Betsy Takes on Europe: An American in China

I can’t believe I’m in China!

I’ve been here for 4 days, and it’s still incredibly surreal to think that I’m in Hong Kong. This was so unexpected, but I’m so glad that I’m taking this opportunity. So far, my impression of Hong Kong is pretty good. I can’t say that I had a really good look at it when I was driven from the airport in Kowloon to our apartment on the opposite side of Hong Kong island—following the 15 hours or so that it took me to come from Geneva, my mind wasn’t really open to taking in the sights. What struck me most was the apartment buildings surrounding downtown—there are dozens and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings, in blocks of 5-8 completely identical buildings, which makes me think that development must have been very rapid here, with companies undertaking massive construction projects all over the city. The apartment buildings look incredibly run-down; the humidity here plays havoc with everything, making it all look kind of deteriorated and rotten, except for the places with enough money to refurbish every couple of years. From what I’ve been told, the local Hong Kong citizens prefer to spend their money on ridiculously expensive designer clothes and cars, and live in really cramped, kind of dirty housing. To each his own, I suppose.

My apartment complex is basically like a hotel. It is a series of 7 identical, 25 storey buildings in a circle around the common facilities—the pools (outdoor and indoor), gym, children’s playroom and tennis courts. I have a studio apartment, including a big comfy bed, sitting area, bathroom and kitchen, connected to the family’s 2 bedroom apartment. I have more space here than I did in the house in Geneva, plus housekeeping service, so I really can’t complain. Everything is incredibly convenient—the gym is just across the street, the supermarket (with a wonderful selection of American and British goods) is next door, and there is always a line of taxi’s waiting. I’m incredibly excited to have proper customer service again in restaurants and from staff here, as in Europe they always act like they are doing you a favor by selling you a product or serving you food. Really, everyone here has been incredibly friendly and helpful. We had a great cab driver yesterday—he spoke French, in fact, and informed us that he can say ‘I love you’ in 10 different languages. He taught me how to say ‘I love you,’ ‘thank you’ and ‘hello’ in Chinese.

On Sunday I went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art—I’ve decided to be super cultural and cool here in HK. They had some really nice exhibits; the one showcasing calligraphy over the centuries was amazing, and it made me wish that I knew Chinese characters so I would have some idea of what was written. I’ve been told that the SoHo district here has all of the really cool bars and restaurants, along with some great vintage shops. I’m hoping to check some of that out this weekend.

I think I’m going to really have to make an effort to meet people here. From what I can tell, most of the people in the complex are young married couples with small children—not exactly the friend set I’m looking for. I think I’ll look into some local classes—cooking or exercise or the like—to see if I can meet some people that way.

The kids have been as good as can be expected the last few days. Alessio has had a lot of trouble adjusting to the time change, I think. He keeps waking up during the night, then sleeping late and not taking his afternoon nap. He’s been a bit tired a grumpy. Henry started school on Monday. That was a bit more dramatic than I expected. He was so cute, with his little backpack and lunchbox. I could tell Victoria was having a hard time letting him go. He’s generally willing to go to a play group or school, but I guess he’s feeling a bit disoriented so he threw a fit when we tried to leave. Victoria talked to him for about 20 minutes, he still cried when we left, and then he was apparently fine about 10 minutes after we were gone. Today was a national holiday, so there was no school, but we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. It’s odd, but both of the kids seem younger to me here than they did in Geneva. I think it’s because they are out of their comfort zone, so they strike me as more vulnerable.

We went to see the house that we will be moving into in mid-November. It is being completely re-done, so there was a lot of construction going on. I find it oddly funny to see the scaffolding made from bamboo. It’s a nice area, just about a 10 minute walk from Henry’s school. It’s built on 3 levels; a traditional townhouse. We looked at a house that is finished out in a way similar to ours, and from the looks of it the house will be really nice. I’ll only live there for about 3 weeks before I leave, but I always look to live in comfort J There is a pool and a playground just outside the house, so the kids should never fail to have entertainment.

Part of the Hong Kong skyline: