Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sorry!!
Hey everyone!! I have been hearing it from every angle that I have not updated since I have been home...I apologize!! The reason for this is that Andre informed me that this blog site has been "blocked" in China. Therefore, I haven't wanted to update in case I am going to switch to another blog website. Give me a few more days to figure out what to do with this...I promise to update this weekend!! :) Love you all!!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Sunday
We decided that today would be a day to sight see around Hong Kong before we depart for the mainland in the morning. We slept-in and then went to walk around Harbor City. Everyone here is really pumped up for the Olympics and there are decorations & flags/banners everywhere! Here is a picture of Andre standing in front of some of the blow-up mascots.
For lunch, we went to a restaurant called Quarterdeck (Western food) which is in Harbor City an looks out over the water to Hong Kong. It was quite a beautiful view.
During lunch, I had my first run-in with a standard Chinese toilet. It never even occured to me that the toilets, of all things, would be different but they were!! They are called "squatters" because they are nothing more than holes in the floor that you squat over. If you are lucky, the squatters flush, but many do not. Many are smelly....think port-o-potty. Here is a picture of one...in case you are curious!
The more I saw of Hong Kong, the more I realized it is pretty much just like New York City. It is very westernized. It is REALLY busy, and there is tons of shopping. I saw just about every designer possible...what girl wouldn't love that, right? It seems like the whole city is one big mall, that's pretty much how you get around...walking from mall to mall. There is also a regular subway and a pedestrian subway. Most walking is done underground here, you can't cross busy intersections.
After we went to lunch, we went to check out a local supermarket to see how it compared to the ones at home, and then when we go to mainland we can see what the difference is between that one and Hong Kong as well. They had mostly everything in the supermarket. I was quite surprised. After we went to the supermarket, we took a double-decker bus around Hong Kong island. You can sit on the 2nd floor at the front & you basically feel like you are the one driving! It was a good way to see the whole island. It is very scenic and beautiful, everything is built into the sides of mountains.
We also went to a place called Stanley Market. That was a typical market, and quite interesting to walk through. It is pretty much just a series of alleyways selling knock-off stuff, and other Chinese goods. It was really safe though, and packed with people.
After our busy day, we decide to order Pizza Hut and watch a movie. I was still extremely jet-lagged and we had to get up early on Monday to take a ferry to the mainland. For the record, the pizza tasted pretty much the same as it does in the states. That's reassuring! :)
For lunch, we went to a restaurant called Quarterdeck (Western food) which is in Harbor City an looks out over the water to Hong Kong. It was quite a beautiful view.
During lunch, I had my first run-in with a standard Chinese toilet. It never even occured to me that the toilets, of all things, would be different but they were!! They are called "squatters" because they are nothing more than holes in the floor that you squat over. If you are lucky, the squatters flush, but many do not. Many are smelly....think port-o-potty. Here is a picture of one...in case you are curious!
The more I saw of Hong Kong, the more I realized it is pretty much just like New York City. It is very westernized. It is REALLY busy, and there is tons of shopping. I saw just about every designer possible...what girl wouldn't love that, right? It seems like the whole city is one big mall, that's pretty much how you get around...walking from mall to mall. There is also a regular subway and a pedestrian subway. Most walking is done underground here, you can't cross busy intersections.
After we went to lunch, we went to check out a local supermarket to see how it compared to the ones at home, and then when we go to mainland we can see what the difference is between that one and Hong Kong as well. They had mostly everything in the supermarket. I was quite surprised. After we went to the supermarket, we took a double-decker bus around Hong Kong island. You can sit on the 2nd floor at the front & you basically feel like you are the one driving! It was a good way to see the whole island. It is very scenic and beautiful, everything is built into the sides of mountains.
We also went to a place called Stanley Market. That was a typical market, and quite interesting to walk through. It is pretty much just a series of alleyways selling knock-off stuff, and other Chinese goods. It was really safe though, and packed with people.
After our busy day, we decide to order Pizza Hut and watch a movie. I was still extremely jet-lagged and we had to get up early on Monday to take a ferry to the mainland. For the record, the pizza tasted pretty much the same as it does in the states. That's reassuring! :)
Saturday
I arrived in Hong Kong after a 16 hour flight from Chicago. Andre did not travel with me, he had already been there for 2 weeks, so I just met him there. As a result, I was petrified he would not be at the airport to pick me up and I would be stranded in a place I had never been with no knowledge whatsoever of the Chinese language. I called him from the plane just to verify he would be waiting for me just outside customs, and he did NOT answer my phone call. I must have tried him 10 times as I sat there and my heart began to beat double-time as I worried even more about this situation. Finally, I called my Mom and began sobbing, convinced that I was going to end-up stranded. She reassured me that he would be there & that she would call him for me later when I was on my flight to be sure. I later found out that she called him & read him the riot-act for not answering my call and causing me to freak-out. Ha! :) Anyway, he WAS there to pick me up and all was well...even though I had a rocky start.
