Space Museum and Symphony of Lights

Today was a long day.  The kids and I stayed home this morning.  After lunch, we headed to the Hong Kong Space Museum.  It doesn't open until 1 each day.  I thought that was really strange, but on their website it said they were open in the morning for field trips.  The museum is pretty small, so it would fill up pretty quickly with a large school group.  The museum had 2 different parts, one on astronomy, one on the space program.  Tommy really liked the astronomy section, he was really interested, and slightly concerned, about the fact that our sun is already halfway through its 10 billion year life. 

The space program portion was bigger.  I was surprised by how much of it was about the space program of the United States.

The Space Museum is located on the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade along with the Art Museum and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.  The promenade has a great view of the Hong Kong Island skyline.  We spent awhile looking at the buildings and the ships.

Then we walked further down the promenade to the Avenue of Stars.  We were looking for a restaurant for dinner, but again, I was surprised by the lack of food options.  There were a couple stands selling squid, a bar that didn't look like it served food, and a Starbucks.  There were a few fancy restaurants in the nearby hotels, but not what I was looking for with the kids.  The Avenue of the Stars is like our Hollywood Walk of Fame.  There are handprints and stars for Hong Kong natives who have been successful in the entertainment industry.  Charlotte really liked trying to fit her hands in the handprints.  The most famous celebrity from Hong Kong is Bruce Lee.  They had a statue of him.  There is also a big exhibit at the Heritage Museum on him I haven't seen. 

We finally found something to eat for dinner.  Then Tom met us at the waterfront after work and we waited for the light show.  Every night at 8 PM, the buildings put on a light show choreographed to music.  Many of the buildings are normally lit up.  The light show just featured them lighting up in time to the music and a few extra lasers.  We found the show pretty underwhelming.  (Except for Tommy who enjoyed it and got upset when we suggested leaving a few minutes early to beat the crowds back on the train.  We ended up staying until the end.)

Panoramic view of the night skyline

Before the light show.  Tom works in the pink and purple building with the spire on the top toward the right.

During the light show

Lasers during the light show.

We didn't get home until 9:30, it was almost 10 before the kids were in bed.  We all slept in this morning.  :)

So many people!

The amount of people commuting on trains and walking on the street in Hong Kong turns walking into an art.  Here are some things I've learned:

1. Leave your personal space at the door!  People leaning against you on a train is normal, as is pushing and wedging onto a train when there's no more room.   I've started feeling ok with this when it happens, although I'll never be the one who wedges myself into a full train - I'll wait for the next one.
2. People don't make much (if any) eye contact.  This is mostly cultural as it's considered rude to "stare" at a stranger.  I think it's also advantageous when navigating since it makes it easier to concentrate on where you're going.    
3. Focus on your destination and don't deviate.  Walking can be like a game of chicken - the one who doesn't look like they'll yield usually gets the right of way.  Waver and walk like you're unsure where you're going and people behind you will either pass you, or you'll end up in an area that's not ideal for walking while those who are sure of themselves get the straightforward route.  It's like swimming in a sea of fish, you want to stay with the group.
4. Rush hour is non-stop.  There are certain "peak times" around 8-10 and 5-6:30 but it's relative.   Certain areas and trains are just always crowded.

All the hustle can make getting to and from work stressful, but I'm always happy to get home and see the kids!

Central MTR station.  My evening commute. 

People touch on trains.  It's ok.

Follow the arrows and stay in your lane.  Kowloon Tong transfer station on my morning commute.

Train to Lo Wu (northbound) at Kowloon Tong on my evening commute.  The northbound train comes every 2 minutes.

Family Splash Night

Friday night is family splash night at the country club.  They cancelled it last week because of the typhoon warning, so this was only our second one.  The kids were very excited.  They have a couple inflatable slides the kids can slide down into a small pool of water.

They also have a big inflatable across most of the pool with a mini obstacle course the kids can climb through and then slide into the big pool.  They also have a lot of rafts in the pool to play with.

You can see Charlotte getting ready to climb in the shark's mouth

They had a great time.  We saw some neighbors at the end of the night and stayed for awhile to talk.  We got home past when the kids are usually in bed and Tommy fell right asleep and slept until 8:30 the next morning. 

1 month

We have now been in Hong Kong for just over 1 month.  We are pretty well adjusted and enjoying discovering new places each week.  I thought I would write a post about each of our favorite things so far.

Tommy-riding the train (MTR).  Tommy loves all the public transportation.  When we are home, he often drives his Lego car around the living room and pretends he is driving the train or bus around town.  He wants me to pretend to ride it (which usually just means sitting on the couch) and he announces all the different stops.  He is very anxious for the rest of his Legos to arrive so he can build a double-decker bus.

