International Traveler Part II (Warning: Very long)

Wednesday, my family and I headed out to do a little bit of shopping. I ended up with a cute chinese dress and pajamas for Brooke and a couple of shirts for Troy. All for a great deal. Later that evening was the wake for my grandpa. Both the wake and funeral were very different than happens here in the states. The funeral home was unlike any that I've seen here. It was built more for practical and efficient use than being nice and pretty like the ones here. When we first arrived we received a white envelope that contained kleenex, a Hong Kong dollar (which is the equivalent of a quarter here), and a piece of candy. Both Will and I thought that the significance of the dollar and candy were interesting. Who isn't happy when they receive money. And that was pretty much the reasoning behind that. We also had to spend it before the day was over. I think I helped Will buy a pakc of Mango tic tacs for Kristin. The candy was to help make this a sweeter experience. Afterwards the immediate family had to put on black robes and then bow, out of respect, 3 times. All visitors who came that night did the same but without having to wear a black robe and they also bowed to us and us to them thanking them for coming. We did this for 4 hours. We were allowed to mingle with people there but I could do much mingling seeing as I don't speak Cantonese very well...maybe not at all. Both Will and I were very glad that we did not bring out kids because they would not have been able to last.Thursday morning was the funeral. That, too, was very different than here. It was very much like the wake whereas we had to bow to pay our respects and bow to the people that came to thank them for coming. We also had to make sure that the items that were wanted to be placed in the casket were in there. Also to make sure that my grandpa was lying straight. The Chinese believe that when you're sleeping perfectly straight and centered then you will have the most peaceful, restful sleep. I thought that was pretty neat. They also placed a pearl in his mouth but we all missed the significance of that. That was pretty much all of the funeral. Friday, we spent the day hanging out with my dad and did a little more shopping...actually my mom did more of the shopping. She did get some pretty sweet deals. If any one is planning a trip to Hong Kong, they should go with my mom because she's the haggling queen. That afternoon my mom and I got our hair done for super cheap. I opted just to get it washed and "styled" but my mom was the gutsy one to actually get it cut. The just washed and straightened my hair. Let me tell you, humidity does crazy things to my hair. I know it's hard to believe but imagine Monica on Friends when she goes to Barbados and her hair goes wild. Mine wasn't as wild but the guy definitely pointed out that I had poofy hair. Later that night we met up with "auntie" Laura and she took us to the LDS Church Administration building in Hong Kong. There we met up with one of my mom's old primary friends, Stanley Wan. They had not seen each other in years. He is in the Area Seventy and oversees the welfare program for 24 countries. He gave us a tour of the building and told us about the previous administration building that my mom went to church at when she was little. It's called the Kom Tong Hall. We actually got a picture of it during our last trip. He also told us how the temple in Hong Kong was built. It's a pretty incredible story...A proposal was drafted on where the new location for the Hong Kong temple be built. There were various places that were thought to be the perfect place. President Hinckley came to visit and looked at the proposed spots. Each spot, he felt, was not the place that the temple should be built. Sometime during the night while he was visiting Hong Kong, it was revealed to him the exact location where the Hong Kong Temple should be built. It would replace an existing church building. Some people were worried about the location seeing as it was near a red light district. President Hinckley said that it would take care of itself. In submitting plans to the government for approval, the plans were denied 2 times before President Hinckley drew up the plans that he saw in his vision. It was then approved. Now, almost 13 years later, the location picked has been a miracle and it now is close to a new train station that services the rest of China.

All in all, I'm really glad that I was able to go and be with my grandma and family during this time. I think that this is the first time (and probably the last) that my family would go on a trip with just my brother and I and no spouses or kids.