I know you're all going to be jealous...

No, I'm not talking about the palm trees, swimming pools, or +35 degree heat...

Get this... we get our groceries delivered to us! You can set up an account with ParknShop- a Hong Kong grocery chain, and if you spend $500 HKD, which is about $65, you can have free delivery. You just select what you want online, and choose the window of time that works for delivery (ie. between 2-6pm, or 7-10pm), and there you have it... they bring it right to to your door!

So gone are those Superstore trips of trying to keep the kids happy with promises of cookies, bagging the groceries as they whimper and whine and get chocolate chips all over their face, and then still having to haul the groceries first into the car, and then into the house. And... how much easier is it to stick to your list when you're not having to push the cart past the chip aisle?! And there's no Joe Fresh here anyway, so that saves you time and money as well! :) I just won't think about all those cute clothes I'm missing out on.

UNFORTUNATELY... Park and Shop doesn't have the variety of food that Superstore does. I'm still trying to figure out what I can make with the groceries that are here, and with only a stove, but I was worried about how we'd manage even getting our groceries without a car. Back in the Korea days, we'd always bring our backpacks and have a few bags in each hand, but this time we have kids to hold, so now I don't have to wonder how to lug jugs of water or big packages of toilet paper up to our apartment.

I was really excited when I found out about this, and I intend to make good use of my ParknShop account!

Space Museum

Today we decided to check out the Hong Kong Space Museum. It's that big round golf-ball dome. We've driven by it on the bus a few times, so I thought it might be something fun to do with the girls. I thought of doing it yesterday, but luckily I checked the website before we left the house, and it turns out it is closed on Tuesdays. But... it also said that Hong Kong museums have free admission on Wednesday. So... that was enough to convince me!

As it turns out, it was good it was free because it wasn't very exciting. It looks pretty cool from the outside, but inside the exhibits were pretty dated and boring. Annika was hoping to see dinosaurs, but I told her that it would be all about space, so then she was expecting to learn about planets. She really likes Saturn, and apparently Max and Ruby went to Mars (or was it Toopy and Binoo?), so I didn't realize, but she already knows a bit about planets. Well, there wasn't anything about planets, mostly it just focused on space crafts and astronauts. Really, it was just a small exhibit and the Alberta Museum is far more interactive in comparison. Upstairs there was an IMAX-type thing that you did have to pay to see, but when I inquired, the lady said that the program showing today isn't good for young children. And there was a big line-up to get in, so I wasn't seriously inquiring anyway. Just curious. Good to know...

We took another walk down the Avenue of Stars while I looked for a place to cross the street. Annika thought she'd like a picture with Fong Yin Fun's handprints.

Why don't my pictures center anymore? Anyway, I just read a fiction book called "The Piano Teacher" that takes place in Hong Kong during WWII. It was a good read. The Peninsula hotel was mentioned a lot as a place where the rich and influential gathered.

Leila fell asleep, and we discovered a lovely park for Annie to play in. I'm slowly getting acquainted with Tsim Sha Tsui area which is fairly close to where we live. The sun was really beating down on us, and we needed some cold drinks and chocolate to perk us up, and then we headed home.

This was Mike's first day today. I'm curious to hear how it went! He has 24 students, 12 girls and 12 boys. All I remember about grade 6 is learning about China, and now here we are and now he's teaching Alberta curriculum to grade 6 students. Crazy!

Till next time...

Weather You Like it Or Not

It is pretty hot in Hong Kong. Every day the high is around 32 and the low is 28. Apparently this isn't even bad- it can be worse! It's very humid, so if we're out for any amount of time we get really sweaty. I'm surprised that only one day has been rainy. A handful of other days it has completely poured for about half an hour or so and then cleared up. Luckily we were never caught outside when that happened! otherwise, we've enjoyed lots of blue skies and sunny weather.

But, even though it looks sunny, I don't feel that motivated to be outside with the girls during the day because it's so hot. The evenings, though, are great. It's a nice temperature and I like going for walks exploring our neighbourhood. The heat can be unbearable, but Mike and I have talked about -35 compared to +35. Which is better? Hands down we would rather have the heat!

