Preppin' to Move

We spent most of Saturday at PCCW setting up our cable, internet, and phone line. We also bought our TV from them. We got a great deal, but it won't be delivered for 2 weeks. It's okay though because we'll just miss out on episodes of "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader". TV here is not up to par, to say the least, and our Slingbox isn't working at our serviced apartment. We're hoping for better luck with the Slingbox when we move but aren't holding our breath on that one either. Tomorrow is Moving Day!! I'll be without internet until Thursday, so there will most likely be a few days without posts. Don't be sad, I'll be back by Friday :)

After PCCW we strolled down to Morrison Hill to buy light fixtures. Not quite the same as Home Depot, but I think we're in good shape. There's a whole row of lighting stores and again, everything is custom, so if you don't like something, they change it for you. How great is that!?!?

Michael had a call last night, so I caught up with Daria for a drink. Michael finally joined around 1am and got to meet Daria's boyfriend, Simon, Hayley's husband, Mark, and Patrick (an American guy!) We hung out in Lan Kwai Fong...it's a crazy scene. I can't wait to take you here! Enjoy some pictures from our night-

xx
Lauren

Are you Sassy?

I was trying to be last night! However....

In case you forgot what the world's worst dancer looks like, I found her at the Sassy party! Poor Hayley was probably thinking "what have I gotten myself into with this chick?" Anyways, we had a great time at the party. I am so lucky to be meeting such great friends. They really are just wonderful. Here are some more shots from the evening.


I've joined the Sassy newcomers group which starts up October 7, so we decided to check out the Launch Party last night. The last photo is of Daria and Ripa holding up peace signs. They were trying to be like Asians because Asians hold up peace signs in every picture they take. I quite like the peace signs...Start the trend in the US and send me your pics :)

Patience is a Virtue

Today my group went on an outing to Wong Tai Sin and the Chi Lin Nunnery. Both are in Kowloon, about a 25 minute MTR ride (subway). It's amazing that in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan city that places like these exist.

Wong Tai Sin is a Daoist temple and one of Kowloon's most popular places of worship. Believers flock here to ask for good health, but maybe most importantly, to seek advice on stocks and horseracing. Ha! There is a dense smoke of incense sticks and you can hear the chim rattling. Chim is a container holding fortune sticks, well, they actually are just popsicle sticks. You must think of a question and then grab a container of chim and shake it until a number falls out. Lucky number 52 fell out for me today.

You take your number and go across the temple to the 2 floors of fortune tellers. Here, you can have your number, palm, or face read. I wanted the palm, but $500 HK dollars ($65 US) seemed a little steep. I opted for the $4 number reading. I guess you get what you pay for. Here is the poem that went with my number:

"The sky was first formed through floating pure air; Whereas foul vapour congealed into the great earth. Neither pure nor foul was the man in the middle. One must be able to distinguish their equal worth".

He basically told me, in the most roundabout way, that I have no patience and not to look for work for 3 months. He also said 2009 was not my year. Super. Don't ask me how he drew those conclusions from the poem, but hopefully my luck will be better in 2010. Lucky 52.

We headed to the Chi Lin Nunnery next. It's a beautiful Buddhist wooden complex of over 80,000 building units. We walked through the gardens and had lunch in a small restaurant. I can't wait to take you here when you come visit!

We have Shopped...and Dropped!

A week from Monday we'll be moving into 80 Robinson. So, this weekend we spent ALL day Saturday and Sunday in Horizon Plaza. It consists of 28 floors of home furnishings, mattresses, beds, lighting stores, and outlet stores (Prada, Armani, Club Monaco...). This has proven quite the task for the non-interior decorator and her husband. We are spent. We even looked so dejected that another ex-pat handed us her business card in the elevator, saying she was an interior decorator and would be glad to help! HA! Poor Michael is getting a taste of home decorating at its finest. Needless to say, he never wants to go back to Horizon Plaza. Ever.

We have made some progress though. We've purchased a custom couch that's being made, an ottoman, and a mattress and bed (we think). Furniture shopping is much different in HK than in the US. Rooms are much smaller, bed dimensions are different, and most furniture you get needs to be custom. You can't just go out and buy a queen bed/mattress like you do in the States. We still have lots to tackle...curtains, light fixtures, TV. I think we'll both be happy when all of this is over!

