I'm sad. I'm really sad. I've tried not to let anyone see it, as I know that our decision to move to Hong Kong was not necessarily supported by our friends and family. I thought that if I put on a happy face for everyone that no one would question our decision or make us (okay, me) feel guilty for leaving. Charlie and I had a real conversation last night...the first real conversation we've had since early November, since we've been in hotels with little prying ears for the last month. The truth is that this is really hard. Not hard like moving to a new city where you have to venture out to find the nearest Target, but instead like moving to a different planet where nothing is the same. We have no car. Anywhere we want to go requires us to use our own two legs (unless we take a red taxi where we have to repeat ourselves in many different ways in the hopes that he gets where we need to go). Because we have no car, when we buy something we have to carry it home ourselves. Makena is still little and should not be expected to brave all of the stairs and escalators on her own two little legs, so she requires a lot of carrying. I will say that I am very proud of the way she is handling this transition. She loves coming *home* and is a sport about the escalators. The stairs not so much, but she does do a great job on them. What does that mean? Well, you can usually catch me carrying my bag (which is mostly things for Makena) that probably weighs 15 pounds, all of our purchases for the day, and my 30-pound toddler up the 23 escalators and many sets of stairs home.
It took me a week and at least 50 stores before I found a screwdriver. I ended up in some back alley in a shop where I was probably the first English speaker in decades...but they had what I needed and it was cheap! I am still looking for a hair straightener though. Apparently, when over 95% of the population is native Cantonese, hair straighteners are not necessary! Ha! Curly blonde hair is not normal here - and yes, my hair is curly now! Ugh... I did find stationery today - after searching in countess stores. All I wanted to do was get some stationery and envelopes. Apparently, people here don't commonly write letters either. We have some friends and family members who are not online, and I also like to send Makena's art work to her grandparents; I just wanted some stationery! And we found it...Yay! It's these little victories that are helping us get through these early stages of our transition.
Life here will get easier I know. It is already SO much better than it was a week ago. I am trying urban running when Charlie is home in the mornings. It is helping me to learn the lay of the land and also get some of my pent-up frustration out. The only downside, besides that fact that it is just a hard activity, is that you have to run almost exclusively on stairs and inclines -- it makes walking them later in the day carrying a cute little girl the whole way really difficult! I also know that my legs will get used to it, but right now it is just brutal! Once we get our things from the States and finally get our house in order, things will be so much better. Makena will start school and we will hopefully find a reliable babysitter to come to our home and watch her while I accompany Charlie to business dinners. Lots of things to look forward to...and Christmas and New Years are thrown in there too! We are fine...just going through some adjustment pains. This too shall pass, right?
Roaming for comfort...
