We are down to our last two days in Hong Kong. It feels weird. Lots of emotions have been running through us this past month. Currently, I’m sitting on the couch like a lazy person while I “supervise” half a dozen hard working Chinese men pack up our apartment. Ironically, it’s probably the most down time I’ve had in at least a month.
This week has solidified one of the two biggest reasons I’m sad to leave Hong Kong. The people we have met here are wonderful! In the past week I’ve had so many offers to help. Jade and Ridge have had play dates every day this week to allow me to pack and prepare. Today is Thursday and they have had seven play dates since Monday. That illustrates exactly how our friends are here: charitable and willing to step in and help when they see a need. I so appreciate their service and example to me. This week would have been so much harder without their kindness! Here are a few of the goodbyes and last play times:
Jade’s school doesn’t get out until July 15th, so she is attending until tomorrow. Ridge went to a museum with some friends this morning and Jade stopped home for a few minutes after school before heading out with friends as well.
The second biggest reason I’m sad to leave Hong Kong is Hong Kong is awesome! The city itself is incredible. From the amazing views out our apartment windows… 
…to the delicious Asian food to the efficient public transportation to the city skyline to the bustling markets to all the great sightseeing spots…. I could go on and on. I mean really, if you want to know what we’re going to miss about Asia, all you have to do is look at all our blog posts from the last five years!
To say we have mixed emotions about leaving is an understatement. Though we want to be back in the States, it is still hard to actually go.
That said, there are plenty of things we are excited for, so I try to focus on those. I’ll just give you a few from my list, so I don’t get too carried away in the nitty gritty. I’m hoping that by making this list I will remember to be grateful for the blessings and abundance I have when the normal privileges of an everyday American become normal to me.
Laundry not to take 4-6 hours for a load essentially the size of three bath towels. Cody tells me I spend a large amount of my time on dishes and laundry. I’m hoping that means I’ll have more time in America!
More living space, and along with that, storage space, including normal closets and dressers.
To have control over the smell of my transportation when I step into it.
A car. But probably not for the reasons you think. I’m excited to be able to have conversations with my kids while we’re out without all the noise of the streets and the public!
Outlets in the bathroom. Oh how glorious it would be to stand at both a counter and mirror and plug in more than one hair appliance at a time!
See. Normal, everyday things Americans take for granted. I hope I will always be grateful. And I hope I will actually get these things…
5 comments:
Oh Nicole, you guys must be running through so many emotions right now! We are praying for you guys in this new journey you are on! I love you!
Can you believe we left asia 3 years ago? It is weird now to think that we lived there. We loved our time there and remembered how hard it was to leave too. Good luck on your move, the adjustments and the enjoyment of life in the United States. I hope our paths will cross sometime soon!
This is so crazy. I can't believe it's actually happening!! I'm so excited for you, but at the same time I'm so sad!! But I get to see you tomorrow so the excited out ways the not!
Wow, what a bittersweet time in your life! Good luck with the move and the transitioning back into your native land! You sure have had some great adventures over there! Now you get to have some news ones on the east coast! How awesome!
Nicole! I had to jump on here to tell you this. I have been so excited for you to come back to the states, and so worried about you and hoping you we're more excited than sad. I was sending you a new message about all the things you have to look forward to when you make it back here about every other day. You never responded and I assumed it was because of the move. I knew you were probably super busy. Anyway, I just got a notification from my whatsapp, and it said that my month had expired and I hadn't paid my bill, so it was canceling my service and my "pending" messages wouldn't be sent. Apparently I somehow signed up for a paid version of the app, unbeknownst to me (or maybe it's just not free any longer). Anyway, for at least a month (maybe more, I have no idea), whatsapp has apparently not been working on my phone. What's funny is there were a couple times where I had a notification that I had a new message, but when I looked nothing was there. I wonder if those were from you? Anyway, I am so sad you never got my messages. And if you've sent me any, I never got yours, either. I have issues when it comes to technology apparently.
Well, I hope you are enjoying your move back. I'm sure things are hectic and crazy right now. But when things settle, call me! I'm dying to talk to you! DYING!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you!
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