Hubby came home one day and told me that he had news – I was cooking at the time, so in my head I presumed he got a promotion or a bonus. However, to my surprise, he was being transferred to Hong Kong for 12 months – my first reaction was – FOOD / SHOPPING / FOOD!!!!! Then after about 10 mins – it sunk in… what about me? what about my job? what am I going to tell my bosses? Well to answer that, I would definitely go with hubby for 12 months and try and find a way to work from overseas if they will still have me!!
That night, after dinner, I logged on and opened two browsers and Google "Shopping in Hong Kong" and "eating in Hong Kong" – it doesn't come to a surprise that there are many shops / eateries in Hong Kong! A couple of friends have actually said to Hubby "is it wise to take your wife to Hong Kong – do you realise what you are doing to yourself". I don't think Hubby realise the amount of food available in Hong Kong and don't get me started on the shopping! (I think I would need a separate blog for shopping!) I was over the moon and as nerdy as I am when it comes to 'spreadsheets', I started one and called it "HK Adventures" with tabs "casual dining" / "fine dining" / "coffee" / "bars" – and yes I have assigned the 'filter' function!! Yes I am a geek – but hey, if I am only going to be there for 12 months – I will want to try as many restaurants as I can!
Packing – I was told (by Hubby) that I was only allowed to take ONE suit case – that's right ONE suit case to Hong Kong! Was this an open invitation to shop?!?!?! It was one of the hardest things to do – trying to fit my whole life into one suitcase! What shoes to take? What bags to take? Most importantly – what clothes to take? At the end – I ended up taking 6 pairs of shoes (2 of which were my choos! I felt bad leaving the others behind but… I had no choice!), 4 handbags (and no I didn't take any of my brand bags – thought I would just buy another one here!) and clothes (more casual / partying clothes than work clothes!). It all ended up being 29kgs!!!! FRIG!! But I couldn't really take anything else out! I 'really' needed those – and it was the bare minimum!
The day of telling my boss finally came…and again I have to say, this was one of the hardest things I had to do! I like my boss, and I enjoy my job and I actually like the people I work with! So when the day came for me to tell them, I was a little sad but at the same time excited about this new adventure! I mean 12 months in Hong Kong! I have always wanted to live overseas for a while. So to cut the story short, after long discussions the Partners had amongst themselves, they finally agreed to let me work part time – 3 days a week. Of course my role was going to be slightly different but hey, I was definitely up for the challenge! And it's PART TIME, in HONG KONG!!! I couldn't ask for more!
The day finally came when we arrived in Hong Kong! It took a good 6 weeks to organise, and it felt like eternity! We have been here for about 2 weeks now – and everything is going great so far!! I am working part time at home, part time wanabe 'tai – tai' (a wealthy housewife, and one who often lives to shop and lunch but trust me – I am NOT, and I repeat NOT a wealthy housewife!) and totally loving the days that I am a wanabe 'tai – tai' – wondering through Hong Kong and eating my way around Hong Kong. Hubby is enjoying his work and his colleagues are all very friendly! So all in all – so far so good!
We are staying at a serviced apartment (BONUS!) and no it's not in causeway bay / central / mid-levels! We thought we would live a bit out of central, so we can experience the culture of Hong Kong… live with the locals so to speak. There aren't many gwai-los (westerners) around here, maybe in our building but i havent seen many!
We are on the 19th Floor, and it gets cleaned every single day (except weekends!), that's right DAILY! The place feels dirty by Monday morning - terrible! I don't even clean the apartment in Surry Hills once a week! I can definitely get used to this life style! Our maid is extremely sweet - she cleans all the rooms on the 19th floor, and she calls me 'maam'! So weird being called 'maam' - I have told her many times to call me by my first name but I guess 'maam' would just be easier! Really loving the apartment and well … – I have too considering I spend 3 days a week working here!
I am hoping to use a bit of my free time to blog about food in Hong Kong and catch up on all the food blogs in Sydney! And of course…. To experience the life of a 'tai – tai' here. I wish "B" was here, she would definitely enjoy the life here with me and my gosh – we would definitely eat our way around Hong Kong!
Anyway, hoping to a fantastic 12 months in Hong Kong! I am sure you will either read about it or hear about it!!
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