Charlotte-riding the shuttle.  This is the response she gave me when I asked, but I think she was just piggy backing on Tommy's train answer.  I would say her favorite things are probably swimming, playing in the indoor playroom at the country club, and getting treats from all the little bakeries everywhere.  (The bakery is definitely one of Tommy's too.  Tommy likes to talk about how when he is older, he and Charlotte will be able to walk to the bakery by themselves and he can buy her a treat.)

Tom-swimming at the Country Club.  One benefit to the heat is the pools are really warm.  There is a sign up that displays the water temperature.  It is usually 30-31 degrees Celsius (86-88 degrees Fahrenheit) so it feels like bath water. 

Jenneke-more family time and walking more.  I really like having our whole weekends focused on family time.  We miss a lot of things about St. Louis, but it is nice to be renters in Hong Kong and not have house projects or other obligations taking up our weekends.  We have been spending a lot of time exploring as a family as well as spending time at home playing games and doing weekly movie nights.  (I am anxious for our things to arrive so we can play something besides Monopoly.)  I also like walking and taking public transportation.  I really like that if we want to go to the grocery store or go swimming, we can just walk 8-10 minutes to get there.  We get a little exercise and we don't contribute to the pollution.  (I will like this a lot better once the weather gets cooler.)  The public transportation system is very good.  Most places we want to visit will include what MTR stops and/or buses to take to get there.  The streets often have signs pointing to different parts of town and attractions.  The trains and buses are all very clean and safe.  It is much easier to get places than if I was trying to drive (on the left side of the road!), figure out road signs, and worry about traffic.

Weather

It is HOT here.  Everyone warned us about how hot and humid it gets here in the summer, but, being from St. Louis, we didn't think it would be a big deal.  It is so much hotter than in St. Louis.  Almost every day the temperature is in the high 80s/low 90s and the heat index is close to, or usually over, 100. 

The humidity is also really high, today the humidity is 88%, so you feel hot and sticky as soon as you walk outside.  I think one of the differences from St. Louis is there is no relief.  The temperature is hot all day long.  It is now 8:30 AM and the heat index is 99.  Even though summers are hot in St. Louis, there are usually some nicer days (or weeks as I am reading about on Facebook).  In the month we have been here, there haven't been any cool days.  The sun is also really intense here.  Hong Kong is inside the Tropic of Cancer, which puts it at a similar latitude as Hawaii or Cuba.  It is also the rainy season so it rains almost every day.  Usually, it will be sunny, then a few clouds will move in, it will rain for 10 or 15 minutes, and then it goes right back to being sunny.  We have had a few days where it has rained a good part of the day, especially last weekend with Typhoon Rammasun moving through the area, but it is more typical to just have a spot shower here or there.  We carry umbrellas with us wherever we go.  They are necessary for the sudden rainstorms, but we also use them for shade when it is sunny.  (Many people use umbrellas for shade).

There are some good things about the weather.  When we visited the kids' school, they had jackets you could buy for the kids.  I asked about them and she said we didn't have to use their coats, but it got very cold there so they definitely needed a warm coat.   She said it got down to 9 degrees Celsius, which is about 48 degrees Fahrenheit.  :)  I look forward to that weather.

Also, the humidity makes Charlotte's hair really curly which I think is really cute.

                              It is hard to capture the curls in a picture, but she does look cute. 
 

Toys or Trash?

The majority of our items from our house are currently sailing across on the ocean on a big container ship.  We hopefully will receive our shipment in the next 2 or 3 weeks.  Therefore, the only things we have in our house are
1.  Our rental furniture
2.  The few items we have bought
3.  The things we packed in our 10 suitcases

There were a few things I wish I would have put in our suitcases (kitchen utensils, rubber bands, magnets), but overall we did pretty well.  Unfortunately, we were only able to bring a limited number of toys, books, games and art supplies for the kids.  It has been really hot and sunny so I try to spend the middle of the day inside.  The kids are getting pretty tired of playing with the same things, so we had to be creative. 
We bought some new fans and instead of throwing away the boxes, I opened them and told each kid to make something on the cardboard.  Tommy, of course, made his into a train station.  He drew train tracks all over it and labeled the different stops(very similar to the stops on the MTR here).  Then, he spent hours driving the one car/bus/train he made all over the tracks and announcing the different stops. 

