The Helper

As I have stated, every expat I have met has a helper.  Most appear to be Chinese or Filipino.  Apparently Filipino is preferred, although I'm not sure why.  I have gone back and forth on whether or not we will hire a helper.  After booking a kennel for the dogs for a week in October, I think that we probably will because it will be much easier and cheaper to care for the dogs while we are gone.  Especially when we go back to the States for 5-6 weeks in the summer.  I'm still struggling with this for many reasons.

The helper's room

 


The helper's room is incredibly small.  You have to go to a special store to get a bed that will fit.  The bathroom is even smaller.  I didn't get a picture of the toilet, but it is just to the right of the sink.  The faucet you see above the sink is the shower head.  There is a drain in the floor, so everything gets wet when you use the shower.  We happen to have two helper's rooms in our house.  One is currently being used to hold golf clubs and one of the dog crates with a small dog bed in front of the crate.  When I'm not home this is where I keep the dogs.  I leave the crate door open so that one can lay in there and the other can lay on the bed in front of it.  It is packed full.  This gives you an idea of how small the room is.  I struggle thinking that anyone should live in something so small when we have what we have.  If we had an extra bedroom in the main part of the house I would gladly use that.  Dave keeps reminding me that for many of these women these conditions are better than what they are coming from.

The helpers clean, cook, shop, take care of the kids, walk the dogs, etc.  You name it, they do it.  I have seen women walking through Stanley with a helper pushing their child in the stroller.  I have seen them standing behind a full cart at the grocery store while the helper empties it herself.  I'm not sure I will ever get used to this.  Grace witnessed a friend who lives walking distance from the school call her helper to come and carry her backpack home because it was too hot.  Meg witnessed a girl yell at hers because she came to walk her home from school as the mother requested and the girl felt she was too old for this.

My kids joke that if we get a helper she'll have the easiest job around because I keep telling them they would still have to take care of their own stuff.  Don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful to have someone to cook and clean.  But I could never sit still and let someone do that all for me.  I will have to come to terms with it.  While I am gone this week to get Kaylin settled I had to hire a dog walker to come once during the day while Dave is at work and the kids are at school.  They can't make it from 6:30-4:00.  Then when Dave has to leave on Sunday I had to hire a "Rent-A-Mum" to come stay with the kids.  Unlike in the States, I can't just ask a neighbor to help out with this, they don't even do it in their own homes.  Like I said earlier, the helper makes since from an expense perspective.

That brings up another thing about the helper that is difficult for me to accept.  What you can pay a helper is regulated by Hong Kong law.  The maximum per month is $6000hk, which is about $800us.  They only get one day off a week.  I'm told that even if you were to tell them they can go out, all of their friends (the other helpers) can't, so they won't.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Week 3

We have been here 3 weeks today.  I feel like we are settled.  The kids say they miss Philadelphia, but they are doing well here.  I expect they will miss Philadelphia for awhile, just like they missed every other place we left.  I feel like I have all of the necessary items set and I am ready to truly begin exploring.  That will have to wait.  Tomorrow I return to the states (San Diego) to meet up with Kaylin and get her settled at the University of San Diego.  Is that really possible??  I can't wait to see her!

This post will be a hodgepodge of items.

First, it is a gorgeous day here and I would love to be outside doing something.  However, I ordered a bottled water dispenser and they are delivering it "sometime" today.  They could not give me a specific time, so here I sit.  I think the reason they don't worry as much about giving you set delivery times is because every expat living here has a "helper".  Therefore, they have someone who can be home all day waiting for deliveries.  The reason for the bottled water dispenser is that we are uncertain about the quality of the water.  Apparently Hong Kong has done a lot to improve their water quality, but the water runs through very old pipes.  Because of this the water may contain higher levels of lead, or who knows what else.  We have decided to go with the bottled water for drinking, but I do use the tap water for cooking.

Another reason I would prefer to be out today is that our complex is on a 24 hour "no flush".  They are making repairs to the flush pipe.  You never have to use the toilet until you know you can't flush it!  I'm sure if I were out and about I would not feel the need to go to the bathroom.  Thank goodness Dave and the kids are gone for most of the day.  Everyone was given strict instructions when they left this morning to use the bathroom before coming home:)

Yet one more reason we are thrilled with where we chose to live, high school late starts.  The high school is on an 8 day schedule.  On three of those 8 days they start an hour late.  This means PJ gets an extra hour of sleep because he walks to school.  If we lived someplace where the kids took the bus he would still have to take the bus at the normal time.  By the way, most people I've talked to whose kids ride the bus say the bus comes between 6:30 and 6:45.  My kids leave the house at 7:25.  Anyone who knows my girls knows it is a good thing they don't have to take the bus!

