Ella and Eva woke up at 7 o'clock to wake us up...Santa had paid a visit. We had left out some cookies for him and carrots for the reindeer. There were lots of bites taken out of all of them. I started eating the rest of a nibbled-on carrot when the girls were unwrapping (which took 5 minutes all in all). Ella asked for a carrot too. When she saw the teethmarks on the carrot she declined. "I don't want any reindeer germs....."
The score was pretty good. They got everything they asked for (we kept the list short) except Eva's mini Bratz dolls, which are not available here in HK. Santa looked everywhere but no luck. Maybe for her birthday we can have somebody send them over....I think she has 'harrassed' some of my family members for them allready.
Have a good time unwrapping!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Creating names
Ella and Eva got 2 toy kittens when leaving the doctor's office back in New York. Today they decided to give them new names. Ella started making a list of options for Eva. One of her suggestions: "Love arrow". When she made a mistake writing a name down, she said: "My brain wasn't thinking...."
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Ella
Ella, Eva and me were walking through the IFC building were Carl works. We had had lunch together and were leaving the building when we saw a dog with a bright yellow "guard" coat on. the girls asked me why he was wearing it. "Because he is safety dog" I replied. "To keep the building safe". Ella: "Yeah, he barks all the rats out of the building!"( This building is so clean you can literally eat from its floor.....)
Finally some pictures!!!!
Stanley Market
Outside kitchen Shek-O
Working hard....at Shek-O beach
Don't they look pretty?
Eva at the incense pit
Carl, Ella and Eva at feet of statue
The shrine at 'our' beach
Our outdoor pool
In the background our 'wavy' building
This is what we look at every day....
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ella and Eva
Ella, Eva and me were walking on the beach and were talking about the fact that the chinese want to take pictures of them all the time. I told them that this is because they are not used to seeing blue eyes. They think it's very special. Ella: "Daddy is very popular here!" I thought of all the asian women married to blue-eyed expats.......
Ella and Eva were playing and at some point Ella said that she thought Eva's hands were so cute. They are so small and cute, like little babyhands etc. She went on and on about this. Eva really liked it.....A few days later we were talking about Eva starting school in January. There were 2 options. Going for a half day in the morning or a half day in the afternoon. We were debating which one was the best. Eva came to the conclusion that the morning would be best since she would be on the same bus in the morning. She said that she wanted to sit next to Ella because she is a bit shy (not really!). Ella responded with a very strong: "No!" "I don't want to sit next to you". Eva thought for a minute and said: "But Ella, otherwise you are not going to see these cute little hands. Remember these?!" And she shoved her hands in front of Ella's face.
Ella and Eva were playing and at some point Ella said that she thought Eva's hands were so cute. They are so small and cute, like little babyhands etc. She went on and on about this. Eva really liked it.....A few days later we were talking about Eva starting school in January. There were 2 options. Going for a half day in the morning or a half day in the afternoon. We were debating which one was the best. Eva came to the conclusion that the morning would be best since she would be on the same bus in the morning. She said that she wanted to sit next to Ella because she is a bit shy (not really!). Ella responded with a very strong: "No!" "I don't want to sit next to you". Eva thought for a minute and said: "But Ella, otherwise you are not going to see these cute little hands. Remember these?!" And she shoved her hands in front of Ella's face.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Going into 4th week in Hong Kong
After my last post things have not changed as much as before. We have been mostly busy with setting up our everyday life.
Ella has finally stopped crying at the busstop and is really enjoying school now. Her class is very mixed which is really interesting. Most of the children appear to be chinese but have a non-asian father or mother. There is a boy in Ella's class who is very american in his behaviour. He has slightly slanted eyes, a yellowish color but other than that looks like his italian father. His name is Gianni... There are Canadians, New Zeelanders, English, Americans, a Colombian and many more combinations that I haven't deciphered yet....Ella still loves to draw a lot and has lately been making pictures of yellow angels with slits for eyes. The asian influence is rubbing of already...