It will be nice when it gets a bit cooler. And we keep hearing that it gets cool in the winter, but I still want to see for myself! We'll just have to go somewhere warm for Christmas, then! :)

Weekend update

I was sort of nervous going into this week. Mike started work on Monday, and I would be at home with both girls. I don't have a car, or any friends to call up for a playdate. And getting around is a little tricky on my own with both girls managing the stroller. But somehow we survived, and we did just fine. The week actually went by really fast. I took the taxi to Ikea one day (it's about a five dollar trip- not bad!), and bought picture frames so we could put up pictures. And I did attempt to take the girls on the bus on my own to a nearby mall. It was chaotic getting on with both of them, scanning our bus cards, and hauling our collapsed stroller onto the bus. As if I don't stand out enough! But again we managed. I think it will be easier to get around once Annie starts school and I'm down to just one child. I look forward to establishing a bit of a routine once that happens. But for now, I'm going to enjoy my final week with Annie at home!

Mike had his first week of school, and it has just been PD training and time to prep. I can't believe all the training they've been getting for things like classroom management. I think back to his very first year of teaching at Hardisty how he just basically walked in had had to start teaching. How valuable would all of this have been back then?! I am encouraged that he has been coming home very optimistic and feeling like this school will be a good fit for him. His students don't start until Wednesday, so he has two more days to prepare. The kindergarten program doesn't start until a week from tomorrow.

This weekend was our first time finally socializing with people! On Friday, we were invited to the home of the librarian and his family of wife and five (!) children. He intentionally invited new teachers who have children so that the kids will see some familiar faces when they start school. They were very kind and it was good to meet people from the school. After supper, we headed to a public pool very close to their apartment to go swimming with all the kids. Our girls enjoyed that. They live in the New Territories, and another family that had been invited offered to give us a ride since they have a car. It was interesting to get to see a bit more of Hong Kong that's further out from where we are. We are surprised that some teachers are willing to travel a fair distance to get to school. We can't help but always compare our time here with our year in Korea. One thing we've noticed is that many of the teachers here have been here for at least five years, and are a lot more permanent. Maybe that's across the board with international schools, but in English teachers in Korea were so much more transient in comparison, it seems. Anyway, we enjoyed our evening- the librarian is from the States, and they had a real "southern hospitality" sense about them!

On Saturday night we went out for supper with the couple (and their 2 year old boy) who had let us use their apartment until we found our own. We wanted to thank them- they've been so helpful. They're names are M and S... just like us! Well, not actually Mike and Sarah, but same initials. They have been in Hong Kong for a while and I just find so interesting to meet teachers and hear about how they ended up here. S is Mike's "partner teacher" as she is the other grade 6 teacher at the school. They both seem really easy to get to know, and I hope we can be friends with them.

And then today we went to church for our first time... even though it's been our third Sunday now in Hong Kong. It's crazy to think of where things were at last week, and then the week before that. Last week we were still without internet, and the week before we were still completely jetlagged and not living in our own place. We went to a church called The Vine with a group of teachers. It is a fairly short bus ride from where we live, but is located on the island in Wanchai. The service was fine... it's a pretty big congregation, and probably comparable to WECA in Edmonton. The girls each were willing to go to their children's program, and seemed to enjoy it, or at least tolerate it. I think our plan will be to check out one or two more, and then maybe see which church the girls are the most comfortable with. I'm sure we'll meet people regardless of where we go. I liked it that this one was pretty close and easy to get to. After, we went to a "pizza by the slice" place with the group we had gone to church with- YUM! huge slices, and totally Western style. I met another mom who used to teach at the school, but is now at home with her daughter, while her husband still teaches at the school. She invited me to a mom's group that will be reconvening in September.