The American grocery store.  I think that I have mentioned before that there is an American grocery store that carries a lot of items from Costco.  Not everything in there is clearly marked with a price.  I have bought some stuff there.  On the first trip I thought the price was a little high, but not too crazy considering what I bought.  I didn't buy the case of Gatorade because I did see a price on that and wasn't willing to pay $40 for it.  This weekend Grace, Meg and I went in there to see what they had.  We picked up 2 items, Power Bars and a jar of mixed nuts, neither was marked with a price.  I went to check out and it was $90us.  I will not be visiting that store again!  Although Dave says he still wants his Dunkin Donuts coffee no matter the price.

I have painted every room in every home we've owned.  I cannot paint here.  We do not own the house.  I at least needed to hang pictures.  All of the walls are concrete.  I bought a drill, but it wasn't strong enough.  Needless to say, Joe from the maintenance office had to come put in screws for me.  This was not an easy thing for me to take:)  I did have everything marked in advance for him and he was very quick.  But I don't like to ask for that kind of help.  Although they expect it here.  Edwin from the management office came with him to translate.  He was surprised I didn't have a helper.

I've noticed that when I comment to locals about what a beautiful day it is, they all look at me and say it is too hot.  I guess it's the Yuma girl in me that doesn't mind the heat.  Edwin told me today that Hong Kong is too humid.  He said Singapore is nicer.

In closing for the day, I will say that I will never get tired of the view from our house.  Last night we sat on the terrace while Dave grilled.  It is absolutely breathtaking!  We had to come in to eat because there are still too many bugs, but soon that should improve.  I will write about the helper tomorrow while I'm sitting at the airport.

The School

The kids are attending Hong Kong International School, more commonly referred to as HKIS.  Sorry, Mom, there are a lot of acronyms used here!  There are about 2,600 students from pre-K to 12th grade. The class sizes range from 15-22.  The school is split between two main campuses, one that houses the lower primary and upper primary (pre-K-5th grade) and one that houses the middle school and high school.  The school facilities are incredible!  Tennis courts, squash courts, turf fields, swimming pool, incredible gyms, rock climbing wall and weight room.  Here are some pictures:

Looking down on the high school plaza

View from the school

High school and middle school campus.
The tall building is teacher apartments.

Squash courts

I wanted to include a picture of the field, but it was rainy the past couple of days.

Unlike a lot of international schools, HKIS is not an IB or International Baccalaureate school.  It is based on the American school system and is an AP school.  It is also a Christian based school, so all students must take religion.  As for core classes and electives, all of the courses that were offered at our school in Pennsylvania are offered here, except that instead of German, Mandarin is offered.  

At the middle school and high school levels all students participate in an off campus week of service and learning in the Spring.  At the middle school this is called PEAK and the experience is different for every grade.  All 6th graders (Meg) go to Beijing for a week of emersion in the Chinese culture and a visit to The Great Wall of China. 7th graders choose between 5 different opportunities within Hong Kong.  8th graders (Grace) get to choose between a week in Thailand, China or Hong Kong.  This week will include working in orphanages/schools, construction work in a small community or working on an environmental project.  Grace will make her choice this Fall.  They are away from home the entire week.

At the high school level this week is called Interim.  The focus of the week may include community service, outdoor adventure and cross-cultural learning.  The high school students get to choose between opportunities in Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mainland China, Europe, India and Turkey.  PJ will choose his week this Fall also.  

The kids are looking forward to this experience.  I can't wait to hear all about it!

Many sports are offered at the school, although they vary a little from what is available in the U.S.  As an example, there is no American Football, but there is badminton, netball, table tennis, rugby and boys volleyball.  For some of the sports there may not be a school team, but there is a club (lacrosse is an example).  The HKIS teams tend to do pretty well in competitions.  The high school teams may travel to different countries throughout Asia for tournaments.  PJ will go to Wuxi, China, Shanghai, China and Kobe, Japan for baseball.  If he makes the varsity basketball team two of the tournaments will be here at HKIS this year and one will be in Japan.  Only a couple of teams at the middle school level travel.  Soccer is not one.

I think all 3 of the kids feel there is more homework here, but the courses are not necessarily more difficult.

The school is comprised of between 50-60% U.S. students.  However, we are finding that a fair number of these students have never lived in the U.S. for more than summers.  This came as a surprise to us.  The majority of graduates do go to the U.S. for college, or university as they refer to it here.  When I talk to parents of kids who have graduated I am amazed by the universities they attend.  I was also surprised by the fact that of the 12 kids on the varsity baseball team there are two others whose top choice for college is the Naval Academy (one junior and one senior).

