Missing My Husband.

There has been a lack of posts here on the blog as of late. My husband is out of town for work and so we who are left at home are just concentrating on ensuring life continues to run smoothly. Bed time, bath time, dinner, homework, catching the bus for school is what is consuming me. Oh and making two Halloween costumes, planning to host an American Thanksgiving, and volunteering at the school.

Right before my husband went away, he found a local bakery that sells doughnuts. There is no such thing as a Dunkin' Donuts or a Krispy Kreme here in Hong Kong. Apparently doughnuts are not a big seller. 

Taking The Tram Up To The Peak.

While our kids were on a week long holiday from school, our family tried to see a few tourist attractions here in Hong Kong. There was one day where the kids really wanted to take the tram and ride it all the way up to the Peak.  The Peak is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island.

We didn't pick a great day for the view. We realized when we arrived at the top of the Peak that there was so much pollution over the city, so we didn't get to see too far and it wasn't a clear view. Looking out from the top of the deck of the Sky Terrace, the sun was hot and our kids started to wilt fast, but they perked up as soon as they saw Burger King. I did a silent inward groan as our family found our way into the doors of the fast food chain and sat down at a table, but I find that when you travel with children, you have to make sacrifices and sometimes it's better to compromise for the greater good of the whole family.

My husband and I weren't fully prepared for the Peak targeting tourists. It completely reminded us of being back home in Myrtle Beach! Everything was directed to lure tourists in to spend their money. A person that loves to shop would feel right at home at the top of the Peak.

Our two children enjoyed the ghoulish actors spilling out of the Fright Dome and walking among the tourists in an attempt to scare them.

Riding The MTR.

Fortunately for us, since we don't have a personal vehicle, we are in love with the public transportation system here in Hong Kong. In Myrtle Beach {South Carolina} public transportation was not used by many, and we, like most families had our own vehicle. 

Learning to use the train system took a couple times. The best way to learn something is to do it the wrong way first. There were a few times that we ended up on the right train line but going in the wrong direction.

Here in Hong Kong, they have this wonderful card called the "Octopus" card that you swipe to get in and out of the train stations, onto buses, and even if you want to buy groceries in the supermarket. Personally, we just limit our Octopus card usage to public transportation. Each person in our family has their own individual card and our children have special cards with cheaper rates for them to ride the system.

Once we mastered the train system and knew where we were going, we have loved getting from point A to point B this way. Just be prepared to stand in really close proximity with strangers during peak hours.

One morning, I was traveling the MTR alone and as I was stepping into the train along with the rest of the crowd, I felt my butt cheeks being cupped for a second. I looked behind me with my immediate thought that my husband must be standing behind me. Instead I see this sweet old lady pushing me further into the train car so that she could squeeze in before the doors shut. You never know what might happen in the subway!!!   

My Heart Is Full.

Today I was sitting in this very spot, reading the paperback "Gone Girl" that my neighbor told me was a must-read. When I looked up, it struck me how so incredibly thankful I am to be living here in Hong Kong. I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I absolutely love where I live. 

Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum.

This past weekend, I had my first dim sum experience in Hong Kong. After a morning of exploring our neighborhood, playing with a new set of Legos and princess toys, we loaded our family into a taxi cab with the directions to the restaurant in Sham Shui Po pulled up on my husband's laptop. 

The one star Michelin restaurant was definitely nothing fancy. We chose to arrive between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. hoping to avoid a long line with other customers waiting to eat. It was a good time frame for a Saturday afternoon. We sat outside for ten minutes on cheap blue plastic stools with no back until the hostess ushered us into the restaurant using hand gestures. 

We were seated at a small table for four underneath bright yellow florescent lighting. Armed with a carefully researched list of recommended dishes, we checked off what we wanted to order and the quantities of each dish.

We chose a couple orders of the prawn dumplings and the glutinous rice with meat wrapped in a lotus leaf. We thought we'd be daring and branch away from what was just familiar to us, so we ordered the pork liver rice noodle roll and a dish of the steamed chicken feet with a fermented soy bean paste. We also tried to accommodate the palates of our children, so we ordered a dish with rice and cuttle fish since our daughter loves the fish balls you can purchase off the street. Our favorite was definitely the famous baked barbequed pork bun. 

A Gentle Reminder For Pedestrians.

When we moved here to Hong Kong, my husband and I were grateful for these little reminders on the street pointing out which way to look before crossing to the other side.

Vehicles drive on the opposite side of the road than what we are accustomed to, and it took some adjustment to know which direction to look as we were about to cross an intersection.