So it was a good "social" weekend. We are really feeling like the worst is behind us and are feeling so optimistic at this point that we will like it here. Last night after M and S headed home from the restaurant, we let the girls play for a while at a playground that was close to where we'd eaten. I watched them play amidst the Hong Kong children, and felt amazed that we are finally here, fulfilling a dream that we've had for so long! It's an incredible opportunity, and I'm curious to see what lies ahead!

settling in

Slowly slowly slowly we are beginning to get settled in. We always knew that this first part would be tough, and it has been. I remember an exact point in Korea that was at least two, maybe three months in, where I realized that I actually liked it there. Up until then, I was putting on a brave face, but there was so much adjusting that needed to happen. So ask me in three months how I'm feeling... I'm curious myself what changes will have happened!

The good news is that we are all sleeping through the night again. That happened around Day 5, maybe?

We are also in our own place. It felt soooooo good to unpack our suitcases after basically living out of them since the end of June. However, our sleeping arrangements are a bit funny. Back in spring, Mike got an email from a teacher at his new school saying that she had furniture to sell and would any of the new teachers be interested? One of the items was a set of bunk beds. Even though we didn't know what our living arrangement would be, we figured it would be smart to speak up for them. So we did, and she said she'd hold them for us until we arrived.

So our new apartment has three bedrooms, but they are so small. One of the rooms has a big wardrobe, which then means there isn't much room for a bed. The master bedroom has a queen sized bedframe, but for some reason no mattress. Well, we thought that was okay if we had to buy one from Ikea. Having all the other furniture included in this place is still saving us a ton of money compared to buying all new furniture! The evening we got the key to this place (Wednesday) we went to Ikea and bought one, but the earliest they could deliver it was Monday evening. The final room has a double bed in it. We decided that it would make the most sense to use the "wardrobe room" as a playroom for the girls, and then get rid of the double bed and put in bunk beds. Only the teacher selling the bunk beds doesn't get back to Canada until Monday (15th) and then who knows when we can get delivery of that. So that means that Mike and I have been sleeping on the double bed in what will be the girl's room, and Annie and Leila have been sleeping on the couch. I'm just amazed that they have been willing to do that. They are learning to fall asleep anywhere- taxis, buses, planes, our arms...

But tomorrow our mattress comes, and slowly we will get set up and this will all be in our distant memory.

We also got a toaster oven and coffee maker. I went the first week and a half without my morning (and afternoon) coffee. Can you believe it? And we have cell phones. I got a pink one. We were too cheap for the iphone, so Mike got the Android Samsung version. And as of this morning we now have internet and cable. There isn't much on our cable, but it seemed to come with the internet. I don't know how we'll watch our shows because Canadian networks don't want to play here. We'll have to figure something out, I guess.

So every day we take a little step forward. It's been a big exercise in patience. Tomorrow Mike goes school and I will be on my own with the girls for two weeks, and then Annika starts kindergarten. I'm wondering how it will be- I don't know anyone here, but we'll take it one day at a time and see what happens.

I think tomorrow I'll try to post some pictures.

Good night!

International House Hunters

We are given a monthly housing allowance and must find a flat that fits within it (although we can supplement it with our own money if we wish to). We knew before we arrived that the apartments closer to the school are smaller and more expensive. The further out you go, the more you can get for your money. Even though we would love the biggest flat possible, we realize that being new to HK, not having a car, and with Annika attending school as well, the easiest thing for us would be to be close to the school. The school is located in Kowloon and in a busy area, but that also gives us access to bus and subway, and restaurants, stores and everything.

The very next day after we arrived, we met Mr. Yip from the school to take us to see some flats. We had told him the night before when he picked us up that we were interested in the Aria, where we're currently staying. This particular flat is sooooo nice! It's three-bedroom, which a gorgeous view of a mountain. There's a balcony, and oven in the kitchen (which is uncommon). The building just opened in March, so everything is so new and so fancy. The actual building is crazy swanky. There are posh little lounges everywhere and even the elevators are super nice. There are also tons of workers working to keep it all clean.

