Little Carts.

These little metal carts are all over Hong Kong and used to transport everything. We were eating dinner at Le Souk in Soho, and I stopped between bites of lamb and hummus to take this picture of what is such a Hong Kong scene to me. I miss this beautiful city.

Tram Riding.

The trams in Hong Kong are also known as the ding-ding because of the bell sound that they make. Our family loved to ride them when we were on Hong Kong Island, because it was the cheapest mode of transportation. For just a couple dollars we could go down the island and also feel like we were getting a fun ride out of the deal! We love to climb up to the top and sit at the very front so we can have a good view of the ride. 

Dragon Dancers.

We are currently in Canada with my family, spending lots of quality time with my brothers and their families. Times like these we must store up for the coming two years that we will be in Beijing. I do love the colors that Hong Kong had to offer. I took this picture when I randomly walked up on some Dragon Dancers waiting for their time to perform. There was a building that was being open and the street was full of celebration. 

Sunday Brunch.

We joined our friends Zander and Andrianna for brunch in Kennedy Town at Catch on Catchick Street. After a lovely breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit, we all made our way down to Sai Ying Pun for some coffee at Winston's Coffee.

One Final Ride On The Wheel.

It's the little things in life that I love ticking off of my imaginary list. I have this list that I want to ride the sky wheel in each country that I've lived in. This is Hong Kong's lovely wheel that we've enjoyed riding. This summer, I hope to ride one in Canada.

My Thoughts On Living An Expat Life Two Years In.

Having grown up as a Third Culture Kid, moving around is a familiar way of life for me. But as an adult, becoming an expat is a new learning experience. I discovered that it's having to forge our own path and to live a life true to the core of our family values... which is very similar to what life is like back in North America, or any home country that expats come from. 

One area I found that we had to really pull out of the expat culture, to do what was best for our family, was in regards to the private school system that was in Hong Kong. A system where there was so much emphasis on homework which really translated into busywork and did not benefit our children. A system that was not as nurturing as what we were accustomed to back in North America. And a system where bullying was prevalent and a cultural norm in the in school system. So while the majority of expats placed their children in the private school system we chose to pull our children out and home school them the second year when we realized that the school they were attending was not working for them. 

Friendships come and go in the expat community, much like those in North America. When I had young toddlers and made many friends with other moms in the same walk of life, I discovered friendships are made for a season. As my kids grew older and I was did join the toddler playgroups, friendships dissolved. Expat friendships are primarily made for the season of life in which we find ourselves at the time. I entered into the first two years of our expat time in Hong Kong, thinking we would immediately find like minded friendships since we were with people with similar goals of living in another country, but it was a harder experience than I had anticipated to find the people that spoke to our same interests and were interested in living life with our family. There are some friendships we will take with us, but as to be expected, we won't talk to other friends on a regular basis. 

Expat life is definitely what you make it. I learned that we could completely remain in an expat bubble or we could branch off and explore the culture we were living in a little more. Life is like that as well, you can choose to live the life you want, but it definitely takes effort and it's easy to just settle into routine sometimes. 

World Wide House.

World Wide House is the little Philippines of Hong Kong. On a weekend (and especially on a Sunday) it is packed with all the house helpers of Hong Kong, sending back boxes to their families in the Philippines, or stocking up on their supplies from back home. There are shops inside of World Wide House that sell Filipino food - restaurants and grocery stores. Our family would always make a stop in to World Wide House to pick up some of their sweet desserts or for a few bags of their classic garlic roasted peanuts. 

The Alley Behind Our Apartment Building.

I mentioned that we've lived in Kowloon City for the past two years. While our apartment building was brand new and we were the first people to live in our flat, as soon as you walked out of the front door of our building, you realized that you were not living in a lovely modern bubble anymore, but you were indeed living in a very cultural area of Hong Kong. This alley which is the back of our building, and which we frequently used to cut through to avoid pedestrians on the main sidewalk, depicts how very local Kowloon City and our area actually is. And I love that. 

Moving Out Of Kowloon City.

Today we move out of what has been home for the past two years. We have loved living in Kowloon City and we will miss the relationships we have built with our neighbors and the shop owners in our community. There is the grocery store on the corner with the two friendly ladies that ring us up and bag our groceries for us. The local bakery that gives us free coconut buns and tuna buns and always has a big smile, hugs, and hello for the kids. The spa that I love to go to on a weekly basis for a relaxing massage after walking all over the streets of Hong Kong. We will miss the Thai restaurant on our block that knows our order as soon as we walk through the front door. It has been a fun two years of cultivating these special relationships. 