So thank you, Hong Kong, for your thoughtfulness ensuring the safety for this particular family which has just arrived from America. That little painted sign on the street makes adapting to this country a little easier.

Being Away From Family During A Holiday.

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and if we were living in Canada we would be eating a delicious turkey dinner with my family. It's ironic that living across the world from them makes me miss the act of eating a holiday meal together a little more poignant. Especially since the reality is we've only been to Canada once in the past eleven years to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.

But the truth is, I miss my family. I miss hugging my adorable niece and nephew. My kids miss playing with their cousins. They miss having their grandparents read to them and play games with them.

Perhaps I'm feeling additionally sentimental today because yesterday, as we were riding the bus out to Sai Kung for a birthday party, my son told me he lay in bed that morning before the rest of the house was awake and cried thinking about the friends he'd left in South Carolina. 

He's sad which makes this Mama hurt for him. Welcome to the life of being an expat kid, Son.  

I Have A Garden!

Back when I still lived in Myrtle Beach, I was lamenting the fact that I probably wouldn't have much of a back yard. Over the weekend, my husband and I took a trip to Ikea to rectify the no flower situation here in Hong Kong. Although I don't have a yard {which makes my husband so happy since he doesn't have to mow}, I now have a bit of a flower garden! 

I purchased the plants from a sweet elderly lady who was selling them out of a truck on the corner of a street. That sounds so shady! But she was the sweetest little lady who was so happy that I bought plants from her.

We purchased our galvanized pots from Ikea, as well as the galvanized watering can, and our white plant stand.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure how well our plants will survive my daughter's constant watering of them. She thinks it's too much fun to use the watering can and loves drowning my flowers. For now, I enjoy seeing my daughter get so much joy from the simple act of watering plants, and while they are still alive, I love looking out onto our balcony and seeing something growing.

Mexican Food In Hong Kong.

We have discovered Mexican food in Hong Kong. While we were in Soho we happened upon this little Mexican restaurant that boasted of tacos and margaritas. El Taco Loco. The restaurant is located right next to the Central to Mid-Levels escalator.

We ordered the fish tacos, steak tacos, and of course a margarita on the rocks. When we lived in South Carolina, we were surrounded by great authentic Mexican cuisine. We didn't come to Hong Kong with very high hopes of having authentic Mexican food, so we weren't disappointed after eating here.

We Bought An Oven.

Matt Damon bought a zoo and we bought an oven. When you're new in a foreign country little things can appear to be daunting. Little things that I took for granted before, like baking. This is the first time we do not have an oven in our kitchen. I'm a baker by nature, and after debating with myself whether or not I could go two years without the use of an oven, I came to the conclusion that an oven is a necessity for me.

My sweet husband surprised me one afternoon by purchasing the oven I had my eye on. Everything was set. The scene was similar to that of my first cooking debacle. My batter was mixed and cookies were ready to go on the baking sheet. We turned the oven on to preheat, and heard a popping sound coming from the electrical cord. Then we saw some smoke wafting up. I panicked. The smell alone made me too scared to try to plug it back in.

In comes my husband to the rescue. He packs the oven back in to it's original box and heads back out to the store to exchange it.

The second oven we purchased also made the popping sound when we plugged it in but this time there was no visible smoke. I quickly shoved the baking sheet of cookie dough into the oven so we would soon have the delicious smell of butter, flour, and sugar baking and it would hopefully take our fears off of burning down our apartment building. We carefully monitored the oven to make sure it behaved and worked fine.

Since then we've made more chocolate chip cookies, as well as loaves of bread. I am thankful that I can bake again! 

The Life Of A Maid In Hong Kong.

This is a post near and dear to my heart because I feel strongly about it. I actually learned about this human rights issue before I moved to Hong Kong but after I knew we were moving to this country. 

My husband and I were doing as much research as we could on the new country we were relocating our whole family to, and after I watched a YouTube documentary on the mistreatment of domestic workers in Hong Kong, I was greatly disturbed.
 

Then I joined a Hong Kong Mom's group on Facebook {also before we moved here} and I was appalled that I could see the mistreatment regarding employers to their maids written all over the forum. The behavior and ignorance shown by the responses of other members on this Facebook group confirmed the documentary. I read a Facebook thread where an employer was asking where she could purchase a crate to put on top of the roof of their apartment building for their maid to sleep in at night. A man responded that if they didn't have room for their maid in their own home, perhaps they shouldn't have one living with them or to consider sleeping in the crate themselves. He was blasted with abrasive comments in support of the lady who wanted to let her maid sleep in a cage. It made me nauseous. This was real stuff. No one was standing up and supporting the man for his take on human rights.
 

