HKGW02: Top 20 Random Observations

this week we have continued to learn things about our new home and to become accustomed to things that shocked us last week (like the lack of napkins). here are my 20 random observations for this week:

1. coats...it's in the 60s and 70s here, and folks are wearing big, puffy winter jackets, or furs, with scarves...and GLOVES. the babies are wrapped up like it's 20 degrees (Fahrenheit).
2. groceries...i am starting to understand some advice i rec'd about the expense of groceries here. as i get more acclimated to shopping and cooking for us, i realize that while some things are very reasonably priced, some are not (like meat).
3. water...i think that we as a family have now increased our carbon footprint two hundred fold with the number of plastic bottles we've used for water. once we are settled in our new apartment, i look forward to finding a water filtration system so that we can save some $$ and the earth by using FAR fewer plastic water bottles.
4. i have long hated shopping, but the shopping here continues to intrigue me. while lost in butterfly bay yesterday, we stumbled upon a mall filled with interesting shops. i wish we'd been less harried and stressed...would have been fun to do a little shopping. the thought of getting it all home, though...gave me heartburn.
5. i've been here only 2 weeks and am living in a space the size of a closet, but i already miss buying in bulk. it must be an addiction for me ;-p
6. my appliance fascination this week is our water heater. it's one of those tankless water heaters that are all chi-chi-la-la in the states and cost an arm and a leg and necessitate a tax rebate. here, they are standard. the concept ROCKS...you never run out of hot water, AND you're not wasting energy by having a water heater turn on when not in use. my only complaint is that because our space is so small, there is only one tankless water heater. it produces scalding hot water in the kitchen and only so-so hot water in the bathroom.
7. i have seriously underestimated my bug. olivia has proven herself to be quite the mature little lady in these two weeks. don't worry, she's still throwing us sass-fest curve balls, but overall, SHE is the reason we can get around hong kong with a minimum of fuss. she does a great job of paying attention to what's around her, listening when we ask her to take on big-girl tasks like helping me hold onto the stroller in a bus and waiting patiently at a bus or tram stop while i try to get me and quinn off the bus or tram. her social little self has returned, too, and she's making friends EVERYWHERE we go. she had THREE boys chasing her at the park this morning...one tried to kiss her!!!
8. quinn also has grown by leaps and bounds in these two weeks. he can sit still for a meal without having to be buckled in (before we left pville, we could not trust him to actually eat his meal if he was not belted into his high chair), he's learning to be more patient about holding my hand/staying with me when he's not in the stroller, and he's learned the number 3 and the letter G....pushes the right buttons at the right time in the elevator of our current apartment building.
9. i completely forgot that kids get ANOTHER set of molars sometime between the ages of 3 and 6...after shoving her hands in her mouth for the last two weeks, we realized that something was up with livie's teeth. the two bottom 3-to-6-year molars have come all the way through...poor kid!
10. more about the kids...quinn has COMPLETELY come out of his shell. he now introduces himself and the rest of us when he meets a new person (i am the only one that understands what he's saying/doing, though)...he is now initiating play with pretty much any boy that he meets at the park...i think he might be going into the girls-are-icky stage earlier than i expected. well, that is for any girl that doesn't have black hair and brown eyes. quinn seems to be drawn to asian girls. he also has had a bit of a language leap...he speaks in sentences all the time now, and he has -GULP- begun to show he's ready to potty train. i am shaking in my shoes contemplating potty training here...the public bathroom situation is VERY different from home.
11. there are not public restrooms in the parks...the nearest public restroom to the two parks near us is about a quarter mile from one park and about three quarters of a mile from the other park. in the happy valley upper area that we live in, i have found ONE public bathroom on the street. there is also an easy-to-access public bathroom in the building that houses the library, but that leaves about 2 square miles without a bathroom. i am interested to see how this will be in the mid-levels, the area we are moving to next week. during our time being lost yesterday, we wandered around the extremely busy and extremely crowded wan chai business area for almost 20 minutes before we found a public restroom...and it wasn't even public...it was in a mall and labeled for tenants only, but a shop person let us (and many others) in. see what i mean about potty training anxiety?!?
12. i have recently learned that the bakeries around here ROCK. we have picked up some delectable treats and perfectly crispy/soft french bread. i have to say i am surprised b/c i assumed that bread and cakes wouldn't be big here.
13. chinese cabbage tastes pretty good in marinara sauce.
14. spaghetti is CRAZY cheap here.
15. i haven't dried this many dishes in about 20 years. i have been spoiled by the dryer in our dishwasher in pville and by letting things air dry in a drain board.
16. the butter here is NOT salted...no matter what the container says, it is NOT salted. i already miss salted butter.
17. soy milk is mysterious here. we have found 8th continent or other recognizable name brand soy milk only 2x...the rest of the time, we hope for the best as we buy soy milk labeled in chinese characters. this seems to work fine as quinn is ADDICTED to it and drags us by hand to the mini fridge all day every day telling us "milky, please" or "i want milky!"
18. despite all the DELICIOUS food all around us, josh and i have each lost more than 5 pounds. livie appears to have lost a couple pounds. quinn is about the same.
19. my legs are sore and i have shin splints from all the hills we hiked yesterday.
20. as much as i desperately miss my boot camp class, i have come to realize that pushing my gigantic son uphill in a stroller is a good workout. hauling just two moderately sized bags of groceries home is a good workout, too, because we live halfway up a steep hill.