We chose to live in Kowloon City because it was within walking distance to my husband's place of employment. It's not typically an expat community, and we have loved the local feel we get walking around on the streets. Going from living in a small southern town in the United States to living in a metropolis with sky rises and millions of people crammed into tight spaces, Kowloon City was the perfect spot for us that offered the small town charm of knowing each other. My kids were safe walking around on their own, because everyone looked out for them and knew them. 

Thank you, Kowloon City for giving us such a wonderful home in Hong Kong.

Instagram Pier.

We finally made it to the Instagram Pier. We were scheduled to meet friends for brunch in Kennedy Town and had some time to spare, so we decided to be brave and get off the tram to try to find the pier again. I was glad that we persevered in our quest to find the Instagram Pier. There were definitely plenty of photo taking opportunities.  

Wedding Anniversary.

Today marks our thirteenth wedding anniversary. These past two years in Hong Kong have really brought us closer in our marriage as we've helped each other navigate life in another country. It's been stressful for both of us, but I'm thankful that it has brought us together instead of pulling us apart. These past two years have also seen great highs in our relationship. We've visited several countries together that we've never been to before. We've explored Hong Kong and taken full advantage of what this lovely country has to offer us. We've been able to fill in each other's gaps and seen each other grow in new ways. You are the Johnny to my June. 

Man Mo Temple In Sheung Wan.

On our Sunday walk around Central/Sheung Wan, we found our way into the Man Mo Temple to have a look at a big tourist attraction on Hong Kong Island. This temple was built in 1847. The hanging cones of burning incense that were strung from the ceiling throughout the temple were beautiful to look at. 

Summer Watermelon.

The weather quickly turned sweltering and muggy in Hong Kong. We've started summer off eating my daughter's watermelon cake, and the leftovers that came with the cake making! Fruit salad on a hot day is always a welcome relief from the heat and humidity. 

Tourist Landmark In Central.

Along Hollywood Road in Central and the Soho district, there is a painted mural that is a popular spot for tourists and locals to stop to take pictures with. I figured, after two years of living in Hong Kong, and walking along this spot once a week we should also take a photo with this famous landmark. 

A Date Weekend.

Both of the children were invited to spend the weekend with their Hong Kong besties and that meant that the husband and I got to spend some quality time together for an extended period of time instead of just a couple hours. It was lovely! We ate our way around Hong Kong, shopped, and watched movies. All in all, it was a perfect weekend. Here are some of our pictures of our time together. 

Eating At Maison Libanaise.

When life imitates art while you are waiting for your food to be ready! This girl sure is fun to live with! 

Some friends of ours told us about Maison Libanaise, and one Sunday after church, we walked over to check it out. It was beautiful redesigned from the previous Life restaurant and we loved the friendly service that took the time to learn our names and talk to us while we waited. We were there too early to sit down in the main dining area, so we ordered our food to go, but opted to stand at the open window to eat while we people watched the crowds going up the travelator escalator. 

Breakfast At The Australian Dairy Company.

After talking to some friends who live in Jordan, and actually live on Parke Street, we decided to try out the infamous Australian Dairy Company for breakfast one Sunday morning. We arrived around 9:00 in the morning and there was already a line that had formed. The thirteen minute wait wasn't long and moved rapidly.  

Our family has eaten at these traditional Hong Kong breakfast places before, and while they all serve the basic scrambled eggs with a toast that has been generously buttered, they also serve a traditional elbow macaroni soup with sliced up ham for breakfast. My favorite breakfast item that we ordered, of which I had not tried before was the steamed milk with egg white dish. It was custard like in texture and pretty delicious.

Sharp Island.

Sharp Island was the final stop on our tour. We reached the island and looked at the different volcanic rocks that are found in the area. One of the rocks that are a point of interest are the "pineapple bun" rock. The crusty rock surface is similar to the pineapple bun surface that is sold in bakeries here in Hong Kong. My daughter, being the fearless girl that she is, found a dead fish washed up on the beach while she was collecting shells to send to her Nana back in South Carolina. After snapping this picture, she threw it back into the water hoping it would miraculously come back to life and swim away! 

Touring Caves On A Traditional Sampan.

After a full day of hiking around on foot, it was a wonderful change to be able to relax on the wooden sampan and get ferried around to the different points of interest. Once again the views were breathtaking and it was fascinating to see the rock formations. I kept thinking about my mom who lives in Canada, wishing she had been along for the experience. She loves rocks and it's a running joke in our family about how excited she becomes when she sees them. 

Hiking The Global Geopark.

From the East Dam we then walked along the road and down some paths to the secluded village of Pak Lap where we took a forty-five minute water break before heading over to Sha Kiu, which was another thirty minute hike. In Sha Kiu, we ate a seafood lunch around a communal table, and then boarded a traditional wooden sampan.