I've spent five days in my new city. It has been quite a week. I've done a lot, but there's so much more to do.
The flight over was LONG (15:30) and arrived two hours late. It was 11:45 p.m. before I arrived at my hotel on Friday night. On Saturday morning my "orientation coordinator," Tammy, took me (and four others) to apply for identity cards, establish bank accounts, and set up cell phones. That was a mad dash around the city, but we got it all done in about 6 hours.
On Sunday, I took time out from "becoming and expat" to enjoy afternoon tea at the infamous Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. It's one of the grand traditions left over from 150 years of British rule.
There are about 15 new teachers at Hong Kong International School this year. All of us arrived within a few days of each other, and all of us are staying at the same hotel. Thus, I'm quickly meeting some new colleagues. I don't know if all of us will be life-long friends, but it's nice to have a support group and some people to help me through the transition period.
Of course, one of the major tasks was finding a place to live. On Monday, I met with 3 different realtors and saw about 20 apartments all over Hong Kong Island. While many were simply awful (small and dated), one realtor (named Joyce) came through. She showed me two great options. One was a brand new condo on the 36th floor of a skyscraper (30-40 minutes from school) and the other was a big, renovated one-bedroom townhouse on the beach (5-10 minutes from school). After much deliberation, I went with the beach house! I know how important it is to be close to school and it's in a great neighborhood. I'll send pictures as soon as I move in. I hope to get the keys to the place this weekend.
Since I settled on my place and signed the lease, I've been running around with my new colleagues trying to find furniture and household items. We went to an IKEA today, and it was a bit overwhelming. Starting from scratch means buying a lot. I'm just trying to focus on the necessities for now.
My task for the next few days is to get Internet and cable set up at the new place and get utilities transferred into my name. Beyond that, more furniture shopping and house set up is on the agenda. I start orientation next Thursday, so I'd like to get a lot done by then.
I sure miss everyone at home. I wobble back and forth between being excited and being scared. I hope that with a bit more time it will feel more comfortable. Once school starts, and I meet the kids, I think things will start to even out for me.
The flight over was LONG (15:30) and arrived two hours late. It was 11:45 p.m. before I arrived at my hotel on Friday night. On Saturday morning my "orientation coordinator," Tammy, took me (and four others) to apply for identity cards, establish bank accounts, and set up cell phones. That was a mad dash around the city, but we got it all done in about 6 hours.
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| High Tea @ The Peninsula Hong Kong |
There are about 15 new teachers at Hong Kong International School this year. All of us arrived within a few days of each other, and all of us are staying at the same hotel. Thus, I'm quickly meeting some new colleagues. I don't know if all of us will be life-long friends, but it's nice to have a support group and some people to help me through the transition period.
Of course, one of the major tasks was finding a place to live. On Monday, I met with 3 different realtors and saw about 20 apartments all over Hong Kong Island. While many were simply awful (small and dated), one realtor (named Joyce) came through. She showed me two great options. One was a brand new condo on the 36th floor of a skyscraper (30-40 minutes from school) and the other was a big, renovated one-bedroom townhouse on the beach (5-10 minutes from school). After much deliberation, I went with the beach house! I know how important it is to be close to school and it's in a great neighborhood. I'll send pictures as soon as I move in. I hope to get the keys to the place this weekend.
Since I settled on my place and signed the lease, I've been running around with my new colleagues trying to find furniture and household items. We went to an IKEA today, and it was a bit overwhelming. Starting from scratch means buying a lot. I'm just trying to focus on the necessities for now.
My task for the next few days is to get Internet and cable set up at the new place and get utilities transferred into my name. Beyond that, more furniture shopping and house set up is on the agenda. I start orientation next Thursday, so I'd like to get a lot done by then.
I sure miss everyone at home. I wobble back and forth between being excited and being scared. I hope that with a bit more time it will feel more comfortable. Once school starts, and I meet the kids, I think things will start to even out for me.
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