Before I knew it, we were all panting and puffing, covered in patches of white, crumpled in a heap on the snow. Just as I was about to start showering them again though, a high-pitched voice sounded in our direction, hollering “Angelica! Tom! Lucy!” over and over. Immediately, my three new friends bounced up, flashed me a smile and frantically waved goodbye, then turned to sprint to their mother who was standing with her arms open. Seeing them rush into her arms sent an elating shiver down my spine, and I too bounced up, hoping to successfully ski down this mountain and reunite with my own parents.
I started to walk down as skiing was definitely not my strong suit – I had only learnt the basics yesterday, an unbelievable feat considering my inability to coordinate my limbs. Still, my teacher had faith in me, and it was only on her account that I’d agreed to skip the massage, to come out here to practise today. I looked up to the mesmerizing baby blue sky, taking a deep breath before I skied down all on my own – a refreshing yet horrific thought. Just as I was about to take a step down, I faltered and the icy wind tried to push me back, blurring my vision and making me long for my warm hotel bed more than anything. I knew I had only a split second before I decided to give up entirely, so I gathered my courage and took a huge step forward with my right foot while planting my right ski pole into the snow, then again the same with my left, and skied down the hill.
Although this wasn’t a feeling I hadn’t felt before, the exhilarating rush multiplied as I realised how enjoyable this was rather than terrifying, and was definitely something that someone that lived all their life in Hong Kong couldn’t experience. Despite the wide language barrier, it was obvious there was a different aura to the people here. Although I can’t properly classify both places into different environmental categories of, for example, clean and dirty; I think both my first time coming here, and the general polite and friendliness of people here, added to the fresh experience of this week. Since I wasn’t visiting a particularly wealthy or poor area either, I found the lifestyle somewhat similar to ours, so it was very comfortable.
Just as I finished that thought, I skied to a stop at the foot of the hill, instantly longing for more. Then it hit me – I had made it down alone without the aid of anyone! I yelled in triumph, punching the air. I was about to work my way back up the humongous snow mountain, as the glint of my watch caught my eye, reminding me that it was time for lunch soon. My hunger instantly overwhelmed my desire to ski, and the freezing, yet sun-kissed sow sent a jolt through my body as I collapsed in a heap to take off my ski shoes. I jumped back up immediately and ran into the open restaurant doors in front of me, desperate for food.
The moment I stepped past those rigid glass doors, the sudden change of environment electrified my senses – the warm setting was like jumping into a snug bed on a cold winter’s day – sadly without the comfort of a soft mattress underneath; the fluorescent yellow lights hanging above shone like a million suns, and the whole restaurant was buzzing busily with chatter. I blinked away the rapid chain of objects I had to register, and skimmed around until I finally spotted my parents. They were cozily spaced around a knee-high wooden table on multi-coloured mats as seats, and I skipped over to join them, greeted by their weary smiles that I assumed, must’ve been plastered on after their relaxing massages while I was skiing outside. Coincidentally, the moment I sat on my red mat, my stomach grumbled and my parents looked at each other and chuckled. They took this as their cue to start ordering food – which was famous around these areas to be absolutely heavenly.
As I waited for the food to come, I distracted myself to the best I could by observing the things around me. Strangely, looking at the walls that were decorated with posters and adverts of a foreign language gave me an unexpected feeling of homeliness – probably because it was like a shelter, whether for those who wanted to escape the cold just for a while with their friends, to make new acquaintances, or simply to enjoy the famous cuisine. I had only looked forward to my eating here as I was unbearably hungry, but nonetheless when I looked closer to the setting surrounding me, I couldn’t help but admire the constant orderly fashion of the furniture and the cheerful smiles of the workers as well as the customers – both of which couldn’t be taken for granted back in Hong Kong.
The table to our right also had the same layout and seats as we did, and seated tightly around were a group of six people talking and laughing amongst themselves, like a group of recently reunited companions. On the table opposite us was an old couple, sitting calmly opposite each other as they simultaneously sipped their soup. At first glance their actions seemed to hint some sort of indifference towards each other, but as I looked closer I saw slight smiles that were hidden under their one-track desire to fill their hunger, and I felt an invisible air of endearment between the two. Their wrinkles and white hair didn’t mask the affectionate glow they emitted, even though it was something that could be so easily overlooked.
Oddly, watching this reminded me of my parents – them and their creative yet wildly expensive idea to bond more with me and each other by making more memories on this trip. When they told me that that was their ulterior motive of the vacation, I was sickened with the mushiness and confused as to how that would work – but in a way, looking at the simple yet affectionate air of a couple bonding by just simply sharing a meal, warmed my heart and I was thankful of their crazy idea; though I made a mental note to tell them that the simplest things, could bring us closer too.
With that mental reminder and blissful thought I turned back to my table, only to discover that I was so side-tracked, I hadn’t noticed my food arriving. Pursing my lips together in joy, I picked up the chopsticks I was luckily, so used to using, and began to eat.
