Back to Life in Hong Kong

Though we wished our summer fun could go on much longer, we needed to get back to Hong Kong in time for school and to keep Dave company – I think he’d been left alone with the cats about as long as he could stand!

It’s a really odd thing being from the West, living in the East. It takes no time at all to feel back to “normal” when we arrive in Kansas City. Doing things like driving down the wide open highways is a bit of a thrill, but it all feels comfortable and familiar – sort of like we never left. When we return to Hong Kong now, it seems like we switch out the memory chip in our brain and we’re back in our “normal” lives here, with the things around us seeming familiar – like looking out the car window and seeing a bus just 4-inches away (nope, nothing to get too excited about!). I guess it proves that one’s definition of “normal” can certainly evolve.

The jet lag the first few days back was brutal, but our bodies were forced to adjust to the time change with school starting. Lydia is in Grade One (as they call it here) and was lucky to get placed in a class with one of her good friends. There are a whopping 180 kids in Grade One, split amongst nine classes. So far, Lydia is excited to get on the bus every morning, which is a good sign that the year is off to good start. Here she is on the first day:

As for everything else, we’ve jumped right back into life in Hong Kong. There will be lots to tell you about over the next weeks and months to come.

Our Year 2 in Hong Kong has officially begun.