All 3 kids have adjusted well to the school and made friends.  It will be interesting to see how the grades compare.  I was told not to expect straight A's at the high school.  This goes against the Bourdon policy of all straight A's, "no crooked A's":)

Stanley

I went into Stanley today to register at our new parish and run a few errands.  Before I begin talking about Stanley I will mention a funny coincidence.  One of the questions on the Church registration form was the "Chinese Name" of every family member.  Obviously, we do not have these...yet.  When Meg came home from school she mentioned that she received her "Chinese Name" in Mandarin class today. She said it is Boi Mai, pronounced Bo May.  The meaning is beautiful stuffed bun:)  Dave has to choose one for a board he's on.  We can't wait to hear his and learn it's meaning.

Now back to Stanley.

Stanley is a very popular place on Hong Kong Island.  Many tourists come to Stanley for the beach, shopping and restaurants.

STANLEY BEACH

It was a little overcast today, so there weren't too many people out.  On the clear, sunny days it is packed!  As you can see there is plenty to do at Stanley Beach.  I learned today that you cannot rent the kayaks or windsurfers until you have taken their courses and received a certification.  Unfortunately the courses are offered at set times and you must start at the beginner course.

STANLEY MARKET

 

This is similar to a flea market.  There are quite a few different shops set-up selling everything from souvenirs, shoes, nicer clothes, fruits and vegetables, flowers, jewellery, to artwork with a 7Eleven and a Watsons (drugstore) thrown in.  PJ bought a pair of "Oakleys" there last weekend and bargained the price down pretty low.  I bought a few things today and was scolded by Dave and Grace for not bargaining.  I felt bad because the price was already pretty low.  Grace told me Grandpa Jay would not approve!

There is a street that runs from Stanley Market to Stanley Plaza.  Along this street are some restaurants and bars, including the best pizza place we have found here.  They deliver!

 


STANLEY PLAZA

Stanley Plaza has a mixture of higher end and everyday shops.  There is also a grocery store (where I tend to do most of my shopping) and some little restaurants and cafes...including, of course, McDonalds and Starbucks!  The Plaza is spread over 4 or five levels with a front courtyard complete with playground and gelato shop. Just to the side of Stanley Plaza is another building with a few restaurants.

Water and rock jetty along the street between the Market and Plaza

Building next to Plaza with restaurants

Money

Missing are the $1000 bill and $10 coin

I am wondering if I will ever stop converting from Hong Kong dollars to U.S. dollars when buying things.  The exchange rate is approximately $7.75hk to $1us.  We round and call it 8 to 1.  I have found that appliances are very reasonably priced.  I believe furniture is also, but I am so used to buying used furniture that I can't say for sure.  Clothes are about the same as well.  Groceries is where it gets tricky.  If you are buying Chinese, they are very reasonably priced.  I have been doing this with vegetables and fruits, but not with meat or eggs.  I can't bring myself to pay for U.S. meats though ($10us for 2 chicken breasts).  So I buy Australian or Brazilian, closer to the price of the Chinese.  The restaurants we have been to are similar in price to eating in most big cities in the U.S.  We haven't ventured out to any small local restaurants yet, so I'm not sure how their prices compare.  Transportation is very reasonable. Bus fair from here to Stanley is less than $1us, bus fair downtown is less than $2us.  Taxi fare is about $4us to Stanley and about $13us to downtown.  The mtr is less than $1us per trip.  I'm not sure I will ever drive!  I haven't looked at the cost of gas since we don't have a car yet.  Real estate is ridiculously priced!  Hong Kong makes New York City look reasonable.  Cell phone cost is difficult to tell at this point.  The start up fee for buying an iPhone and signing a contract was definitely more expensive.  It appears that the monthly cost will be about $50/phone.  This includes unlimited data, but there are limits on sms messages and phone calls.  

At one of the many back to school orientations one of the high school counselors said that one of the challenges moving here is to not think of the money as play money.  This is true.  When PJ went down to Stanley last weekend we handed him $200hk like it was nothing.  

There is a lot of money in Hong Kong.  This will be one of the challenges in raising kids here...keeping them grounded in reality.

The Dogs

Max and Oso have made the trip to Hong Kong with us.  It was a bit of an ordeal getting them here, but they made it!  We were given the name of a pet transport service to aid in getting the dogs here.  This was a huge help because they were able to tell me exactly what needed to be done to receive the proper documentation.

All went well with the dogs' check-ups 10 days in advance of their departure right up until the point the vet called the USDA to confirm there had not been any cases of rabies within 10km of our house in the past 6 months.  Wouldn't you know it, there had been.  Thankfully, after a couple of stressful days, the pet transport company was able to remedy this situation and the dogs were off (with a little help from the Lorges).

