Where we live

At some point I wanted to explain where we live exactly, so no time like the present!  This is partly prompted by my recent problem of how to convince a helper that they do want to work all the way out in Tai Po.  Also by the fact that we have decided to stay in this neck of the woods and have just had all our UK goods delivered to a rented flat around the corner!  Yes, we are finally moving to our own pad this weekend.

You can see where we are situated on this map - just outside Tai Po in the New Territories.

We actually live in Lam Tsuen, which is a valley along which the Lam Tsuen River runs, with some 23 villages dotted along it.  These villages can be very small - some being made up of only a handful of houses, others with a few dozen.  We now live with family in Ma Po Mei Village, but we are moving to Tai Yeung Che Village, which is 5 minutes walk from here.

Where we live now - top floor only, don't get excited....and no that's not our car!

Ma Po Mei's ancestral temple (every village and/or family will have one)

The road into our new village - Tai Yeung Che...

Lam Tsuen is within the District of Tai Po within the New Territories, and Tai Po the town is only 10 minutes on the bus from here...where you can buy nearly everything you can think of!.

As you can see Tai Po it is quite built up in places with a population of around 320 000 (apparently)!

Anyway, at least you now understand that we live a full 30 mins drive from Hong Kong Island (not really that far!), and we are a world away from the regular expat stomping ground.  Quite frankly, I am glad we are out here.  You can glean a little of the space and beauty around us from the photos I have shown you...rather than the chaos, pollution and close confines of Central.  I also like the fact that we live amongst the local population and are learning more adout their culture, tradition and language on a daily basis.

Bye Bye Cold!

Yipee!  The weather has started to warm up.  In fact I think we might be getting rid of the duvet soon.  I couldn't believe how cold it was when I came back from the UK in January.  It had got to as low as 6 degrees (and even lower whilst we were away).  This is not too cold you might think if you are in a nice centrally heated house, but when you are sitting inside a house that is built to withstand the 'heat' believe me you are chilled to the bone.

When we returned from the UK, Anthony brought with him a toe-curlingly chesty cough.  It went on for a good couple of weeks and he was feeling very sorry for himself.  Amelie developed an ear infection around the same time.  All in all, I think most of the month of January was spend cocooned in the flat trying to keep warm and dry.  I managed to do some DIY double glazing using plastic bags from Emirates, and some selotape! We had a couple of electric heaters which were going pretty constantly througout the day.

What made this cold situation worse is that Ray forgot to pack my winter clothes when leaving the UK (managed to bring all his stuff mind you!) so I ended up wearing 10 T shirts and cardigins to try and keep warm.  Then as the weather warmed up slightly everything began to feel cold and damp.  Then the mold started growing on the walls, ceilings, and on everything in the bathroom.  I was really beginning to get fed up as it was only last week that the warm weather returned.  This means that instead of it being 10-16 degrees in our bedroom at night, it is more like 18 - 20 degrees.

I need to enjoy this weather now.  Blue skies, warm to hot, nice cooling winds and not too much humidity.  I am also hoping that I will cope better with the heat of the summer as I will have a gradual acclimatisation this year.

Nugget 1 Ctd. The Dometic Helper

In my quest for the right domestic helper for our family, I am finding out a few things:

1. They don't know that Hong Kong exists outside of Hong Kong Island, and when they realise where we are they don't want to meet me.  I think they think we are all savages in the New Territories and that they will never be able to make it back to meet their friends on their day off!

2. Philippinos have a reputation for being more cheeky albeit more experienced - hence they make sure they get what they are owed - if not a bit more, in terms of money and holiday.

3. Indonesians have a reputation for being less educated, but less trouble too.

4. Many do not want to work for Chinese families as they have a reputation for working them harder!  Hence I am going to have to hide Ray in the closet until the contract is signed!

5. If they are having trouble finding a new contract, then there is usually a good reason.  The good ones don't need to advertised, they are zapped up through word of mouth before their contract is even finished.

Anyway, I shall plod on and keep looking!

So much to say!