Eva got through her 'interview' for school and will start January 17th. She can't wait.....Life at home with mama is not fulfilling for an almost 5 year old. Her latest interest is Sudoku. I guess she saw her grandfather and uncle get addicted to this latest craze. For children her age they make these puzzles with stickers. She is getting really good at it.
In the complex that we live there is a huge indoor pool. A few times a week Carl or I take them there for a 45 minute swim. Eva couldn't swim well when we got here but suddenly got the hang of it and now swims without any aids. Last night they were diving for coins that were on the bottom of the pool!
Carl is back on the hamsterwheel (work)as he calls it. They give him clean water and cedar shavings every day and he has to run all day on his wheel....But at least the surroundings are a little different. Instead of his usual commute by car he gets picked up by a shuttle bus at the building. The drive takes about 20 minutes. It's really funny to see a bus full of just men in business suits drive off to work next to a bus with schoolchildren. The people that stay behind are then off to their appointment with the personal trainer at the gym, the coffee shop, the spa or a leisurely stroll along the beach. Life is tough here for some people....Most families have a full time helper, some even two! One for each child. In general they are live-ins since they can not afford paying rent in Hong Kong. After we have found our permanent appartment we will get a helper too. It will be great to have somebody help me with the cleaning (not my strong point) and to have her babysit evenings. Most couples here go out at least 2 nights a week. I can't wait to finally see all those movies on a big screen. And enjoy the huge amount of fabulous restaurants here in Hong Kong. Life in HK is definitely good for foodies. Not only is there an ample selection of asian food (chinese, indonesian, thai, vietnamese, indian, tibetan), there also many types of western cuisine. You don't have to wait to be back in Europe to get a good Bratwurst....The supermarkets are also a good reflection of all the nationalities living here. It takes me ages to get through the aisles trying to decipher what I am looking at. Nothing lacking in this very wealthy part of the world. For the brits (living in the USA) amongst my readers: I have found lots of suet (pure animal fat) for making your mince pies for Christmas!
Christmas here is an experience in itself. The music and decorations are all over the place...which is bizar in such an asian setting. On Saturday I went to the mall for some Christmas shopping and was greeted by a 'yellow' Santa. He said "Merry Christmas" in a very british accent (college abroad comes in handy with a job like this) and then repeated it in chinese. Which seemed like a mouth full to me and not repeatable. I am glad I didn't have Ella and Eva with me. This would have definitely confirmed their doubt that Santa doesn't exist....
Toys here cost a fraction of what they are in the US (already cheap) so Ella and Eva are lucky this year. I had four very large shopping bags full (they helped me into the taxi) for probably half the price. Being close to the factories helps in this case. Funny enough some items that are being manufactured here are not that cheap. Depending on the product most of the things that are produced here have to be exported first and then imported back into China. So a pair of Nikes (made in China)costs the same or even more here than in the US. Not that I have been shopping much, but I have heard about it....
We have not been doing much sightseeing the last weekends. We have enjoyed a little beach close by but our focus has been mainly to find a new apartment. We currently have our eye on an apartment in the building we're living in now. It has great views of the chinese ocean. But unfortunately there are waiting lists here. So now they are checking to see if anybody ahead of us on the list has a lease that ends now. If not, we might be the lucky ones. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.
I will try to include photos of the view we have here. We also have great photos of a buddhist shrine at our beach. It has lots of statues and little places to light incense. Very colorful (sometimes gaudy) and very fascinating. The chinese stand in front of the statues saying their prayers and touch the statues in specific spots. The statues have shiny spots where they have been rubbed...Not everyone is as religious though. The majority just stands in front of them and smiles into the camera. Like we did.
This is it for now. More news to follow soon. Hopefully I am succesful with downloading some photos.
Ella has finally stopped crying at the busstop and is really enjoying school now. Her class is very mixed which is really interesting. Most of the children appear to be chinese but have a non-asian father or mother. There is a boy in Ella's class who is very american in his behaviour. He has slightly slanted eyes, a yellowish color but other than that looks like his italian father. His name is Gianni... There are Canadians, New Zeelanders, English, Americans, a Colombian and many more combinations that I haven't deciphered yet....Ella still loves to draw a lot and has lately been making pictures of yellow angels with slits for eyes. The asian influence is rubbing of already...
