because we were so caught up in the prospect of a nice living environment that we pretty much blocked that thought out.

We were supposed to send the money over via Western Union, a cash transfer agency or something, but because we weren't quite sure how it worked, we asked our bosses about it and that's when our bubble burst.

When we asked our boss about the Western Union thing, he immediately asked what it was for (don't get me wrong, he's not a nosy person usually LOL) and that's when we told him the whole story excitedly. Imagine our shock and disappointment when he told us that he was 100% sure the whole was a scam. I quote him, "It don't work this way man..." (insert slightly thick African accent).

Apparently, he nearly got cheated once in the same way and he challenged us to ask the guy for the actual address of the apartment. Of course, being the stupid, gullible girls that we are, we didn't even think of asking for the unit number of the apartment until our boss told us to. When we asked Aaron about that, he just replied and said he couldn't reveal it due to security reasons. -.-

That pretty much sums up how we nearly got cheated of our 2000 HKD. It would be originally 4000HKD, if we had not tried to slash the "deposit" rent we had to send him. And to think we were so happy when he agreed to decrease it!

Gosh...

When I told my parents about it on Skype, they told me that they were praying about the housing problem too so prayers really brought us through this time. If not, we'll really be 2000 HKD poorer and now that we're not getting paid for our internship, we don't have any moolah to waste.

After that whole fiasco, I came through with a tainted and less innocent picture of how the world works. Scams are real, and people do get cheated day after day.

I would know, since I nearly became a victim.

As the days passed by, we got busy with looking for apartments. None was affordable, they were all much more expensive than what we're paying for right now. If it wasn't the exorbitant rent, it was the location. Most cheaper apartments were located off the island, which amounts to higher travel expenses and also more travelling time in my daily commute to work. Things seemed bleak but I continued to pray.

Praying was really all I could do, at a time when I felt really helpless and totally out of control of the situation.

I remember calling Pastor Yahui's friend over here in HK. Her name's Rui Juan and she's also a pastor here too. In fact, she was the one who settled our Internet problems for us and I felt so bad having to ask for her help again. But I called in the end and as usual, she was really enthusiastic to help.

After a few days, she called back and arranged for us to meet to look at some apartments on Sunday, which is today. Once we saw each other, she told us of how she thought that she could actually mediate with the landlord for us. Because we (flatmate and I) don't speak Cantonese, I think a lot of issues were lost in translation. Thus, since Rui Juan was a local, she helped us make a call to our landlord.

After the call, lo and behold.

We were allowed to stay!! It was really the best solution to stay put and although we have to pay slightly more rent now, it's still affordable. In the long run, it's also less troublesome since I only have 2 months plus left in Hong Kong now.

The lodgings episode really taught me alot, from not being so gullible to really assessing how my behaviour might seem to the landlord. Being a Christian, the best way to be God's beacon of light is to show it in your behaviour and actions and obviously, the fact that I was almost kicked out of our house shows that something's lacking in that department.

So CONCLUSION: be it mopping up after myself faithfully everyday or just being more careful, I hope I can still show her that I respect her way of living as well as the house. GAMBATTE!

On a side note, living with someone other than your family is really challenging. The bolding and italics should emphasize it well enough. It's definitely a lesson of patience and tolerance!

In retrospect, after the dust has somehow settled, I really thank God for all these challenges that came my way. From my previous job to the housing thing, there are really a lot of learning points in the events that took place. This may sound silly, but I feel clearer somehow.

In the past, I didn't have to make all the decisions and I didn't have to deal with all these problems. I didn't have much of a chance to feel all the emotions that I've felt since coming here and having been through all of that, I feel like I know myself better and to that, am able to steer myself through all these roadblocks with prayers and God's guidance.

The coming 3 months may very well be even more eventful and to be honest, that's not necessarily a bad thing. God's perfection shines through life's imperfections and being able to experience his deliverance is truly a blessing.

To all who's praying for me, I'm truly appreciative and thankful. It's easy to overlook all the "backstage" action but in reality, that's the pillar of strength that's been keeping me trudging on this adventurous journey.

& last but not least, if you didn't give up reading this halfway, I salute you and hope you've gained something from it! God bless <3