I'm not opposed to having maids. I grew up with maids living and working for our family when my family lived in the Philippines. I'm not standing in judgement of people that hire other people to help them live a bit easier. We had a gardener. We had a hired guard to protect our house or to at least act as an intimidation factor to those that might be tempted to burglarize our home. In fact we're still friends with several of the maids we had over the years today - thirty years later. One of them currently works here in Hong Kong and we consider her part of our family. She worked in my family's home for ten years and watched me grow during my awkward teen years. I look at her like a big sister and refer to her accordingly. We spend time with her every Sunday {her one day off of the week} and on public holidays. She confirmed what I had heard in the documentary.

Our family friend works from 7:00 in the morning until sometimes 11:00 at night. There are no siesta's or breaks given during the day. She must always be on call for when her boss might need her.

Domestic helpers are paid a minimum of $500.00 USD a month, working sixteen hour days, six days a week. Every domestic helper has one day off a week. Sundays. And a lot of them congregate on Hong Kong island in Central. The city of Hong Kong closes certain streets off to allow the domestic helpers a place to sit on Sundays. You'll see cardboard or sheets of plastic, that the maids have purchased, lining the streets  providing somewhat of a barrier between them and the dirty pavement.  

I took these particular photographs in Central at the HSBC building. Because of the shade that the building provides, it is a favorite spot for maids to congregate on a Sunday.

You will see the maids eating together, playing card games with each other, giving each other pedicures, and even making crafts to sell to supplement their meager income. Some arrive very early in the morning and stay out late into the evening because they have nowhere to go, and at the home of their employers do not have a bedroom to sleep in. Because space is so limited here in Hong Kong, it is not uncommon for domestic helpers to sleep in the kitchen or in the same room as the children they are taking care of.
 

Sadly, the caste system lives on here in Hong Kong. Domestic helpers are mainly from the Philippines and Indonesia and are not looked highly on. They are often abused {verbally, physically, and even sometimes sexually} by their employer.

I'm not sure what the solution to this epidemic will be, or even when it will take place. I can only do my part, that if we ever do end up hiring a maid, to treat her with respect and see her as the human being she actually is.

Hong Kong Science Museum.

 

Apparently museums are free to visit every Wednesday. This is a great tip for families with young kids who are living on a budget here in Hong Kong! The museum is really not just for families with young kids. I saw a lot of adults with no children, as well as teenagers, walking through the museum and actively participating in the different displays.

Our two children are currently out of school on a week of holiday, so Wednesday we all loaded into a taxi and drove out to the Hong Kong Science Museum which is located in Tsim Sha Tsui. There are four levels to the museum with hands on stations for the kids to learn about science through the different exhibitions.

My seven and five year old kids loved the interactive exhibits on the first floor that helped them learn about electricity and magnetism. There is also a very interesting exhibit that encourages safety in the work place. It was a little disconcerting to see a fatal dummy demonstration of what could potentially happen if one isn't careful.

On the second floor of the museum there is a large food science exhibition. As a former nutritionist, I found this to be a very informational station. It was a great visual for my children to see how to turn food waste into compost and then to fertilizer.

The second floor also boasts a DC-3 airplane which is suspended from the ceiling. This airplane is the first Hong Kong airliner and a large attraction for the museum. 

We met up with some of my husband's coworkers on the third floor and our kids had a great time playing together. A favorite of my kid's was the train wheel's exhibit where they could choose from a set of three different wheels to roll down the track and not try not to derail.

Temple Street Market.

Markets are such a big part of Hong Kong culture. We happened upon the Temple Street Market this past weekend. It's primarily a night market, and at the time of day that we walked down it, the road was completely devoid of stalls. After we had eaten our late lunch/early dinner and walked back up the market, vendors were starting to put out their wares.

This market was originally known as the "Men's Market" with wares catering more to the male population, with watches, jeans, t-shirts, shoes, and even condoms. {This was an area of Hong Kong that I wasn't expecting to see as many prostitutes standing out on the street in the middle of the afternoon as I did. Thankfully, my children are still completely oblivious and don't pay them any attention.} We saw a stall selling just CD's that looked cheaply made. And while typically items that you purchase in an open market are supposed to be cheaper, I've found that you really need to be careful and it helps to know whether or not you're actually getting a good deal. I do find that items in an open market are more cheaply made and tend to fall apart quicker.