It feels like an absolute age since I have sent an update!  I musn't, however, make the mistake of boring the pants off you with too much information.  I will try and do it in nuggets, and probably in reverse chronological order!

First nugget...What is on the forefront of my mind at the moment is finding a 'helper'.  This is Hong Kong's answer to childcare...and making best use of cheap labour from Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand or Nepal.  They generally 'help' you (or simply do) the cooking, cleaning, getting the kids ready, caring for pets, washing cars, gardening or shopping!  Sounds great! The downside is that our already cramped living space 750 ft sq (probably the ground floor of an average semi in the UK) will also have to house the helper.  Well, we'll just have to see whether the benefits outweigh the downside!

Well in true style, Anthony has interrupted my micro-blog by waking up. I'll leave it at that until another day! x

Poopsypoo

Oh my did I see enough poops to last me a life time during late October & most of  November. It was predicted by Paul that we would get very ill at some point – a sort of Hong Kong (very unwelcoming!) initiation which happens to all newcomers!

Shortly after Ray's Mum passed away I began to feel rather ill - feverish and about 24 hours later the very frequent visits to the loo started. Typically this was during Ray's 1/2 terms, so the little opportunity we get to spend time together as a family was spent with me flat on my back...or hugging the toilet.  Luckily though, Ray was on hand to look after Anthony and Amelie, along with lashings of help from Evonnie, Sari and June.

I was completely off food for about a week and only ate very plain small amounts of toast or rice. Hence after 2 weeks, all the girls we envious of me having lost about 10 kgs (bearing in mind still breastfeeding so extra energy being expending making milk for Anthony)! My jeans were literally falling off. Anyway, as soon as I was able I took to stuffing my face once again...just can't resist the lovely food out here!

Unfortunately Ray soon fell ill too...rather violently throwing up then sitting on the loo in quick succession, followed by three days of lying flat out in bed. At this point I really was at the mercy of everyone else's help since I wasn't better myself! I was just praying that Amelie and Anthony stayed clear of this horrible virus as I was in no fit state to look after them..luckily they did...but not for long!

Soon after I was feeling better and had resumed eating normally, Amelie came home from school saying that she wasn't hungry and had a pain in her tummy. She then went into the feverish state we had experienced, and about 12 hours later the explosion began. The only saving grace was that she was wearing a nappy...but it couldn't quite contain it all and when trying to remove her from her poo covered pajamas, we managed to smear it all over her so the poor thing ended up in the shower at 11 o'clock at night feeling dreadful and appalled at her current predicament.

Luckily the fever stopped, after a couple of days, but the tummy problems continued so she had a full week off school missing the school picnic and the school sportsday.  It also proved quite comical when I tried to explain to Amelie's teacher why she was off.  In Cantonese the same word said in a different tone means different things.  Hence I kept saying that Amelie was "hungry" instead of  the word for "diarrhea".  I realised something wasn't right when the teacher kept saying give her a biscuit or an apple!

Anyway, Anthony, poor love, wasn't to be immune from the horrid initiation.  I realised something wasn't quite right as he projectile vomited all over me and the bed 3 times.  He had a few wicked nappies and lots of discomfort (coupled with teething!).  Unfortunately one of the worst nappies occured when I had him in the wrap on my side - he was asleep there for well over an hour. As I unwrapped him, I realised something wasn't right.  The disgust on onlookers faces (bearing in mind we were at a school fair!) was enough to say it all.  Basically Anthony had poo all over his shorts where it had squelched out of his nappy, and consequently it was smeared all down my side!  I wanted so much to run away or be teleported out of there, it was like a bad dream!

Anyway, enough about all this crap!  Sorry had to be said!  We are better now, and all happily enjoying the wonderful food out here again!

A Very Sad Time

I realise I haven't written anything for ages, but you will understand that a lot has happened...

In early Sept we learnt that Ray's Mum was terminally ill with cancer.  It was a real blow since before we left the UK she had recovered really well from an operation to remove a tumour and was looking really well - in fact she had reverted to looking after us...cooking for us etc. 

