Terry & Sandra do the Kong

After a 2 month hiatus, it's time to get back to blogging... :)

My parents were here to visit around the birth of their grand-baby (baby will be a separate blog entry all together).  I was over 9 months pregnant and had limited energy and mobility, but they still seemed to love the city and get lots of touring in (some with and some without me).

I wanted to do an entry of their impressions of Hong Kong.  I wrote an email to them, asking them for some ideas and a couple of photos.  My mom wrote back several emails of ideas and pictures... not the few bullet points I was expecting. (Why would I expect my mom to be concise?  This is a family trait that Foley is still trying to train me out of... getting rid of my long-winded stories and phone messages... As per usual, I digress.)

SO, I've decided to post my mom's words and pictures as a 'guest entry' here.  She does a great job identifying some of the wonderful surprises HK has.

Such a dense city population… and yet we seldom felt crowded. Every crevice is used.

Below are SANDRA'S TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS OF HONG KONG 
Written by Sandra Fielder. 
Photos by Terry and Sandra Fielder.

I'm a country girl, love the great outdoors and am generally not a fan of cities at all. That is why my enjoyment of Hong Kong surprised me.

(1)  I did like the fact that because of the vertical nature of the city, and the efficient transport, you could be anywhere and everywhere very quickly.

Mom in alley-way costume market

Lippo Centre -
designed as Koalas climbing bamboo.

(2)  I loved the diversity of the food and services, the neat little shops tucked between buildings, or on the 33 floor of a high rise, or right next to the escalator... pretty much wherever you looked.

(3)  I was pleasantly surprised by the green space amidst the sea of high rises. I totally loved the Botanical/ Zoological Garden, the Peak and Victoria Gardens, and Hong Kong Park.

Mom & Dad with Money Tree

(4)  The traffic freaked me out not only because of driving on the left hand side , and the speed, but also all the hairpin turns because we were on a mountain. It was a bit like riding a roller coaster. Our taxi would be driving along a road and all of sudden veer off on this little ramp that would take us to another road. Those drivers had to learn very complex street patterns to know where to go.

(5)  Another interesting fact: Hong Kong residents have the second longest life expectancy (82.12 years), next to Japan (83.91years) (Canada - #12 in the world at 81.48 years) This amazed me that people would be healthier and live longer on the average considering the high intensity population, pollution etc. Spoke loudly to me about some of the chinese practices like meditation and Tai Chi that still the mind amid a busy bustling metropolis. 

(6)  Yummmm... Dim Sum at the Crystal Jade Restaurant. 

Yummy Dim Sum

Hole for the dragons on the mountains to access the harbour

(7)  The unique and interesting sky scraper designs... truly awesome and inspiring. As we were travelling over to Stanley (great shopping) we saw a couple of skyscrapers with BIG holes left right through the middle of them. Of course it made perfect sense when we learned that the holes were to let the 9 dragons from the mountains pass through on their way to the harbour to drink. There were other expressions of strong Chinese belief in the structure and lay out of the buildings following the Feng Shui thinking.

Hong Kong Family

(8)  Meeting Trish and Mike's "Hong Kong family" -their fun loving friends - kindred spirits. You could feel the love and energy, and respect among them. They welcomed us with a lovely chinese dinner chocked full of good food and laughter. They offered to tour me around, take me to yoga classes, etc., even though they were all working ... It was great to put faces to Trish's stories.

Mom & Dad with Connie

(9)  I loved Connie (Mike & Trish's domestic helper) and how good she took care of all of us. We would go out touring or shopping or whatever, come home and put our feet up and wait for dinner to be prepared and served. The laundry was always done. I felt soooo spoiled.

(10)  By far my most wonderful and memorable moments were those spent with Brennan. Hospital stay was impressive, very patient focused, again very efficient and friendly.  All the intriguing sites and sounds of the city paled when we met our precious little grandson. Time stood still.  We could watch him for countless hours, absolutely mesmerized and totally in love. A very important part of what made Hong Kong so delightful.

Baby Shower - HK Style

Back Row - Natasha, Rina, Me, Ayu, Mel, Sally, Beth. Front Row - Naomi, Chi

Beth, Rina, Natasha

I honestly look forward to attending showers.  Whether they are wedding showers or baby showers, you're inevitably celebrating a big life event with someone that you love... however, I have never been comfortable to be on the receiving side of such events.  I managed to kibosh every mention of a shower prior to our wedding, and I had fully intended to avoid all showers for our first baby simply by living on the opposite side of the world to my lifelong friends and family.  My plan was genius... Enter HK friends: Beth, Rina, and Natasha.

These girls wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.  They were insistent, and to be honest, my resolve dissipated whenever I would walk into the big baby store here and feel entirely overwhelmed at how many crazy products there are for things I didn't even know existed.  I was feeling quite scared and very out of my element with what I actually needed to do and buy in order to care for a baby, so the thought of getting some help started to have some real appeal (which I think is the whole point of a shower... late learner over here).