One thing that I think is really fun is that these apartments have clubhouse facilities that you can use, so they all seem to have swimming pools, gyms, and kids playrooms. I think in some places you pay, but here it's free. I will post pictures when I get a chance.

We had already looked online at the Aria, and were even more impressed when we saw it in person and wanted to look at flats here.

We first saw two flats here at the Aria, and they both had three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. That part is kind of weird because the bathrooms are right next to each other. One is an ensuite, but you almost get mixed up about which one you left your toothbrush in because they look the same and are so close together. Both were smaller than the one we're in. I am pretty sure that these people pay more than the housing allowance. But they both work, so it's probably fine for them to do that. Also, the suites were unfurnished. But the biggest problem with the Aria is that it's located a bit out of the way. It's built into a mountain, so it's really really pretty, and seems like a quiet place. There's a really nice park across the street. But to get anywhere, we'd need to take a little green bus down the hill to a bus stop or subway line. And then i think it's a pretty short trip to the school. But all of these things take time, and when you need to be at school early every morning, it seems like it would be much easier to be closer.

So then we went to another complex that is about a 20 minute walk to the school. It was in a place called The Latitude. It had a shopping complex on the bottom, which seemed fun. There were a lot of restaurants, and a Starbucks that we being added. The suites we saw there had some amazing views. they were perfectly nice and comparable to The Aria. Everything is really really small, but clean and so much nicer than what we lived in in Seoul. The problem with this place is that the three bedroom flats were out of our price range. A two bedroom would be okay, but the bedrooms are so tiny, that we are thinking that with a three bedroom, the girls could share a room, and the other room could be a little playroom/storage room. The rooms barely fit a bed! We looked at several flats in this place, but none of them were furnished.

After that, we went to Farm Road. I really had no idea what Mr. Yip kept calling it... Famro? A Chinese name? Oh... Farm Road. Huh. Makes sense. ?!

Farm Road is just one really tall building compared to the other two that had several towers that are joined together. It was only a 5 minute walk to the school. The flat we looked at was three bedroom, and finally one that had some furniture. It was small, and didn't have a balcony, which is something we hoped for. It also just has a "city view" compared to a harbour view, or beautiful green mountain view. But it was bright, and I really liked all the furniture it came with (sofa, TV, TV stand, beds, table, a big wardrobe, some other smaller cabinets). The landlord spoke really good English, and was friendly. The only thing is that it was above our price range. But they negotiated, and got it down to our budget. Our minds still weren't completely made up, but then we walked down to the clubhouse facilities, and saw that the pool and garden looked nice. There was a nice gym area, and the kids room looked really fun. We hadn't brought the stroller with us, because we thought we were just going to look at The Aria and then one more place, but somehow the afternoon went on and on and on. We each had a sweaty girl in our arms throughout, and at some point at the Latitude, they both fell asleep. It was so heavy and exhausting just holding them. Anyway, Annie woke up at this point, and fell in love with the play area. And we were just done and sick of looking at flats, and since this place had furniture, and was in our budget and close to the school...we just knew it was the one! Oh, and the landlord said that using all of the facilities are free- included in the rent.

I kind of forget what it looks like... I hope we like it! I think Mr. Yip thought we should go with the Aria, because it's so fancy. But hey... who are we kidding? We're not the rich and famous! Farm Road is still perfectly nice and the convenience of being close to the school, and the money we will save by not having to furnish it ourselves made it a no brainer!

The girls have been really good because so far, this hasn't been that much fun. They've been drug around looking at flats, and yesterday we spent a ton of time at the bank, and then at the school. We aren't getting over jet lag very fast. They've been waking up at three or four and not goign back to sleep. Leila hasn't had supper for the past two days because she's just so tired by that point that we can't wake her up. Right now, rather than trying to keep them up, we're giving them afternoon naps. They've been sleeping a long time, and may not go to bed until late. But then maybe they'll sleep longer in the night? Our bodies have to adjust eventually! Mike and I have been waking up too, but it would be easier to get back to sleep if we didn't have two little ones keeping us up.

Hopefully I'll post some pictures soon!

