Almost Summer DAYBOOK

This - my classroom. As I type, this room is sitting empty and covered in half-finished packing boxes, tape and bubble wrap strewn on the floor. Tomorrow I go finish the epic task of moving a classroom, inventory, and signing out for the year. Tonight - I pause to reflect on this brink of summer.

Outside My Window
It's HOT - and humid.

A TYPHOON and 'red rain' to close out the school year... landslides blocking one of the two roads out of our school, keeping children in classrooms on the last day of school well past dismissal until the roads were declared safe for buses.

BEFORE the storm -- just look at it! Stunning day in Hong Kong. That's on my morning walk to school.

I'm Thinking About

changes.

goodbyes.

hellos.

and traveling solo with my 2 girls - 20 hours to DC, bring it on!

I Don't Want To Forget 
The image of my girls sprawling, limb across limb, in my bed on Tuesday morning.
The way friends make me feel whole. And good. And a better me.

hip hop teacher dance crew

I'm Learning

to breathe and remain calm despite not being able to control and organize everything the way my imagination envisions it. And learning to cherish and value the downtime.

I'm Hearing

the hum of the dehumidifier. nothing else.

I'm Reading

The Price of Privilege - by Madeline Levine, PhD

This book. These ideas. This world! These kids. I raise them. And I teach them. And there are certainly specific challenges (and costs) to our rising affluent culture. Any mother or teacher might want to grab this book.

Around The House

So - you know we're moving, right? Yeah... movers come in 3 more sleeps. I'm SO not ready! But again - learning to let go of that a bit to keep eyes on the important things like friends, goodbyes, taking care of myself, and loving on my kids. So - pretty much I'll let the movers do most of the work. And I'll be unpacking some disorganized junk. But it's our junk. And that's ok. That's why I write this instead of packing my suitcase (or maybe I'm just an excellent procrastinator). 

Upper Primary - last day of third grade

traditional POOL JUMP straight from the bus, fully clothed - let summer begin STRAIGHT AWAY!

At Work

Packing boxes. Saying farewells. Always someone moving away, someone moving in. Always changes. International school life - makes 'change' the new normal. 

teachers touring our new campus - still under construction!

Eating Out (confession - I'm never in the kitchen anymore)

tomorrow - a new restaurant with my girlfriends (important things, remember?) ;)

So Very Hong Kong

Finding no crosswalks to get to the other side of the street in downtown.
HK is fabulously equipped with amazing 'lifted sidewalks' all across the city. Many of them run building to building. You could travel miles (I think) without ever actually crossing a street on the ground. But I'll tell you - it's not instinctual when you are from America!

These next photos do not show this.
Rather - an afternoon trip to Sham Shui Po - a market area where we went in search of trinkets, motors, wires, LED bulbs, and other treasures for our 9-year-old-inventor... a dream shopping trip for her!

no, not a junkyard - this is a market stall of wares!

subway home - still crowded...

 Also very Hong Kong - Tai Chi in Stanley on weekend mornings. :)

One Of My Favorite Things

lazy pool days

A Less-Than Favorite Thing
peanuts on airplanes.
I have learned (from embarrassing past experiences) that since I have a peanut allergy, I have to call the airline directly to inform them prior to my flight. It's stressing me out that I haven't done this yet - I SWEAR it's on the high-priority list for tomorrow!! (Along with 264 other important things.)

I'm Thankful

for Nimfa. Our helper. Our nanny. Our all-around go-to gal. She cooks, cleans, watches the kids, reminds me of appointments, manages the kids' library days and show-and-tell days, facilitates playdates, runs errands, grocery shops, translates, and hums and sings and keeps our house feeling calm and happy. She's a wonder. And I've been leaning on her a lot lately. And I am SO GRATEFUL.

I'm Planning

seriously? why are you reminding me of what I'm supposed to be planning?

don't even talk to me - I see our future in this photo - on so many levels!!!!

Picture Thoughts :

SHEK O CLIMB - Ainsley:

get it, girl!

FIRST DANCE RECITAL - Adelaide:

The Sun has Arrived

It's a strange and delightful sensation seeing winter turn spring in Hong Kong. It doesn't transform so much as pivot. For weeks in March/April I don a coat and feel sorry for myself in the dense numbing fog as my stateside friends blast instagram with photos of buds and blossoms... then BOOM! Sun. Sky. and HEAT.

Week 1: space heaters are on. It seems winter will never end.
Week 2: sun's out. you wonder if spring is finally arriving. You hit the beach just for the sand.
Week 3: you are blasting the A/C and wiping the sweat from your brow.

scouting a spot at Shek O - on Easter Sunday afternoon - not a bad way to "do Easter" :)

Easter Dinner - my family laughed out loud when I suggested cooking (?) - So we went to The New Black Sheep - the beachy italian dive we seem to go to every time we're at Shek O Beach. Becoming a bit of a family tradition to eat here after hitting the waves. We love this place!

Black Lights, disco balls, fish tanks, roasted garlic, lamp chops, pasta, pizza, wine... and on Easter - a basket full of boiled eggs (the kids somehow consumed 6 of them before dinner!!)

oh - and the random parrot patron.

this snap from that transition-week on a foggy-but-muggy day... girls tentatively testing the waters on an empty beach

our apartment-living pool is open for business!

Acculturation

1. :  cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture ... as a result of prolonged contact - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Recently, over glasses of wine and bowls of soup, my friends and I got onto the topic of the phrases we've picked up since moving to Hong Kong 3 years ago.... 

"No Need"

"The Bin" 

"Rubbish"

"Lovely" "That's just lovely."

"It Finish" (meaning 'all out of')

"chop" (as in 'stamp/seal... making papers official')

and... admittedly .... I find myself saying these ones now in the classroom:

"tidy up, children!" (I never say 'clean up' anymore!)

"put it in the bin"

"sit up properly"

BunnyCakes has picked up a few: "as well" and "that is correct" being her favorites. 

Words like "fat" and "lazy" are tossed around as if one were saying "that car is blue" or "he is just so tall". No fear of complexes here...

Contextual realities affect us whether we pause to consider them or not. Best to be mindful of what we are picking up - be it language, behavior, expressions, or expectations.

Becoming more "Hong Konger" ... 

... the way I don a jacket in 50 degree weather

... becoming more patient with the slower and unpredictable movements of city crowds

... being ready to zig-zag around all the people staring at their phones

... dance class in socks instead of bare feet (humidity makes it too sticky)

... not tipping

... ordering the 'duck confit donuts' and 'truffle toastie with quail eggs'  - no big deal

... the way I feel ashamed when I fail to hold my credit card reverently with two hands

... the way we run to the beach the moment the sun reveals that the sky is in fact blue 

Shek O Beach

Stanley Main Beach

that's RedHill - our peninsula - with all the houses in the background

Here we have SAND instead of lawn for our outdoor play space. This is where the magic happens: worlds invented, pirates fought, treasures unburied... this is our home, guys. Not vacation. I mean, c'mon. It's ridiculous.