View from the Rooftop

The view from our window

When we traveled to Hong Kong for our "look trip", the realtor reminded us at least two dozen times that "nothing we were looking at would actually be available when we planned to arrive in August". The rentals we were looking at were just to get a taste of location and what we would get for our budget. Besides that, there still was (and remains to this day) much uncertainty with Marcus' long-term schooling location so it became very difficult to determine the best location for our family with so much still up in the air. In the end, we decided we needed to move forward with our living location based on the one "known": Lydia's school (Hong Kong International School). Once that decision was made, there was no longer time remaining for us to make a return trip to Hong Kong for an official housing search.

Hong Kong International School is located on the very southern tip of Hong Kong Island. It is a much quieter, more secluded location than typical Hong Kong. This means that getting into Central is a more monumental task involving long taxi and/or bus rides. But it also means that we can walk to a very peaceful "boardwalk" type place with casual restaurants, grocery stores and coffee shops. I was very drawn to this setting since I knew it likely meant an easier way of meeting other expats with kids enrolled in the nearby schools and other commonalities.

Once we narrowed down the location, the next decision was housing type: high rise apartments or townhome style. The high rise apartments have quite a draw since they offer instant community, lots of amenities such as pools, gyms and tennis courts. However, they also mean long elevator rides down to let the dog out throughout the day. The townhome style feels more like we might be used to in the States... a row of approximately 6 units with shared walls, multiple floors, a patio and small outdoor garden area. However, this also comes at a price with slightly more isolation and a little more effort in obtaining taxis or getting to the bus. In the end, we made the decision that the quiet and the ability to let the dog in and out easily were tilt factors and we decided to make the call and attempt to reserve one of the townhomes we saw in our initial visit. It had recently gone through a simple update, was clean, didn't smell musty and had the arrangement of bedrooms and bathrooms we were looking for.

"Hahahaha" they scoffed. "Do you recall? Nothing you saw will still be available." Yet we continued to press and push for this particular unit. And somehow... the landlord was willing to hold it for us and sign the agreement. This was such a relief to check off the list and finally have one "sure thing" identified in our transition to life in HK.

Now that we have arrived and are (somewhat) settled in, I am extremely thankful for the ability to let the dog in and out, have a patio table outside for when the weather cools down and a grill on the terrace. On these super hot, humid summer days, I do wish we had access to a pool and Lydia wishes for a gym, but hopefully we will make close friendships with those who do and be able to spend time with them at their homes.

I find myself waking up every day and looking out the window just amazed at the view I am able to enjoy. It really is quite gorgeous and something I never expected when we first began considering a move to Hong Kong. I have always wondered if people who have access to such beauty out of their windows — whether mountains, lakes, forests, fields or oceans — eventually take it for granted and began to forget to see the beauty. I certainly hope I do not and that every morning of the next three years of our time in Hong Kong will be filled with gratitude for the beauty right outside the window.

Our backyard (Louis' stomping grounds), and a view of the grass on the other side of the fences.