My wonderful friends here organized the most stunning and wonderful day!  Firstly, no one had to guess how much weight I gained, what my circumference was, or which poopy diaper had which chocolate bar smooshed in it; all games were scrapped... thank you!  Instead, the venue was a gorgeous spa on the south side of HK Island, where there was a stunning outdoor gazebo with seating, food and drink, and a dreamy set of spa chairs where we could all get various treatments done. In short, the day was heavenly.

I opened generous gifts from friends which really did have us feeling much more prepared for the little baby's arrival (I didn't even have diapers or onesies before this... amateur).  The biggest surprise of the day was an amazing video that was put together by my friends and Rina's husband, Dustin.  They contacted friends and family from home and everyone who sent back a video was included with their well wishes and words of advice.  The video had me laughing my head off and sobbing with tears (ah, pregnancy hormones!).  If you have some time, the link is posted at the bottom of this entry...

Watching the video together and my various emotions below...

As baby Foley is due on Saturday, and we are now far more prepared than I was, it seems like the right time to say THANK YOU!  So thank you to my friends here in HK who threw me the shower and attended the shower.  Thank you to friends and family from home who participated in the video.  Thank you for all of the kind comments on facebook from everyone and the words of encouragement over the past several months.  Being this far from home for such a big life event could be very scary... but I feel so cared for, loved and supported that I think all will be well.  My mom and dad also arrived last night, and having them here will be wonderful.

Much love to you all... and I promise to post news soon!

LINK TO VIDEO:

My friends here who orchestrated this (Rina, Beth, and Natasha) ask for you not to 'judge' them. These girls are the ones downing glasses of wine throughout the video... they are awesome and I assured them that no friends of mine would ever judge someone for being an enthusiastic drinker.  :)

You are invited to view Dustin Leitch's photo album: Trish's baby shower, Jan 27, 2013

If the link does not work, try pasting this into your browser.  Generally people struggled with opening the video on any mobile devices, but most laptops and desktops seem to open it just fine.  Enjoy
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=109489825380448122699&target=ALBUM&id=5838296766337900865&authkey=Gv1sRgCN2Or7aP_pHlgwE&invite=COeNws0D&feat=email

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Did you know that this doesn't mean 'happy new year' in Chinese?  It technically means 'may you be prosperous'.  That's the culture here... "it's all about the money, money, money..."


Perfect segway into CNY (Chinese New Year), part one:  LAI SEE

Lai See are little red and gold envelopes that are given out during CNY.  Traditionally, married couples give these envelopes with cash gifts inside to unmarried people in the family and at work.  It's also customary to give them out to people who report to you at work, and to all regular service providers in your life (building staff, gym staff, hairdresser/barber, etc.).  The amount of money in the envelopes varies depending on the connection, but all bills should be brand new with no creases and the amount should always be an even number (except any number with a 4, because that's unlucky).  When you hand over the envelope (always with two hands), you say 'kung hei fat choi', and the receiver will generally say it back.

CNY, part two: GOOD LUCK AND BAD LUCK

The Chinese are extremely traditional and superstitious as a culture.  There are certain 'rules' to follow to encourage 'good luck' for the year, and other rules to avoid 'bad luck' for the coming year.  Some examples to attract good luck include filling your house with flowers and plants, decorate your house with the colour red, pay off all debts, and my personal favourite, eat candy to bring a 'sweet year'.  To avoid bad luck never clean the house on New Years day (you will sweep away good fortune), avoid handling knives, don't talk about death or light fires (you will burn the good luck you just received).

CNY, part three: FIREWORKS

This year we were able to watch the impressive fireworks display from the comfort of our bedroom window.  Amazing.  The show was stunning, as always, because HK doesn't do fireworks half-assed.

CNY, part four: SNAKE

Every Chinese (Lunar) New Year is associated with a different animal, based on a 12-year zodiac cycle.  We just finished the year of the Dragon, and have now started the year of the Snake.  People born in the year of the snake (Baby Foley, and MANY friends having babies this year!) are "intuitive, introspective, refined and the most collected of the 12 zodiac signs.  They are attractive people who remain calm under pressure, are graceful, exciting and dark at the same time....  A snake is keen and cunning, intelligent and wise." (source: AWARE magazine, Feb. 2013)  Having a snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve.  That's a fair amount of pressure for wee baby Foley.

Rhys, Foley, me, Rina, Gillian, photo by Beth

CNY, part five: TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Rhys & his adorable birthday girl Natasha

L-R: Foley, me, Rina, Beth, Gillian, Pat, Chris, Ed, Rhys, Natasha, Mel, Andrew

Chris and Natasha

Ed, Beth, Natasha & Rhys

Dinner with Rina's parents and Aunt at chinese restaurant, photo from Rina

The floating restaurant

Being an enormous pregnant lady and Foley still fairly fresh back from Canada, we decided to have a very low-key Chinese New Year this year.  All the same, we had some great times with our HK 'family' of friends.  First, was a surprise birthday party for our friend Natasha which kicked off the New Year with a big hangover for most of our 'family'.  Then Saturday we had a traditional Chinese style dinner with our group of friends and my friend Rina's wonderful parents and aunt who were visiting for the weekend.  Following dinner, I was once again the pregnant lady in the bar, sipping my soda water... classy.  We had brunches and lunches with various friends and one awesome lunch on a floating restaurant in Aberdeen.  It's certainly different from how locals spend their time (visiting family, meals cooked in home, etc.) but it was our wonderful CNY, expat style.