We arrive

Well, we're here! Heading into Day 3 of our Hong Kong adventures, and it's 3:00a.m. Darn jet lag! This time the girls are sleeping and it's us that are awake. Mike's on the phone with our bank at home. We've run into complications setting up a bank account and getting money over here, which needs to be done in a timely manner so that we can get into our new flat. We know eventually it will get sorted out, but it's a bit confusing and frustrating.

So the trip...

I had so many worries about it all. I was trying not to worry and mostly we had a great sense of peace that God would be with us through it all, but we had nine pieces of luggage to check, and were concerned that they'd be overweight. Well, they weren't overweight, and they were able to be checked all the way to HK.

Our first flight to Vancouver was nice and short, and the girls were eager and excited. When we got there, it took forever to exit the plane, and get our stroller, so we were worried about getting to the gate for our next flight. We were walking really fast trying to get to our gate, when who should we see but Kristen! It was a crazy quick little reunion. Jen was sitting with their stuff, and I guess they just saw us walking by. So crazy that they had just returned from their 11 hour flight from Incheon as we were leaving for ours to go there. He walked with us a little ways, and then we had to say good-bye. The thing is, I knew they would be in Edmonton airport that day, so when we were leaving, I had a strong feeling that we would see them. I almost wasn't even surprised!

It was a good thing we didn't visit long, because they were boarding for our flight when we got to the gate, and we still needed our boarding passes to be printed. We got on that flight easily, and despite it being 11 hours long, the girls did AMAZING! They played with all the little activities we brought, and loved opening all the little gifts that my Aunt Jo had gathered and wrapped for them. They ate their supper, and once the lights went out, they both fell asleep in our laps. It was too uncomfortable for us to sleep, though. On this flight, the seats were three/four/three. I don't know why we weren't put in the row of four, but instead were three on in the left side, and one across the aisle. I sat between the girls, and Mike was sitting across the aisle, but he ended up sitting next to a girl who was on her way to Korea to teach English. She hadn't been there before, and really didn't know anyone who had ever done that, except for an acquantaince from high school. She was so grateful to talk to Mike, and had tons of questions about everything to do with living there, and teaching. We swiched off a bit sitting beside her.

I knew that our layover in Korea would be around two a.m. our time, and it was a two hour layover. Which isn't that bad, but I was curious what state we'd all be in. The girls were wide awake, so they just played on a playset. It was nostalgic being back in an airport that we had been in a bunch of times six years earlier! Once we got on that final 3 1/2 hour flight, they girls just slept. We were in the exact same seating arrangement, so actually all three of us slept, but Mike who was across the aisle couldn't sleep at all.

Once we arrived, the line-up for immigration was incredibly long. I don't know if it's because we were pushing a stroller with two young girls, but for some reason, we got pushed to the front, and sent right through. I was also feeling paranoid that our luggage would be lost. I don't know why I was concerned, but it's never happened to me, so it seems like it will eventually. And we had NINE pieces, which is so excessive. But amazingly, they all came through. I knew that there was no way that we would be able to push the stroller and manage all our luggage. We had Mike's parents to help us with this in Edmonton. I was hoping we could find someone who could kindly help us, and an airport staff did. We finally exited and easily found the representatives from the school. They had brought a little bus (smart!) with plenty of room for us all. Then we had an hour bus ride (it was 11:30 p.m. Hong Kong time by then), and got all of us up to the 30th floor of the flat that we are staying in until we get one of our own. I was so happy that the traveling had gone so smoothly. We knew that many were praying for us, and the night before we left, Mike's family surrounded us and prayed, and helped us have such peace that everything would be okay.

We got to bed by two and slept until six. Although Mike wasn't able to sleep at all. Poor guy. Too much still to worry about.

Well, now Leila's awake and it's three-thirty. Sigh...

Hopefully we can get back to sleep before morning rolls around. I was sure that this night would go better because we kept them up so much more during the day. Eventually we'll get back on track.

I will post about our house hunting adventures soon!