We took the subway from the airport to our hotel in Kowloon, which is very nice. I got settled in and then we went to dinner. After the crap airplane food, I told Andre I wasn't quite ready to start eating lots of crazy Chinese food. One of my biggest fears about moving to China was the food...I am a slightly picky eater by some peoples standards. He reassured me that we would have plenty of time for authentic Chinese and that while we were in Hong Kong we should eat Western food. We went to TGI Friday's. Doesn't get much more American than that, huh? I was struck by the fact that most of the people in Hong Kong spoke English. We didn't really have much trouble communicating at all.
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. I was a little taken aback by all the people mobbing us on the street, wanting us to come in and check out there knock-off suits, watches, handbags & sunglasses. Many were SO pushy that I felt uncomfortable. They were especially pushy with us because we are American, and they think we have loads of money! :)
We went back to the hotel after dinner and went to bed. I was exhausted from my long 2 days of travel!
We took the subway from the airport to our hotel in Kowloon, which is very nice. I got settled in and then we went to dinner. After the crap airplane food, I told Andre I wasn't quite ready to start eating lots of crazy Chinese food. One of my biggest fears about moving to China was the food...I am a slightly picky eater by some peoples standards. He reassured me that we would have plenty of time for authentic Chinese and that while we were in Hong Kong we should eat Western food. We went to TGI Friday's. Doesn't get much more American than that, huh? I was struck by the fact that most of the people in Hong Kong spoke English. We didn't really have much trouble communicating at all.
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. I was a little taken aback by all the people mobbing us on the street, wanting us to come in and check out there knock-off suits, watches, handbags & sunglasses. Many were SO pushy that I felt uncomfortable. They were especially pushy with us because we are American, and they think we have loads of money! :)
We went back to the hotel after dinner and went to bed. I was exhausted from my long 2 days of travel!
Hello!
I have never been one to diary. I always wished I was one of those people, but I have become okay with the fact that I am not. Quite frankly, I have never had much going on in my life to even warrant a space to write! :) However, our life has changed so much since January that I thought this would be a central location for me to post updates where friends, family, and anyone else can catch up on the goings-on of our crazy & ever-changing life!
So, I don't know how much you know & how much you don't know so I will quickly explain the situation my husband Andre & I have found ourselves in. As many of you know, Andre has been traveling back in forth to China about 4-5 times per year since last year. Due to some changes at work, it has been even more frequently since the beginning of the year. I think he has been in China more in 2008 than in the US. After much consideration & thought, we pretty much offered ourselves up to his company and said we would move there for a short time (2-3 years) in the hopes of alleviating some of the stresses caused by frequent travel. Also, we thought it would be a great time in our lives (no kids, my flexible job, a desire to sell our house, etc.) to have an experience abroad. Anyway, his company jumped at this chance and we spent the next month or two in negotiations. Now, for the last week & a half, I am in China living the life and seeing if it is something that would even be feasible. I have loved being here & have had many new experiences. In an effort to chronicle my trip, I decided to start a blog which I can continue to update as we uproot our lives in the US and move overseas. China here we come!! :)
So, I don't know how much you know & how much you don't know so I will quickly explain the situation my husband Andre & I have found ourselves in. As many of you know, Andre has been traveling back in forth to China about 4-5 times per year since last year. Due to some changes at work, it has been even more frequently since the beginning of the year. I think he has been in China more in 2008 than in the US. After much consideration & thought, we pretty much offered ourselves up to his company and said we would move there for a short time (2-3 years) in the hopes of alleviating some of the stresses caused by frequent travel. Also, we thought it would be a great time in our lives (no kids, my flexible job, a desire to sell our house, etc.) to have an experience abroad. Anyway, his company jumped at this chance and we spent the next month or two in negotiations. Now, for the last week & a half, I am in China living the life and seeing if it is something that would even be feasible. I have loved being here & have had many new experiences. In an effort to chronicle my trip, I decided to start a blog which I can continue to update as we uproot our lives in the US and move overseas. China here we come!! :)
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