Mel, Rina and Natasha with an enormous daiquiri! photo by Dustin

Fireworks from our bedroom window

Confessions of a Hong Kong Housewife

I had a job, honestly I did.  I worked in an international school as a part-time EA for 5 months... and only days after finishing my run as a (lightly) employed person, our immigration paperwork was due for our visa extensions.  Once again, I had to list 'housewife' as my 'occupation'. (Housewife Entry, 2012)

Sheesh.

Here's where things get worse... My confessions as a Hong Kong housewife in 2013.

Confession #1 - One woman wolf-pack

Baby and me photo-shoot on the couch.  This is how much time I have on my hands.

Last year at this time we had just moved to HK.  I made myself busy getting to know the city and making (wonderful) friends. Aside from only two exceptions, all of my female friends here were 'trailing spouses' (actual immigration paperwork terminology... very empowering), meaning we were all 'following' our husbands who were moving here for their work.  This means that initially none of us had jobs and we hung out, a lot, during the days.  Things have changed in the past year and now literally ALL of my friends are working, and I am now a one woman wolf-pack in my unemployed status.  Humbling.  I realize that soon I will have a very dependant little person to take care of, but until then, I have a LOT of time on my hands.

Confession #2 -When in Rome... hire a helper 

Brace yourselves... you may hate me before this post is done.
We tried to bring up this topic when visiting home, to 'explain' things as best we could.  I fear the judgements that will inevitably pass through your mind.  Ah well, here goes...

It is very much the culture here to have 'domestic helper'.  The domestic helper is generally a live-in housekeeper and child caregiver.  According to Wikipedia, 'foreign domestic helpers' make up over 3% of the HK population (285 THOUSAND people) and are about 50% from Philippines and 50% from Indonesia. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_domestic_helpers_in_Hong_Kong) Domestic help is ridiculously affordable, especially when they live with you because you are technically covering their food and board.  A full time, 6 days per week, live-in helper wage is $465 Canadian, per MONTH.  I have friends who spend more than that per week on daycare, and this includes getting meals made, groceries, laundry, housecleaning, etc.  To have a live-out helper (much less common) it costs almost double that because you have to cover the cost of their boarding house.

When we talked with people about it, getting a helper seemed logical when we were having a baby here.  It would be nice to have the help with the housework, but more importantly, the 'helper culture' is a big part of HK.  There aren't any daycares in the gym, no babysitting services to speak of, and no family around for that help and support.  We were able to find someone who preferred to 'live out' (i.e. NOT live in the storage closet that is technically the 'helpers quarters') which was our biggest issue with the thought of hiring someone.

So... I'd like to introduce you to Connie, our domestic helper.

Introducing Connie... :)

Connie finished her contract with her last family at the end of December, so to avoid her deportation and in order to secure her in a competitive market, we needed to hire her for the beginning of January... two months before the expected arrival of baby Foley.

The Result: Two months of me being unemployed, with full time help at home.  Hate me yet?

Connie started while we were away in Canada for the holidays, so I arrived home to a sparkling clean home, a reorganized kitchen (her turf now), and a reorganized closet with my underwear folded into little perfect squares.  I'm pretty sure Connie is bored right now.  Her last employer was a family of five.  When I showed her where the 'extra sheets' are kept, her face lit up and she immediately took them all out and started ironing them.  I haven't ironed a bed sheet in my life.

Confession #3 - Until 'the baby', increasing caffeine intake...

For lunch today Connie made me Frittata... yum.

In Canada, when both Mike and I were working full time, we did have someone who came once every two weeks to clean the apartment.  I never got used to having someone clean around me, so if I happened to be home on a 'cleaning lady day', I would find an excuse to leave the house for a few hours...

I haven't gotten over this, and it's especially challenging because Connie is always here.  I have been filling my days with baby preparations, running unnecessary errands, going to every pre-natal fitness/yoga class that I can find, and going for long afternoon coffees at various coffee shops around the city.  I'm pathetic.  At some point I will need to learn how to be in my home with my full time helper.

Connie & I

But it's strange.  I feel like Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey when he snubs Mr. Mosely... I keep trying to make my own lunch and Connie does not approve.  I try to do my own dishes and Connie takes them out of my hands.  She has her role... the trouble is that I don't have a 'role', so when I am home I tend to steal hers.  This, I actually realize, is not fair to do.

I'm sure I'll long for these days of idleness after the baby arrives... and especially once we move back to Canada in a year, when I'll have a toddler, go back to working full time, have no help with cooking or laundry, and have a husband who is used to an unbelievably clean home and dinner on the table.  That will be one rude awakening for us both, I imagine.