Eva got through her 'interview' for school and will start January 17th. She can't wait.....Life at home with mama is not fulfilling for an almost 5 year old. Her latest interest is Sudoku. I guess she saw her grandfather and uncle get addicted to this latest craze. For children her age they make these puzzles with stickers. She is getting really good at it.
In the complex that we live there is a huge indoor pool. A few times a week Carl or I take them there for a 45 minute swim. Eva couldn't swim well when we got here but suddenly got the hang of it and now swims without any aids. Last night they were diving for coins that were on the bottom of the pool!
Carl is back on the hamsterwheel (work)as he calls it. They give him clean water and cedar shavings every day and he has to run all day on his wheel....But at least the surroundings are a little different. Instead of his usual commute by car he gets picked up by a shuttle bus at the building. The drive takes about 20 minutes. It's really funny to see a bus full of just men in business suits drive off to work next to a bus with schoolchildren. The people that stay behind are then off to their appointment with the personal trainer at the gym, the coffee shop, the spa or a leisurely stroll along the beach. Life is tough here for some people....Most families have a full time helper, some even two! One for each child. In general they are live-ins since they can not afford paying rent in Hong Kong. After we have found our permanent appartment we will get a helper too. It will be great to have somebody help me with the cleaning (not my strong point) and to have her babysit evenings. Most couples here go out at least 2 nights a week. I can't wait to finally see all those movies on a big screen. And enjoy the huge amount of fabulous restaurants here in Hong Kong. Life in HK is definitely good for foodies. Not only is there an ample selection of asian food (chinese, indonesian, thai, vietnamese, indian, tibetan), there also many types of western cuisine. You don't have to wait to be back in Europe to get a good Bratwurst....The supermarkets are also a good reflection of all the nationalities living here. It takes me ages to get through the aisles trying to decipher what I am looking at. Nothing lacking in this very wealthy part of the world. For the brits (living in the USA) amongst my readers: I have found lots of suet (pure animal fat) for making your mince pies for Christmas!
Christmas here is an experience in itself. The music and decorations are all over the place...which is bizar in such an asian setting. On Saturday I went to the mall for some Christmas shopping and was greeted by a 'yellow' Santa. He said "Merry Christmas" in a very british accent (college abroad comes in handy with a job like this) and then repeated it in chinese. Which seemed like a mouth full to me and not repeatable. I am glad I didn't have Ella and Eva with me. This would have definitely confirmed their doubt that Santa doesn't exist....
Toys here cost a fraction of what they are in the US (already cheap) so Ella and Eva are lucky this year. I had four very large shopping bags full (they helped me into the taxi) for probably half the price. Being close to the factories helps in this case. Funny enough some items that are being manufactured here are not that cheap. Depending on the product most of the things that are produced here have to be exported first and then imported back into China. So a pair of Nikes (made in China)costs the same or even more here than in the US. Not that I have been shopping much, but I have heard about it....
We have not been doing much sightseeing the last weekends. We have enjoyed a little beach close by but our focus has been mainly to find a new apartment. We currently have our eye on an apartment in the building we're living in now. It has great views of the chinese ocean. But unfortunately there are waiting lists here. So now they are checking to see if anybody ahead of us on the list has a lease that ends now. If not, we might be the lucky ones. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.
I will try to include photos of the view we have here. We also have great photos of a buddhist shrine at our beach. It has lots of statues and little places to light incense. Very colorful (sometimes gaudy) and very fascinating. The chinese stand in front of the statues saying their prayers and touch the statues in specific spots. The statues have shiny spots where they have been rubbed...Not everyone is as religious though. The majority just stands in front of them and smiles into the camera. Like we did.
