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.