I wanted to show you a picture of what happens on Sundays here. Most families have "helpers" in HK. The helpers are Filipino or Malaysian women that live in your home, in a room no bigger than a closet (usually in the kitchen), and cook, clean, take care of your children, run your errands, do your grocery shopping, etc. I know it seems outrageous, but it's part of life here. If you don't have a helper, people wonder why. (No, we're not getting a helper)!

Sunday is their day off. They congregate in passages around town (here we are walking towards the bus station). They lay out their cardboard or newspaper to sit on, give each other manis/pedis, eat, play bingo or cards, and dance to Michael Jackson music. It's quite the sight. Many people don't want to go out on Sunday's because the helpers are everywhere! We got back tonight at 7:30 pm and many groups were still hanging out. It's an all-day affair.

On another note, how 'bout those Heels this weekend?!!? Wish we could have watched that game!

xx,
L

"Rent a Friend"

Susan, a lady in my group's husband calls my YWCA group the "Rent a Friend" group. I think it's absolutely hilarious! Let's be honest...we all signed up to meet friends, so is there really a better name?

We went out last night for cocktails and dinner. I had the best time (I'm sure the 2 mojitos and wine helped though!) The women in my group are just great. We range in age from 23 to 52. Even though we're all over the spectrum, we're all just trying to make our way in Hong Kong and are quickly becoming good friends. I feel so lucky to have found a crew of women so early on and am starting to feel just a wee bit plugged in. Have a peek at another group I joined: (http://www.sassyhongkong.com/). Maybe my full-time job will be just joining groups. This one was started by a YWCA "At Home" group a few years back. This is the first course for "Settle in with Sassy", so we'll see how it goes. It is every Wednesday in October, and I'm hoping it's geared toward younger women sans kids.

I met a girl today for coffee that I bumped into in the elevator. Her name is Rachel and she has been here 3 weeks. Her and her husband were in Dubai for the past year and now are in HK. They are originally from the UK. She's really sweet, so I'm trying to get her to join Sassy with me.

I've decided to end my emails like the British do:

1) Because I secretly wish I was British

2) Because I love their names for certain words (jumper=sweater; trousers=pants; rubbish=awful)

3) Because it's "just lovely" to do so!

Until next time,

xx, (kiss! kiss!)

Lauren

Me...a Reader?

No. I would not use this adjective to describe myself, so imagine the look on my face when some ladies in my YWCA group decided they wanted to start a book club. A book club? Really? How about a wine club, supper club, Bunco? No. They wanted a book club. I told them I would come to book club, for the wine...maybe I'd read the book.


I mean, I don't really have anything against reading. I love browsing through US Weekly, People, Fitness, or Self at the gym, or reading TMZ on the computer (my latest favorite pastime). I am currently on the 3rd book in the Twilight Series, Eclipse. Do you see a pattern? I like celebrity gossip, fitness/trashy magazines, and books made for high schoolers.


My group chose The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee. Ugh. The ladies in my group are so sweet and really, what else do I have going on, so I gave into book club. I trudged down to Dymocks (the book store) in the middle of the typhoon to buy this $111 book ($14 US)....FOR A PAPERBACK. It's a book about Hong Kong before the war, I only have a month to read it, and the print is WAY smaller than Twilight. How am I ever going to get through this?

I started it last night... and LOVE it! I just can't put it down.Go buy yourself a copy. We can even have a chat about it over skype...our own virtual book club! Maybe book club won't be so bad, but you better believe it, I'm bringing the wine :)

Rain, Rain go Away

Yesterday Typhoon Koppu came to town...He/She started out at a 3 but by the evening we were up to an 8. All businesses shut down and we followed strict orders to stay indoors by the Hong Kong Observatory (http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm). Here's a link just in case you are so bored you want to look at the weather here. We were hunkered down until 10:00am this morning when it was lowered to a 3 again. I ventured out this morning to the gym (and waited on the steps for a half-hour for it to open). I didn't go until 11:00am---why it took them so long to get to work is beyond me, but nonetheless, I got my workout in.

I met Hayley (a sweet girl from the UK) from my group for coffee. She is 33 and doesn't have children and has been here for 10 months. She's a social worker but isn't working. We're all kinda in the same boat with work. Wanting to, but not quite sure how to. It's nice to have someone to talk it through with.