This is it for now. More news to follow soon. Hopefully I am succesful with downloading some photos.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Hong Kong
Hello everyone. For the convenience I am writing in English since I know that the dutch people are much better at understanding English than the other way around, haha! Anyhow we have been in Hong Kong now just over a week. We visited some of my family (unfortunately not everybody, sorry!) in Holland the week after we left the USA. It was quite a hectic time and I am sorry to not have been able to say goodbye to some key people in the US either…..But things did get crazy at the end, with 4 different kinds of shipments going to HK and the hardest part was figuring out what to send where. Of course we made some mistakes…After a few days of packing you have no idea what got packed in the first shipment so eventually I ended up with no flip-flops or bathing suit at all but a really nice Christmas outfit, haha!
Our trip to the airport in NY was quite a riot. Now we can laugh about it but at the moment it was quite an ordeal…..We had 12 pieces of luggage! Since we had rented a mini-van for the last weeks we decided we would return it at the airport. This would have not been a problem traveling from JFK airport but we were leaving from Newark. The car rental service told us we could return it at the airport easily….When we got to the airport (on ample time) we realized there was no return office there. We called and it turned out we had to get off the airport again and just follow the signs. We did see them for a while……then they seemed to have suddenly disappeared. We got completely lost and every turn we made to get closer brought us even further from the airport. On top of that we realized why Ella and Eva had been kind of quiet back there. They had shredded a roll of playdough to bits and mashed it into the seat covers. It was the highlight of our adventure!!!! As you can imagine……! Finally the car rental company stayed on the phone with us and led us all the way back. When we got to their office it turned out that we had to take our 12 pieces into a bus and then into a train again to finally reach our gate…..We were all a little bit edgy by then. After checking in we finally got to relax in the lounge.
The visit to Holland was very short…..But it did help us a lot in adjusting to the 12 hours time difference between NY and HK. We tried to rest as much as possible and spend some time with my mom, brother Paul (who flew over especially for us), my sister Shareen, Vincent and Julia (boyfriend and daughter). The weather was typical for Holland; not too much sunshine and a bit of rain. But some good days in between too…Eva had us on our tippytoes as usual by getting a chest cold and she needed a lot of treatments but we made it without having to go to the hospital this time.
Our departure from Schiphol was a lot easier. We had a town car pick us up (we learn fast…) and got there on time. Paul and Shareen waved us goodbye and we got onto the last leg of our journey towards our adventure.
Hong Kong.
After quite an easy flight we arrived in Asia. It was hot and humid but it felt really good! You get quite dehydrated after such a long flight. We were brought to our temporary apartment right away, which is on the south side of Hong Kong island. Like most parts of HK the buildings are very modern and almost ugly sometimes. But the resort has an old colonial building on it with nice little shops, 2 great restaurants, a pediatrician, an outdoor and indoor swimming pool and a coffee shop. I’ve heard quite some dutch people there already. The coffee shop has a little court yard and is nice on sunny days. In front of the building is a huge beach that can be reached by going down a million steps. It’s very different than the Caribbean beaches we’re used to but it looks like a nice place for when it’s a bit warmer. Overlooking the ocean you can see little mountain islands in the near distance….It’s a really spectacular view from our apartment at the top.
We have been going to the beach almost every day. Just to play with the waves and sand, not in our bathing suits. It’s another experience since there are always buses of Chinese tourists arriving. They are almost all dressed in suits. You can tell that they come from the country because they giggle a lot when the waves hit their hands. Flashes are going of everywhere from their cameras. They also grab Ella and Eva at every opportunity to take pictures with them. They even take them on their lap and kiss them. I think it means good luck here, if I remember right…..They luckily don’t mind it and think it’s funny. Maybe that will change over time. The people are very friendly here. Much more than I would have expected. They try to help in every way…..and they like to smile a lot. Getting around by taxi is very funny. Some of the drivers speak hardly any English and it takes some repeating and pointing on maps to ensure being brought to the right place. I have also asked the doorman of the building to write some key addresses in Chinese characters, just in case.