Anyway, she decided to come over to Hong Kong to spend time with her friends and family over here, knowing that it might be her last chance. It was so nice that she did this and we got to spend what turned out to be her last few precious weeks together.  She was extremely brave and dignified right up until the end, which served to further my respect for her and deepen my sadness that her Grandchildren will have known her so little.

She was a woman of few words, but infact great intelligence. Ray and Evonnie were admirable in everyway...as they always have been towards their mother.  They looked after her always, and particularly well when she fell ill - and right up until the end.

Amelie has enormously fond memories of her Por Por, which is great.  She remembers the soups and food that she used to feed her.  She remembers that she used to have tea in her pink cup at Por Por's flat, help herself to plums, beg for yoghurt raisins and jump around the sofa until the cushions were all on the floor. She remembers that she bought her a beautiful party dress...in fact she chose to wear it today.  Por Por always let her have her lipstick and took her on the bus to play on the cars in Warrington.

I will always remember Ma Ma making Anthony smile by chatting and clicking at him.  It is so good that she knew him, even for such a short while.  In fact she was the first visitor into the delivery suite (along with Aunty Cindy). She marvelled at his big eyes...and how hungry he was!

Ma Ma helped us enormously - always cooking for us and tidying up as she went! Even mess she hadn't made!  She fed us, our friends and my family hundreds of times over the years.  She looked after Amelie hugely.  I'll always remember her running around after Amelie with a bowl of dinner - insisting that Amelie ate it all - and normally she did!

She also put a roof over my head for a year after we returned from travelling and a few summers prior to that.  She was so laid back and easy to be with, and at the same time knew what she wanted to do "I watch my television now" - meaning the Chinese soaps were about to be put on the box and there would be no budging!  I'll never be able to watch tennis without thinking of her.  She was dedicated to watching every tennis tournament in the world - a true armchair expert.

I did as much as I could for Ma Ma when she was sick and I'm sure she appreciated that. I did finally get to thank her for all she did for us in the 15 or so years I knew her, and I am grateful for that.  I couldn't begin to speak for Ray and Evonnie, their feelings and memories, but suffice to say they are heartbroken to have lost their Mum so suddenly.

Amelie's School Days begin!

Amelie has just had her first homework!  Ray did it with her.  It involved Chinese: spot the odd items in the different areas of a room (Ray and I argued about which was right!) and circle the shorter items.  Then English, put the letter A stickers in the right place and complete the apple, then colour it in!  So sweet.  Want her do it well and neat, but she can hardly hold the pencil properly and scribbling is her favourite pass time, so we had to do a lot of rubbing out!  At least she did it all herself though.

Amelie loves her little school.  It is a local catholic kindergarten so she will be fluent in Chinese before long.  She loves her teacher Siu Lo Si, and the other teacher with a bun!  She has a little rucksack for her books (which I carry to the door, or the bus) and she has a progress book which we always look forward to seeing.  The teacher has told me that she is a very good girl, but she doesn't eat much - they get a snack to eat whilst they are at school.  She does 9-12 which is plenty for such a little girl!

Last week she started to get the school bus which I was terrified about.  I put her on a mini bus full of little children at the bus stop outside the house, and met her there again just after 12.  There is a woman on the bus who takes her from the door to her seat and looks after them, and another lady who drives.  The fact that she shot off as the lady and Amelie staggered to the nearest free seat had me slightly worried, but then they all drive like that here.

I pick her up from school some days too if we are going to do something in the afternoon.  The mums queue up outside and wait for them to be brought into the main hall, which they do in a beautiful line, each holding onto the bag of the person in front! Its lovely to see her little face in the window!  She puts her two fists in the air and I can see her mouthing Mummy, yeah as she jumps up with delight at seeing me and Anthony waiting outside with the other mothers!

Amelie was so brave she didn't cry on her first day.  I went in to take her into the classroom, and as we rounded the corner, you could hear the screaming of most of the other children.  Most are older than Amelie (the school year running from Jan to Dec), and it will have been the first time they had left their parents/grandparents.  I told Amelie to tell them not to worry and be nice to them!  I'm sure she was.