one minor detail

So what we didn’t tell you about arriving in Hong Kong is that the whole “we” part of the arriving is what was important. You see, on Friday night, I decided I’d do a little reading about Hong Kong, and for whatever reason, clicked on the Customs button, where I learned that to enter Hong Kong, one needs a passport that is valid for at least six months after the departure date.

We leave July 30. Jess’ passport expires September 15. That's a big ol' month and a half for those of you who aren't counting, not quite close to six months.

The other secret is that as much as we loved the internship and Tokyo, the real reason for the summer is this extra schooling, which will offload his course load for the next two years, as his dual degree is seriously plaguing him with credit requirements. If we missed out on this schooling part, it was going to make for two jam packed years.

We considered getting me to Hong Kong while he stayed in Tokyo to sort things out, but I sort of had a mental breakdown at the thought. (And when I say “sort of,” I mean full blown.) So we said lots of prayers, crossed our fingers, and headed to the airport.

There were two hurdles: (1) Get past the airline ticket agent - they aren’t supposed to allow anyone to fly without the six month cushion, and in Japan, you do everything by the book, and (2) Make it through Hong Kong’s Customs.

At the gate, our ticket agent took Jess’ passport, read every word, running her finger under each line, paused at the date of expiration, then handed his passport back. Then they gave us Executive Priority Boarding and two free passes into the American Airlines lounge, where I stocked up on free Crunky chocolates and drank Sprite to my heart’s content.

Don’t ask questions.

Then came Customs. Jess handed his passport to the little lady behind the glass. She kept humming the song that she had started before Jess arrived, gave the passport a once over, stamped it, and shuffled him through.

It was that easy. So we’re in Hong Kong, where I swear my fingers are actually turning prune like. I’m not exaggerating either about the wetness, as I know I’m wont to do. Jess removed the lens cap from his camera, and the lens instantly fogged over. And our windows are dripping with condensation, much like our faces after we’ve taken ten steps.

But it’s a new world, and it should be fun. We’re just grateful we made it here together, and with such ease.

And I seriously enjoyed the Sprite.