At first, Charlotte just wanted to cut hers with scissors.  Her favorite activity these days is cutting up every scrap piece of paper we will let her, she is disappointed I didn't pack any glue.  I am not so disappointed.  Then, we worked together and drew a castle on her cardboard.  She has added to in occasionally, as well as continue to cut around the edges.  :)

Finally, Tommy really likes this Frozen Free Fall game on the iPad where you have to match 3 shapes in a row.  I am trying to limit his screen time, so I encouraged him to make his own game.  We cut circles out of a box of taco shells and he colored them.  Then we drew a grid on the back of another box.  He set up the board and I could play the game.  He made it a few days ago and he probably spent more time making it than he has playing it since, but it was at least fun to make.  Charlotte was more than happy to help cut out the circles.  :)

Health

One thing I have noticed that is different in Hong Kong from the US is how publicly focused they are on not getting sick.  In Hong Kong, if you are sick it is polite to wear a mask so you don't infect others around you.  (LOVE this idea).  Also, many of the things that people touch regularly (elevator buttons, door handles) have signs on them saying how many times a day they are disinfected.  Many of the exhibits at the Science Museum had signs saying how many times a day the area was cleaned.  They closed the play area with the foam blocks while we were there and there were a couple ladies with rags and bottles of cleaner, wiping down all the sides of all the blocks.  An area like that in the US would probably get cleaned rarely to never.

Also, we have entered Hong Kong twice since we have been here.  (We had to leave and re-enter to validate our visas.)  Both times, they have taken Charlotte's temperature with a forehead scanner before entering.  (Both times were late at night and she had just woken up and was crying.  Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were red.)  Tommy, Charlotte and I all had to get our temperature taken before we could go in the playroom at one of the play places we visited.  Also, many of the play places are strict about wearing socks and adults have to take their shoes off too.  (I think this a great idea, at a lot of the play places in St. Louis, the kids are running around in socks between slides or bounce houses in the same places where adults are wearing their shoes which have all the outside dirt on them.  After a while, the kids socks are probably just as dirty as their shoes would have been.)  There are also signs up everywhere about how to prevent the spread of illness (cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, dispose of tissues in trash cans with lids, wash your hands regularly, etc.) and not feeding birds to help prevent avian flu.

Hong Kong Science Museum

Today we went to the Science Museum.  The kids had a great time.  All of the museums here are closed one day a week, and most of them are free on Wednesdays.  Last Wednesday we went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and it was VERY crowded.  They have a fairly large children's area, but there were at least 20 school groups there while we were there.  It made it hard to really do anything and thus Tommy got bored pretty quickly.  I decided this week, we would just go on Tuesday and pay.  It was well attended, but not too busy.

The museum was very interactive and pretty similar to the St. Louis Science Center (although there is a separate space museum we are planning on going to soon.)  There were a lot of things for the kids to do and each exhibit had a clearly marked spot for a line (or queue) and a worker watching carefully to make sure everyone followed the rules.  

We spent a long time in the special "move and play" exhibit.  They had a lot of fun, but we were all pretty hungry by the time they were finished.  We were going to get something from the snack bar before we explored the rest of the museum, but when we left and looked at the map, I realized they don't have one.  They don't sell food or drink anywhere in the museum (except for a few vending machines that only sold drinks after you went out of the exit.)  I have noticed they don't sell food at other places like this as well.  I was just amazed that at a place like that where you could easily spend several hours and can't leave to get food, they wouldn't sell it.  That wouldn't happen in the US.  Luckily, I had brought some crackers and a bottle of water, but we definitely left earlier than we would have if we could have eaten lunch there. 

At the end we went up to the Children's Gallery.  They had a special foam play area that Tommy was just too tall to play in, but Charlotte had fun.  (Apparently he is over 110 cm).

The last thing we did was the kids got to sit in a real car and drive on a simulator.  The machine was supposed to measure how fuel efficient you drive, do you accelerate too quickly after stopping or speed too much.  Tommy did pretty well, although at the end he had a little bit of a lead foot.  Charlotte could barely reach the pedals and kept running into the walls.  (I am pretty sure that is not very fuel efficient.)  They both had a lot of fun. 

Overall, it was a fun day!

Country Club

Today we had a fun day at the country club.  We spent ALL day yesterday shopping (IKEA is huge!) and the kids needed a break.  In the morning, we walked up to the club so the kids could play on the playground and Tom and I could trade off watching them and working out.  Unfortunately, it started pouring on the way up there, so we settled for the indoor playroom, which was still a lot of fun. 

Then, we played at home in the afternoon and after dinner, when it was cooler, we headed back up to the club to go swimming.  The kids had a lot of fun.  We are really enjoying using the pool.  :)

ready to go swimming

panoramic view of the "baby" pool and regular pool.  There is a deep pool for diving to the right.