Eva and I have been going into the city quite a bit to find stores that carry her food. Luckily the supermarket downstairs has some of it. But the supply is never constant. The city is not beautiful at all. Very modern and kind of sterile. But fascinating at the same time. It has a lot of great restaurants. And nice areas where a lot of expats hang out. You can find any nationality here and a lot of mixed couples. Really interesting. In between you find these typical Chinese stores where they sell herbs and medicine etc. But not much is authentic building wise. The malls are very very clean and high end. There is a lot of money around here. I can’t even afford shopping here, haha. You can also walk from one mall to the other by walking over walkways. The Honkies definitely like to shop….!
I guess in hot and humid weather there is not much else to do. We have had great weather so far. Temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius and nice and sunny lately. Last weekend especially was nice. We went to a beach about 20 minutes away but in the middle of nowhere. It’s called Shek-O. You get to the village first. Carl and I fell in love with this right away. It has all these really colorful old and authentic little houses with pots and plants on the terraces along meandering narrow streets. Open restaurants run by little old Chinese ladies with 3 teeth cooking on makeshift stoves. Everybody sits under awnings. Very primitive but very colorful to us. The beach was just as amazing….powder white sand and rolling waves. And smooth rock mountains surrounding it. A lot of Australian surf dudes make use of this. On the beach you can rent a (primitive) BBQ pit that is ready to grill on. The Chinese bring bags of food with them and you see them all grilling their own thing on a stick. Apparently that’s what they do on the weekends.
Ella and Eva had a really good time in the waves! They are really enjoying the ocean here. And swimming in the pool at the building. Amazingly Eva’s skin has been quite good. And her breathing also. Knock on wood that she stays this way. Ella had a hard time with getting on the bus to school. I must say it’s quite intimidating. All the children have to run up 7 sets of really long stairs and then find their class on their own. There are not many people helping. So I understood why she had a hard time with this. Slowly we are making progress and she really loves it once she is in her class room. Today she came back with a CD with Chinese (mandarin) exercises and her and Eva have been practicing tonight. They can say orange (tsjangze), pear (li), grape (pow tou) etc. Very funny!!! I have been using it too, haha!
Well, I hope you haven’t fallen asleep by now….It has become a really long story. But so much has happened. I will try to write shorter versions in the future. Hopefully we can get a website going too which will be easier for all of us. Hope to hear from you all, love, Marisa
Our trip to the airport in NY was quite a riot. Now we can laugh about it but at the moment it was quite an ordeal…..We had 12 pieces of luggage! Since we had rented a mini-van for the last weeks we decided we would return it at the airport. This would have not been a problem traveling from JFK airport but we were leaving from Newark. The car rental service told us we could return it at the airport easily….When we got to the airport (on ample time) we realized there was no return office there. We called and it turned out we had to get off the airport again and just follow the signs. We did see them for a while……then they seemed to have suddenly disappeared. We got completely lost and every turn we made to get closer brought us even further from the airport. On top of that we realized why Ella and Eva had been kind of quiet back there. They had shredded a roll of playdough to bits and mashed it into the seat covers. It was the highlight of our adventure!!!! As you can imagine……! Finally the car rental company stayed on the phone with us and led us all the way back. When we got to their office it turned out that we had to take our 12 pieces into a bus and then into a train again to finally reach our gate…..We were all a little bit edgy by then. After checking in we finally got to relax in the lounge.
The visit to Holland was very short…..But it did help us a lot in adjusting to the 12 hours time difference between NY and HK. We tried to rest as much as possible and spend some time with my mom, brother Paul (who flew over especially for us), my sister Shareen, Vincent and Julia (boyfriend and daughter). The weather was typical for Holland; not too much sunshine and a bit of rain. But some good days in between too…Eva had us on our tippytoes as usual by getting a chest cold and she needed a lot of treatments but we made it without having to go to the hospital this time.
Our departure from Schiphol was a lot easier. We had a town car pick us up (we learn fast…) and got there on time. Paul and Shareen waved us goodbye and we got onto the last leg of our journey towards our adventure.