By the time we left Starbucks it was POURING. I am home now and soaked. I can't seem to stay dry in Kong....if it's not sweat it's rain. I just can't win. Here a few pics of the rains, courtesy of Koppu.

Dim Sum

Today was my first Dim Sum experience. Michael has eaten it a few times before on trips to Hong Kong. Cantonese people like to have dim sum for breakfast or brunch; for some, it's a daily ritual. Many Westerner's don't like it...dim sum is like small dumplings, served in tapas portions. They can be steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried. Michael's co-worker, Nic and his girlfriend, Stephanie gave me a crash course today. Good thing they were there, because no English was spoken in the restaurant and the menus were in Chinese. They were so helpful and eased me into this experience. Well, almost...

First, came the Chicken foot. It was marinated in a barbecue-like sauce. Michael went right for it, chewing the toes and all. It's very bony (as you would expect a foot to be) and you have to be careful when eating it. Nic actually chipped a tooth a few months back on a chicken foot and needed a root canal! I wasn't so sure I could do it, but how could I disappoint my new Asian friends? I went right for the big toe...then the middle toe, chewing all around the bones and spitting them out. It wasn't bad, but hard to get past the part of knowing what you were eating. I just had to take a picture.

My first experience with dim sum was rather pleasant. I enjoyed the ones we ordered: shrimp dumpling, pork dumpling, barbecue pork rice roll, little dragon dumpling, and spring rolls. I may do without the chicken foot next time, but thank you Stephanie and Nic for the great introduction! Here are some pics of a few of our samplings.

68 days and counting...

UNTIL MY FIRST VISITOR ARRIVES!

My best friend, Amanda, has decided to forego her Thanksgiving with her dear husband and make the trek to Asia to come and visit me. I cannot express my gratitude to David enough for letting her come. I am starting to plan our itinerary and will make sure this is one trip we won't forget. Amanda is my oldest friend, my matron of honor, and a sister I never had. We've been through everything together...that is everything but cooking a turkey. Thank goodness our new apartment has an oven. Feel free to pass along easy, but staple Thanksgiving recipes (and directions on cooking the turkey!)

Hungry Kids in HK

Our food intake over here has decreased quite a bit. For me, this might not be a bad thing. For Michael...well, that's another story. There are a few reasons we're going on a starvation diet:

1). There is very little American food in our small Park 'N' Shop

2). If there is American food, it's imported and very expensive

3). I'm afraid of the wet fish market and meat hanging from strings in the store window

4). I haven't yet ventured into the larger supermarkets....WELL, THAT IS UNTIL TODAY

I decided to make it my mission today to find us food to eat. There are some larger supermarkets around the city, but they aren't right around the corner, and I really haven't been sure of their locations. I first ventured to Gateway, which is a SMALL Costco/Sam's type store. I mean, probably 1/100 the size of Costco, but nonetheless, they have a small selection of American food. I was so excited to find Splenda (I ended up paying over $30 for 1000 packets), PAM, and Mr. Newman's light honey mustard dressing. I did buy a Ranch packet so Michael can make Ranch salad dressing. He's super excited. If you need any Splenda, I'll be happy to send you some.

My real excitement of the day was going to the City Super. This is almost like a Harris Teeter or Fresh Market. I about peed my pants. I picked up some yogurt, chicken sausages, sliced deli turkey, and a lean cuisine for dinner (as Michael has a meeting tonight). I'm already starting to feel at home :)

On another note, my coffee yesterday morning was great. We listened to an American woman who has started her own business/non-profit agency using recycled fabrics and rice bags to create wallets and purses called Bez and Oho. (http://www.bezandoho.com/) She employs Hong Kong women and helps them build work skills and self-esteem, but still gives them time to look after their families. Each bag is hand-crafted and all money goes back into the program. Check out the website. Of course I had to buy a wallet. The market bag is next on my list!

After the coffee, some of the women in my group walked around the city. Here are a few us on the outdoor balcony at the China Club (where one of the women is a member). It almost looks like I have friends! They are all really sweet and I enjoyed hanging out yesterday.

Right now, I'm in the middle of my 1st typhoon warning! YES! We're at a 3 (the levels are 1, 3, and 8). When you reach 8, all stores and markets close, and no one can leave their house/business. I don't think we'll get to 8, but a 3 is a little exciting. Typhoons are common in August and September. Who's coming in August!?!?