Tom in the water with the kids

Grass cutting

Today we had our grass cut.  Our landlord sent someone over.  We have been here almost 3 weeks and it is the first time it has been cut.  It is really hot here so the grass doesn't grow very quickly.  Here is the before picture.

I am pretty sure it was shorter than right after we cut our grass in St. Louis.  

Here is the after picture

Not much difference.  :)

Ballet, part 2

Charlotte went back to ballet class today and did great!  There were 3 other little girls in her class.  She was so excited her "friends" showed up.  She had a lot of fun and was a good listener.  She didn't really want to go this afternoon (I think she was worried no one would be there again, and she was pretty tired from our morning.)  2 of the girls had obviously taken lessons in the past.  The teacher knew them well and they had ballet outfits and shoes.  The other girl was new.  She didn't really interact with the other girls, but was excited they were there.  It will be interesting to see if she talks to any of them next time.  Charlotte is excited to go back next week and has requested that I buy her "pretty ballet shoes" like the other girls have. 

Ballet

Today was Charlotte's first ballet class.  We have had a hard time meeting other children.  Charlotte especially, has been asking about making friends and having play dates.  She has been so excited to take a class and meet some friends her age.  The ballet class is at the Country Club in our neighborhood, so most likely any of the kids would go to their school and maybe be in her class. We got to class early and I took a picture of her in the studio before the other kids showed up.

                                                Charlotte before class.

Then the class started and Charlotte was the only child! She was a little reluctant, but started off following her teacher's instructions just fine.  Then about 7 minutes in, she ran over to me and said, "I'm all done, Mommy". I got her back out there, but for the rest of the 35 minute class she continued to come over to me every 5 minutes or so and want to be done.  She would say things like "why didn't any of my friends come?"  Her teacher had a lot of cute props and activities to help teach the different moves, relating many of the things to Disney princesses, but a solo class was not what Charlotte (or I) had expected.  After the class the teacher said we should move to the Wednesday class.  It is the next age up, but there are already several kids in the class.  Enrollment is usually much higher, but school just ended and a lot of people are on vacation (or holiday as everyone calls it).  Hopefully she will have fun on Wednesday.  I don't think I can take another class like that one.  

                                               Charlotte with her teacher

A Day In Central

We went into Central with the kids today.  On the agenda was picking up my new phone at work, having Indian Food at Raja Mahal, taking a bus to Westwood Mall and spending the afternoon at Fun Zone (which is like Monkey Joe's in the States).

The kids had a blast but were tired after a long day out.  I will miss them when I go back to work tomorrow.

Panoramic shot from the office.

My desk

Enjoying the view

Tommy and Charlotte at the front of the double decker - their favorite place to sit!

Eating Indian Food.

Fun Zone!

Tesla Test Drive

Today was my first day driving in Hong Kong!   Why not also make it the first day I drive a Tesla Model S?

Tesla sent an invitation to test drive the Model S which I gladly accepted.  After seeing how the family fit (everyone had plenty of room) and checking the trunk space (a lot!) I took it out for a 15-minute spin from Hong Lok Yuen through Tai Po.

I drove the P85+ which is the hyper-powered, 400+ hp, 0-60 in 4.4 second version of the Model S.   The torque and acceleration is incredible and pins you to your seat.  It's odd not feeling the car shift, or hearing the loud response of an engine when you accelerate.

The interior of the car is luxurious; apparently their prime competition are Mercedes and BMW 5 and 7 shoppers.  The fit and trim of the car was excellent with limited signs of plastic.  The centerpiece is the huge 17" touchscreen that controls everything on the car.  I wondered if it'd be difficult to read in bright light or at night; it has settings for both and I was able to view it just fine.

The car is geared towards tech - it comes stock with internet radio, Google maps (including traffic warnings) and automatically downloads new applications from Tesla.  It saves seat recline, mirror and seat settings per driver.  The car auto-unlocks and the handles extend from the door when the key FOB is within a certain distance and automatically turns off when the driver gets out of the car - no start button or key for this car!  The version I drove had air suspension that could raise and lower the car 1.5" to get maximum performance out of it while cruising while enabling it to clear things like speed bumps and curbs.  Oh, and it has plenty of legroom for me!

The kids couldn't ride due to insurance reasons and Jenneke opted not to drive it ... yet :)

Very  nice!

My Riot backpack fits!

2 kids + mom fit fine in the back!

Sunroof open

Internet radio station choices

Dash view.

Buckling up.

Bye!