The dogs were driven to New York City where they spent the night before boarding a plane to Amsterdam.  In Amsterdam they were able to get off the plane, stretch and go to the bathroom.  Then they boarded a plane to Hong Kong.  They cleared customs and were delivered to our house.  When they came out of the van and were released from their crates they looked so dazed!  We all felt so bad.  They were a little out-of-it for the first day, but adjusted quickly.

I have a new appreciation for dog owners who live in big cities.  No more sending the dogs out the door into the yard!  The good news is that the dogs and I are getting a lot of exercise!  They have gotten used to the walks and Oso has learned that he is not supposed to start peeing until we cross the street coming out of our complex.  They are getting used to all of the other dogs.  Oso is not the best mannered dog, although he is a total lover boy.  He gets very excited when he sees another dog and his reaction is to bark and start jumping, usually on Max's head.  This irritates Max and all of a sudden it looks like I have two ferocious dogs!  Once Oso is allowed to meet the other dog he calms down completely.  We are working on Oso's manners as all of the other dogs we see are very used to the routine and don't react at all.

I have noticed that for every 10 dogs I see walking, 9 of them are being walked by "helpers" (I will write about that in another post).  I do miss my dog walking group!  Thankfully they have placed quite a few trash cans along the sidewalks.  No more leaving my bag on the street for the walk back and no having to carry it home.  You do have to watch where you step when walking on the sidewalks as not everyone is diligent about their doggie doo pick-up:)

I am very thankful we are in a townhome and not a high rise apartment building.  I can't imagine having to take the dogs down the elevator everytime I take them out.  I am also thankful for the terraces.  Max loves to sunbathe and these are perfect for him.  Of course he usually doesn't last more than 10 minutes before he's too hot.

Here are a couple of pictures from when we were getting settled.

 

Our House

We consider ourselves very lucky to be living in a beautiful townhouse overlooking the South China Sea.  It is a large townhome with 4 bedrooms and 2 beautiful terraces.  We are a five minute walk to the kids' school and a small grocery store.  We are a five minute drive to Stanley(I'll write more about this in another post) which is a very popular area with much to do and see.

The home has more space than I ever would have thought we'd have here.  I am not a pack rat by any means and knowing we were moving into a smaller place than we had in Pennsylvania I gave a lot away, sold a lot and put a lot in storage.  However, as I was unpacking all of the boxes and finding a home for everything I was reminded of George Carlin's bit on "Stuff".  I think he may have been referring to me:)

The complex has a beautiful infinity edge pool overlooking the water.  There is a small (hotel sized) exercise room which we have all been using.

It is a gated community and the gate guards take their job seriously.  They will not let anyone in without first calling the house they are visiting and getting confirmation from the resident.  I have made it a point to learn the gate guards names.  I think they were a little taken aback when I introduced myself and asked their names.  They all know us by our house number.  I still have some I don't know yet, but here are the main ones.

Joe--A personal favorite of mine and the kids and a true gentleman.  He is probably in his 60s and always has a smile on his face.  He is always quick to help with the gate if I am carrying a lot.  He calls me Mrs. Kyrsten and Dave Mr. Kyrsten.  I like this:)  His English is very good.

Pat--For all of the Ventnor family, we have our own Pat Security.  She is probably my age and takes her job very seriously.  Not as much of a smiler as Joe.

Matthew--The youngest one I have met and another smiler.  Very friendly and very helpful.  My second favorite.

Dickson--On the quieter side.

Ken--Very friendly.  Doesn't speak too much English so he nods a lot:)  I need to learn some Cantonese.

I have mentioned before that it is very humid in Hong Kong.  When we moved into the house all of the thermostats (one in every room) were set at 16 degrees Celsius.  You can do the math, but it was very cold.  It has taken some playing with the thermostats and a call to Joe to figure out what is the best temperature to keep the house at to keep the windows from being too foggy and to keep the AC vent in the kitchen from dripping everywhere.  It still isn't perfect, but I'm hoping the humidity will drop in the next month.

