How Are We Doing?

It’s a question I’m getting asked a lot these days, now that we are into our fourth month here in Hong Kong. Not surpringly, the answer is mixed.

For my young daughter, it has been a period of serious adjustment. High rise living is a long way removed from the home she new in India on nearly 3 private acres. She missed her nanny, but also all the rest of the staff, her nursery school, her church (sunday school), friends and all the other familar faces (shopkeepers, gardners, golf pros, etc). She is loving her school, but it’s scale is beyond her experience.

The main this is in India as she experienced it, she was special everywhere she went. For her (if not for me), Delhi was a couteous and respectful place. By contrast, here she is anonymous, not all that welcomed and often bustled about. In our first few weeks here she was frequently knocked over by rushed and impatient people.

For L, her job is challenging and interesting, but she missed the breadth and scope of the work in India. That is such a huge and complex country to work in, with so many daily (and random) challenges.

For me, it is great to find some peace and quiet. Moreover, it is a relief to be free from power, generator, internet, cable tv and water problems and repairs. Initially I did not know what to do with the time and it has been wonderful to focus on more writing, more music and more reflection.

For all of us, the shopping, ease of transport and food is a total joy.

However, it is, to be honest, pretty lonely. I miss playing golf – a lot. It’s also fair to say I haven’t made any real friends yet and since we have been unable to connect with a church, any sense of Christian community either. In a few short months I have gone from never having lunch alone to always having lunch alone.

I guess that is the nature of the expatriate life – you trade one set of positives and negatives for another.