Life is a Scavenger Hunt

"Inflated Objects Hanging From the Ceiling" Store, for the win!

Three weeks in and life has slipped into something of a "new normal" routine, although routine is a loose term since every day seems quite different than the one before and my mind is overloaded with new info and discoveries each and every day. I find myself continually feeling like I am forgetting to do something or sign up for something or pay for something.

Just yesterday I learned that there is a specific "mall" (multi-story building) dedicated just to anything you might want for electronics or computer-related gadgets. And, thanks to my new friend Natasha, I found a grocery store with hummus that more closely meets our expectations. However, this store is different than the one that carries sugar snap peas and the BBQ chips that we like. I can't keep them straight, so I end up going to both. I've also gotten much better at remembering to take shopping bags with me at all times, because finding something that I've been searching for always seems to occur when I don't have a bag and then I have to pay for one. Again.

I've also learned to carry an umbrella with me at all times. That lesson only took once for me to learn! The rainy season really is the rainy season and sunshine in the morning doesn't mean there won't be a downpour in 10 minutes.

I have tripled the number of times I have driven the car. Yes, from one to three. My total mileage to date is probably somewhere around 7 miles and I drive like a beginner with a death grip on the wheel and sweaty palms. Narrow, winding mountain roads and speeding double-decker buses are quite unnerving.

In the time since we arrived three weeks ago we have:
• Bought a car
• Sold our car in the U.S.
• Gotten our Hong Kong driver's licenses
• Obtained our Hong Kong IDs
• Applied for our Chinese visas
• Had cross country tryouts for Lydia (two times; thankfully she made the team both times!)
• Had soccer tryouts and two basketball tryouts for Marcus
• Eaten Chinese food only once
• Washed 28 loads of dishes in the dishwasher using laundry pods (I'll pay extra for the imported English-labeled detergent from now on)
• Begun to figure out the public transportation system including buses, taxis and subway
• Made many of new friendships with others who have lived here both long and short amounts of time
• Gone dragon boating, SUPing, hiking, mountain biking, market shopping and kayaking
• Stepped out of our comfort zones and tried things and activities we would have never considered in our U.S. life. Necessity breeds courage.
• Paid our water bill by taking cash to the 7-11 store. Gives new meaning to "convenience store".

Still on the list to conquer:

• Find light fixtures to replace the bare single bulbs currently hanging from our ceiling
• Find and arrange for an electrician to hang these light fixtures
• Locate nightstands and rugs from somewhere other than IKEA. (Nothing wrong with IKEA, I just don't want to feel like I live in an IKEA showroom.)
• Figure out how to have a propane tank delivered for our outdoor grill
• Find a clinic that carries the same version of the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine that we received and make appointments for the 2nd dose. (Two thumbs down for this task.)
• Open a local bank account so I can more easily pay for school activities. (They really like their "cheques" and bank transfers in HK.)
• Buy a pizza pan that fits in our teeny tiny oven
• Drive further than 10 miles
• Buy a popcorn popper. I miss my air popped popcorn on the weekend!
• Purchase one of those wheeled personal shopping totes. I'll feel like such a local. And my back and shoulders will thank me for it.
• Buy a backpack that makes me look super cute and stylish (tall order, I know!). It must also accommodate my shopping bags, umbrella, water bottle, have secure hiding places for my wallet and "Octopus" payment card, and dedicated pockets for my keys and sunglasses so that I stop losing them. And then Lydia won't accuse me of dementia anymore.

My new friend, Jamie, described going to the grocery store as a "gambling game". You just never know if you're going to walk out a winner or if you'll have to play again tomorrow. What I DO know is that if you see it, you better buy it! Even if it means paying for yet another shopping bag.