Well, greetings from good old Central Jersey! That's right... after nearly two long years stuck in Hong Kong, I finally decided to fit in a trip home. It was worth the wait, and it's marvelous to be back with family and friends after so long a dry spell.
Originally, I was supposed to stay home for a month, venturing back to Hong Kong on 15 September. When I made the preparations for this little voyage, the SAR government allowed fully vaccinated residents with proof of effective antibodies to quarantine for a mere seven days in a designated hotel. That was good enough for me. Don't get me wrong: I can't say I was exactly excited to hole myself up in a tiny cramped box for a week, but it seemed a fair tradeoff to finally slip past the boundaries of my adopted home city.
Well, lo and behold, a few days after my departure, the government reversed course, and put America on its "high risk" list. The end result of this means I would now have to quarantine for twenty-one days in a designated hotel, upon my return, regardless of my vaccination or antibody status. Well, if seven days wasn't exactly going to be a walk in the park, you can imagine how twenty-one days would feel. And at my own expense, to boot! So I'm probably going to wait it out in the Garden State until local authorities come to their senses.
Right now, anyway, I couldn't care less. I've got a flatmate and good friends who are taking loving care of my dear Fredric. My boss is happy for me to continue working remotely as long as my productivity doesn't suffer. And my family is thrilled to the nines to have me home for even longer than originally expected. Win, win, win.
So I've been home for just a little over two weeks now, half of my initially anticipated holiday. And so much has happened. I guess it makes sense to catch you up on some of the major highlights of my visit thus far, so here it goes.
First things first, let's talk about the flight and layovers. Now, air travel used to be something that featured regularly in my life. I'd say I rarely went more than two to three months without a little jaunt, whether near or far. But since my return from Thailand on Leap Day last year, 29 February 2020, I hadn't sat on an airplane! It was a memorable date that only comes up once every four years, so it struck me as doubly funny when I was sorting through options (what a trip to be furiously scrolling through SkyScanner again!) that the most convenient and cost-effective itinerary sent me out of Hong Kong on Friday the 13th! Memorable bookends between my flights indeed!
So on Friday, August 13, 2021, I bought a ticket for the Airport Express and at 8:30pm sharp, we pulled out of Hong Kong Station. Just sitting on that train felt odd, a mixture of nostalgia, uncertainty and giddiness. I don't mind telling you that as my plane actually roared down the runway and lifted up into the night skies, I actually started to cry. Luckily, I had a full empty row to myself, and with my body turned towards the window, my eyes gazing over the panorama of Tung Chung and the South China Sea, none of my fellow passengers were alerted to my stifled sobs.
Fast forward twelve hours and we touch down in Zurich. My good friend Serena recently moved back to Switzerland from a year studying abroad in Hong Kong, and she and her boyfriend Toby were MVPs for my seven hour layover. They met me in the city's main train station, only a ten minute skip from the airport, and before I knew it, I was wandering about the subdued Saturday morning cobblestone streets of a European gem.
Down tiny alleyways exuding ancient charm, past iconic churches, a stroll along the river and lake, and an amazing breakfast of freshly-baked Swiss breads. We even stumbled upon a weekend flea market selling all manner of antiques and curios! It was slightly surreal to be able to experience all that, and I can only have wished my layover was longer! But mark my words: I'll be back in Switzerland, and, specifically, Zurich, as soon as I can to see more!
But nothing could dim my excitement to see my family. So let's fast forward again to finally touching down at JFK! Well, without a checked bag, there was no unnecessary waiting time. The immigration line took around fifteen minutes, but once I was through, I wasted not a minute, hopping directly on the AirTrain and catching an LIRR to Penn Station, where my pal Heidi—ever the trusty drinking buddy—met me at our favorite bar, Kabooz's, for a few long-overdue libations before I stocked up on a dozen Krispy Kremes and caught the New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line's departure for Matawan.
My sister picked me up at the station, dad was waiting at home with a fresh pizza in tow, and I couldn't have been more elated. After twenty-two months since my last trip to the USA, I was home!
These days have been wonderful, with walks to the local bagelry up the street, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune viewings in the living room, afternoon drinking sessions with a tasty craft IPA on our back porch. Even something as simple as cleaning the basement or doing a load of laundry holds certain rare pleasures.
I've loved going to the supermarket and spying all the brands I used to love, like Hostess, and Entenmann's and Tastykake. I've stocked up on the goods, too, don't worry! I've gone on hikes in Cheesequake State Park, just a short walk from the front door. And just cruising up and down the local roads is a pleasure unto itself.
I also love all the dogs I've gotten to spend time with since I flew back, in a spate of incredibly lucky timing. Many of the friends and family I've visited with have adorable pooches, so I got to celebrate the dog days of August in appropriate fashion, including on National Dog Day last week. Alas, I had to be content with looking at photos of my own little mutt, eight thousand miles away. But I know we'll be together again soon, so I hope he's enjoying his vacation as much as I am!
Of course, it's the time with family that has been the most special, particularly Dad and Danielle. I've loved just being with them, laughing, catching up, reminiscing. It's been a glorious fortnight, and I'm so glad I have lots more time to bask in their incredible company!
I zipped down to Manasquan to visit my cousin Michelle and Aunt Mary-Ellen one day, too. Since my last visit, Michelle has become a mother of two, and I got the first opportunity to meet both of her bundles of joy, nearly two year old Ryan and two month old Francesca.
And on another evening, I took the train to Red Bank, my old high school stomping grounds, where my old friend John and caught up in spectacular fashion, feasting on fresh lobster, sitting on an open-air dock facing the Navesink River. It was a real throwback to our salad days, a la 2003. And it couldn't have been better. So much has changed in our lives since then, but some things remain as they always were.
So, yes, I'm eating all the good, doing all the things and spending time with all the people, in summertime, in New Jersey... Who could ask for anything more? Who could ask for anything more?