New Kid on the Block

Yesterday was my first meeting with the "At Home" group, a part of the English Speaking Members Department of the YWCA. The class was full (11 people) and we're all expats. There are mostly British and Australian ladies in the group, but there is ONE American...ME.

Yes, I am the lone American expat. I guess, I'm not really the only one...there are 2 ladies who were born in the US, but they have since lived all over the world (Africa, Germany, London, Switzerland, back to London, etc).

Hong Kong is many of the women's first placements, like ours, but some have traveled with their husbands' jobs all over the place. They were all pretty shocked that I've lived in North Carolina my entire life. Many of the women are older and came over with children, but there are 2 other girls about my age with no children (YAY!) We spent the morning going over some "culture" things and then had lunch together at the Y. It's going to be a great experience for me. The Australian woman who "teaches" the class says that all of her groups stay together...many start supper clubs or book clubs and remain friends.

Speaking of making friends, I get these strange urges to stop anyone I see walking down the road who looks Western and ask them to be my friend. Michael says I'm not allowed to do so. There was an Indian guy in the elevator yesterday, and I swear he was wearing a Vineyard Vines tie. I had to bite my tongue. I wanted to know if he had a wife who spoke English, but thought that may be somewhat inappropriate to ask.

Tomorrow there is a coffee at Helena May (http://www.helenamay.com/), a women's only club that we're able to go to through the YWCA. You usually have to be a member, but we get to go if we're with the Y. There should be lots of expats there. I went today and signed up for another course through the Y...a Shenzhen shopping trip, of course! Shenzhen is in China and is supposed to have amazing shopping for cheap (fabric, bags, tailored suits, furniture, clothes, etc). There is also an Art Tour, where you can go and they'll paint whatever you like for dirt cheap. I really want to go on that one too. The Y offers some great courses, so I definitely want to take advantage of them.

This was a rambling post...I promise to post more pictures soon.

Now, we just need Dudley...

Well, I think we've found our new home for our time in Hong Kong. We're putting in an offer tomorrow at 80 Robinson on a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit. I'm super excited because it has an oven, and 2 built in closets (not common in HK). We'll be on the 27th floor and the views are just breathtaking. Robinson Road is a quiet street (perfect for walking Dudley), but only about a 10 minute walk from the escalator in the Midlevels. Enjoy a few pics...it's bare-bones now. I think we'll soon become best friends with Ikea.

Here are some pictures from the outside. There is a small church on the road below it. Michael is standing in the circle at the entrance to the building.

This is the view looking out the living room window.


Here are some shots from the inside. Both bathrooms are almost identical, except one has a shower and one a bathtub. This bedroom is the Master.

This is one of the guest rooms.


Here I am at the 2nd entrance to the building.

Can't wait for you to come vist!

To the South Side we go...

Today we took our first venture to the South side of the Island. It's like getting on a bus and being on vacation in 20 minutes. What more could you ask for? The South side is beautiful and includes lots of bays: Stanley Bay, Repulse Bay, Middle Bay Beach, Deep Water Bay, and South Bay Beach to name a few. Many expats, especially those with children live in Repulse Bay. This is where Michael's co-worker lives. We walked around Stanley Bay for a bit and then headed to South Bay Beach to catch our rays. The picture from above is taken at Stanley Bay.South Bay Beach is beautiful. It was much quieter than Shek-O-Beach and we had lunch on an outdoor terrace overlooking the water. In the picture below you can see the buildings in the top right photo. This is Repulse Bay. Below are some more pictures from South Bay.

I am one happy girl if you give me a beach towel, sunscreen, the ocean, and sun. Today was a little piece of my heaven.

Paying It Forward

Today I had a meeting with the most lovely woman, who happens to be a speech therapist. We were to meet at Starbucks and she was going to fill me in on the job market for therapists in Hong Kong. I was a little nervous, as most of the sentiment I've received thus far is that it's difficult for an English-speaking SLP to find work. I was hoping Julie would have some good news...

