It seems that you can get nearly everywhere in Hong Kong walking through covered walkways, malls, and underground walks which connect you with the MTR (Hong Kong’s subway). Hong Kong Park is no exception. Our apartment sits atop a mall, and through that mall and a series of stairs and escalators, you can make your way to one of the entrances to Hong Kong Park. Like many parks here, this is not a park for running around, but one for strolling and reflecting. There is a playground, billed for kids up to age 12, but Luke quickly grew bored with the small-scale equipment, and Jed and Ty were just too big, really, to enjoy it. What wasn’t boring were the ponds, which were populated with large carp and many terrapins (turtles), the aviary, with its multitude of colorful birds and bridges ala the Swiss Family Robinson, and the lookout tower, with its winding stairs and rewarding view.

The boys particularly liked the Aviary, where we saw Crested Pigeons, Cockatoos, Myna Birds, and Parakeets. All were big and loud. I got buzzed a few too many times to truly appreciate the experience, but I will admit that seeing all the odd birds and hearing their calls made me feel like we were truly in a foreign place.

Something I did appreciate that perhaps the boys did not was the number of brides getting their photographs taken in the park. There is a Marriage Registry in Hong Kong Park, and apparently it is very popular to have pictures taken in the park. We ahve seen a a number of brides, and I always delight in checking out their finery – usually western, but occasionally a red evening gown or two. Our relo guide told us back in November that many couples have pictures taken before their actual wedding and then the albums are displayed for guests to enjoy at the reception. Although I almost snapped some pics of a few brides, ultimately it felt too intrusive.

I think we have been lucky to be here when it’s not full summer – right now all these covered walkways seem like a crazy way to get around, but if it’s true that most locals consider this weather “cold” (as the parkas, furs, and boots confirm), then those covered walkways are going to be really useful when the sun finally comes out!

The boys started school today. I am so proud of them!  They have done such an amazing job adapting to their new circumstances!  I am also particularly impressed with how they have handled the disappointment of the closed-for-annual-maintenance pool at our temporary apartment. The week flew by with the help of a playdate, a movie, homemade chocolate chip cookies from one of Tommy’s work colleagues, and a slew of new beyblades handed-down by our buddy family at the new school. The boys have expressed nervousness at starting, but they approached it all with a positive, can-do attitude that is a joy to behold.

This morning, the boys got up, dressed in their uniforms, tolerated a few pictures, then headed down to the lobby. We have not been able to get the bus sorted yet, so we took a cab to school, where the head of the primary school met us and walked us up to the boys’ new classrooms. There are 10 new kids starting today across k-12, so the boys were in good company.  Each of my boys found their hook, hung up their backpacks outside their classrooms and and walked in with a smile. Well done boys!

One of the most important parts of settling in to a new place is figuring out how to eat at home – where to find groceries, how to shop for them, how to get them home – especially without a car. One of the things I miss whenever I have been abroad is the ability to load all my purchases in a car and drive them home. You start thinking really seriously about what you really need (and when you need it) when you have to carry everything back to the apartment. In London, I had the stroller – with Luke as a counterbalance, I’d sling bags on the handles of the stroller, load up the basket (and sometimes balance things on the hood) then trudge back home, fingers crossed that we wouldn’t lose a wheel on the way.

So, top on my list here? Grocery delivery. Although the kids would happily eat peanut butter and bagels for three meals a day, I needed dishwasher soap, lunch fixings and fresh veggies. There are lots of grocery shops here, some even catering to Americans. http://www.hongkonghustle.com/shopping/230/hong-kong-supermarket-grocery-store/  I find there are more american products available here than there were in London (Partridges, I still love you). Of course, you pay a premium, so I wanted to find a grocery shop more local than gourmet. I had relative success at Park N Shop’s online store.

When the delivery arrived, I was surprised to find the groceries I had ordered that morning packed up in boxes. I was impressed by the re-use of the boxes, but found it incredibly odd that everything was taped up. Even the plastic bag was secured with a zip tie.

I was happy with what I got. We enjoyed comparing the bag of rice with the tiny loaves of bread, marveled at the ubiquitous presence of Pepperidge Farm, and delighted in the Mr. Muscle cleaning spray.  We did get a couple of squishy packages of “japanese style” ramen (not what I expected) and some s’more flavored goldfish (blech), but most everything else was as expected.

All in all, not bad. And I didn’t have to carry anything.

The night before our flight out of San Francisco, Luke threw up. It sent me into a tailspin- was it the massive candy purchase I had encouraged that afternoon? The excitement of a cousin sleepover and our impending flight? The rapid screen motion of National Treasure 2? Was he going to be carsick on every cab or bus ride like he was in London? Fortunately (?), it turned out to be the stomach flu. This was proved by several other toss ups on the ride to the airport. Luke then passed the baton to Ty, who began vomiting just after take off – and then throughout the 14 hour flight.
While a transpacific flight with two stomach sick kids sounds like a nightmare, it really wasn’t that bad. Luke entered a meditative state watching subtitled movies, and Ty calmly vomited into a series of ziploc bags that we had the foresight to buy on the way to the airport. The bright side of the stomach flu? Neither kid noticed that we forgot to request in-flight kids meals 24 hours in advance, which meant there was no food the kids considered edible. Jed may have noticed, but was content to spend 13 hours plowing through a bag of candy from the Sugar Shack and mastering some sort of tank/submarine game. When we deplaned, Jed was able to help with his brothers’ bags, which meant we could move through immigration and customs with relative speed.
Thankfully, everyone feels better now. Our temporary apartment sits atop a mall, so we have access to whatever we need as long as we are willing to pay skyhigh prices (painful, but I chalk it up to the cost of moving). We have Jif, Cornflakes and bagels. I have begun my hate hate relationship with the all-in-one washer-dryer, and we have a playdate set up for this afternoon. We have a view of the harbor. I wouldn’t say we are settled yet, but we’re getting there.

The hardest part of this move has been leaving our friends, our family and our community. We have been lucky to have many nice farewells, and it’s given me the chance to reflect on what goes into a “good” goodbye.

It is heart wrenching to see my boys upset about leaving their classmates, neighbors, and cousins. However, we have billed this move as an adventure – and it is! I am so grateful for the many ways the boys’ teachers and classmates gave them a send off that recognized both the hard part (leaving) and the fun part (new adventures).  For us, the good goodbye was equal parts farewell, good luck, and keep in touch. It was each boy hearing affirmations about the person they have become from their friends, it was Tommy and me receiving recognition and thanks for work done, it was neighbors and relatives going out of their way to send us all on our way with a smile, a wave, a hug.

The other ingredient in a good goodbye? It’s not permanent – we get to return over the summer! We are all looking forward to seeing our friends and family again soon.