Hong Kong.
After quite an easy flight we arrived in Asia. It was hot and humid but it felt really good! You get quite dehydrated after such a long flight. We were brought to our temporary apartment right away, which is on the south side of Hong Kong island. Like most parts of HK the buildings are very modern and almost ugly sometimes. But the resort has an old colonial building on it with nice little shops, 2 great restaurants, a pediatrician, an outdoor and indoor swimming pool and a coffee shop. I’ve heard quite some dutch people there already. The coffee shop has a little court yard and is nice on sunny days. In front of the building is a huge beach that can be reached by going down a million steps. It’s very different than the Caribbean beaches we’re used to but it looks like a nice place for when it’s a bit warmer. Overlooking the ocean you can see little mountain islands in the near distance….It’s a really spectacular view from our apartment at the top.
We have been going to the beach almost every day. Just to play with the waves and sand, not in our bathing suits. It’s another experience since there are always buses of Chinese tourists arriving. They are almost all dressed in suits. You can tell that they come from the country because they giggle a lot when the waves hit their hands. Flashes are going of everywhere from their cameras. They also grab Ella and Eva at every opportunity to take pictures with them. They even take them on their lap and kiss them. I think it means good luck here, if I remember right…..They luckily don’t mind it and think it’s funny. Maybe that will change over time. The people are very friendly here. Much more than I would have expected. They try to help in every way…..and they like to smile a lot. Getting around by taxi is very funny. Some of the drivers speak hardly any English and it takes some repeating and pointing on maps to ensure being brought to the right place. I have also asked the doorman of the building to write some key addresses in Chinese characters, just in case.
Eva and I have been going into the city quite a bit to find stores that carry her food. Luckily the supermarket downstairs has some of it. But the supply is never constant. The city is not beautiful at all. Very modern and kind of sterile. But fascinating at the same time. It has a lot of great restaurants. And nice areas where a lot of expats hang out. You can find any nationality here and a lot of mixed couples. Really interesting. In between you find these typical Chinese stores where they sell herbs and medicine etc. But not much is authentic building wise. The malls are very very clean and high end. There is a lot of money around here. I can’t even afford shopping here, haha. You can also walk from one mall to the other by walking over walkways. The Honkies definitely like to shop….!
I guess in hot and humid weather there is not much else to do. We have had great weather so far. Temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius and nice and sunny lately. Last weekend especially was nice. We went to a beach about 20 minutes away but in the middle of nowhere. It’s called Shek-O. You get to the village first. Carl and I fell in love with this right away. It has all these really colorful old and authentic little houses with pots and plants on the terraces along meandering narrow streets. Open restaurants run by little old Chinese ladies with 3 teeth cooking on makeshift stoves. Everybody sits under awnings. Very primitive but very colorful to us. The beach was just as amazing….powder white sand and rolling waves. And smooth rock mountains surrounding it. A lot of Australian surf dudes make use of this. On the beach you can rent a (primitive) BBQ pit that is ready to grill on. The Chinese bring bags of food with them and you see them all grilling their own thing on a stick. Apparently that’s what they do on the weekends.
Ella and Eva had a really good time in the waves! They are really enjoying the ocean here. And swimming in the pool at the building. Amazingly Eva’s skin has been quite good. And her breathing also. Knock on wood that she stays this way. Ella had a hard time with getting on the bus to school. I must say it’s quite intimidating. All the children have to run up 7 sets of really long stairs and then find their class on their own. There are not many people helping. So I understood why she had a hard time with this. Slowly we are making progress and she really loves it once she is in her class room. Today she came back with a CD with Chinese (mandarin) exercises and her and Eva have been practicing tonight. They can say orange (tsjangze), pear (li), grape (pow tou) etc. Very funny!!! I have been using it too, haha!
Well, I hope you haven’t fallen asleep by now….It has become a really long story. But so much has happened. I will try to write shorter versions in the future. Hopefully we can get a website going too which will be easier for all of us. Hope to hear from you all, love, Marisa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