Although we haven't seen mosquitos, the girls have definitely been getting bit by something while walking the dogs.  They haven't been a problem in the house or on the terraces.  There are some ugly looking spiders, but again, not in the house.  And then there's my favorite, the cockroach.  Now I grew up in Yuma and I've lived in Hawaii, I am well acquainted with the cockroach, and large ones to boot.  These would definitely give the Yuma and Hawaii cockroaches a run for their money.  They are on the walkway behind our back terrace which is how I take the dogs out.  I have only seen them at night.  Oso is not a fan!  He runs scared when he sees them. Max is oblivious:)

Shopping Day

Grace and I ventured downtown today to run some errands.  This was our first time taking the bus downtown. Other than the fact that I would have stepped in front of traffic when crossing the street to the appropriate bus stop if Grace hadn't yelled at me (still getting used to traffic travelling on the opposite side of the street), we made it without any trouble!  The mini-bus loop we live on runs from the Chai Wan MTR down to Stanley.  We were headed to the MTR.  The mini-buses are fantastic, but they only have 16 seats and you are not allowed to stand.  We lucked out with the third mini-bus to pass (only a 20 min wait).

 

We made it to the MTR a little before 1:00. and took the MTR to the Tai Koo Station.  The MTR is wide open at 1:00 on a Saturday.

 

At our first stop we found a mall, City Plaza, that will be a good place to shop for clothes.  There are a lot of malls in Hong Kong, but most of them are very high end...no Eddie Bauer's, Kohls, etc.  We found our Kohls equivalent though, Wing On.  Grace found Marks and Spencer and H & M.

From Tai Koo we hopped back onto the MTR about 2 hours later to head to Causeway Bay.  Now Hong Kong was starting to wake-up:)

 

Causeway Bay is a very popular area.  One of the stops we had to make in Causeway Bay was Ikea.  I am developing a love/hate relationship with Ikea.  It is one-stop shopping for many things, but it is an absolute zoo!

Shopping in Hong Kong is quite a different experience.  You can't just run your bags out to the car when you start to get too many.  You are either carrying the bags (if they give you bags) with you the entire time, or you have them delivered.  I spent the past week at the house waiting for multiple deliveries, so I didn't want to spend this week the same way.  Grace and I lugged our stuff all over.  By the time we were done it was about 5:30.  There was no way we were going to manage to get back onto the MTR with all that we were carrying, so we went to Hong Kong's Times Square to catch a taxi.

 

Just a couple more pictures from the day for those who are wondering if we can find American things in Hong Kong:)

 

Don't worry, we didn't stop at any of them...well, just the 7-Eleven for a drink and a Kinder bar:)

First Day of School

The first day of school was postponed due to a level 8 Typhoon status (I will write about that later), so the kids started school on Thursday.  Here were their reactions upon returning home:

PJ

"I don't like this school." Why not?  "Because I have 1500 hours of homework everyday!"

I should let you know that the kids all received Mac AirBooks prior to the start of school.  When the first day was canceled PJ received e-mails from two of his teachers with homework to be completed before the next day.  The teachers take full advantage of all of the students having computers and expect them to check their e-mail regularly for homework updates.

Grace

How was your day? "Ehh. I hate stairs."

The way the school is set-up the high school sits above the middle school.  We live closest to the high school entrance so Grace and Meg enter through the high school and then have to go down several flights of stairs to the middle school (at least 5).  This means that at the end of the day they have to climb up those stairs.  Grace had soccer try-outs immediately following her first day.  Our household goods delivery was on the first day of school and all of her soccer equipment was in that delivery.  She had to hurry home to get her stuff and then hurry back to school.  The fields are on the very bottom level of the middle school.  It is hot and humid in Hong Kong.  Once she cooled down a couple of hours after soccer try-outs she said her first day was fine:)

Meg

How was your day? With a big smile on her face "Good".  Anyone who knows my Meg knows this was not expected!  She made friends and liked all of her teachers, except maybe her Mandarin teacher.

First try

I have been asked by several people to start a blog.  I am not the writer in the family. That talent belongs to my step-father and my kids.  However, since I'm in the mode of trying new things, I will give it a shot!

We have been in Hong Kong about a week and a half and it has been quite an experience already.

WHERE WE LIVE

We are living in Tai Tam on the south side of Hong Kong Island in a townhouse overlooking Turtle Cove and Stanley Beach.  It is an absolutely beautiful setting!  We are a short 5 minute walk from the kids school which I am loving!  No more dropping them off and picking them up from activities!

GETTING AROUND

Hong Kong has a great public transportation system.  There are the buses, the mini-buses and the MTR.  The MTR only runs on the north side of the island and into Kowloon.  Of course there are always taxis and they are not too expensive (about $15 to get from our house to downtown).  The bus stop is only a five minute walk from our house. I am doing my best to learn the bus system.  I have the ride into Stanley mastered, whether it's on the big bus or the mini-bus.  Today will be my first attempt to take the bus downtown!  Grace is getting good at the bus too.  Dave and PJ prefer the taxi:)  Meg will do either as long as there is not too much walking involved:)