As I was enjoying my latte, in walked a tall, blonde woman with white cropped trousers, a long flowery top, white patent leather flats, and a bag to match. She was adorable and I was secretly hoping it was Julie. She eyed me and I knew right away it was her. I don't know what it was about this woman...maybe her melt-my heart British accent, or her life story on coming to Hong Kong at age 26; or that she was uneasy here at first and now has been here for 19 years. Maybe it was the fact that she felt the need to meet with me to tell me not to be discouraged. After an hour and a half of chatting with Julie I was feeling a little better about the job opportunities in Hong Kong. She let me know of 1, maybe 2 job openings. She gave me about four other people to contact and told me to be patient and to continue to make contacts. That's the best way to find something.


I left feeling optimistic. She's going to add my name to a group of therapists that meet a couple times a year for dinner, so I can attend the next one. I'm going to take her advice and be patient. Lots of these jobs are full-time, and I'm ideally looking for something part-time so we can take advantage of the travel opportunities here. I'm going to pass my resume along, in hopes that something will open up. I am so thankful that this woman, who I never met, took the time to meet with me and ease my nerves. I told her one day, I too will pass along the favor to someone else.

"I am gettin' so HOT I'm gonna take my clothes off"

I know I've already made a post about how hot it is here, but I feel compelled to explain how hot and humid the Kong really is.

We went to dinner tonight...took a nice little stroll to this place called "Eat Right". I had a delicious vegetable lasagna with 400 calories (yes, it said it on the menu). After dinner, I wanted to walk to the Starbucks where I'm meeting the speech therapist tomorrow so I knew how to get there. Well, by the time we got to the Starbucks (about a 10 min walk) I was sweating. By the time we got home... my hair was wet, my nose had beaded up with sweat, my forehead and neck had sweat running down them, my shirt was wet, my legs were sweating, and my feet were slipping out of my cute sandals because they were sweaty. All of this at 9:00pm.

I'm now going to take my second shower of the day....and probably sweat through that too. I was going to post a picture of my sweaty self, but I figured none of you would really want to see that. When you come and visit, let's pick any month other than August :)

Flying Solo

Michael went back to work on Tuesday so this is my second day flying solo in this big city. Yesterday, I went to the gym (California Fitness), met Michael for lunch, did laundry, ran to the store, and walked around our neighborhood a bit. We had dinner last night in Wan Chai at an Indian restaurant. There are 3 different sections of Wan Chai. We really liked an apartment complex on Star Street, but other than that street, the rest of the area is REALLY busy. We ruled out Wan Chai last night. Here are some pics on the terrace of the restaurant.

As most of you can attest, I am not independent. I would never use this adjective to describe myself, nor would my family. I hate doing things by myself: eating, shopping, watching TV, going to the grocery. Hong Kong is forcing me to step outside of my dependence on others and be solo. Today, I became brave.....

After the gym, I decided to take the subway down to Causeway Bay, which is the "Times Square" of Hong Kong. Maybe I was a little zealous, but I was enjoying my "Can Do" attitude on the subway. That is until I came out into a sea of Asians, all carrying their favorite Louis Vuitton bags and wearing their Prada sunglasses. My Banana Republic t-shirt and TJ Maxx shorts were just not cutting it. I took a deep breath and joined the school of fish anxious to find our first purchases.

Causeway Bay is filled with malls. You don't realize from the outside it's really a mall until you see the escalator that takes you up 12 floors. They have the high end brands in EVERY one (Louis, Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Chanel, Armani, etc, etc) and people are actually in these stores buying things. Other than these high-end brands, I didn't recognize a single one, except Polo. Pretty crazy. Here are some pics of a couple of the malls.

I walked around, sweating my face off, exploring different areas and shops. I wandered so much that I came upon this cute little park. I was so excited about my find that I had to set the camera up on a trash can to take a picture of myself. There were people jogging, homeless men laying around, and even a small pool for motor boat racing. Just a typical day in the Hong Kong Park.

Look what else I found...

So, after a couple hours of Causeway Bay and a new pair of Puma tennis shoes in my hands (I HAD to buy something)...and, my feet were killing me, I braved the subway again and headed home to go to the grocery. I survived. I didn't get lost, and I never even called Michael for help. (I made him leave me his cell phone today in case I needed it). This small suburban girl is going to be okay in this cosmopolitan city. It may take me a few more months to feel at ease walking around, but I'm putting myself in God's hands and letting him open my windows.


Tomorrow, I'm apartment hunting with our realtor again. We're narrowing it down, and getting closer. Will keep you updated on when we find the perfect place!