Do Anthropologists $hop at Ikea?

Well the short answer is: Kanske ja , kanske nej.

First, I have to tell you that it is a tropical paradise here and there are a few pictures included throughout the text.

Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, HKUST, 14 September 2009

When I arrived in Hong Kong I was, of course, exhausted from travel and the months of preparation that it took to make this all happen. Mr. Lee held a sign for me in Area A and called a colleague to help us with all of my “very heavy” luggage—the burns on my shoulders will not argue with Mr. Lee. I arrived at the University around midnight and was surprised that my apartment was so large …although smelling of Michigan-up-north-cabin mildew. You would think that I immediately fell into the double bed that was already made up for me, but by this time I was wired with excitement, anxiety, and whatever that feeling is when you are in a safe but unfamiliar place where every detail stimulates. I oiled cabinets and drapes to improve smell, I rearranged the ample furniture provided me, and I even fully unpacked. I was finally ready to sleep.

The next day was more of a logistical endeavor. I spoke with administrative people who helped to orient me in this Kafkaesque Castle of a university—it was only yesterday that I was finally able to locate the elusive Lift 25-26. I shopped for groceries. I made lists of things to do. And I spent the evening going over the PowerPoint presentation I would give the next morning. I fell asleep early to abruptly awake with horizontal rains forcing their way through my tightly closed windows and air conditioning unit cracks, to winds that I have only experienced through “Dreams,” Akira Kurosawa’s (黒澤 明 or 黒沢 明, Kurosawa Akira’s) *amazing* magical realism film—the winds made me specifically recall his “Blizzard” dream.

After the Typhoon with Corel Paint, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

If you think that I am being a little dramatic (as I did while this was all happening), it turns out that we experienced a Level 8 typhoon—and typhoons here are rated on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worse.

The next day, because I still believed I was making a big deal out of nothing (I mean who doesn’t have their bedroom and living area flooded on their first full day entering the field?), I headed to campus to give my presentation. It felt like a Zombie movie because there were almost no people, everything was tattered and torn, and the people who were there seemed weary and on edge.

The next events: Gave presentation to one person, was introduced to the few faculty who showed up, enjoyed a lovely lunch with two professors and an accounting student, learned where to obtain a phone and hair dryer, fell asleep early, woke up early.

Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, HKUST, 17 September 2009

So by my third day, I headed into town to obtain a cell phone and hair dryer only to spot Ikea. For about $200 US I obtained new bedding (including a quilt), some new curtains, an additional clothing rack, a small table, sugary-smelling candles with holders, a cutting board, and shower curtains. Not only do I feel like I have this enormous apartment, but now feels a lot more like “home.” Is this an anthropological way? I might not have servants like Margaret Mead or sexual fantasies about “the natives” like Bronislav Malinowski, but something feels a little wrong about shopping at Ikea. And then this has me thinking about how I am going to conduct anthropology here and about what kind of anthropologist I am becoming. For now, I leave you with this as I prepare my next entry…

uDesire @ Telford Plaza II, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, 16 September 2009

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