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. 

Art In Hong Kong.

Around Hong Kong they have had statues standing on the top of buildings and on the sidewalk. It's fun to spot these, as they sometimes move locations or are often found in random spots. 

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.

Field Trip To The Tree Top Cottage In Tai Po.

We joined our homeschooling group out in Tai Po at the Tree Top Cottage for a full day of tight rope walking, rafting, and zip lining. We packed lunches and plenty of water, since the weather in Hong Kong had turned sweltering and hot. However, we did not remember to pack mosquito patches and just mosquito repellent lotion and spray was not strong enough to deter the little black gnats that attack legs here in Hong Kong. We came away from our fun day looking like our legs were inflicted with a disease. 

The Rainbow Row Of Hong Kong.

I like to lovingly refer to theses houses as the Rainbow Row of Hong Kong. Having lived close to Charleston, we were very familiar with the famous set of colorful row houses in that beautiful city, and as soon as I saw these colorful apartment homes it immediately brought to mine that what we left behind in South Carolina. 

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. 

Charlie Brown Cafe.

Auntie Andrianna took my daughter out for a little date in celebration of her seventh birthday, so while they were at the Moomin Cafe, I took my son down to the Charlie Brown Cafe in TST. My husband had introduced the kids to the original Charlie Brown cartoons from 1950 and they have been pouring over them. It was a lovely surprise for my son. We ordered themed desserts and some steamed vanilla milk while we watched some more Charlie Brown cartoons playing on the wall. 

Lung Fu Shan Environmental Education Centre Field Trip.

If we were not homeschooling this year, I highly doubt that we would have made it out to this environmental centre, but since it was an organized field trip with the homeschooling group, we joined along and enjoyed learning about the different birds, insects, and butterflies that are found in this area. After an educational lecture put on by some of the workers of the centre, the kids were divided up into groups and all had a scavenger hunt to see if they could find the different animals that they just learned about. 

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.